Pollution News and Research

Latest Pollution News and Research

New cancer research to be highlighted in AACR Annual Meeting 2013

The AACR Annual Meeting 2013 will bring more than 17,000 scientists, advocates, industry leaders and other professionals to Washington, D.C., for the latest in breakthrough cancer science.

12 Feb 2013

Bronchiolitis, air pollution have ‘synergistic effect’ on asthma risk

Results from a Korean study show that a history of bronchiolitis plus exposure to increased levels of air pollution “synergistically” increases a child’s risk for asthma.

11 Feb 2013

Study shows link between outdoor particulate pollution and impaired fetal growth

Mothers who are exposed to particulate air pollution of the type emitted by vehicles, urban heating and coal power plants are significantly more likely to bear children of low birth weight, according to an international study led by co-principal investigator Tracey J. Woodruff, PhD, MPH, professor of obstetrics and gynecology and reproductive sciences at UC San Francisco along with Jennifer Parker, PhD, of the National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

6 Feb 2013

GSTM gene mutation, air pollution can increase risk of asthma-related cockroach allergy

An allergic reaction to cockroaches is a major contributor to asthma in urban children, but new research suggests that the insects are just one part of a more complex story. Very early exposure to certain components of air pollution can increase the risk of developing a cockroach allergy by age 7 and children with a common mutation in a gene called GSTM may be especially vulnerable.

6 Feb 2013

Breathing indoor air carries significant cancer risks for Chinese women

The hazards of breathing outdoor air in some Chinese cities have been well-documented. Now a University at Buffalo study confirms that breathing indoor air also carries significant cancer risks, especially for Chinese women.

30 Jan 2013

Link between air pollution and people's happiness

Researchers in Canada have found a correlation between air pollution and people's happiness. Their deep analysis, reported in the latest issue of the International Journal of Green Economics, suggests that air pollution may lead to unhappiness while the converse is also true, the unhappier the citizens of a country the more air pollution.

19 Jan 2013

Study finds evidence of how daily changes in temperature affect the fruit fly's internal clock

New research led by a team at Queen Mary, University of London, has found evidence of how daily changes in temperature affect the fruit fly's internal clock.

18 Jan 2013

Reducing air pollution from wood stoves may increase life expectancy

Reducing a person’s exposure to wood or biomass smoke can help increase their life expectancy, suggest findings from a study published in the BMJ.

9 Jan 2013

Mortality risk from long-term exposure to traffic pollution

Long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with increased rates of all-cause, cardiopulmonary, and lung cancer mortality, a large German study indicates.

2 Jan 2013

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