Pollution News and Research

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Indoor cooking stoves kill 2 million annually, NIH study says

Pollution from indoor cooking stoves, typically open fires that that burn solid fuels such as wood, charcoal or dung, kills two million globally each year, scientists at NIH said in a study published in the journal Science on Thursday, Agence France-Presse reports.

15 Oct 2011

Lifestyle factors and nutritional patterns reduce early causes of childhood allergy

Today, about one in four European children suffer from allergy, which makes this disease the non-infectious epidemic of the 21st century. Evidence suggests that lifestyle factors and nutritional patterns, such as breastfeeding, help to reduce the early symptoms of allergy.

15 Oct 2011

Three-step strategy for healthy bones and strong muscles

For this year's World Osteoporosis Day, the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) is releasing a 24-page report promoting a three-step strategy for healthy bones and strong muscles.

14 Oct 2011

Cardinal Health joins Practice Greenhealth

To further bolster its commitment to environmental sustainability, Cardinal Health today announced that it has joined Practice Greenhealth, a membership organization for institutions and businesses in the health care field who are engaged in reducing their environmental footprints.

30 Sep 2011

WHO releases global survey of worst, best cities for air pollution

"Cities in Iran, India, Pakistan and the capital of Mongolia rank among the worst on the planet for air pollution, while those in the United States and Canada are among the best, according to the first global survey released Monday by the World Health Organization," the Associated Press/San Francisco Chronicle reports.

28 Sep 2011

Scientists warn about climate-induced increase in death rates over the next 60 years

Scientists are warning that death rates linked to climate change will increase in several European countries over the next 60 yrs.

28 Sep 2011

New research on public perceptions about cancer

New research on public perceptions about cancer reveals that 50-year-old ideas still hold sway while many current lifestyle messages are not getting through.

28 Sep 2011

Novartis files marketing authorisation with EMA for NVA237 to treat COPD

Sosei Group Corporation, today announces that NVA237 (glycopyrronium bromide), a long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) being investigated as a once-daily treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), has been filed by Novartis for marketing authorisation with the European Medicines Agency (EMA), under the brand-name Seebri Breezhaler, triggering a $5m milestone payment to Sosei.

27 Sep 2011

Study finds link between increased respiratory symptoms and lower altitude areas of river valleys

The research will be presented tomorrow at the European Respiratory Society's (ERS) Annual Congress in Amsterdam. The ERS Congress will officially open today. In the first study of its kind, researchers from the UK aimed to assess the impact of weather, pollution and geography on the symptoms of people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

26 Sep 2011

Traffic fumes can raise risk for heart attack for at least six hours: Study

According to British researchers breathing in heavy traffic fumes can trigger a heart attack. Heart attack risk is raised for about six hours post-exposure and goes down again after that, researchers found. They say in the British Medical Journal that pollution probably hastens rather than directly cause attacks. But repeated exposure is still bad for health, they say, substantially shortening life expectancy, and so the advice to people remains the same - avoid as far as is possible.

22 Sep 2011

New Poll: 9 out of 10 Ontarians would support an investment in lung health

According to a new Leger Marketing poll conducted for the Ontario Lung Association, 9 out of 10 of Ontarians would support the Ontario government investing in lung health today if it would save future healthcare spending.

22 Sep 2011

Exposure to 'white' LED light suppresses melatonin production

Exposure to the light of white LED bulbs, it turns out, suppresses melatonin 5 times more than exposure to the light of High Pressure Sodium bulbs that give off an orange-yellow light. "Just as there are regulations and standards for 'classic' pollutants, there should also be regulations and rules for the pollution stemming from artificial light at night," says Prof. Abraham Haim of the University of Haifa.

12 Sep 2011

JHUSON nursing research news

In a six-month, randomized controlled study of asthmatic children living with smokers reported in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, August 2011, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (JHUSON) professor and School of Medicine faculty member Arlene Butz, MSN, CPNP, ScD, and others found that regular use of indoor air cleaners can greatly reduce household air pollution and lower rates of children's daytime asthma symptoms.

12 Sep 2011

National Research Council releases new report on role of health impact assessment

The National Research Council released a report, "Improving Health in the United States: The Role of Health Impact Assessment." The publication states that "good health is determined by more than money spent on the healthcare system. In fact, a growing body of research indicates that living conditions-including such factors as housing quality, exposure to pollution, and access to healthy and affordable foods and safe places to exercise-have a greater effect on health."

9 Sep 2011

ERS urges EU to take action on chronic respiratory diseases

Respiratory diseases are one of the leading causes of death and suffering in the EU. The challenge Europe is facing in this field goes far beyond public health: lung diseases currently cause an annual cost of €100 billion and threaten the Europe 2020 strategy and the goal to have 75% of the working population employed and productive.

6 Sep 2011

9/11 firefighters at greater risk of cancer

A new study shows that firefighters who were exposed to toxic dust and fumes clogging the air after the World Trade Center towers collapsed 10 years ago are more likely to develop cancer.

2 Sep 2011

Global climate change linked with asthma-related ER visits among children

Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers have found that climate change may lead to more asthma-related health problems in children, and more emergency room (ER) visits in the next decade.

31 Aug 2011

IOM issues new report on evidence and causality of vaccine harms

The Institute of Medicine's Panel on Adverse Effects of Vaccines issued a report today on the evidence and causality of vaccine harms. Despite a glowing press release, the report does little to allay public concerns over adverse effects of vaccines and suggests that we urgently need more science on vaccine adverse effects.

26 Aug 2011

Scented air wafting from laundry vents emits hazardous chemicals

The same University of Washington researcher who used chemical sleuthing to deduce what's in fragranced consumer products now has turned her attention to the scented air wafting from household laundry vents.

25 Aug 2011