MMS News of 06.08.2008

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04.08.2008

Pelargonium: Disputed Patents

Berne Declaration and Partners in South Africa filed a complaint with the European Patent Agency

04.08.2008

Pelargonium: Disputed Patents

Berne Declaration and Partners in South Africa filed a complaint with the European Patent Agency

Local communities in South Africa have been using the Cape Pelargonium to treat bronchitis and other diseases since time immemorial. Schwabe Pharmaceuticals, a German company that makes a tidy profit from a Pelargonium-based product named UMCKALOABO, is seeking various patents on the medicinal uses of the Cape Pelargonium. Together with their partners in South Africa (the Alice Community, African Center for Biosafety) the Berne Declaration filed a complaint with the European Patent Agency against two of their patents on may 2008.

04.08.2008

Identifying areas at risk for arsenic contamination

New method of the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology

04.08.2008

Identifying areas at risk for arsenic contamination

New method of the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology

The contamination of groundwater with arsenic poses a risk to the health of millions of people, especially in the densely populated river deltas of Southeast Asia. To date, no method has been available for identifying high-risk areas without conducting costly sampling campaigns. Now, Eawag (Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology) has developed a model that allows vulnerable areas to be pinpointed using existing data on geology and soil properties. This has also enabled the researchers to detect high-risk areas in regions where groundwater studies had not previously been carried out, such as in Myanmar and on Sumatra.