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Senator calls for air pollution test in Chicago

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin is calling for an air pollution test, in response to recent Chicago Tribune investigative reports that Chicago commuters are exposed to high levels of diesel soot.

12 Nov 2010

World Lung Foundation report highlights prevalence of acute respiratory infections worldwide

Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) - such as influenza, pneumonia and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) - cause 4.25 million deaths each year often among young children in developing countries, according to the Acute Respiratory Infections Atlas, which was released on Tuesday by the World Lung Foundation, Reuters reports (11/9).

10 Nov 2010

Food security conference in The Hague concludes with suggestions for U.N. climate negotiations to incorporate agriculture

Participants in a five-day food security meeting at The Hague "urged U.N. climate negotiators Friday to consider agriculture when drawing up strategies to fight climate change," the Canadian Press reports.

9 Nov 2010

Water purification woes

According to an expert desalination plants that are built close to sewage outflows risk contaminating drinking water. An Australian National University professor of infectious diseases and microbiology Peter Collignon said that membrane technology is not fool proof when it comes to screening bugs. This comes coincidentally just after a “reporting error” by Sydney Water that showed E.coli had been found in processed drinking water at its $1.9 billion Kurnell desalination plant in Sydney's south. The plant's intake, which collects water to supply 1.5 million Sydney homes, is about 2.5km north of the Cronulla near-shore sewage outflow.

8 Nov 2010

bitop includes first patient in Ectoin inhalation solution clinical trial for inflammation and airway obstruction

bitop AG, a biotech company specializing in the development of Ectoin®-containing medical devices, announced the inclusion of the first patient into a clinical trial on the Ectoin inhalation solution in patients with inflammation and airway obstruction.

8 Nov 2010

Scientists develop built-in timer for paper-based diagnostic tests

Scientists are reporting the development of a simple, built-in timer intended to improve the accuracy of paper tests and test strips for diagnosing diseases inexpensively at-home and elsewhere.

4 Nov 2010

Study confirms human excrements contribute to water pollution

Every person emits the equivalent of approximately two tonnes of carbon dioxide a year from the time food is produced to when the human body excretes it, representing more than 20% of total yearly emissions. That is what a study by the Universidad de Almer-a says, confirming for the first time that human excrements contribute to water pollution, primarily with nitrogen and phosphorus.

3 Nov 2010

New solvent system could provide ways of producing nanometer-scale cancer chemotherapy agents

Noble metals such as platinum and palladium are becoming increasingly important because of growth in environmentally friendly applications such as fuel cells and pollution control catalysts. But the world has limited quantities of these materials, meaning manufacturers will have to rely on efficient recycling processes to help meet the demand.

29 Oct 2010

Today's Op-Eds: Costs of health care lawsuits; politics and the deficit; self-recusal and the Supreme Court

As a patient advocate, my top priority for health reform is expanding coverage and giving people access to the best treatments. Controlling costs is important, but it shouldn't come at the expense of patients.

28 Oct 2010

SO2 emission raise health concerns

Kilauea Volcano on Hawaii's big island has been erupting on its east rift since 1983. But, in March 2008, an additional eruption vent opened at the volcano's summit, resulting in about triple the amount of sulfur dioxide gas (SO2) emissions drifting to the local community of Ka'u, raising health concerns over the risks associated with exposure to "vog," as the islanders refer to this volcanic air pollution.

21 Oct 2010

Long term exposure to air pollution increases risk of severe COPD

Long term exposure to low-level air pollution may increase the risk of severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to researcher s in Denmark. While acute exposure of several days to high level air pollution was known to be a risk factor for exacerbation in pre-existing COPD, until now there had been no studies linking long-term air pollution exposure to the development or progression of the disease.

20 Oct 2010

Coal seam gas toxins raise questions

Routine testing by Australia Pacific LNG found traces of four toxic chemicals, including benzene and toluene, in their wells in the Surat Basin. There are fresh calls for a ban on the extraction of coal seam gas in southern Queensland.

19 Oct 2010

Study explains importance of identifying global pandemic risk factors to predict spread of diseases

A recent study led by Dr. Parviez Hosseini, a senior research fellow from EcoHealth Alliance (formerly Wildlife Trust), explains the importance of identifying global pandemic risk factors as early as possible, in order to predict the spread of diseases like H1N1 "swine" flu and SARS. "Predictive Power of Air Travel and Socio-Economic data for Early Pandemic Spread," recently published in the scientific publication PLoS ONE, examines the interplay among travel, trade, and national healthcare resources in predicting the emergence and spread of H1N1 and other viruses.

7 Oct 2010

U.N. calls for increased efforts to reduce urban poverty, improve city living conditions

The U.N. marked World Habitat Day Monday with a call for governments worldwide to do more to reduce urban poverty and improve the living conditions that populations in cities around the world face, Kenya Broadcasting Corporation reports.

6 Oct 2010

Study finds link between air pollution and breast cancer

Air pollution has already been linked to a range of health problems. Now, a ground-breaking new study suggests pollution from traffic may put women at risk for another deadly disease.

6 Oct 2010

Researchers find exposure to air pollution increases severity of asthma symptoms

Exposure to dirty air is linked to decreased function of a gene that appears to increase the severity of asthma in children, according to a joint study by researchers at Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley.

6 Oct 2010

Study suggests H2O2 can act as anti-inflammatory compound

A major blow to the free radical theory of aging, which had lead the research in aging for more than 50 years and fuels a multimillionaire anti-aging industry has just been published by Portuguese scientists from the University of Minho. According to the theory, free radicals provoke oxidative damage and this is the cause of aging.

30 Sep 2010

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

Medical team uses LeadCare II blood-lead test to examine people exposed to lead poisoning in Nigeria

As part of the international response to the lead-poisoning crisis linked to small-scale gold-mining activities in this northwestern region of Nigeria, a medical crisis team is deploying Magellan's three-minute LeadCare II blood-lead test in the triage, assessment, and clinical follow-up of thousands of villagers who have been exposed to extremely high levels of lead in the soil and water.

29 Sep 2010

Pollution News and Research

Senator calls for air pollution test in Chicago

World Lung Foundation report highlights prevalence of acute respiratory infections worldwide

Food security conference in The Hague concludes with suggestions for U.N. climate negotiations to incorporate agriculture

Water purification woes

bitop includes first patient in Ectoin inhalation solution clinical trial for inflammation and airway obstruction

Scientists develop built-in timer for paper-based diagnostic tests

Study confirms human excrements contribute to water pollution

New solvent system could provide ways of producing nanometer-scale cancer chemotherapy agents

Today's Op-Eds: Costs of health care lawsuits; politics and the deficit; self-recusal and the Supreme Court

SO2 emission raise health concerns

Long term exposure to air pollution increases risk of severe COPD

Coal seam gas toxins raise questions

Study explains importance of identifying global pandemic risk factors to predict spread of diseases

U.N. calls for increased efforts to reduce urban poverty, improve city living conditions

Study finds link between air pollution and breast cancer

Researchers find exposure to air pollution increases severity of asthma symptoms

Study suggests H2O2 can act as anti-inflammatory compound

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

Study reveals consistent correlation between adult diabetes and particulate air pollution

Medical team uses LeadCare II blood-lead test to examine people exposed to lead poisoning in Nigeria

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

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