Pollution News and Research

Latest Pollution News and Research

Analysis shows adverse health consequences from overdue EPA emissions standards for diesel trains and ships

A new technical analysis shows that even a one year delay by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in implementing overdue emission standards for diesel trains and ships will allow serious health effects to go unaddressed over the course of EPA's program.

16 Jan 2008

Pollution from heavy traffic affects the size of an unborn baby

According to Australian researchers the pollution caused by heavy traffic affects the size of an unborn baby.

7 Jan 2008

Study shows how climate change will increase human mortality

A Stanford scientist has spelled out for the first time the direct links between increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and increases in human mortality, using a state-of-the-art computer model of the atmosphere that incorporates scores of physical and chemical environmental processes.

4 Jan 2008

Drivers on cell phones congest traffic

Motorists who talk on cell phones drive slower on the freeway, pass sluggish vehicles less often and take longer to complete their trips, according to a University of Utah study that suggests drivers on cell phones congest traffic.

2 Jan 2008

NIEHS awards $6.8 million DISCOVER grants

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health, is awarding a total of $6.8 million for the first year of funding to three new research centers called DISCOVER - Disease Investigation Through Specialized Clinically-Oriented Ventures in Environmental Research.

28 Dec 2007

Depletion of antioxidant glutathione linked to Parkinson's in mice

Scientists at the Buck Institute have shown that mice suffering from a depletion of the antioxidant glutathione in dopamine-producing neurons developed nerve damage and symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease (PD) in humans.

20 Dec 2007

Exposure to traffic pollution can lead to chronic effects in the respiratory health of children with asthma

Exposure to traffic pollution may increase respiratory problems and reduce lung volumes in children with asthma, according to researchers who studied the effects of road and traffic density on children's lung function and respiratory symptoms in the border town of Ciudad Juarez in Mexico.

17 Dec 2007

Shampoo damaging the environment

According to a report from the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), Britain's environment is under threat from shampoo.

10 Dec 2007

City life raises a woman's risk of breast cancer

According to a new study city living increases a woman's risk for breast cancer.

27 Nov 2007

Higher ozone levels linked to greater heart risk associated with high temperatures

Ozone may prove the key to the link between high temperature and the increased risk of death from heart disease or stroke, suggests research published ahead of print in Occupational and Environmental Medicine .

22 Nov 2007

Human health, agriculture and the environment to benefit from bioengineering project at the University of Kent

Martin Warren, Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Kent’s Department of Biosciences, has been awarded over £750,000 from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council for a study into biochemical pathways that could ultimately lead to improved health benefits for humans, as well as the development of important new technologies and products for agriculture and bioremediation (the use of plants or microorganisms to clean up pollution or contaminated material).

19 Nov 2007

Managing asthma

The great majority of the nearly 23 million people with asthma, including 6.5 million children, can avoid serious symptoms and disability if they follow the latest guidelines to keep their disease under control.

13 Nov 2007

Diesel exhaust fumes increase clot formation and blood platelet activity

Increased roadway pollution produced by diesel fuel in vehicles is leading to a cascade of conditions that could result in heart attack or stroke, researchers suggested in the report of a small study presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2007.

6 Nov 2007

Urban kids with asthma need more frequent check-ups

Because even mild asthma among young inner-city children appears to be more unpredictable than ever, four or more check-ups a year after diagnosis is a wise move as a hedge against dangerous flare-ups of wheezing and trips to the emergency room, according to a study from the Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

6 Nov 2007

Researchers discover new gene responsible for Brugada syndrome

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have identified a new gene responsible for a rare, inherited form of sudden cardiac arrest, known as Brugada syndrome.

1 Nov 2007

Daily commute in car increases exposure to harmful air pollutants

The daily commute may be taking more of a toll than people realize. A new study by researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) and the California Air Resources Board found that up to half of Los Angeles residents' total exposure to harmful air pollutants occurs while people are traveling in their vehicles.

31 Oct 2007

Malaria remains formidable challenge in the Americas

Malaria remains a formidable challenge for the countries of the Americas and more action is needed to improve national control programs to reduce the burden of the disease, health ministers from the Americas heard today.

8 Oct 2007

Ozone impairs the body's immune system

According to a new study not only does air pollution exacerbate heart problems but it also impairs the body's immune system.

3 Oct 2007

Inhaled ozone impairs the body's first line of defense

As policy makers debate what levels of ozone in the air are safe for humans to breathe, studies in mice are revealing that the inhaled pollutant impairs the body's first line of defense, making it more susceptible to subsequent foreign invaders, such as bacteria.

1 Oct 2007

More research needed on sex differences in lung cancer

The Society for Women's Health Research gathered three lung cancer experts on Capitol Hill on September 17, 2007 to inform Congress on the need for increased funding to research lung cancer and its impact on women.

1 Oct 2007