Pollution News and Research

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Breathe Easy, Stay Healthy Campaign for reducing toxic air pollution in Pittsburgh

Today, Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future (PennFuture), joined by leaders from the Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP) and Clean Water Action, along with Dr. Evelyn O. Talbott of the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health Department of Epidemiology and Allegheny County Council President Richard Fitzgerald, announced a major new campaign to reduce the fine soot pollution responsible for Pittsburgh’s number one ranking for dirtiest air for two years running.

9 Oct 2009

Researchers to analyze role of air pollution in respiratory and cardiovascular diseases

A new mobile air research laboratory will help a team of researchers led by a Michigan State University professor better understand the damaging health effects of air pollution and why certain airborne particles - emitted from plants and vehicles - induce disease and illness.

8 Oct 2009

Experts to develop effective surveillance system to monitor emerging infections at global level

Avian influenza (H5N1), rabies, plague, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), and more recently swine flu (H1N1) are all examples of diseases that have made the leap from animals to humans.

8 Oct 2009

Needlestick injuries in home care nursing can also affect patients

Patients continue to enter home healthcare ''sicker and quicker," often with complex health problems that may require extensive nursing care. This increases the risk of needlestick injuries in home healthcare nurses.

8 Oct 2009

German research institutes and companies to introduce their activities at WEFTEC.09

As part of the initiative "Research in Germany - Land of Ideas", German research institutes, universities and companies will introduce themselves and their activities at this year's WEFTEC.09.

7 Oct 2009

Air pollution levels change considerably within small geographical areas

Pedestrians could reduce the amount of traffic pollution they breathe in simply by crossing the street, according to the latest research from the University of Leeds.

7 Oct 2009

Nature's best mercury fighters: Bacteria

Mercury pollution is a persistent problem in the environment. Human activity has lead to increasingly large accumulations of the toxic chemical, especially in waterways, where fish and shellfish tend to act as sponges for the heavy metal.

5 Oct 2009

Social shame works better than Government subsidies: Study

Government subsidies persuade some people to change habits, but social shame works even better, suggests a recent study of efforts to reduce elevated childhood death and disease rates blamed on the microbial pathogens that cause diarrhea in rural India.

1 Oct 2009

Non-domestic air pollution is a major concern, says report

Plumes of harmful air pollutants can be transported across oceans and continents -- from Asia to the United States and from the United States to Europe -- and have a negative impact on air quality far from their original sources, says a new report by the National Research Council.

30 Sep 2009

Research study on the U.S. life expectancy

The Great Depression had a silver lining: During that hard time, U.S. life expectancy actually increased by 6.2 years, according to a University of Michigan study published in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

29 Sep 2009

New line of household disinfectant wipes and sprays launched

Seventh Generation, the nation's leading brand of non-toxic, environmentally safe household solutions, incorporates the latest breakthrough in green chemistry with the introduction of a new line of household disinfectant wipes and sprays.

25 Sep 2009

AABM Team wins two medals in a national contest

The Aquatic Animal Bio-Medicine R&D Team (AABM Team) of National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) in Taiwan, led by Distinguished Prof. Huey-Lang Yang from Institute of Biotechnology, won two medals out of more than 100 teams in the national contest, “2009 Crazy Idea – King of Practical Applications on Creative Researches and Development of Biotechnology,” organized by the Industrial Development Bureau of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Taiwan.

25 Sep 2009

Obama addresses U.N. General Assembly, calls for 'new era of engagement'

In his first U.N. General Assembly address, President Obama on Wednesday "called for 'a new era of engagement' ... with the world, pledging to work together with other countries while defending the interests of the United States," Reuters reports (9/23).

24 Sep 2009

Improved respiratory health in Mexican women who use vented stoves

Women in Central Mexico who used a vented stove instead of the traditional indoor open fire, experienced improved respiratory health on par with a pack-a-day smoker kicking the habit, according to a recent study.

23 Sep 2009

Dust Alert sensor to monitor quality of air

Worried that dust from a nearby construction zone will harm your family's health? A new Tel Aviv University tool could either confirm your suspicions or better yet, set your mind at rest.

23 Sep 2009

E. coli pervasive in stream-water with fecal indicator bacteria

Bacteria commonly used to indicate health risks in recreational waters might not be so reliable after all. Pathogenic E. coli were pervasive in stream-water samples with low concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria.

23 Sep 2009

Data show a decrease in ozone layer

By merging more than a decade of atmospheric data from European satellites, scientists have compiled a homogeneous long-term ozone record that allows them to monitor total ozone trends on a global scale - and the findings look promising.

22 Sep 2009

Identification of nitric oxide using lasers and sensors

Nitric oxide, a gas well known to scientists for its myriad functions, has proven challenging to measure accurately outside the laboratory. A team of Princeton and Rice University researchers has demonstrated a new method of identifying the gas using lasers and sensors that are inexpensive, compact and highly sensitive. Such a portable device, suitable for large-scale deployment, could be of great value to atmospheric science, pollution control, biology and medicine.

21 Sep 2009

Industrial biotechnology can reduce greenhouse gas emissions

The WWF report Industrial biotechnology – more than green fuel in a dirty economy?, which has been published today, concludes that industrial biotechnology can provide dramatic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and provide strong progress toward a green and sustainable economy.

18 Sep 2009

No unsafe levels of air pollutants or metals detected at schools in Beaver and Erie counties: DEP

Air quality sampling by the state Department of Environmental Protection at schools in Beaver and Erie counties has not detected unsafe levels of air pollutants or metals, Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger said today.

18 Sep 2009