Air Pollution News and Research

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Children with eczema at greater risk of developing asthma and food allergies

Children with eczema, a chronic skin condition that often begins in childhood, have a greater risk of developing asthma and food allergies. The number of children with eczema is rising, but the reasons for this are unclear. A new study soon to be published in The Journal of Pediatrics examines the relationship between pet ownership and eczema. Researchers found that dog ownership among children with dog allergies may reduce the risk of developing eczema by age 4 years; cat ownership, however, may increase the risk among children with cat allergies.

30 Sep 2010

Study reveals consistent correlation between adult diabetes and particulate air pollution

A national epidemiologic study finds a strong, consistent correlation between adult diabetes and particulate air pollution that persists after adjustment for other risk factors like obesity and ethnicity, report researchers from Children's Hospital Boston. The relationship was seen even at exposure levels below the current EPA safety limit.

30 Sep 2010

Progress in realizing potential of satellite measurements of air pollution

In many developing countries, the absence of surface-based air pollution sensors makes it difficult, and in some cases impossible, to get even a rough estimate of the abundance of a subcategory of airborne particles that epidemiologists suspect contributes to millions of premature deaths each year. The problematic particles, called fine particulate matter (PM2.5), are 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter, about a tenth the fraction of human hair. These small particles can get past the body's normal defenses and penetrate deep into the lungs.

24 Sep 2010

Clinton Global Initiative meeting kicks off, U.S. will commit to Clean Cookstove project

"World leaders, CEOs, non-governmental organizations and philanthropists" are gathering this week at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) annual meeting, "[t]imed to coincide with the beginning of the United Nations General Assembly," WNYC News reports (Herman, 9/20).

22 Sep 2010

Pollution increases risk for sudden cardiac arrest

The fine particles of pollution that hang in the air can increase the risk for sudden cardiac arrest, according to a new study conducted by a team from Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Medical Center and The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research.

21 Sep 2010

Clemson biochemist receives grants to study DNA repair pathways

A Clemson biochemist has received grants totaling $787,000 to study how cells repair damaged DNA, which can cause cancer and genetic illnesses. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded Weiguo Cao three-year funding to investigate two DNA repair pathways.

21 Sep 2010

Ozone, nicotine reaction may become threat to asthma sufferers: Study

Another reason for including asthma on the list of potential health risks posed by secondhand tobacco smoke, especially for non-smokers, has been uncovered. Furthermore, the practice of using ozone to remove the smell of tobacco smoke from indoor environments, including hotel rooms and the interiors of vehicles, is probably a bad idea.

17 Aug 2010

Lower outdoor temperature associated with 2% increase in heart attack risks

Lower outdoor temperatures are linked to an increase in the risk of heart attacks, according to a new study by scientists at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).For the study (published in the British Medical Journal and released online today at bmj.com), the researcher, led by Krishnan Bhaskaran of LSHTM found that each 1°C reduction in temperature on a single day is associated with around 200 extra heart attacks.

11 Aug 2010

High levels of lead found in Mount Isa children: Study

According to a report published in the Medical Journal of Australia (MJA) yesterday, on average one child in the Queensland mining town of Mount Isa will exceed safe lead levels every nine days. The report also claimed that not enough was done to address the problem. MP Betty Kiernan has defended the measures taken to address this serious problem.

3 Aug 2010

Exposure to traffic-related air pollutants associated with reduced HRV: Study

In patients with pre-existing heart or lung disease, being exposed to high levels of traffic-related air pollutants is associated with reduced heart rate variability —a risk factor for sudden cardiac death, reports a study in the July Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

12 Jul 2010

Exposure to carbon monoxide, air pollution does not increase preterm delivery risk

While pregnant women may worry about the effects of air pollution on their health and that of their developing child, exposure to carbon monoxide and fine particles in the air during pregnancy does not appear to increase the risk of preterm delivery or preeclampsia -- a serious condition that arises only during pregnancy -- according to results of a study headed by a University at Buffalo epidemiologist.

2 Jul 2010

UCLA study highlights traffic-related asthma flares in urban areas

A new academic study led by UCLA scientists has found that even brief exposure to ultrafine pollution particles near a Los Angeles freeway is potent enough to boost the allergic inflammation that exacerbates asthma.

2 Jul 2010

Researchers establish link between air pollution and SDB

Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Harvard School of Public Health have established the first link between air pollution and sleep-disordered breathing, a known cause of cardiovascular diseases.

15 Jun 2010

Health Impact Project announces six grants to conduct HIAs at state and local levels

The Health Impact Project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts, today announced more than $1 million in grants to six projects that will conduct health impact assessments at the state and local levels.

8 Jun 2010

Traffic-related air pollution also increases risk of type 2 diabetes in women

Traffic-related air pollution, known to raise the risk for cardiovascular disease, may also increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in women. Low-grade inflammation may contribute to the higher incidence of type 2 diabetes in women exposed to air pollution, according to German researchers.

27 May 2010

Experts to discuss impacts of air pollution on life expectancy, cardiovascular disease

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is sponsoring a seminar called "Breathe Cleaner, Live Longer: Understanding Air Pollution after 40 Years." The event is co-sponsored by the American Heart Association and the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology.

21 May 2010

Air pollution associated with cardiopulmonary mortality, morbidity: Researchers

Breathing polluted air increases stress on the heart's regulation capacity, up to six hours after inhalation of combustion-related small particles called PM2.5, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers.

20 May 2010

High fat diet linked to exacerbation of asthma

In a new study researchers have found a connection between exacerbation of bronchial asthma and high calorie burgers and fries. Diet and lifestyle have been linked to asthma for some time now but this is the first real evidence. With the advent of unhealthy diets the incidence and prevalence of asthma is on the rise. In 2007, about 34.1 million Americans had asthma, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. From 1980 through 1994, the prevalence of asthma increased by 75 percent.

17 May 2010

People who live in urban areas tend to have higher blood pressure: Researchers

People who live in urban areas where particulate air pollution is high tend to have higher blood pressure than those who live in less polluted areas, according to researchers from the University of Dusiburg-Essen in Germany.

17 May 2010

Exposure to fine particulate matter can trigger cardiovascular deaths, heart attacks

The scientific evidence linking air pollution to heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular death has "substantially strengthened," and people, particularly those at high cardiovascular risk, should limit their exposure, according to an updated American Heart Association scientific statement.

11 May 2010