Pollution News

April 26, 2024

Top Headlines

The Longer Spilled Oil Lingers in Freshwater, the More Persistent Compounds It Produces

Apr. 25, 2024 — Oil is an important natural resource for many industries, but it can lead to serious environmental damage when accidentally spilled. While large oil spills are highly publicized, every year there are ...

Frog Species Evolved Rapidly in Response to Road Salts

Apr. 23, 2024 — When we think of evolution, we think of a process that happens over hundreds or thousands of years. In research recently published, a species of frog that has evolved over the course of merely 25 years. The adaptation was spurred on by something ...

Modeling Broader Effects of Wildfires in Siberia

Apr. 24, 2024 — As wildfires in Siberia become more common, global climate modeling estimates significant impacts on climate, air quality, health, and economies in East Asia and across the northern ...

Asian Monsoon Lofts Ozone-Depleting Substances to Stratosphere

Apr. 23, 2024 — Powerful monsoon winds, strengthened by a warming climate, are lofting unexpectedly large quantities of ozone-depleting substances high into the atmosphere over East Asia, according to new research. The study found that the East Asian Monsoon ...

Latest Headlines

updated 5:55pm EDT

Laser-Treated Cork Absorbs Oil for Carbon-Neutral Ocean Cleanup

Apr. 23, 2024 — Researchers use laser treatments to transform ordinary cork into a powerful tool for treating oil spills. They tested variations of a fast-pulsing laser treatment, closely examining the nanoscopic ...

Exposure to Air Pollution During the First Two Years of Life Is Associated With Worse Attention Capacity in Children

Apr. 17, 2024 — A growing body of research shows that exposure to air pollution, especially during pregnancy and childhood, may have a negative impact on brain ...

Coal Train Pollution Increases Health Risks and Disparities

Apr. 18, 2024 — The first health impact study of coal train pollution centers on the San Francisco Bay Area, with scientists finding communities near passing coal trains suffer worse health ...

Scientists Develop Framework to Measure Plastic Emissions and Bolster U.N. Efforts to Reduce Pollution

Apr. 16, 2024 — Scientists have developed a framework for measuring plastic emissions akin to the global standard for measuring greenhouse gas emissions. The ...

Fourteen Years After the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill, Endemic Fishes Face an Uncertain Future

Apr. 18, 2024 — The 2010 Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the largest accidental spill in history, released almost 100 million gallons of oil, causing ...

Global Study Reveals Health Impacts of Airborne Trace Elements

Apr. 17, 2024 — Researchers investigated global particulate matter, revealing health risks from trace ...

Plastic Pollution Can Kill Variety of Ocean Embryos

Apr. 16, 2024 — High levels of plastic pollution can kill the embryos of a wide range of ocean animals, new research ...

Switch to Green Wastewater Infrastructure Could Reduce Emissions and Provide Huge Savings According to New Research

Apr. 15, 2024 — Researchers have shown that a transition to green wastewater-treatment approaches in the U.S. that leverages the potential of carbon-financing could ...

Retention Ponds Can Deliver a Substantial Reduction in Tire Particle Pollution

Apr. 12, 2024 — New research has shown that the presence of wetlands and retention ponds alongside major highways led to an average reduction of almost 75% in the ...

Oxidant Pollutant Ozone Removes Mating Barriers Between Fly Species

Apr. 11, 2024 — Researchers show that ozone levels, such as those found in many places on hot summer days today, destroy the sex pheromones of fruit fly species. As a result, some natural mating boundaries ...

Chemicals Stored in Home Garages Linked to ALS Risk

Apr. 11, 2024 — Storing chemicals in a garage at home may associate with an increased risk of ALS, a study finds. This comes as research has found that exposure to environmental toxins, such as pesticides and ...

Novel UV Broadband Spectrometer Revolutionizes Air Pollutant Analysis

Apr. 10, 2024 — A research team has developed a broadband UV dual-comb spectrometer with which air pollutants can be continually measured and their reaction with the environment can be observed in real ...

Microplastic 'Hotspots' Identified in Long Island Sound

Apr. 10, 2024 — Forensic and environmental experts have teamed up to develop a new scientific method to pinpoint microplastic pollution 'hotspots' in open ...

