Air Pollution News

September 30, 2023

Top Headlines

Scientists Reveal What Fuels Wildfires in Sierra Nevada Mountains

Sep. 25, 2023 — Wildfires in California, exacerbated by human-driven climate change, are getting more severe. To better manage them, there's a growing need to know exactly what fuels the blazes after they ignite. Scientists now report that one of the chief fuels of ...

Rivers Contain Hidden Sinks and Sources of Microplastics

Sep. 25, 2023 — New research represents the first combined analysis of microplastics in water, sediment and air around a major river system. It found significant quantities of microplastics trapped in riverbed sediments, and also found they were being transported ...

Alarming Results from World First Study of Two Decades of Global Smoke Pollution

Sep. 20, 2023 — The world's first study of the increase in pollution from landscape fires across the globe over the past two decades reveals that over 2 billion people are exposed to at least one day of potentially ...

Electrifying Vehicles in Chicago Would Save Lives, Reduce Pollution Inequities

Sep. 13, 2023 — If the Chicago region replaced 30% of all on-road combustion-engine vehicles -- including motorcycles, passenger cars and trucks, buses, refuse trucks and short- and long-haul trucks -- with electric ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:09pm EDT

Roadside Hedges Can Reduce Harmful Ultrafine Particle Pollution Around Schools

Sep. 13, 2023 — A new study confirms that planting hedges between roadsides and school playgrounds can dramatically reduce children's exposure to traffic-related ...

Exposure to Air Pollution While in the Womb Is Linked to Adverse Changes in Cell Processes in New-Born Babies

Sep. 12, 2023 — Exposure to air pollution while in the womb is linked to alterations in proteins that can be detected after a baby is born, and which affect cell ...

Mums Exposed to Air Pollution Give Birth to Smaller Babies, but Living in a Greener Area May Mitigate the Risks

Sep. 7, 2023 — Women exposed to air pollution give birth to smaller babies, according to new research. The research also shows that women living in greener areas ...

Surfactants Can Cause Toxic Chemicals in Aerosols to Last Longer in the Air

Sep. 12, 2023 — Research has found that hazardous chemicals commonly encountered in aerosols, such as those produced by cooking and cleaning, can be 'protected' in 3D structures formed by surfactants, causing them ...

Atmospheric Scientists Reveal Much of Houston's Ozone Exceedance Due to Air Flows from the North

Sep. 11, 2023 — Atmospheric science researchers published findings on Houston's ozone. They found that while local emissions play a role in the rise of Houston's ...

High Levels of Particulate Air Pollution Associated With Increased Breast Cancer Incidence

Sep. 11, 2023 — Researchers found that living in an area with high levels of particulate air pollution was associated with an increased incidence of breast cancer. ...

Bees Struggle to Find Flowers Because of Air Pollution

Sep. 8, 2023 — A new study has found that air pollution is preventing pollinators finding flowers because it degrades the ...

Bit by Bit, Microplastics from Tires Are Polluting Our Waterways

Sep. 5, 2023 — Urban stormwater particles from tire wear were the most prevalent microplastic a new study has found. The study showed that in stormwater runoff during rain approximately 19 out of every 20 ...

Electrifying Heavy-Duty Vehicles Could Reduce Environmental Inequalities

Sep. 5, 2023 — If the region surrounding Chicago -- North America's largest freight hub -- shifted just 30% of its current on-road heavy-duty vehicles to electric versions, it would substantially reduce pollution ...

The Kitchen Is Key to Improving Indoor Air Quality

Sep. 5, 2023 — Reducing air pollution in kitchens could drastically improve health outcomes for the most vulnerable communities globally, say ...

Earlier Headlines

Summaries
Headlines

Chicago's West Side Is Air Pollution Hotspot

Sep. 21, 2023 — The western edge of Chicago -- including the North and South Lawndale, East Garfield Park, Archer Heights and Brighton Park neighborhoods -- experiences up to 32% higher concentrations of nitrogen ...

Air Pollution Has Decreased Across the US, but New Research Finds Health Burdens Remain Unequal Among Racial Groups

Sep. 1, 2023 — Health benefits that have resulted from reductions in fine particulate air pollution aren't distributed equally among populations in the U.S., a new Yale-led study finds. Racial and ethnic ...

Burning Candles and Fumes from Cooking Is Harmful for People With Mild Asthma

Aug. 31, 2023 — A new study shows that young individuals with even mild asthma should remember to turn ventilation all the way up when cooking or burning candles. The fumes can cause irritation and inflammation in ...

