Air Pollution News

November 20, 2024

Top Headlines

Climate Change and Air Pollution Could Risk 30 Million Lives Annually by 2100

Nov. 20, 2024 — Mortality attributable to air pollution and extreme temperatures is a major concern, and it is expected to heighten in the future. An international research team found that, under the most probable ...

Climate Change and Eye Maladies

Nov. 16, 2024 — Clinical visits by patients suffering ocular surface eye conditions more than doubled during times when ambient particulate matter from air pollution was in the atmosphere, signaling a possible association between climate change and ocular health, ...

Rainforest Protection Reduces the Number of Respiratory Diseases

Nov. 15, 2024 — Rainforest protection is not only good for biodiversity and the climate -- it also noticeably improves the health of humans who live in the corresponding regions. Researchers show that measures to combat slash-and-burn techniques significantly ...

Air Pollution Exposure May Be Associated With Eczema

Nov. 13, 2024 — People living in areas with higher levels of air pollution are more likely to have eczema, according to a new ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:22pm EST

New Study Links Air Pollution With Higher Rates of Head and Neck Cancer

Nov. 12, 2024 — A recent study correlates higher levels of pollutant particulate matter to higher occurrences of head and neck aerodigestive ...

Nanoparticle Bursts Over the Amazon Rainforest

Nov. 8, 2024 — Atmospheric aerosol particles are essential for the formation of clouds and precipitation, thereby influencing the Earth's energy budget, water cycle, and climate. However, the origin of aerosol ...

Chalk-Coated Textiles Cool in Urban Environments

Nov. 8, 2024 — As air temperatures stay elevated through fall months, people may still want clothes that cool them down while outside, especially if they live in cities that stay warmer than rural landscapes. ...

Researchers Develop Artificial Plants That Purify Indoor Air, Generate Electricity

Oct. 31, 2024 — Scientists are repurposing their research about bacteria-powered biobatteries into a new idea for artificial plants that can feed off carbon dioxide, ...

AI-Powered System Detects Toxic Gases With Speed and Precision

Nov. 5, 2024 — Researchers have developed an AI-powered system that mimics the human sense of smell to detect and track toxic gases in real time. Using advanced artificial neural networks combined with a network of ...

Exposure to Particular Sources of Air Pollution Is Harmful to Children's Learning and Memory

Nov. 1, 2024 — A new study involving 8,500 children from across the United States has revealed that a form of air pollution, largely the product of agricultural ...

Asthma and Fine Particulate Matter

Oct. 25, 2024 — Drawing on evidence involving about 25 million population worldwide, an international research team demonstrates that long-term exposure to ambient PM2.5 significantly increases the risk of asthma, ...

Curbing Air Pollution Control Devices Would Cost Thousands of Lives and Billions of Dollars

Oct. 25, 2024 — A new commentary found that power plants' use of these devices saved up to 9,100 lives and up to $100 billion in health costs in 2023. These ...

Fire-Risk Blocking Self-Powered Hydrogen Production System

Oct. 24, 2024 — By using a water-splitting system with an aqueous electrolyte, this system is expected to block fire risks and enable stable hydrogen ...

Microplastics and PFAS: Combined Risk and Greater Environmental Harm

Oct. 22, 2024 — The combined impact of so-called 'forever chemicals' is more harmful to the environment than single chemicals in isolation, a new study ...

The Salton Sea -- An Area Rich With Lithium -- Is a Hot Spot for Child Respiratory Issues

Nov. 1, 2024 — Windblown dust from the shrinking Salton Sea harms the respiratory health of children living nearby, triggering asthma, coughing, wheezing and disrupted sleep, USC research shows. The problem is ...

Optimal Standing Positions and Ventilation in Airport Smoking Lounges

Oct. 29, 2024 — New research shows that not all standing positions in airport smoking lounges are created equal. Scientists found that the thermal environment and positioning of smokers influences how particles ...

Engineers Unveil AI Model for Predicting, Controlling Pandemic Spread

Oct. 24, 2024 — A team of engineers has published a study on how international air travel has influenced the spread of COVID-19, finding Western Europe, the Middle East and North America as leading regions in ...

