WorldBriefs: China's environment, health examined in new Wilson Center report

In other news below:
-- Microscopy conference issues call for papers
-- Alfa Laval recovers energy in South East Asia
-- Water strategy raises important issues for UK customers, policy makers
-- Vestergaard Frandsen launches drinking water filter
-- Kee Klamp Ltd changes to Kee Safety Ltd
-- Ethical does not mean environmental, new report finds
-- Siltbuster in running for national UK award
-- Winder Power transforms new premises
-- Berson disinfection systems now available in UK
-- GEMS/Water Programme congratulates universities on performance index
-- Swiss university offers advanced certificate in water resource management
-- Céline Dronsart joins Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies
-- United Water, Jersey City agree to 10-year water contract
-- Piping hot start for welding company in 2008
-- Conference to address critical infrastructure, flooding
-- Trelleborg epros opens new office in Singapore
-- Aspectrics appoints Qwest Scientific to strengthen distribution network

• China's environment, health examined in new Wilson Center report
WASHINGTON -- 2007 was a significant year for China's environment. An estimated 750,000 people in China died from respiratory illnesses related to air pollution, while approximately 60,000 died from waterborne diseases. The latest edition of the China Environment Series (CES), the flagship publication of the China Environment Forum (CEF) at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, examines these and other increasingly serious environmental problems in China...

Among other recent headlines:

• Microscopy conference issues call for papers
Organised by the Royal Microscopical Society, MICROSCIENCE 2008 is a biennial international conference and exhibition on the science of microscopy, imaging and analysis to be held at ExCeL, London, UK, 23-26 June 2008. Organizers have issued a call for papers. Abstracts may be submitted using the online submission system available at: www.microscience2008.org.uk/callforpapers. The final deadline for abstracts for oral presentation is 31st March 2008; the final deadline for abstracts for poster presentation is 31st May 2008...

• Alfa Laval recovers energy in South East Asia
LUND, Sweden -- Alfa Laval -- a world leader in heat transfer, centrifugal separation and fluid handling -- has received two orders for heat exchangers to be used for energy recovery in a natural gas production facility in South East Asia. The total order value is approximately SEK 110 million and was booked late Dec. 2007. Delivery will take place during 2008 and 2009...
Also see:
-- "Alfa Laval's acquisition of Fincoil finalized"
-- "Scania chooses Alfdex for Euro 5 engines"
-- "Alfa Laval delivers clean technology to Canada"

• Water strategy raises important issues for UK customers, policy makers
LONDON -- Responding to 'Future Water', the national water strategy for England published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Water UK commented that in a wide-ranging review of current water use and policy the government has identified many of the critical challenges facing water customers and policy-makers at a time of growing uncertainty due to climate change. The organization is pleased that the government is promoting a long-term approach to policy based on enhancing the value of water and the water environment to a healthy economy and society...
Also see:
-- "Action not words, Mr Benn"
-- "Defra strategy: Right direction - but what does it mean for customers?"

• Vestergaard Frandsen launches drinking water filter
A technology designed to save lives has been launched in Ghana. The product known as LifeStraw is an instant microbiological purifier filtration technology. It is used for water purification under the most challenging circumstances. The launch of the product took place on Feb. 6, 2008 at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel....
Also see: -- "Belgian membrane technology company acquired"

• Kee Klamp Ltd changes to Kee Safety Ltd
In a major company initiative which reflects the continuing evolution of the business, Kee Klamp Ltd has announced that it will now operate as Kee Safety Ltd. As Kee Safety Ltd, the company will continue to provide its market leading Kee Klamp® fittings, KeeGuard® roof edge protection and other popular product and system brands. This name change is being instituted across all the Group companies around the world in Canada, France, Germany, UAE and USA to create a truly international safety company. This re-organisation will enable the group to focus its business more effectively on delivering high quality safety solutions to its many global customers...

• Winnipeg mulls separation of water utility
WINNIPEG, Canada -- The city of Winnipeg in Canada is discussing changes to allow the province's Public Utilities Board to set water rates. The city has decided that the water utility, which is currently a city department, should be hived off and become a 'real' utility that can seek customers and have a transparent financial relationship with PUB. This and many other stories of international interest can be found in the lastest issue of Water 21's Global News Digest...

• Ethical does not mean environmental, new report finds
LONDON -- A study of funds available in the UK which purport to be socially responsible and ethical has shown that very few actually invest in companies which are directly tackling climate change. The report, 'A Guide to Climate Change Investment', by independent financial adviser Holden & Partners, examined the top 10 holdings of all SRI, ethical and environmental funds available to UK private investors...

• Siltbuster in running for national UK award
LONDON -- Siltbuster, which manufactures a range of devices that separate solids and liquids to prevent waterborne pollution from construction sites and industrial waste, is in the running for Product of the Year in the Fast Growth Business Awards...
Also see: -- "Australian reservoir replenished with Siltbuster's aid"

• Winder Power transforms new premises
LEEDS, UK -- Winder Power, a well known Leeds transformer and generator manufacturer, is moving to newer and larger premises. This move will bring a new dimension to the company's expansion drive and to its commitment to customer service. The new headquarters, still in Leeds, will provide the enhanced facilities for continued growth. Scheduled for completion during the second quarter of 2008, the new premises will nearly double Winder Power's manufacturing capability, offer larger crane facilities, and provide a more efficient office environment for the growing team.

