Author: Peacock Carter

Lorrainne MacGillivray has recently been installed as the Institute’s President.

Lorrainne who is Manager of Regulatory Services at Stirling Council has had several roles with REHIS including member of Southern Centre Management Committee since 2005, Chairman of the Examinations and Training Committee from 2013-2015 and is currently Chairman of the Management Committee.

Commenting on her recent post, Lorrainne MacGillivray said “It is a huge honour to be elected to this post by the membership and I look forward to serving the members over the next twelve months. I also look forward to working with the Institute’s many partners in local and central government, and in the wider community. 

The successful delivery of Environmental Health and ensuring the effective protection of the health and wellbeing of the people of Scotland through education, training and qualifications is of paramount importance to the Institute.”

Lorrainne has also sent a Christmas wish to all members which can be accessed here.

A study published by the British Medical Journal found that air pollution from road traffic is putting the health of unborn babies at risk and is linked to low birth weight.

A team led by the Imperial College London carried out the research in London but stressed the findings can be applied to other cities in the UK and further afield in Europe. They also stressed that environmental health policies aimed at reducing road traffic could reduce the burden of low birth weight, small for gestational age and subsequent lifelong morbidity.

The Researchers used national registers to study more than 540,000 births in Greater London between 2006 and 2010 and estimated average monthly concentrations of traffic-related pollutants mother’s home address at the time of birth.

They found they found the risk of a low birth weight increased by between two and six per cent for in area associated with higher traffic-related air pollutants. There was also a one to three per cent increase in the odds of the baby being small for gestational age.

The study authors concluded: “The findings suggest that air pollution from road traffic in London is adversely affecting foetal growth”.

The study also found no evidence that exposure to road traffic noise was linked to birth weight but the authors said they “cannot rule out that an association might be observed in a study area with a wider range of noise exposures”.

5 energy saving things to do before the Christmas break from Resource Efficient Scotland

If you’re one of the lucky businesses that will be working reduced hours over the holidays, or closing your doors for a well-deserved holiday fortnight, check out these top energy-savings tips from the team at Resource Efficient Scotland. By planning in a little time to do these final checks around your premises before you leave, you can relax in the knowledge that you’re not wasting energy or money while you are away, and that you’re doing your bit for the environment. 

Energy Saving Checklist:

1.         Turn off and unplug electrical equipment

2.         Turn off lighting

3.         Adjust heating controls

4.         Check your kitchen and canteen

5.         Turn off taps

In a report prepared jointly by environmental analysts Eunomia and the European Environmental Bureau analyses recycling data from around the world to compare municipal solid waste (MSW) recycling rates as equally as possible in order to explore best practice.

MSW is made up of everyday items that are thrown out by the public at home or on the go. 

The best performing country was Germany with a recycling rate of 66.1 per cent followed by Wales at 63.8 per cent. Scotland came in 15^th at 46.3 per cent, above England in 18^th place at 42.8 per cent and Northern Ireland in 20th place at 41.8 per cent.

The report reveals that based on recent MSW recycling increases Wales is set to knock Germany off the top spot next year. Wales has set itself a target to be zero waste by 2050.

‘It’s important to note this research has been carried out so we can identify who the real leaders in recycling are, to share best practice by shining a spotlight on what these countries are doing,’ said report author and Eunomia Managing Consultant Rob Gillies.

‘We also hope that this will help progress the debate on how best to measure ‘real’ recycling, in line with the principles of the waste hierarchy, in a way that is as consistent as possible within Europe and further afield,’ 

Countries that made it into the top 10 had recycling rates of more than 50%. There were key themes and policies shared by those countries doing well on recycling. These include: 

• Mandatory separate collection of key dry recyclable materials.
• Mandatory separate collection of bio waste.
• Statutory targets for rates of recycling or the reduction of unrecycled waste.
• Pay-as-you-throw charges.
• Producer responsibility schemes, where producers fund the collection of key recyclables.
• Taxes on landfill.
• Deposit refund systems.

The Scottish Government has set a target of recycling 70% of all waste by 2025.

New research on UK pollution published by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and Lancet Countdown collaboration shows that out of 51 UK cities listed in the World Health Organization ambient air pollution database, 44 UK cities are in breach of the recommended World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for air quality.

WHO’s recommended limit value for particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns (PM 2.5) is 10 micrograms per cubic metre of air. But in numerous UK cities and towns annual average levels are higher.

