Air Pollution News

April 30, 2025

Top Headlines

London's Low Emission Zones Save Lives and Money

Apr. 23, 2025 — Study finds a 18.5% reduction in sick leave following LEZ implementation in Greater London compared to areas in England without low emission ...

How Safe Is the Air to Breathe? 50 Million People in the US Do Not Know

Apr. 21, 2025 — Across the United States, 58% of counties have no active air-quality monitoring sites, according to a new study. Rural counties, especially those in the Midwest and South, are less likely to have air-quality monitoring sites, which could impede ...

Early-Life Exposure to Air and Light Pollution Linked to Increased Risk of Pediatric Thyroid Cancer

Apr. 18, 2025 — A new study suggests that early-life exposure to two widespread environmental pollutants -- small particle air pollution and outdoor artificial light at night -- could increase the risk of pediatric ...

Study Finds Dramatic Boost in Air Quality from Electrifying Railways

Apr. 16, 2025 — Switching from diesel to electric trains dramatically improved the air quality aboard the San Francisco Bay Area's Caltrain commuter rail line, reducing riders' exposure to the carcinogen black carbon by an average of 89%, finds a new study. The ...

Latest Headlines

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Physics Reveals the Optimal Roof Ratios for Energy Efficiency

Apr. 14, 2025 — There are roof shapes and ratios that maximize heat retainment and energy efficiency and, interestingly, ancient Italian architects and builders seemed to know it, ...

Europe's Population Is Adapting Better to Cold Than to Heat

Apr. 9, 2025 — A study has shown that Europe has adapted better to low temperatures than to high temperatures over the last two decades. The relative risk of mortality at the coldest temperatures has decreased by ...

Tree Rings Track Atmospheric Mercury Cheaply

Apr. 9, 2025 — Wild fig tree rings offer a cheap method for tracking toxic atmospheric mercury, a byproduct of gold mining in the Global South, according to a new ...

A Step Toward Cleaner Iron Extraction Using Electricity

Apr. 9, 2025 — Iron and its alloys, such as steel and cast iron, dominate the modern world, and there's growing demand for iron-derived products. Traditionally, blast furnaces transform iron ore into purified ...

Smoke from US Wildfires, Prescribed Burns Caused Premature Deaths, Billions in Health Damages

Apr. 8, 2025 — Researchers estimated that smoke from wildfires and prescribed burns caused $200 billion in health damages in 2017, and that these were associated ...

Exposure to Air Pollution May Harm Brain Health of Older Adults

Apr. 7, 2025 — Long-term exposure to high levels of air pollution may harm the brain health of older adults in England, finds a new ...

Exposure to Wildfire Smoke Linked With Worsening Mental Health Conditions

Apr. 4, 2025 — Exposure to fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) from wildfire smoke was associated with increased visits to emergency departments (ED) for mental health conditions, according to a new ...

Surprising Number of Environmental Pollutants in Hedgehogs

Apr. 1, 2025 — Lead, pesticides, brominated flame retardants, plastic additives, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and heavy metals. This is what researchers found when they collected dead hedgehogs to investigate ...

Exposure to Air Pollution in Childhood Is Associated With Reduced Brain Connectivity

Apr. 1, 2025 — A new study has found that children exposed to higher levels of air pollution in early and mid childhood have weaker connections between key brain ...

The Proportion of Harmful Substances in Particulate Matter Is Much Higher Than Assumed

Mar. 31, 2025 — People breathing contaminated air over the course of years are at greater risk of developing numerous diseases. This is thought to be due to highly ...

New Evidence Links Microplastics With Chronic Disease

Mar. 25, 2025 — Tiny fragments of plastic have become ubiquitous in our environment and our bodies. Higher exposure to these microplastics, which can be inadvertently consumed or inhaled, is associated with a ...

Do-It-Yourself Box Filter Clears the Air of Indoor Pollutants

Mar. 24, 2025 — When wildfires threaten communities, human health can be impacted as smoke distributes on the breeze, infiltrating various structures. To help people protect themselves and their families, ...

Whose Air Quality Are We Monitoring?

Mar. 18, 2025 — The EPA's network consistently failed to capture air quality in communities of color across six major pollutants. The monitors are the key data source driving decisions about pollution ...

