A recent US study highlights the high pollution in freshwater fish. The risks are similar in Switzerland, reports RTS. The US study, published on Science Direct, is focused on levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. These substances take a very long time to breakdown and persist and accumulate in the environment. The foods […]
Polluted areas in Switzerland – do you live near one?
According to Switzerland’s Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) there are 38,000 polluted zones covering 220 square kilometres spread across the country, reported RTS. 220 square kilometres is equivalent to nearly 80% of the canton of Geneva. The interactive map below combines data from the army, public transport, civil aerodromes and cantons to present polluted […]
Oxo-degradable plastics banned in Switzerland from April 2022
Everything in the universe eventually breaks down and degrades. This means claims regarding biodegradability are easy to make. However, the real question is: how long does it take and what does it breakdown into? In some cases, materials pitched as being friendly to the environment often fall significantly short of environment friendly claims upon closer […]
Switzerland’s invisible pollution problem
Plastic pollution is a well-known problem. However, few have heard of micro rubber pollution. Like micro plastic, micro rubber is largely invisible. From 1998 to 2018, researchers estimate that 200,000 tonnes of micro rubber, shed from vehicle tyres as they move along the road, has accumulated in the environment in Switzerland. Bernd Nowack from Empa, […]
Harmful levels of pesticides found in Switzerland’s small streams
Two recently published studies by Eawag and the Ecotox Centre have once again shown that surface waters in agricultural catchment areas in Switzerland are heavily contaminated with a mixture of herbicides, fungicides, insecticides and other chemicals. In most of the samples, 30 or more different active ingredients were detected. Studies of stream biodiversity and bioassays […]
