Archive News

August 5, 2019The efforts for clean water are having an effect: According to the European Environment Agency, over 85 percent of bathing sites in European waters have excellent water quality.

July 30, 2019Ebola is a deadly viral infection that has so far mainly been present in Central and West Africa. Many people in those regions are either unfamiliar with the disease, do not believe in it, or don’t know how to prevent infection. For this reason, UNICEF was active in The Gambia, West Africa, among other places, between 2014 and 2016, running information campaigns on how to prevent the spread of Ebola.

July 25, 2019Phosphate supplies are limited and found in only a few countries. Mining and transport of this nutrient are costly. It is therefore becoming increasingly important that phosphorus be recovered and reused regionally, and Switzerland, with a functioning phosphorus recycling economy, can lead the way.

July 8, 2019Without phosphorus there would be no life; however, the mineable quantities are limited. The element was first described 350 years ago. This week, some 200 experts are meeting in Zurich to discuss the future of phosphorus.

July 3, 2019Swiss 3R Competence Centre (3RCC) to fund six projects worth CHF 1.2 million to advance the replacement, reduction and refinement of animal experiments.

June 27, 2019 The summer heat has reached Switzerland and cooling down in the lake certainly does no harm. On the website "Meteolakes" you can find out how refreshing a dip in Lake Zurich will be at the moment, the next hours and days.

June 13, 2019Some insecticides, such as the neonicotinoids, have an effect on the nervous systems of organisms. But not only, as shown by the results of a new study in which Eawag scientists took part. And: the resulting damage can be very different, depending on the species of fish.

June 11, 2019For 13 years, the "building" foundation has been committed to promoting the next generation of engineers in the construction industry, which also includes the Building Award for remarkable and innovative engineering achievements in construction. This year's award in the "Research and Development" category goes to NEST, the modular research and innovation building of Empa and Eawag.

May 29, 2019Climate change will also have an effect on the surface waters and aquatic ecosystems of Switzerland. The extent of this effect has now been examined by Eawag researchers in a synthesis report commissioned by FOEN. All in all, it will be possible to maintain the high quality of Swiss waters through management and adaptation, however, this will entail higher costs, say the authors of the report.

April 25, 2019For the first time ever, a toxicity test with cultured gill cell lines from fish has been ISO-certified. The test is used to determine the acute toxicity of water samples and chemicals to fish. This is an important milestone because there is a lack of recognised alternatives to experiments with live fish.