Respiratory Health News and Research

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Human-caused climate change plays key role in allergy outcomes

If you live with seasonal allergies and feel like the pollen seasons feel longer and longer every year, you may be right. New research shows that pollen seasons start 20 days earlier, are 10 days longer, and feature 21% more pollen than in 1990 - meaning more days of itchy, sneezy, drippy misery.

8 Feb 2021

Researchers call for policies and laws mandating the use of surgical smoke evacuations systems

If you've ever been in an operating room where tools are used to simultaneously cut and cauterize human flesh, you know what surgical smoke is.

7 Jan 2021

Frequent peak air pollution exposure associated with reduced test scores for third graders

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5), the tiny particles responsible for hazy air pollution, are detrimental to children's health even inside the classroom. Mounting evidence has linked chronic exposure with poor academic performance in K-12 students.

1 Dec 2020

Move to ban sales of new petrol and diesel cars could benefit the health of professional drivers

As the Government announced today it will bring forward a ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars by five years to 2030, new research shows professional drivers would benefit from improvements to their respiratory health, reducing their risks of cancers caused by their work.

20 Nov 2020

Professional drivers regularly exposed to hazardous levels of diesel emissions, study finds

While taxi drivers wearing face masks have become a common sight in our cities, new research shows there’s a longer-standing threat to the health of professional drivers than coronavirus.

16 Nov 2020

Study: E-cigarette users have 43% increased risk of developing respiratory disease

A growing body of evidence points to the health risks of using e-cigarettes (or "vaping"). But because e-cigarettes are marketed as a less harmful alternative to traditional cigarettes, it has been difficult to tell whether the association between vaping and disease is just a matter of smokers switching to vaping when they start experiencing health issues.

12 Nov 2020

Pollution may bear part of the blame for rapid spread SARS-CoV-2 in the U.S.

The United States may have set itself up for the spread of a pandemic without even knowing it.

12 Nov 2020

Study elucidates mechanisms behind protective farm effect on childhood asthma

Asthma impacts millions of children already at a young age. Children growing up on a farm have a lower risk of developing asthma than children not living on a farm.

2 Nov 2020

Cannabinoids can contribute to negative respiratory health events in older adults with COPD

Cannabinoids, a class of prescription pills that contain synthetically-made chemicals found in marijuana, are associated with a 64 per cent increase in death among older adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to the first published data on the impact of cannabinoids on the respiratory health of individuals with the lung disease.

30 Sep 2020

BMI in first years of life can affect lung function in later childhood

Body mass index (BMI) trajectories in the first years of life may be associated with lung function in later childhood. For example, children with accelerated BMI gain before age four years have higher lung function at age seven years, although they also exhibit airflow limitation.

27 Aug 2020

Scientific review on on link between air pollution and COVID-19

Researchers at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have conducted a “state-of-the-science” review of the evidence available on potential associations between exposure to air pollution and health outcomes in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

23 Aug 2020

WVU toxicologist wins NIH grant to study impact of air pollution on lung tissue regeneration

Each time we breathe in, we're not inhaling just one component that seeps into our lungs. It's a medley of gasses and particles - both natural and human-made - that can unleash unknown consequences on respiratory health.

11 Aug 2020

Study outlines new approaches to prevent and mitigate wildfire-related impacts

As the western United States enters the 2020 wildfire season with anticipated above normal significant fire potential, a new report from Physicians, Scientists, and Engineers for Healthy Energy (PSE) provides the most expansive synthesis to date on the public health dimensions of wildfire and California's approaches to wildfire prevention and the mitigation of wildfire-related impacts.

31 Jul 2020

'Night owl' teens more likely to develop asthma and allergies

Teenagers who prefer to stay up late at night and sleep in late the next day are more likely to develop asthma and allergies than their "early bird" counterparts, according to new research published today.

6 Jul 2020

Study: Teenagers who stay up late are more likely to suffer from asthma, allergies

Teenagers who prefer to stay up late and wake later in the morning are more likely to suffer from asthma and allergies compared to those who sleep and wake earlier, according to a study published in ERJ Open Research.

6 Jul 2020

Clinical-grade wearables provide continuous on-body sensing for COVID-19

Although it might be tempting to rely on your fitness tracker to catch early signs of COVID-19, Northwestern University researchers caution that consumer wearables are not sophisticated enough to monitor the complicated illness.

1 Jul 2020

Researchers use fuzzy logic to calculate menopausal transition in woman

Every woman reaches menopause at a different time in life. Now, researchers from the University of Bergen have found a fuzzy way to calculate how far each one has come.

1 Jul 2020

Short-term exposure to low level air pollution can affect gene expression

New data from a landmark study by Monash University researchers raises concerns that even short-term exposure to low level air pollution can affect gene expression, leaving us at risk of diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

24 Jun 2020

American Thoracic Society calls for moratorium on tear gas use during COVID-19 pandemic

The American Thoracic Society calls for a moratorium on the use of tear gas and other chemical agents deployed by law enforcement against protestors participating in demonstrations, including current campaigns sparked by the death of George Floyd.

15 Jun 2020

Short-term exposure to even low levels of air pollution can affect gene expression

New data from a landmark study done by Monash University researchers in Australia raises significant concerns that even short-term exposure to low level air pollution can affect gene expression, leaving us at risk of other diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

8 Apr 2020