Long Time Lag in Heavily Polluted Regions as Improvement in Air Quality Warms Climate

Aug. 30, 2023 — Scientists have revised previous assumptions about the influence of pollutant particles, known as aerosols, on global warming. Using satellite data, researchers have shown that the relationship ...

Wildfire, Soil Emissions Increasing Air Pollution in Remote Forests

Aug. 29, 2023 — Nitrogen dioxide levels in remote forest areas are increasing, and wildfire and soil emissions are likely the reasons why, finds a new ...

Despite Fears to the Contrary, Canadian Wildfire Smoke Exposure Was Not Much Worse Than a Bad Pollen Day in New York City

Aug. 23, 2023 — New Yorkers can apparently breathe a sigh of relief, at least for now. Their exposure to the smoke in June 2023 from Canadian wildfires led to only a slightly higher bump in visits to New York City ...

Collecting Clean Water from Fog

Aug. 16, 2023 — Researchers have demonstrated the use of a specially coated metal mesh to harvest water from fog and simultaneously remove pollutants. People living in foggy areas with low rainfall should benefit ...

Clever Coating Turns Lampshades Into Indoor Air Purifiers

Aug. 16, 2023 — Indoor air pollution may have met its match. Scientists have designed catalyst-coated lampshades that transform indoor air pollutants into harmless compounds. The lampshades work with halogen and ...

Oceans Release Microplastics Into the Atmosphere

Aug. 16, 2023 — Tiny plastic particles can be found in the air over the oceans even far away from the coast. According to a new study, microplastics are not only carried by the wind, but also escape into the ...

Fresher AIr: AI and Mobility Data May Improve Air Pollution Exposure Models

Aug. 16, 2023 — A research team used data from low-cost sensors, artificial intelligence and mobility data to improve models that assess human exposure to fine particulate matter (PM 2.5), tiny particles in smoke ...

Wildfires and Farming Activities May Be Top Sources of Air Pollution Linked to Increased Risk, Cases of Dementia

Aug. 14, 2023 — No amount of air pollution is good for the brain, but wildfires and the emissions resulting from agriculture and farming in particular may pose especially toxic threats to cognitive health, according ...

Particulate Air Pollution a Growing Risk for Premature CVD Death and Disability Worldwide

Aug. 9, 2023 — Between 1990 and 2019, the total annual number of premature CVD deaths and years of disability attributable to particulate matter air pollution rose by 31% ...

An Early Warning System for Joint Heat and Ozone Extremes in China

Aug. 9, 2023 — Scientists have identified large-scale climate patterns that could be used to predict the co-occurrence of extreme heat and ozone days in China months before they occur. Like predictions for ...

Wildfires Emit Potent Climate-Warming Organic Particles

Aug. 7, 2023 — Researchers found that wildfires are causing a much greater warming effect than has been accounted for by climate scientists. The work, which focuses on the role of 'dark brown carbon' -- ...

Outdoor Air Pollution May Increase Non-Lung Cancer Risk in Older Adults [CORRECTED]

Aug. 3, 2023 — Chronic exposure to fine particulate air pollutants (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) may increase non-lung cancer risk in older adults, according to new research. In a cohort study of millions of ...

A Natural Experiment Provides Evidence of Link Between Air Pollution and Childhood Obesity

Aug. 3, 2023 — Moving to more polluted areas was associated with an increase in body mass index, according to an analysis of more than 46,000 children and adolescents living in ...

Closure of Pittsburgh Coal-Processing Plant Tied to Local Health Gains

Aug. 1, 2023 — The closure in January 2016 of one of Pittsburgh's biggest coal-processing plants led to immediate and lasting declines in emissions of fossil fuel-related air pollutants. These in turn were ...

Nature-Based Solutions Can Help Tackle Climate Change and Food Security, but Communities Outside Europe Are Missing out

Aug. 1, 2023 — Nature-based solutions (NBS) can help grand challenges, such as climate change and food security, but, as things stand, communities outside of Europe do not stand to benefit from these innovations. ...

Scientists Vacuum Animal DNA from Air in a Danish Forest

July 27, 2023 — Over 60 animal species in three days. That is how many mammals, birds and amphibians researchers found DNA traces from in the air in a Danish forest. The results can pave the way for a new and ...

Risk of Fatal Heart Attack May Double in Heat Wave and High Fine Particulate Pollution Days

July 24, 2023 — An analysis of more than 202,000 heart attack deaths between 2015-2020 in a single Chinese province found that days that had extreme heat, extreme cold or high levels of fine particulate matter ...

Thursday, September 21, 2023