Air Pollution News and Research

RSS

Simple interventions help prevent adverse cardiovascular effects caused by pollution

Diesel exhaust causes arteries to lose their flexibility. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Particle and Fibre Toxicology found that exposure to engine pollution resulted in arterial stiffness in a group of healthy volunteers.

15 Mar 2009

Long-term ground ozone exposure increases risk of dying from lung disease

Long-term exposure to elevated levels of ground ozone - a major constituent of smog - significantly raises the risk of dying from lung disease, according to a new nationwide study of cities that evaluated the impact of ozone on respiratory health over an 18-year period.

11 Mar 2009

Health impacts of climate change require global action

The health impact of climate change is a critical issue that policy-makers should be aware of while setting priorities for action and investment to mitigate the impact of global climate change. This is the key message that WHO experts delivered at the Climate Change Global Risks, Challenges and Decisions conference in Copenhagen.

11 Mar 2009

Air pollution and headaches

A new study shows that higher temperatures and lower barometric air pressure may lead to a higher, short-term risk of headaches, but air pollution may not have a significant effect on headache.

10 Mar 2009

City kids may breathe easier in the country

Children with asthma have an easier time breathing if they spend even a few days in the country, safeguarded from urban air pollution, a study led by Giovanni Piedimonte, M.D., professor and chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at the West Virginia University School of Medicine, finds.

10 Mar 2009

Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables may protect against asthma, allergic rhinitis and COPD

Here's another reason to eat your broccoli: UCLA researchers report that a naturally occurring compound found in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables may help protect against respiratory inflammation that causes conditions like asthma, allergic rhinitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

2 Mar 2009

Babies born in pollen and mold seasons have increased likelihood of wheezing by age two

Newborns whose first few months of life coincide with high pollen and mold seasons are at increased risk of developing early symptoms of asthma, suggests a new study led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.

23 Feb 2009

Traffic-related air pollution linked to repeated hospital encounters for asthma

Air pollution caused by traffic near the home affects asthma severity in children, resulting in repeated hospital encounters according to a study published this month in Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology , the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI).

17 Feb 2009

Air pollution dangerously high around some U.S. schools

Air pollution is dangerously high around schools near some U.S. industrial plants, according to a recent study involving researchers from the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University.

16 Feb 2009

Long-term use of inhaled corticosteroid drugs increases risk of pneumonia for COPD patients

Newly published research out of Wake Forest University School of Medicine finds that a popular class of anti-inflammatory inhalers significantly increases the risk of pneumonia in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

9 Feb 2009

Discovery of new cause of ozone wheezing and potential treatments

Researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health, and Duke University have discovered a cause of airway irritation and wheezing after exposure to ozone, a common urban air pollutant.

3 Feb 2009

Lung cancer related to indoor radon could easily be prevented

About 1,100 people each year die in the UK from lung cancer related to indoor radon, but current government protection policies focus mainly on the small number of homes with high radon levels and neglect the 95% of radon related deaths caused by lower levels of radon, according to a study published on bmj.com.

6 Jan 2009

Research looks at neighborhoods and obesity in later life

Living in an affluent neighborhood with a higher educated population and higher valued homes may play a protective role against obesity for older men and women, according to UMDNJ researchers.

10 Dec 2008

Roswell Park Cancer Institute to help reduce smoking in Hungary

Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) faculty members recently met with the Hungarian Health Minister and other government officials to discuss strategies to reduce smoking in Hungary.

7 Nov 2008

Smokers lose ability to smell common odors, increased risk for laryngitis

As Americans prepare for a day without cigarettes and tobacco products as part of the American Cancer Society Great American Smokeout (November 20), new research gives them more reasons to extend that break to a lifetime, according to the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF).

4 Nov 2008

More appendicitis hospitalizations on "high ozone" days

Could there be a link between high levels of air pollution and the risk of appendicitis? New research presented at the 73rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology in Orlando, suggests a novel connection.

6 Oct 2008

New research blames pollution and everyday allergens for laryngitis

Researchers say everyday exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, allergens and air pollution may be the root of chronic cases of laryngitis.

23 Sep 2008

Many people mistaken about the causes of cancer

A large international survey for the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) has revealed that many people have misconceptions about what causes cancer.

27 Aug 2008

Global survey highlights need for cancer prevention campaigns to correct misbeliefs

Many people hold mistaken beliefs about what causes cancer, tending to inflate the threat from environmental factors that have relatively little impact while minimizing the hazards of behaviours well established as cancer risk factors, according to the first global survey on the topic.

26 Aug 2008

Direct link between air pollution and high blood pressure

The air people breathe while walking in the park, working in the garden or shopping downtown may be unhealthy enough to seriously spike their blood pressure, a new study suggests.

28 Jul 2008