Air Pollution News and Research

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Vaping carries significant potential heart risks

Science hasn't yet caught up with electronic cigarettes, leaving health care providers and users with many unknowns. But a new review of the research so far finds growing evidence that vaping can harm the heart and blood vessels.

7 Nov 2019

Trees and plants may be better than technology at mitigating air pollution

Adding plants and trees to the landscapes near factories and other pollution sources could reduce air pollution by an average of 27 percent, new research suggests.

6 Nov 2019

Chest infections cause 1 in 7 child deaths

The number of deaths in children due to lower respiratory infections (LRIs) such as pneumonia and influenza has come down considerably. Yet, they still account for the highest number of deaths in children under 5 years of age, at one in seven of all deaths in this age group, according to a detailed study published in the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

31 Oct 2019

New wearable sensors can help assess workers’ exposure to occupational air pollutants

Every day, millions of workers head to their jobs and breathe any number of airborne chemicals, particles or vapors, all of which may or may not be affecting their health.

31 Oct 2019

Study identifies local traffic exhaust as a risk factor for stroke

High levels of traffic exhaust at one's residence increases the risk of stroke even in low-pollution environments, according to a study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and other universities in Sweden.

30 Oct 2019

Prenatal exposure to air pollution associated with reduced cardiac response to stress in infants

A mother's exposure to particulate air pollution during pregnancy is associated with reduced cardiac response to stress in six-month-old infants, according to Mount Sinai research published in Environmental Health Perspectives in October.

30 Oct 2019

Shape of lung tissue fibers influences respiratory elasticity

Take a deep breath. Now exhale. Congratulations! You've just done something completely ordinary, yet so mysterious that scientists still don't know everything about it.

29 Oct 2019

Unique collaboration launches 'Clean Air for Schools' program in the UK

The Philips Foundation, a charitable organization set up in 2014 by global health technology leader Royal Philips to provide access to care for disadvantaged communities, has today launched the ‘Clean Air for Schools’ program with Global Action Plan, a leading environmental charity and the University of Manchester, a leading research institute of air quality.

23 Oct 2019

Scientists ask all countries to wake up to the challenge of halving nitrogen waste

More than 150 top international scientists are calling on the world to take urgent action on nitrogen pollution, to tackle the widespread harm it is causing to humans, wildlife and the planet.

22 Oct 2019

Increase in air pollution levels linked to more premature mortality in the U.S.

In the United States, annual average levels of fine particulate matter--PM2.5, a measure of solid particles and liquid droplets that are 2.5 micrometers or smaller found in the air--declined 24% from 2009 to 2016, then increased 5% between 2016 to 2018.

21 Oct 2019

Pollution tied to silent miscarriage among pregnant women

Miscarriage happens when an embryo or fetus dies before the 20th week of pregnancy. In some cases, pregnant women experience silent miscarriage, also known as missed abortion. It happens when the fetus failed to develop or has died.

16 Oct 2019

Cancer Atlas: Progress in the fight against cancer is not only possible, but achievable

The Cancer Atlas, 3rd edition, a comprehensive global overview of cancer around the globe, concludes that progress in the fight against cancer is not only possible, but achievable.

16 Oct 2019

Air pollution may be causing your hair to fall out

Exposure to particulate matter has been linked to human hair loss for the first time in research presented at the 28th EADV Congress in Madrid.

8 Oct 2019

Study identifies a common denominator that triggers asthma in favorable environments

In recent decades, asthma has become a major public health problem. The exponential increase in asthma cases in industrialized countries over the past 50 years is due to major changes in our environment.

7 Oct 2019

Study shows 20mph speed zones to be effective in reducing collisions and road casualties

The research, published in the Journal of Transport and Health provides important evidence to support the implementation of 20mph speed zones across the UK and Europe.

4 Oct 2019

Aspirin may reduce adverse effects of air pollution exposure on lung function

A new study is the first to report evidence that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin may lessen the adverse effects of air pollution exposure on lung function.

3 Oct 2019

Stringent emission reduction policies could lead to decline in mortality rates

U.S. cities could see a decline in mortality rates and an improved economy through midcentury if federal and local governments maintain stringent air pollution policies and diminish concentrations of diesel freight truck exhaust, according to Cornell University research.

30 Sep 2019

Nearly half of the flights taken by travellers are pointless, shows research

New research evaluating the necessity of air travel indicates that as many as half of flights may be considered to lack importance to the travellers themselves, according to a study published by the Journal of Air Transport Management.

30 Sep 2019

Wrist-worn step trackers can be used to determine health status of patients

Determining how far patients with pulmonary disease can walk in six minutes has long been an effective clinical tool to help physicians determine their exercise capacity, as well as to aid in predicting health outcomes and mortality.

29 Sep 2019

Taxi drivers experience the highest exposures to black carbon, study finds

Professional drivers working in congested cities are exposed to black carbon levels that are on average a third higher than would be experienced at a busy roadside, according to research presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress.

28 Sep 2019