Pollution News and Research

Latest Pollution News and Research

Photo-catalytically active coatings can help reduce nitrogen oxides

Surfaces with photo-catalytic characteristics clean the air off nitrogen oxides and other health-endangering substances. Using a new test procedure, Fraunhofer researchers can find out how the coatings behave during a long-term test. They will introduce the test at the booth of the Fraunhofer Building Innovation Alliance in Booth 131 / 135 in Hall C2 at the Trade Fair BAU that will take place from 14 - 19 January, 2013, in Munich, Germany.

21 Dec 2012

Children in asthma hotspots more likely to experience exercise-induced wheeze

Asthmatic children in New York City neighborhoods with high rates of asthma make many more visits to the emergency room (ER) than those who live in other parts of the city. While socioeconomic factors such as lack of adequate preventive care are part of the equation (high-asthma neighborhoods tend to be lower income), new research points to a possible biological basis for the disparity.

18 Dec 2012

New data show more premature deaths due to household air pollution attributed to basic cookstoves

Writing in the Department of State's "DipNote" blog, Kris Balderston, special representative for the Secretary of State's Global Partnerships Initiative, and Jacob Moss, U.S. coordinator for the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, highlight the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010 published last week in the Lancet, "which estimates that household air pollution attributed to cooking over open fires or basic cookstoves causes the premature deaths of approximately four million people annually -- many of them women and young children."

18 Dec 2012

Ceramic cookstoves may not reduce risk of pneumonia in young rural Kenyan children

Inexpensive, locally-produced ceramic cookstoves may produce less smoke than traditional indoor 3-stone firepits, but they don't significantly reduce indoor air pollution or the risk of pneumonia in young children, according to results from a small, year-long observational study by researchers working in rural Kenya.

13 Dec 2012

Decreased air pollution continues to increase life expectancy in USA

Significant reductions in air pollution over the past decade have improved life expectancy across various US counties, report researchers, although they stress that optimum air quality levels have not yet been reached.

12 Dec 2012

High-altitude treatment may help severe asthma patients

Individuals with severe refractory asthma may benefit from high-altitude treatment, irrespective of their sensitivity to airborne allergens, suggest findings from a study conducted in the Swiss Alps.

11 Dec 2012

More than 100 academic institutions to participate in Mathematics of Planet Earth 2013

More than 100 academic institutions and scholarly societies have joined in a major world-wide initiative: Mathematics of Planet Earth (MPE) 2013. This year-long effort will highlight the contributions made by mathematics in tackling global problems, including natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunamis; climate change; sustainability; and pandemics.

9 Dec 2012

Pesticides in tap water may increase food allergy risk

Having a high level of urinary dichlorophenols is associated with the presence of food sensitization and allergies, say researchers.

7 Dec 2012

Mercury pollution in marine environment contaminates seafood

In new research published in a special issue of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives and in "Sources to Seafood: Mercury Pollution in the Marine Environment"- a companion report by the Dartmouth-led Coastal and Marine Mercury Ecosystem Research Collaborative (C-MERC), scientists report that mercury released into the air and then deposited into oceans contaminates seafood commonly eaten by people in the U.S. and globally.

4 Dec 2012

Reductions in fine particulate matter may improve life expectancy in the U.S.

A new study led by researchers at Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) has found an association between reductions in fine particulate matter and improved life expectancy in 545 counties in the U.S. from 2000 to 2007. It is the largest study to date to find beneficial effects to public health of continuing to reduce air pollution levels in the U.S.

3 Dec 2012

New study finds chemicals used for water purification can lead to food allergies

Food allergies are on the rise, affecting 15 million Americans. And according to a new study published in the December issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), pesticides and tap water could be partially to blame.

3 Dec 2012

Air quality in cities linked to inflammatory risk in diabetes

Exposure to traffic-related air pollutants is associated with a rapid increase in systemic inflammation in patients with diabetes, report Indian researchers.

30 Nov 2012

Exposure to essential oil for 1 hour would be effective in reducing heart rate and blood pressure

The scents which permeate our health spas from aromatic essential oils may provide more benefits than just a sense of rest and well-being.

30 Nov 2012

Air pollution exposure in early life linked to autism

Exposure to air pollution in early life or during pregnancy puts children at risk for autism, show study findings.

29 Nov 2012

PDE model identifies contaminants in water distribution networks

None of us want to experience events like the Camelford water pollution incident in Cornwall, England, in the late eighties, or more recently, the Crestwood, Illinois, water contamination episode in 2009 where accidental pollution of drinking water led to heart-wrenching consequences to consumers, including brain damage, high cancer risk, and even death. In the case of such catastrophes, it is important to have a method to identify and curtail contaminations immediately to minimize impact on the public.

29 Nov 2012

CLCA1 molecule plays a special role in the mucus pathway

Respiratory conditions that restrict breathing such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are common killers worldwide. But no effective treatments exist to address the major cause of death in these conditions - excess mucus production.

26 Nov 2012

Geriatric health, lungs adversely affected by air pollution

Elderly individuals living in highly polluted areas of the USA have higher levels of inflammatory markers in their blood compared with their counterparts who live in less-polluted regions, indicate the results of a study.

19 Nov 2012

Exposure to air pollution influences cognitive function in older adults: Study

Living in areas of high air pollution can lead to decreased cognitive function in older adults, according to new research presented in San Diego at The Gerontological Society of America's 65th Annual Scientific Meeting.

16 Nov 2012

Lab research can explain how city pollution ends up in Arctic

Pollution from fossil fuel burning and forest fires reaches all the way to the Arctic, even though it should decay long before it travels that far. Now, lab research can explain how pollution makes its lofty journey: rather than ride on the surface of airborne particles, pollutants snuggle inside, protected from the elements on the way. The results will help scientists improve atmospheric air-quality and pollution transport models.

16 Nov 2012

U.N., partners call for greater efforts to fight number one killer of children on World Pneumonia Day

On World Pneumonia Day (WPD), recognized on November 12, "the United Nations and its partners ... called for greater efforts to eradicate pneumonia, the number one killer of children under the age of five," the U.N. News Centre reports.

14 Nov 2012