Glasgow has emerged as one of cities with the highest levels of PM2.5s in the country, with a concentration of 16 micrograms per cubic metre. The seaside town of Prestonpans in East Lothian also had high levels, with 12 micrograms per cubic metre – higher than in cities such as Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Inverness. London and Leeds both had 15 micrograms of the particles in every cubic metre-sized parcel of air, while Cardiff, Oxford and Birmingham had 14 and Manchester 13.

In addition, 13 out of the 51 UK cities in the WHO’s ambient air pollution database exceeded the WHO’s recommendation for PM10 of 20 micrograms per cubic metre. Glasgow again emerged as one of cities with the highest levels of PM10s, with 23 micrograms per cubic metre.

The authors acknowledged that European Union air quality guidelines were far less stringent than those of the WHO, with an upper safety limit for PM2.5s of 25 micrograms per cubic metre. However, they claim WHO limits represent a “safer threshold”.

The research notes the need for national action to tackle air quality. In 2016, along with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), the RCP estimated that ambient air pollution causes 40,000 premature deaths, over 6 million sick dates and an estimated social cost of £22.6 billion per year.

The Scottish government said Scotland was the first country in Europe to pass legislation based on WHO guidelines on safe levels of PM2.5s.

A spokesman added: "We recognise the link between air quality and public health, which is why we announced earlier this month that Glasgow will be the first city in Scotland to introduce a low emission zone by 2018.

"We are also working with local authorities to introduce low emission zones in each of our four biggest cities by 2020, and in all other air quality management areas where necessary by 2023."

In September, the Scottish government announced a target to phase out petrol and diesel vehicles in Scotland by 2032. 

A reminder to members that 2017 CPD returns should now be sent to the REHIS office for scrutiny. For those wishing to remain Chartered or who are progressing towards it, the deadline for doing a written submission and providing CPD records for 2017 is 31 January 2018. Entries must be signed and corroborated by a senior colleague or by supporting evidence.  Further details are available from the Institute’s office. Guidance and briefing note can also be found here.

Five companies face charges under the Health and Safety at Work Act following an outbreak of Legionnaires disease in Edinburgh.

The outbreak in 2012 saw four people die and 92 cases identified. The source of the outbreak was never identified and the Crown ruled at the time there was no evidence to justify any prosecution.

The charges are connected to alleged breaches of health and safety regulations and are unrelated to the deaths.

North British Distillery, Macfarlan Smith, Ashland Industries, Pera Services and Chemtech Consultancy are accused of exposing people to the risk of legionnaires between 2009 and 2013.

It is alleged the companies failed to ensure the safety of employees and members of the public from the risk of exposure to legionella bacteria from cooling towers at property in Wheatfield Road.

At the city’s Sheriff Court legal representatives of the companies pleaded not guilty to the indictment.

Sheriff Alison Stirling was told the trial could last up to 12 weeks. A further hearing will be held on 25 January next year. No date has been set for the trial.

From 2018, food businesses in Europe will have to take steps to cut down on acrylamide- a carcinogenic chemical produced by food in high temperatures.

The European Commission voted to introduce measures to tackle acrylamide in July this year, pending confirmation from the European Parliament and the European Council. It has now announced that both of these bodies have signed off and new legislation has been published to come into effect in April 2018.

Acrylamide was first discovered in foods as recently as 2002. It forms naturally during high-temperature cooking and processing. This includes frying, roasting and baking, particularly in potato-based products and cereal-based products, according to the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) confirmed in 2015 that acrylamide is a carcinogenic substance and that current levels of dietary exposure to it indicate a concern to carcinogenic effects.

Although it is not possible to totally eliminate acrylamide from foods, actions can be taken to try and ensure that levels are as low as reasonably achievable. Food businesses will be required to put in place practical steps to manage acrylamide within their food safety management system under the new EU legislation. The legislation describes practical measures based upon best practice guidance developed by the food industry to mitigate acrylamide formation in a range of foods.

Food Standards Scotland and FSA are working with the British Hospitality Association and other key stakeholders to develop simple guidance which will help the catering and food service sectors comply with new rules.

In addition, the FSA has been undertaking surveillance on acrylamide levels in food products since 2007. The latest surveillance report can be found on the Survey of acrylamide and furan in UK retail products page.

