Air Pollution News and Research

RSS

Research finds association between fine particulate air pollution and childhood autism risk

Exposure to fine particulate air pollution during pregnancy through the first two years of a child's life may be associated with an increased risk of the child developing autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a condition that affects one in 68 children, according to a University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health investigation of children in southwestern Pennsylvania.

22 May 2015

International study reveals that cold weather kills far more people than hot weather

The study analysed over 74 million (74225200) deaths between 1985 and 2012 in 13 countries with a wide range of climates, from cold to subtropical...

21 May 2015

Study: Air pollution, impaired lung function independently affect cognition

Studies have shown that both air pollution and impaired lung function can cause cognitive deficits, but it was unclear whether air pollution diminishes cognition by reducing breathing ability first or whether air pollution represents an independent risk factor for cognitive deficit.

19 May 2015

Nature lovers can get involved with citizen science across the UK thanks to the Open Air Laboratories programme

People of all ages can now contribute to scientific research in their local area on everything from invasive species to environmental quality, through the Open Air Laboratories programme (OPAL).

18 May 2015

LSTM scientists one step closer to understanding why HAP increases risk of pneumonia

Scientists at LSTM have come a step closer to understanding why people exposed to household air pollution (HAP) are at higher risk of lung infections such as pneumonia and tuberculosis.

8 May 2015

Exposure to traffic-related air pollution during infancy increases risk of developing allergies

New research from the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) study shows that exposure to outdoor air pollution during the first year of life increases the risk of developing allergies to food, mould, pets and pests.

5 May 2015

Air pollution, poverty significantly lower IQ in children

Children born to mothers experiencing economic hardship, who were also exposed during pregnancy to high levels of PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), scored significantly lower on IQ tests at age 5 compared with children born to mothers with greater economic security and less exposure to the pollutants.

30 Apr 2015

Adult survivors of preterm births at higher risk of developing COPD

Adult survivors of preterm births may have a lung capacity that resembles the healthy elderly or casual smokers by the time they reach their early 20s, according to a University of Oregon study.

30 Apr 2015

Study: Long-term exposure to air pollution can damage brain structures, impair cognitive function

Air pollution, even at moderate levels, has long been recognized as a factor in raising the risk of stroke. A new study led by scientists from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine suggests that long-term exposure can cause damage to brain structures and impair cognitive function in middle-aged and older adults.

24 Apr 2015

Children riding school buses with cleaner fuels and technologies experience better lung development

Use of clean fuels and updated pollution control measures in the school buses 25 million children ride every day could result in 14 million fewer absences from school a year, based on a study by the University of Michigan and the University of Washington.

24 Apr 2015

Children exposed to adverse childhood experience more likely to develop asthma

Robyn Wing, M.D., an emergency medicine physician at Hasbro Children's Hospital, recently led a study that found children who were exposed to an adverse childhood experience (ACE) were 28 percent more likely to develop asthma.

23 Apr 2015

U of T studies find harmful vehicle emissions spreading farther than thought across Canadian cities

A trio of recently published studies from a team of University of Toronto engineers has found that air pollution could be spreading up to three times farther than thought--contributing to varying levels of air quality across cities.

22 Apr 2015

Researchers identify phenomenon that explains effects of oxidative stress on immune cells

You're up in the mountains, the snow is blindingly white, and the sun is blazing down from the sky: ideal skiing conditions - but any skiers carrying the herpes virus might also have to reckon with the onset of cold sores after their day out.

10 Apr 2015

Benefits of physical activity outweigh harmful effects of air pollution

New research from the University of Copenhagen has found that the beneficial effects of exercise are more important for our health than the negative effects of air pollution, in relation to the risk of premature mortality. In other words, benefits of exercise outweigh the harmful effects of air pollution.

30 Mar 2015

NYU Langone Medical Center researchers find that air pollution may pose significant stroke risk

Air pollution has been linked to a dangerous narrowing of neck arteries that occurs prior to strokes, according to researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center.

17 Mar 2015

Exposure to diesel exhaust may exacerbate respiratory diseases

Researchers in the UK have, for the first time, shown how exhaust pollution from diesel engines is able to affect nerves within the lung. Air pollution is a significant threat to health, they say, and identifying potential mechanisms linking exposure to diesel exhaust and the exacerbation of respiratory diseases may lead to treatments for those affected.

16 Mar 2015

Advanced clinical decision support tools reduce mortality for pneumonia patients

A new study by Intermountain Medical Center researchers in Salt Lake City found that using advanced clinical decision support tools reduces mortality for the 1.1 million patients in the Unites States who are treated for pneumonia each year.

11 Mar 2015

Advanced clinical decision support tools help reduce mortality for pneumonia patients

10 Mar 2015

Genetic decanalization can lead to complex genetic diseases in humans

The information encoded in the DNA of an organism is not sufficient to determine the expression pattern of genes. This fact has been known even before the discovery of epigenetics, which refers to external modifications to the DNA that turn genes "on" or "off".

28 Feb 2015

Teen girls from rural areas have undiagnosed asthma, face higher risk of depression

Teen girls who live in rural areas are more likely than their male counterparts to have undiagnosed asthma, and they often are at a higher risk of depression, according to researchers at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University.

25 Feb 2015