A Microbial Plastic Factory for High-Quality Green Plastic

Apr. 9, 2024 — Engineered bacteria can produce a plastic modifier that makes renewably sourced plastic more processable, more fracture resistant and highly biodegradable even in sea water. The development provides ...

Tiny Plastic Particles Are Found Everywhere

Apr. 9, 2024 — Microplastic particles can be found in the most remote ocean regions on earth. In Antarctica, pollution levels are even higher than previously ...

Atmospheric and Economic Drivers of Global Air Pollution

Apr. 8, 2024 — Carbon monoxide emissions from industrial production have serious consequences for human health and are a strong indicator of overall air pollution levels. Many countries aim to reduce their ...

Ocean Waves Propel PFAS Back to Land

Apr. 5, 2024 — A new study reveals that PFAS re-emit into the air from crashing ocean waves at levels comparable to or greater than other sources, establishing a cyclical transport process for these 'forever ...

Ocean Floor a 'Reservoir' of Plastic Pollution

Apr. 4, 2024 — New science has taken a deep dive into plastic waste, providing the first estimate of how much ends up on the sea ...

Fans Are Not a Magic Bullet for Beating the Heat!

Apr. 4, 2024 — A new study throws cold water on the idea that fans can effectively cool you down during extremely hot weather ...

Plant-Based Plastic Releases Nine Times Less Microplastics Than Conventional Plastic

Apr. 3, 2024 — A newly developed plant-based plastic material releases nine times less microplastics than conventional plastic when exposed to sunlight and seawater, a new study has ...

California Leads U.S. Emissions of Little-Known Greenhouse Gas

Apr. 3, 2024 — California, a state known for its aggressive greenhouse gas reduction policies, is ironically the nation's greatest emitter of one: sulfuryl fluoride. As much as 17% of global emissions of this ...

Water-Based Paints: Less Stinky, but Some Still Contain Potentially Hazardous Chemicals

Apr. 3, 2024 — Choosing paint for your home brings a lot of options: What kind of paint, what type of finish and what color? Water-based paints have emerged as 'greener' and less smelly than solvent-based ...

Are Universities Connected to Local Sustainability? A New Study Suggests Yes...and No.

Apr. 3, 2024 — A new study finds that universities scoring strongly on measures of sustainability are associated with innovation and economic growth in their surrounding communities. However, the study did not find ...

Blueprint for Mandating Indoor Air Quality for Public Buildings in Form of Standards

Mar. 29, 2024 — A group of international experts has presented a blueprint for national indoor quality standards for public buildings. The experts addressed setting standards for three key indoor pollutants -- ...

New Approach to Monitoring Freshwater Quality Can Identify Sources of Pollution, and Predict Their Effects

Mar. 28, 2024 — Analysing the diversity of organic compounds dissolved in freshwater provides a reliable measure of ecosystem health, say ...

Open Waste Burning Linked to Air Pollution in Northwestern Greenland

Mar. 28, 2024 — A case study on the effects of open waste burning on air quality in Northwestern Greenland calls attention to the importance of no-one-left-behind sustainable air quality monitoring in the Arctic ...

Heat, Cold Extremes Hold Untapped Potential for Solar and Wind Energy

Mar. 27, 2024 — Conditions that usually accompany the kind of intense hot and cold weather that strains power grids may also provide greater opportunities to capture solar and wind energy. A study found that ...

Cool Paint Coatings Help Pedestrians Feel Up to 1.5 Degrees Celsius Cooler in Urban Setting

Mar. 25, 2024 — A real-world study has shown that the use of cool paint coatings in cities can help pedestrians feel up to 1.5 degrees Celsius cooler, making the urban area more comfortable for work and ...

A Self-Cleaning Wall Paint

Mar. 25, 2024 — Beautiful white wall paint does not stay beautiful and white forever. Often, various substances from the air accumulate on its surface. This can be a desired effect because it makes the air cleaner ...

Cleaning Up Environmental Contaminants With Quantum Dot Technology

Mar. 20, 2024 — The 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was focused on quantum dots -- objects so tiny, they're controlled by the strange rules of quantum physics. Quantum dots used in electronics are often toxic, ...