FSA’s advice and more information about the chemical can be found by clicking here.

Revised guidance has been published for businesses on how to improve protections for food and drink supply.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) and the British Standards Institute have published a revised guide for food businesses on how to improve protections for food and drink supply.

The guide has been published to help provide user-friendly advice to businesses on the steps they can take to strengthen resilience in their operations from a range of potential risks.

The latest version of the Publicly Available Specification guidance titled ‘PAS 96:2017 Guide to protecting and defending food and drink from deliberate attack’ has been jointly sponsored by the FSA and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

It uses risk management strategies which can be adapted to operations of all sizes at different points in the supply chain. It also provides advice on how businesses can detect potential vulnerabilities and the steps that they can take to mitigate them.

The Waste and Resource Action Programme (WRAP) has published new labelling guidance, to give consumers more consistent storage and date label advice.

The guidance has been prepared by WRAP, DEFRA Labelling team and Food Standards Agency (FSA) in conjunction with Food Standards Scotland, FSA in Wales and FSA Northern Ireland with input from various food sector trade bodies.

It will be used by food manufacturers, retailers and brands as the industry standard and brings together recommendations that ensure food is safe and adheres to legal requirements, with best practice information to ensure it is stored and used within time.

The document provides guidance on how to apply and use food date labels and how UK law applies throughout the “life cycle” of a food product. The guidance explains how adopting some practices, while maintaining food safety, can reduce food waste. These practices include:

• Only applying “Use By” where there is a food safety reason to use it
• Maximising product “open” and “closed” life
• Only applying “use within x days” open life where there is a specific safety reason not already covered by a “Use By” date.
• Providing clear advice on where to store the product to maximise product life
• For products that require or benefit from chilled storage apply consistent advice
• Using the “snowflake” logo to indicate where products are suitable for freezing
• Only having one date label on a single product

The move is to help tackle the two million tonnes of food wasted each year in UK homes purely from it not being used in time. A third of this food waste is triggered because of how shoppers interpret existing date labels.

During the recent UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi, more than 200 countries pledged to eradicate pollution on the planet, committing their countries to honour efforts to prevent, mitigate and manage the dangerous levels of pollution affecting the ecosystem and the health of billions of people around the world.

The three-day assembly held on 4-6 December, was attended by over 4,000 heads of state, ministers, business leaders, UN officials and civil society representatives.

The assembly ended with environment ministers issuing a declaration titled “Towards a pollution free planet”. The declaration commits nations to targeting pollution through tailored actions to shift societies towards more sustainable lifestyles, promoting fiscal incentives to move markets and enforcing stricter laws on pollution.

If the pledges of all the countries are met, 1.49 billion more people will breathe clean air, 480,000 km (or around 30 per cent) of the world’s coastlines will be clean and $18.6 billion will be spent on research and development and on innovative initiatives to tackle air, land and water pollution

Dr. Edgar Gutiérrez, Minister of Environment and Energy of Costa Rica and President of the 2017 UN Environment Assembly, said: “The science we have seen at this assembly shows we have been so bad at looking after our planet that we have very little room to make more mistakes”.

“With the promises made here, we are sending a powerful message that we will listen to the science, change the way we consume and produce, and tackle pollution in all its forms across the globe”.

During the assembly, the countries also passed 13 non-binding resolutions with more specific measures on issues such as marine litter and microplastics, air pollution, poisoning from paint and batteries, and pollution in areas hit by conflict and terrorism.

Overall, environmental degradation causes nearly one in four of all deaths worldwide, or 12.6 million people a year, and the widespread destruction of key ecosystems. Air pollution is the single biggest environmental killer, claiming 6.5 million lives each year.

Particular focus was given on ocean plastic pollution. Vidar Helgesen, Norway’s Environment Minister, who initiated the resolution to eliminate ocean plastic pollution revealed how Norway has already seen the impacts of plastic pollution on its seas. He said: “We found microplastics inside mussels, which is something we like to eat. In January this year, a fairly rare species of whale was stranded on a beach because of exhaustion and they simply had to kill it. In its tummy, they found 30 plastic bags”.

Erik Solheim, head of UN Environment, showed excitement for both the declaration and the resolutions. He said: “ We have put the fight against pollution high on the global political agenda. We have a long struggle ahead of us, but the summit showed there is a real appetite for significant positive change”