Air Pollution News and Research

RSS

Curtailing California’s oil production will improve health but affect jobs

As society reckons with climate change, there's a growing call to keep fossil fuels right where they are, in the ground. But the impact of curtailing oil production will depend on the policies we implement to achieve this.

18 May 2023

Exposure to traffic-related air pollution leads to memory loss and cognitive decline

Researchers from the University of California, Irvine have found that exposure to traffic-related air pollution in Irvine led to memory loss and cognitive decline and triggered neurological pathways associated with the onset of Alzheimer's disease.

11 May 2023

Protein inhibition could offer new strategies for treating severe asthma

Inhibiting a protein on the surface of immune cells could offer new strategies for treating severe asthma, Cleveland Clinic researchers found.

10 May 2023

Air pollution exacerbates movement disorder after ischemic stroke

Air pollution has been shown to have a negative effect on the prognosis of ischemic stroke, or stroke caused by reduced blood flow to the brain, but the exact mechanism is unknown.

10 May 2023

Experts urge increased attention to the threat of climate change and pollution on children's health

Study explores the impact of climate change and environmental chemicals on children's health.

9 May 2023

Unhealthy air and poor diet increase risk of preterm birth, study finds

Study investigated the association of ambient pollution on preterm birth and the effect measure modification of this association by caloric intake, percent caloric intake from fats, and percent caloric intake from saturated fats. The findings suggest that gestational parent diet may modify the effect of ambient pollutants on birth outcomes.

8 May 2023

Long-term PM2.5 exposure associated with increase in hospital procedures in heart failure patients

Long-term exposure to fine particulate matter air pollution was associated with an increase in hospital procedures in heart failure patients, according to a study published May 3, 2023, in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Samantha Catalano from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA, and colleagues.

4 May 2023

Genetics can boost and complicate dementia risk linked to air pollution exposure

Three years ago, an international study commissioned by the journal Lancet listed 12 modifiable factors that increased the risk of dementia, including three new ones: excessive alcohol, head injury and air pollution.

3 May 2023

Non-optimal temperatures contribute to cardiovascular disease burden across the globe

A new study by physician-scientists at University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute has shown that non-optimal temperatures have a significant impact on the cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden across the globe.

3 May 2023

Acute exposure to air pollution may increase risk of symptomatic arrhythmia

Does air pollution affect your heart? Acute exposure to air pollution was found to be associated with an increased risk of arrythmia -; irregular heartbeat -; in a large study of 322 Chinese cities published in CMAJ.

2 May 2023

How does air pollution impact perinatal mental health?

Researchers show strong associations between air pollution and poor perinatal mental health.

2 May 2023

Depressed? Anxious? Air pollution may be a factor

In the 1990s, residents of Mexico City noticed their dogs acting strangely — some didn't recognize their owners, and the animals' sleep patterns had changed.

25 Apr 2023

Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons promotes the progression of Alzheimer's disease

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are typical organic compounds found in cigarette smoke and vehicle exhaust. In addition, PAHs are produced from incomplete combustion of organic material and cooking.

24 Apr 2023

Is there an association between exposure to ultrafine particles during pregnancy and influenza infection severity?

Researchers explored the impact of exposure to ultrafine particles during pregnancy on the risk of influenza.

19 Apr 2023

SSB taxes can meaningfully improve diet and health, generate cost savings

Oakland residents have bought fewer sugary beverages since a local "soda tax" went into effect, and that is likely improving their health and saving the city money, a new UC San Francisco study found.

18 Apr 2023

How to combat and lessen seasonal allergy symptoms

Welcoming spring this year has been bittersweet for the millions of allergy sufferers already experiencing itchy eyes, nasal congestion, sneezing and runny noses.

13 Apr 2023

Study explores the association between prenatal air pollution exposure and changes in neonatal brain structure

Researchers explored the impact of air pollution exposure during pregnancy on the neonatal brain.

12 Apr 2023

Current CVD risk assessments fall short for women from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds

Non-biological factors and social determinants of health are important to include in CVD risk assessment for women, particularly for women of diverse races and ethnicities other than white, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement published today in Circulation, the Association's flagship, peer-reviewed journal.

10 Apr 2023

Air pollution lowers COVID-19 vaccine immune response

In a recent study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, researchers performed a population-level cohort study in Catalonia, Spain, to evaluate the association between exposure to air pollution for a prolonged duration and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine-induced antibody response.

9 Apr 2023

Air pollution linked to higher dementia rates

In a recent article published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health presented the findings of a systematic review and meta-analysis that showed a link between air pollutants, especially particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) and clinical dementia. PM2.5 are fine air particles/droplets two and one-half microns or less in width.