Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1130632
2 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 16 JUNE 2019 NEWS Know that you've made a healthy investment ß Minimum investment of €3,000 ß Timberland Invest Ltd is the appointed distributor of bonds issued in Malta by Timberland Securi es Investment plc. ß Investment in the bonds should be based on the full details of the Prospectus Timberland Securities Investment plc. now also listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange's Open Market and the Vienna Stock Exchange's ird Market Call us on 2090 8100 2 Bond issues Timberland Securi es Investment plc. (incorporated in Malta with registered office at 171, Old Bakery Street, Valle a) is the issuer of the bonds in terms of a Prospectus dated 23rd November 2018, approved by the Liechtenstein Financial Market Authority and passported into Malta. The authorised distributor of the bonds, Timberland Invest Ltd (with business office at Aragon Business Centre, Dragonara Road, St. Julian's, STJ 3140) is regulated by the MFSA, under the Investment Services Act. If you invest in these bonds, you will not have access to your money before the maturity date. However, you may transfer or sell your bonds, in accordance with the terms of the Prospectus. The value of your investment may go up as well as down and you may lose some or all of the amount that you invested. A copy of the prospectus is available free of charge, during normal business hours, from the business office of Timberland Invest Ltd or through: h ps://www. mberland-malta.com. e Frankfurt Stock Exchange's Open Market and the Vienna Stock Exchange's ird Market are exchange-regulated markets which do not take the form of regulated markets and are therefore not subject to the prospectus and transparency regimes applicable to Regulated Markets. for a 5 year period maturing in 2023 for a 10 year period maturing in 2028 A bond with yield yield Another bond with 3.75% 4.6% CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 "From the results it is clear that most of the water sam- ples (tap water) contained perchlorate at low concentra- tions while higher concentra- tions were detected in surface run-off water, collected after the first rain after the summer months, during which there is a high incidence of pyro-tech- nic activity," Pace told Malta- Today. Perchlorate can interfere with the human body's ability to absorb iodine into the thy- roid gland, which is a critical element in the production of thyroid hormones. In adults, thyroid plays an important role in metabolism, making and storing hormones that help regulate the heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and the rate at which food is converted into energy. In foetuses and in- fants, thyroid hormones are critical for normal growth and development of the central nervous system. Pace said the concentrations in water were low, compared to those found in dust samples which emerged from research conducted by herself and Vel- la in previous years. "The reason is because the perchlorate is diluted in the aquifers, since it is very water soluble. However, perchlorate is very stable, so it is a very persistent pollutant." Pace said the only source of perchlorate locally is fire- works, resulting in a high con- centration in dust, which may settle via dry deposition or wet deposition (rainfall). The study found that the concentration in some drink- ing water supplies analysed in the study was close to, and in some cases, higher than the recommended limits on the presence of perchlorate man- dated within the state of Mas- sachusetts in the USA. The EU has, so far, issued no guideline values on the amount of perchlorate in wa- ter. Perchlorate detected in tap water Between 42% and 89% of tap water samples analysed in three sampling campaigns between 2012 and 2013 con- tained perchlorate above de- tection limit and had mean concentrations ranging from 0.4 to 1.6 g L-1, suggesting contamination levels similar to those reported from China but lower than levels reported from the USA. The state of Massachusetts recommends a 2 g L-1 limit while California has promul- gated a standard of 6 g L-1. "The quality of Malta's lim- ited freshwater resources ap- pears to be affected by con- tamination resulting from the only known source of per- chlorate, namely the burning of fireworks," the study con- cludes. How perchlorate reaches the water supply Chemicals in pyro-technic devises are not entirely con- sumed in the explosions and the post-explosion debris containing chemicals is dis- persed in the environment by wind and other agents. Residues from fireworks in airborne dust may either set- tle on the ground as contami- nated dust, or dissolve partly in rainwater to release soluble substances that can reach the water table or the sea as coast- al run-off. Some of this also ends in tap water, which consists of a mixture of ground water and desalinated water. The Vella-Pace study con- cludes that perchlorate con- tamination in Malta's water sources is probably unique "in that it appears to result from the combination of an intense and prolonged religious festi- val related to pyro-technic ac- tivity coupled with a territory size of limited geographical extent." The results of the study The study 'Contamination of water resources of a small island state by fireworks- derived perchlorate: A case study from Malta', was based on samples taken from run-off water, the water table and tap water in 2012 and 2013. The study was published in the in- ternational journal Environ- mental Pollution. Ground water was collected directly from the aquifer from 18 sites during April and July 2012. Rainwater run-off was collected from six sites during November 2011, September 2012 and August 2013, fol- lowing the first rainfall after dry season. Tap water was collected from 24 sites during March and September 2012 and March and October 2013. The highest concentrations, sometimes exceeding 110 g L-1 were found in run- off water taken after the first storms occurring during the dry summer period during which fireworks activity esca- lates. 82% of run-off samples collected during August and September contained levels of perchlorate above natural value. Perchlorate was detected in forty-four per cent of the groundwater samples with a mean value of 1.09 g L−1. Between 42% to 89% of the tap water from three sampling campaigns contained perchlo- rate above detection limit. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Tap water study finds perchlorate from fireworks Pace said the only source of perchlorate locally is fireworks