• Berson disinfection systems now available in UK
Following the tremendous success of Berson UV-techniek's large, closed vessel medium pressure UV disinfection systems in municipal water and wastewater applications in Germany, France, Scandinavia, the USA and Australia, the company is now offering them in the UK for the first time. Berson, a Halma company based in the Netherlands, will be building on the reputation of its British sister company Hanovia Limited and using Hanovia's extensive service support network...
Also see: -- "HWM makes a splash in China"

• GEMS/Water Programme congratulates universities on performance index
UNEP's GEMS/Water Programme congratulated Yale and Colombia University for their 2008 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) and Water at the Davos World Economic Forum. GEMS/Water was Lead Science Advisor to developing the water quality components of the EPI, which ranks 149 countries on 25 indicators tracked across six established policy categories. The EPI identifies broadly-accepted targets for environmental performance and measures how close each country comes to these goals. The Index provides a powerful tool for improving policymaking and shifting environmental decision-making onto firmer analytic foundations...

• Swiss university offers advanced certificate in water resource management
BERN, Switzerland -- The Bern University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland is offering a Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) on "Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) in the context of Developing and Transition Countries". The CAS is endowed with 10 ECTS credits, it has a modular structure and consists of a preparatory work, two ten-day courses as class instruction and a project work. The class instructions take place from August 25 to September 5, 2008, and the focus of this years module is "Practical Solutions and Action"...

• Céline Dronsart joins Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies
SINGAPORE -- Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies (VWS) are pleased to announce the appointment of Céline Dronsart as Biopharmaceutical Key Account Manager for Singapore based VWS (SEA) Pte Ltd. Dronsart will be responsible for developing the market for Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies' range of state-of-the-art water treatment packages for biopharmaceutical applications including Orion® II, Rapide Strata®, Triton and VWS turn-key plant solutions...
Also see: -- "Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies launches new website"

• United Water, Jersey City agree to 10-year water contract
HARRINGTON PARK, NJ -- United Water announced that the company has been awarded a new contract to operate the water system for the City of Jersey City, NJ, for the next 10 years...
Also see: -- "City of Camden, United Water complete water plant upgrades"

• Piping hot start for welding company in 2008
CARMARTHENSHIRE, UK -- Negotiations that started late in 2007 with the Chilean distributors for Huntingdon Fusion Techniques Limited have yielded the first major order of the year. The contract is for welding accessories to support the fabrication of titanium pipework as part of a distribution system in South America to pump sulphuric acid round a mining complex. The order includes flexible enclosures for welding small fabrications, monitors to check purge gas quality, manual trailing shields for protecting joints in flat sheet and pipes up to 1 metre diameter and automatic trailing shields for fitting to the seam welding machines used to produce pipes up to 1 metre diameter from flat sheet.

• Conference to address critical infrastructure, flooding
LONDON -- A CIWEM - Environment Agency conference titled Critical Infrastructure and Flooding - Responding to Realities will be held 26th March 2008, SOAS, London. The aim of this conference is to describe the impact of flooding on critical infrastructure from a wide range of sectoral perspectives in particular in relation to extreme rainfall events and to understand and develop the key elements of the response required...
Also see:
-- "Drinking Water Quality -- Lessons and Planning for Investment"
-- "Critical infrastructure must not be ignored"
-- "Wising up on water"
-- "Government must gets its teeth into the issues surrounding fluoridation"
-- "Pitt must look further"

• Trelleborg epros opens new office in Singapore
GATESHEAD, UK -- Trelleborg epros announced that as of 1 Feb. 2008 it will be opening a new regional office in Singapore. Due to a significant increase in the volume of work being experienced across Asia, a regional office will enable the company to extend the highest level of service, materials sales and distribution, technical support and training to its expanding customer base. The new office will cover all of the company's current and future clients' needs in an area covering Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan (Asia Pacific). It will also hold a stock of materials to minimise lead and delivery times for local client orders. The new office will be staffed by Joerg Garbe, who will take on the role of Technical Support Engineer Asia Pacific, and Simon Burke, who will become Business Development Manager Asia Pacific...

• Aspectrics appoints Qwest Scientific to strengthen distribution network
PLEASANTON, CA -- Aspectrics Inc., innovator of patented Encoded Photometric Near Infrared (EP-NIR) spectroscopy technology, has recently concluded an exclusive strategic agreement with Qwest Scientific Group, the California-based distributor of chromatographs, spectrometers, elemental analyzers, sample preparation systems, robotics and autotitrators. Under the agreement, Qwest Scientific has been appointed as manufacturer's representative to distribute Aspectrics' complete range of biodiesel analyzers across California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho and will expand Aspectrics sales team with the introduction of seven Qwest representatives...

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