Adopting Zero-Emission Trucks and Buses Could Save Lives, Prevent Asthma

Mar. 18, 2025 — Researchers used community input to design Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) air-quality model experiments. Community asked for ACT policy simulations that convert 48% of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles ...

Global Warming Can Lead to Inflammation in Human Airways, New Research Shows

Mar. 17, 2025 — In a recent, cross-institutional study partially funded by the National Institutes of Health, researchers report that healthy human airways are at higher risk for dehydration and inflammation when ...

Delhi Air Pollution Worse Than Expected as Water Vapor Skews Figures

Mar. 12, 2025 — New Delhi's air pollution is more severe than previously estimated with particles absorbing atmospheric water vapor leading to particulate matter levels across the city being underestimated by ...

Earth's 'Dirty Mirror' Effect Is Accelerating Climate Change

Mar. 11, 2025 — Cloudy areas over oceans are reflecting less sunlight to space than ...

Plastic Recycling Gets a Breath of Fresh Air

Mar. 11, 2025 — Current methods to recycle plastics often use expensive catalysts, harsh conditions and produce toxic byproducts. New process converts PET plastic into monomer building blocks, which can be recycled ...

Uncovering Dementia's Environmental Triggers

Mar. 7, 2025 — A new study focuses on the powerful role our surroundings play in shaping dementia ...

Researchers Reveal Nitrogen's Dominant Role in Global Organic Aerosol Absorption

Mar. 6, 2025 — A collaborative research team has introduced a nitrogen-centric framework that explains the light-absorbing effects of atmospheric organic aerosols. This groundbreaking study reveals that ...

How London's Ultra Low Emission Zone Is Changing the School Run

Mar. 3, 2025 — London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) is transforming children's journeys to school by making streets safer, improving perceptions of air quality and encouraging children to live ...

How Air Pollution and Wildfire Smoke May Contribute to Memory Loss in Alzheimer's Disease

Feb. 27, 2025 — Air pollution contributes to nearly 7 million premature deaths each year, and its effects go far beyond the lungs. Breathing in wildfire smoke or automobile-related city smog doesn't just ...

Birds Breathe in Dangerous Plastics -- And So Do We

Feb. 27, 2025 — Microscopic plastic pollutants drifting through the air are lodging in the lungs of birds, a new study finds. Researchers worldwide are increasingly alarmed by how pervasive these harmful particles ...

An Emissions Tale of Two Cities: Salt Lake City Vs. Los Angeles

Feb. 26, 2025 — Salt Lake City and Los Angeles, the major population hubs of their respective states, are much different places, but they both experience poor air quality and share valley topography that traps ...

Biodiversity in England's Rivers Improved as Metal Pollution Reduced

Feb. 19, 2025 — An improvement in freshwater biodiversity in England's rivers was linked to reductions in pollution of zinc and copper, largely due to the decline of coal burning and heavy industry, say ...

Air Inside Your Home May Be More Polluted Than Outside Due to Everyday Chemical Products

Feb. 18, 2025 — Bringing aromas indoors with the help of chemical products -- yes, air fresheners, wax melts, floor cleaners, deodorants and others -- rapidly fills the air with nanoscale particles that are small ...

Brake Pad Emissions Can Be More Toxic Than Diesel Exhaust

Feb. 14, 2025 — A study has found microscopic particles emitted from certain types of commonly fitted brake pads can be more toxic than those found in diesel vehicle ...

Air Pollution Exposure Late in Pregnancy Increases NICU Admission Risk

Feb. 14, 2025 — In a study measuring neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions and satellite-based air pollution data, newborns exposed to higher levels of NO2 have a 30-35% higher risk of NICU admission and an ...

Air Pollution Levels May Be Higher Inside Your Home Than Outside

Feb. 13, 2025 — People may be exposed to unhealthy levels of airborne pollutants inside their homes, even if the outdoor air quality is ...

Models Show Intensifying Wildfires in a Warming World Due to Changes in Vegetation and Humidity; Only a Minor Role for Lightning

Feb. 12, 2025 — Climate scientists present a realistic supercomputer simulation that resolves the complex interactions between fire, vegetation, smoke and the atmosphere. The authors find that increasing greenhouse ...