Pollution News and Research

Latest Pollution News and Research

Study: Role of air pollutants in cardiometabolic syndrome

To explore one of the most critical health/environment intersections - how the very air we breathe can cause heart disease and diabetes and contribute to the problems of obesity - Michigan State University has been named a Clean Air Research Center by the Environmental Protection Agency.

8 Mar 2011

New analysis compares House and administration proposals with public budgets

When it comes to the federal budget, the public is on a different page than either the House of Representatives or the Obama Administration - with a different set of priorities and a greater willingness to cut spending and increase taxes - concludes a new analysis by the University of Maryland's Program for Public Consultation.

4 Mar 2011

Viewpoints: WSJ on Medicare Advantage, Texas Gov. Perry on 'Fed inroads,' Med students' health policy ignorance

The White House has apparently decided that it won't enforce the unpopular parts of its health-care plan until after the 2012 election. The latest evidence is its decision not to slash Medicare Advantage, the program that Democrats hate because it lets seniors choose private insurance options. ... Would this be the same Medicare Advantage that candidate Barack Obama vowed to eliminate, saying in 2007 that "We shouldn't be rewarding the insurance industry for deceiving and defrauding our seniors"? (2/25).

25 Feb 2011

Toxic contamination of groundwater: South Australia residents warned

Australia’s Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has announced fears of groundwater contamination beneath up to 2000 homes. The EPA said that industrial activity at the former Hills Industries site in Edwardstown, south of Adelaide, caused dangerous materials - including a chemical known to cause cancer - to seep into the groundwater.

23 Feb 2011

AAFA study: Richmond ranked as No. 1 Asthma Capital in the U.S.

For the second year in a row, Richmond, VA, has been ranked as the No. 1 Asthma Capital – the most challenging place to live with asthma in the U.S. – according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, which conducted the study.

23 Feb 2011

New footprint calculator shows human impact on nitrogen cycle

People who want to eat healthy and live sustainably have a new way to measure their impact on the environment: a Web-based tool that calculates an individual's "nitrogen footprint."

23 Feb 2011

New study shows strong link between climate and air pollution

Differences in air pressure over the North Atlantic have meant that the last two winters in Gothenburg, Sweden, have been extremely cold. This has led to the air in Gothenburg being more polluted with nitrogen oxides than ever before. A new study from the University of Gothenburg shows that there is a strong link between climate and air pollution.

23 Feb 2011

Scientists show bacteria in polluted rivers become resistant to range of antibiotics

Many of the substances in our most common medicines are manufactured in India. Some of these factories release huge quantities of drugs to the environment. Swedish scientists now show that bacteria in polluted rivers become resistant to a range of antibiotics. International experts fear that this may contribute to the development of untreatable infectious diseases world-wide.

21 Feb 2011

NOAA, DOI plan to develop PEIS to advance ongoing natural resource restoration planning process

To advance the ongoing natural resource restoration planning process following the BP Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico, NOAA and the Department of the Interior today announced plans to develop a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement in cooperation with state co-trustees as part of the ongoing Natural Resource Damage Assessment.

21 Feb 2011

New York smoking ban gone too far? Health experts disagree

Now there is a faction that believes the soon-to-pass smoking ban on most parks and many beaches throughout New York City to be “going too far” and is questioning the bill.

20 Feb 2011

Study suggests red mud dust inhalation would not increase risk of serious health problems

Scientists in Hungary are reporting that the potential health effects of last October's Red Mud Disaster, one of the worst environmental accidents in Europe, may be less dangerous than previously feared. Their study, reported in ACS's journal Environmental Science & Technology, concludes that the dust from the mud may be no more harmful than particles of ordinary urban air pollution.

17 Feb 2011

Biologists unlock chemical clues to courtship in swordtail urine

When you've got to go, you've got to go - upstream, that is, if you are a male swordtail fish seeking a mate, according to research from Texas A&M University.

14 Feb 2011

New poll: 64% of Rep. Bass' constituents oppose bill to dismantle EPA's ability to reduce pollutions

Sixty-four percent of Rep. Charlie Bass' constituents in the New Hampshire 2nd Congressional District oppose a controversial bill to dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency's ability to reduce carbon dioxide and other pollutants, a new poll reveals. As a key member of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. Bass will have to vote on the bill in the near future.

14 Feb 2011

Targacept initiates TC-6987 Phase 2 study in patients with asthma, Type 2 diabetes

Targacept, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel NNR Therapeutics™, today announced the initiation of separate Phase 2 clinical studies of its product candidate TC-6987 in disorders characterized by inflammation, one in asthma and one in Type 2 diabetes.

9 Feb 2011

BBSRC, EMBL-EBI applaud funding allocation for European Life-science Infrastructure for Biological Information

The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory's European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) welcome news that funding has been earmarked from the UK's Large Facilities Capital Fund for ELIXIR - the European Life-science Infrastructure for Biological Information - as announced today (09 February 2011).

9 Feb 2011

Researchers to estimate air pollution using GPS-equipped smart phone

University at Buffalo researchers are creating a new and unusual "app" for the smart phone: tracking air pollution.

9 Feb 2011

Prenatal exposure to coal byproducts can impact early childhood growth

Children raised in homes using indoor coal for cooking or heating appear to be about a half-inch shorter at age 36 months than those in households using other fuel sources, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the June print issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

8 Feb 2011

Wood smoke may create adverse health effects in humans

With millions of people warding off winter's chill with blazing fireplaces and wood-burning stoves, scientists are raising red flags about the potential health effects of the smoke released from burning wood. Their study, published in the American Chemical Society's journal, Chemical Research in Toxicology, found that the invisible particles inhaled into the lungs from wood smoke may have several adverse health effects.

6 Feb 2011

Study: Air at petrol stations, immediate surroundings are affected by emissions from vehicle fuels

In Spain it is relatively common to come across petrol stations surrounded by houses, particularly in urban areas. Researchers from the University of Murcia have studied the effects of contamination at petrol stations that is potentially harmful to health, which can be noted in buildings less than 100 metres from the service stations.

5 Feb 2011

Researchers describe the complete genome of Daphnia

From an environmental perspective, Daphnia pulex -- the waterflea - is the best-studied organism on the planet. Scientists know how this species responds to pollution, predators, day and night, making it an important model for ecological and evolutionary research. Its genome, however, remained elusive, limiting understanding of how the environment and genes interact.

5 Feb 2011