Fifth research programme (ECSC) "Technical control of nuisances and pollution at the place of work and in the environment of iron and steel works", 1985-1989 Pursuant to Article 55 of the Treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the Commission is required to promote technical and economic research relating to the production and increased use of coal and steel and to occupational safety in the coal and steel industries. The funds for this aid are derived from levies imposed on the production of coal and steel as provided for in Article 49 of the ECSC Treaty. Whereas the second research programme on the technical control of pollution in the iron and steel industry (1967-1973) was almost entirely devoted to problems of atmospheric pollution, the third programme (1974-1978) enlarged its scope to include the problems of treating waste and liquid effluent. The fourth (1979-1983) and fifth (1985-1989) programmes continued research in these same fields but enlarged their scope still further to include noise, environmental effects and health and safety at work. The overall objectives of the fifth programme were in compliance with the general objectives of the Commission as regards the environment, and, particularly, with those of the third action programme on the environment and of the Community directives incorporated into the various national laws.To deal with priorities established according to two sets of requirements: those of Community directives and national legislation on the one hand, and technological advances and the growing problem of pollution transfer on the other.- Measures to combat air pollution at the workplace, inside plants and in the environment: Research on the purification of the atmosphere at the workplace and inside plants is an ongoing and still crucial item; - Measures to combat fresh and seawater pollution: The priority was research necessitated by the phased implementation of the Council Directive on pollution caused by certain dangerous substances discharged into Community's aquatic environment; - Waste: The disposal of waste in general, including volume reduction, treatment, recycling, beneficiation and storage, was a priority issue; - Impact studies: Impact studies, emission inventories and forecasting systems for dust fall-out and for pollutant diffusion and conversion in steelworks and in the environment are of the utmost importance and were given special attention, as was the prevention of technological hazards; - Noise: Research concentrated on the improvement of existing sound damping techniques. At the same time, special attention was given to the detection, location and identification of noise sources harmful to the health of workers and the environment of steelmaking areas.The Commission was responsible for the implementation of the programme, assisted by three consultative committees: the Research Committee, the Committee of Producers and Workers on Industrial Safety and Medicine, and the Committee of Government Experts. Projects, lasting two to three years, were carried out by the research institutes in the coal and steel industries. Financial aid granted by the Commission covered up to 60% of the total costs of each project. Research reports were made available and details of projects or a summary of the final reports were published in Euro-Abstracts.