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Long-term exposure to traffic-related pollution increases risk of pediatric asthma

Twenty-five million Americans suffer from asthma, a chronic lung disease that has been on the rise since the 1980s. While physicians have long known that smog and pollution can bring on an asthma attack among children and adults suffering from asthma, researchers remained uncertain about what role long-term exposure to certain pollutants might play in the development of the disease in children.

2 May 2018

The Impact of Air Pollution on Childhood Asthma

It is a well-established fact that air pollution in towns and cities affects our health. Dr Haneen Khreis discusses the latest research into the effect of air pollution on childhood asthma, and the steps that transport policy makers can take to reduce the prevalence of the condition.

1 May 2018

FRESH AIR project to address growing burden of chronic lung diseases

Non-communicable, chronic lung diseases are a major burden on health worldwide. About 80 million people suffer from COPD globally and a further 300 million are affected by asthma.

30 Apr 2018

Can GAC Be Used to Control Priority Unregulated DBPs in Drinking Water?

In this interview, Prof. Susan Richardson discusses the use of GAC to control disinfection by-products.

From Pittcon 23 Apr 2018

Scientists find link between soil metals and cancer mortality

Spanish epidemiologists and geologists have found associations between esophageal cancer and soils where lead is abundant, lung cancer and terrains with increased copper content, brain tumor with areas rich in arsenic, and bladder cancer with high cadmium levels.

20 Apr 2018

Interaction between dioxin and HLA gene variant activates events associated with rheumatoid arthritis

It has been known for more than three decades that individuals with a particular version of a gene -; human leukocyte antigen (HLA) -; have an increased risk for rheumatoid arthritis.

19 Apr 2018

Study reveals increased risks for Alzheimer's, suicide among youth in polluted cities

A University of Montana researcher and her collaborators have published a new study that reveals increased risks for Alzheimer's and suicide among children and young adults living in polluted megacities.

16 Apr 2018

Brief elevation of airborne particulate matter linked to respiratory infection in children

Even the briefest increase in airborne fine particulate matter PM2.5, pollution-causing particles that are about 3 percent of the diameter of human hair, is associated with the development of acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) in young children, according to newly published research.

16 Apr 2018

Brief exposure to pollution-causing particles triggers lung infections in children

Even the briefest increase in airborne fine particulate matter PM2.5, pollution-causing particles that are about 3% of the diameter of human hair, is associated with the development of acute lower respiratory infection in young children, according to newly published research.

13 Apr 2018

Farm waste may be contributing to spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Each year, farmers in the U.S. purchase tens of millions of pounds of antibiotics that are approved for use in cows, pigs, fowl and other livestock.

12 Apr 2018

Study finds high COPD prevalence among China's adult population

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is widespread in China with 8.6 percent of the country's adult population - almost 100 million people -suffering from the chronic lung disease, according to a new Tulane University study published in The Lancet.

10 Apr 2018

Study finds high levels of hazardous chemicals in plastics collected from Lake Geneva

The first-ever chemical analysis of plastic collected from beaches around Lake Geneva detected cadmium, mercury and lead -- sometimes in very high concentrations that exceed the maximum permitted under EU law.

3 Apr 2018

Use of cooking and heating fuels in rural China linked to greater risk of death

Use of coal, wood or charcoal for cooking and heating in rural China was associated with a greater risk of death, with that risk decreased by having switched to gas, electricity or central heating, or using ventilation.

3 Apr 2018

Delhi pollution can be attributed to agricultural fires during peak burning season

Researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have demonstrated that in October and November, a peak burning season in nearby Punjab, about half of all pollution in Delhi can be attributed to agricultural fires on some days.

2 Apr 2018

UC researcher granted patent for potential pulmonary infection treatment

A researcher in the University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Medicine has been granted a U.S. patent for a potential treatment for a pulmonary infection in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

27 Mar 2018

Aussies unaware of sun protection rules to prevent skin cancer

A new study from Cancer Council Australia has shown that despite bearing the brunt of the hot sun’s UV rays and being prone to skin cancer, Australians are largely unaware of the protective uses of sunscreen and fail to adopt sunscreen application practices correctly.

19 Mar 2018

Blacks often have higher air pollution exposure elevating their risk for heart disease, death

Blacks often have higher exposure to air pollution than whites, which may partially explain their higher risk heart disease and death compared to whites, according to new research in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, an American Heart Association journal.

15 Mar 2018

Large number of genes associated with intelligence discovered

A large genome study by researchers at the University of Edinburgh and Harvard University has found over 500 genes that can be attributed to intelligence. The study was published in the latest issue of the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

13 Mar 2018

Air pollution exposure during fetal life related to brain abnormalities, cognitive impairment in children

A new study performed in the Netherlands has linked exposure to residential air pollution during fetal life with brain abnormalities that may contribute to impaired cognitive function in school-age children. The study, published in Biological Psychiatry, reports that the air pollution levels related to brain alterations were below those considered to be safe.

8 Mar 2018

When wildfire smoke invades, who should pay to clean indoor air?

As dense smoke from wildfires spread through communities across western Montana last summer, public health agencies faced an indoor problem, too: Residents suddenly needed filters to clean the air inside homes and public spaces, but there was no obvious funding source to pay for it.