Pollution News and Research

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Cleaner air improves lung capacity of children and adolescents

As air pollution in Stockholm has decreased, so has the lung capacity of children and adolescents has improved, a new study published in the European Respiratory Journal reports.

23 Feb 2023

New nanomaterial can enhance the potency of common disinfectants

The use of peroxide-based disinfectants has grown with the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet, the extensive use of chemical disinfectants to kill viruses and other pathogens can also threaten human health and ecosystems.

22 Feb 2023

What is the impact of outdoor air pollution on COVID-19 mortality?

Researchers assess the impact of outdoor air pollution on COVID-19 mortality.

22 Feb 2023

Researchers estimate the environmental impacts of prostate MRI and biopsy

A Yale-led study examines the potential environmental benefits of more carefully selecting patients for prostate biopsy in a way that can also spare low-yield and potentially harmful procedures.

22 Feb 2023

Poor air quality may be a risk factor for bone loss from osteoporosis among postmenopausal women

Elevated levels of air pollutants are associated with bone damage among postmenopausal women, according to new research led by scientists at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

21 Feb 2023

Women and girls are disproportionately affected by climate change

The adverse effects of climate change have impacted numerous areas of human health and well-being. In most parts of the world, women are least able to mitigate such changes, so they are an appropriate focus in a recent research paper.

19 Feb 2023

Scientists discover how a "poisoned" form of protein could spur cancer formation

Scientists at Scripps Research, with collaborators in Japan, have discovered how a "poisoned" form of a protein could set off a cascade of events that encourage the growth of some cancers.

17 Feb 2023

Human sleep architecture varies significantly across seasons, study shows

Society and technology impose sleep and wake schedules on people, especially in urban environments with lots of light pollution. Although seasonality in animal sleep is well known, for the past 25 years we’ve assumed humans are different. But a study of patients being monitored for sleep-related difficulties shows underestimated variation in sleep architecture over the course of a year.

15 Feb 2023

Social and economic disadvantage may explain the higher risk of dementia in women

A large international study of dementia risk involving almost 30,000 people from 18 countries covering all six continents suggests that social and economic disadvantage may explain the higher risk of the condition in women.

15 Feb 2023

Exposure to wildfire smoke associated with spontaneous preterm birth

The detrimental effects of poor air quality on a person's health are well documented. In pregnant people, research has shown that poor air quality, such as smog, can lead to a number of adverse outcomes, including preterm birth (PTB), one of the leading causes of infant mortality in the United States as well as globally. PTB is defined as delivery before the 37th week of pregnancy.

13 Feb 2023

Neighborhoods where children with cancer live have bigger impact on outcomes

An analysis from Rutgers may help solve a mystery: Why do Black and Hispanic children suffer more life-threatening complications from cancer and cancer care than white children who get the same treatments at the same facilities?

10 Feb 2023

Inhalable powder could protect lungs and airways from viral invasion

Researchers have developed an inhalable powder that could protect lungs and airways from viral invasion by reinforcing the body's own mucosal layer.

9 Feb 2023

How does vaping affect your health?

According to the significant review, using nicotine e-cigarettes increases the risk of various adverse health outcomes, especially in youth, including taking up smoking, addiction, poisoning, seizures, burns, and lung injury.

6 Feb 2023

New insights into the release of microplastics from breastmilk storage bags

Researchers from China analyzed the quantity, size, and composition of microplastics and other particle matter released into breastmilk from disposable breastmilk storage bags.

6 Feb 2023

Adoption of electric cars associated with reductions in air pollution and respiratory problems

Electric vehicles are widely hailed as a key way to mitigate climate change through reduced emissions, but research on the dual benefits of reduced air pollution and improved health has been largely hypothetical.

2 Feb 2023

Can reducing air pollution prevent multimorbidity?

Researchers argues for the need to more studies to identify a potential association between multimorbidity and air pollution, if it exists.

31 Jan 2023

What are the long-term effects of PM2.5 components on the prevalence of hypertension?

Researchers conducted a nationwide cross-sectional analysis of the long-term consequences of particulate matter and its five components on hypertension among participants from 13 Chinese provinces.

30 Jan 2023

Prenatal pollution exposure may negatively impact neurodevelopment in child's early life

Toddlers whose moms were exposed to higher levels of air pollution during mid- to late-pregnancy tend to score lower on measures of cognition, motor coordination and language skills, according to new University of Colorado Boulder research.

25 Jan 2023

Brief exposure to diesel exhaust can affect human brain function

A new study by researchers at the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria has shown that common levels of traffic pollution can impair human brain function in only a matter of hours.

24 Jan 2023

Promoting the One Health approach could greatly improve human-animal health and environmental integrity

Researchers pursued contemporary evidence of how One Health approaches could improve health security at a global scale against unprecedented health hazards, such as the one posed by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

24 Jan 2023