Scientists Unveil New Insights Into Air Pollution Formation

Oct. 21, 2024 — Researchers have made a groundbreaking discovery in understanding how air pollution forms at the molecular level. Their investigation sheds light on the complex chemical processes occurring at the ...

Microplastics Detected in Dolphin Breath

Oct. 17, 2024 — U.S. researchers have detected microplastic particles in air exhaled by wild bottlenose dolphins, suggesting that inhalation may be a relevant route of exposure to these potentially harmful ...

Engineers Unveil Breakthrough in Ultra-Clean Biofuel Technology

Oct. 17, 2024 — Researchers have unveiled a pioneering method for the efficient combustion of biofuels, using a revolutionary Swirl Burst (SB) injector to burn glycerol/methanol blends with near-zero emissions. This ...

Plastic Pollution Harms Bees, Review Finds

Oct. 16, 2024 — A new review systematically shows the harmful effects of nano- and microplastics on bees and other beneficial insects. Their function as pollinators is impaired by the plastic particles. This harbors ...

New Research Reveals How Large-Scale Adoption of Electric Vehicles Can Improve Air Quality and Human Health

Oct. 15, 2024 — A new study suggests that large-scale adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) could lead to significant population-level health benefits. The research team used computer simulations to show that ...

US Air Pollution Monitoring Network Has Gaps in Coverage, Say Researchers

Oct. 15, 2024 — The lack of air-quality monitoring capabilities across the U.S. affects the health of millions of people and disproportionately impacts minority and low socioeconomic-status communities, say ...

Scientists Cut Harmful Pollution from Hydrogen Engines

Oct. 10, 2024 — Scientists have discovered a low-cost method to significantly reduce this pollution from hydrogen internal combustion engines by improving the efficiency of their catalytic converters. The ...

Improved Water Quality Offsets in Growing Cities Could Protect Reef

Oct. 3, 2024 — New research shows how growing Queensland regions can learn from biodiversity and carbon offsetting efforts to better meet water quality ...

Airborne Plastic Chemical Levels Shock Researchers

Oct. 1, 2024 — A new study documents how Southern Californians are chronically being exposed to toxic airborne chemicals called plasticizers, including one that's been banned from children's items and ...

Research in 4 Continents Links Outdoor Air Pollution to Differences in Children's Brains

Oct. 1, 2024 — A research team systematically analyzed 40 empirical studies, the majority of which had found that outdoor air pollution is associated with differences in children's brains. These differences ...

Ice Cores Show Pollution's Impact on Arctic Atmosphere

Sep. 25, 2024 — A new study on ice cores from Alaska and Greenland found that air pollution from the burning of fossil fuels reaches the remote Arctic in amounts large enough to alter its fundamental atmospheric ...

Air Pollution Exposure During Early Life Can Have Lasting Effects on the Brain's White Matter

Sep. 25, 2024 — Exposure to certain pollutants, like fine particles (PM2.5) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), during pregnancy and childhood is associated with differences in the microstructure of the brain s white matter, ...

Soil and Water Pollution: An Invisible Threat to Cardiovascular Health

Sep. 25, 2024 — Pesticides, heavy metals, micro- and nanoplastics in the soil, and environmentally harmful chemicals can have a detrimental effect on the cardiovascular system, according to a review paper. The ...

Atmospheric Methane Increase During Pandemic Due Primarily to Wetland Flooding

Sep. 24, 2024 — A new analysis of satellite data finds that the record surge in atmospheric methane emissions from 2020 to 2022 was driven by increased inundation and water storage in wetlands, combined with a ...

Pollen Affects Cloud Formation and Precipitation Patterns

Sep. 17, 2024 — Pollen not only plays a role in allergies, but also influences the local weather. Especially in spring, when large amounts are released, it contributes to the formation of ice in clouds, which can ...

Ozone Pollution Reduces Tropical Forest Growth

Sep. 12, 2024 — Ozone gas is reducing the growth of tropical forests -- leaving an estimated 290 million tons of carbon uncaptured each year, new research ...

Wildfire Smoke Exposure Boost Risk of Mental Illness in Youth, Study Suggests

Sep. 12, 2024 — Each additional day of exposure to wildfire smoke and other extreme forms of dirty air boosts risk of mental illness in youth a little more, according to a new University of Colorado Boulder study of ...