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Health and climate change in Australia

The 2021 MJA–Lancet Countdown report represents a collaborative effort between University College London, and seven Australian institutions, mediated by The Lancet in partnership with The Medical Journal of Australia.

22 Oct 2021

U-M study receives $13 million grant to track cancer risk from environmental exposures

Heavy metals like lead, industrial pollution from steel mills, coal-fired power plants or oil refineries, “forever chemicals” called PFAS that don’t break down in the environment—how much are Michigan residents exposed to these environmental contaminants and what does this mean for their risk of developing cancer?

20 Oct 2021

Study investigates disparities among racial and ethnic minorities affected by COVID-19

During the "first wave" of COVID-19 in the United States, Rajan Chakrabarty, the Harold D. Jolley Career Development Associate Professor at Washington University in St. Louis, learned that African Americans made up 47% of the population in St. Louis, but nearly three quarters of COVID-19 cases.

20 Oct 2021

Study finds many undocumented health problems among individuals exposed to bushfire smoke

The physical and mental burden of prolonged exposure to bushfire smoke is vastly underestimated by official statistics that are based upon admissions into the health system, finds a large survey of residents affected by the widespread bushfires close to Canberra, Australia's capital city, in the summer of late 2019 and early 2020.

15 Oct 2021

Climate change action could significantly benefit human health in the future

Measures to tackle climate change could significantly benefit human health in the next few years, as well as in the long-term, says a new report from the Academy of Medical Sciences and the Royal Society.

15 Oct 2021

Study reveals a link between air pollution and child health

Studies have shown air pollution is a major risk factor for respiratory infection – the leading cause of death among children under five – but bad air's specific impacts on developing bodies have remained somewhat of a mystery.

13 Oct 2021

WHO’s new report highlights 10 priorities for safeguarding the health of people and the planet

Countries must set ambitious national climate commitments if they are to sustain a healthy and green recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

12 Oct 2021

How can healthcare professionals help address climate change?

In this interview, we spoke to researchers about how healthcare professionals can help to address the health issues surrounding climate change.

12 Oct 2021

Study suggests less access to nature may contribute to higher COVID-19 case rates

By now, it's clear the COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly unkind to communities of color and low-income populations.

11 Oct 2021

Study uncovers toxic air pollutant mixtures linked to poor childhood asthma outcomes

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have developed a novel machine learning algorithm and used it to identify previously unknown mixtures of toxic air pollutants that appear to be linked to poor asthma outcomes later in a child's life.

8 Oct 2021

New conceptual framework for protecting urban mental health

People who live in cities face many challenges that threaten their mental health. In countries in which relatively higher numbers of people live in cities, depression, anxiety and addiction are generally more common.

7 Oct 2021

Long-term exposure to low concentrations of air pollution may cause many early deaths

Exposure to low concentrations of air pollution, even at levels permitted under federal regulations, may be causing tens of thousands of early deaths each year among elderly people and other vulnerable groups in the U.S., according to a large national study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

7 Oct 2021

Exposure to air pollution and traffic noise over time may increase risk of developing heart failure

Exposure to air pollution and road traffic noise over the course of many years may be associated with an increased risk of developing heart failure, and the correlation appears to be even greater in people who are former smokers or have high blood pressure, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access journal of the American Heart Association.

6 Oct 2021

Long working hours are increasingly causing work-related deaths, global report says

Almost two million people worldwide die of work-related causes, according to joint estimates by the World Health Organization and the International Labour Organization, which cite long working hours, pollution and poor conditions as major factors.

2 Oct 2021

40 new one-stop-shops for checks, scans and tests set to open across England

Millions of patients will benefit from earlier diagnostic tests closer to home thanks to 40 new Community Diagnostic Centres set to open across England in a range of settings from local shopping centers to football stadiums.

30 Sep 2021

Studies outline different aspects of child and adolescent health

The latest special issue of PLOS Medicine outlines different aspects of child and adolescent health and development, and the social determinants of health.

29 Sep 2021

Air pollution linked to almost 6 million premature births worldwide

Air pollution likely contributed to almost 6 million premature births and almost 3 million underweight babies in 2019, according to a UC San Francisco and University of Washington global burden of disease study and meta-analysis that quantifies the effects of indoor and outdoor pollution around the world.

28 Sep 2021

New WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines recommend new air quality levels to protect human health

New WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines (AQGs) provide clear evidence of the damage air pollution inflicts on human health, at even lower concentrations than previously understood.

27 Sep 2021

Childhood asthma is not a risk factor for COVID-19

A new study provides new insights on the association of childhood asthma and COVID-19.

26 Sep 2021

Ozone exposure linked to the development of Type 2 diabetes

Older Californians who live in communities with poor air quality, even those who engage - as recommended - in physical activities but do so outdoors, have a higher risk of Type 2 diabetes, a complex and chronic metabolic disorder caused by insulin resistance and cell dysfunction.

24 Sep 2021