Pollution News and Research

Latest Pollution News and Research

Are passive smoking, air pollution and obesity a greater mortality risk than major radiation incidents?

A new study has found that risks from radiation exposure to people involved in the Chernobyl incident may be much less significant than most of us think.

4 Apr 2007

London asthma sufferers get space-based help

The city of London has launched an innovative service, funded by ESA, which delivers air pollution alerts and health advice via SMS text messages to those who suffer from asthma and other conditions vulnerable to poor air quality.

29 Mar 2007

Methylmercury contaminating fish - pregnant women warned

According to an international team of scientists pregnant women should be wary of eating some types of fish because of mercury contamination.

11 Mar 2007

Exposure to diesel exhaust during commutes poses a serious public health risk

The Boston-based environmental research group reported today that even though we spend only a tiny portion of our day commuting, it's during the commute that we receive more than half our overall exposure to deadly fine particle pollution.

28 Feb 2007

High exposure to secondhand smoke from cigarettes detected in Baltimore bars

Workers and patrons of Baltimore bars are exposed to high levels of secondhand smoke, according to two studies conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

26 Feb 2007

New type of nanoparticle created by spray pyrolysis

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have created a new type of nanoparticle that could be used in tests for medical diagnostics, environmental pollution, and contamination of food products.

5 Feb 2007

Older womens' risk of heart disease and strokes increased by air pollution

A study by researchers in the U.S. has found that air pollution might be a contributing factor in the incidents of heart disease and strokes in older women.

1 Feb 2007

Living near a freeway effects lung development in children

Local exposure to traffic on a freeway (motorway) has serious adverse effects on children's lung development, which could result in unhealthy lung function in later life, according to an Online/Article published by The Lancet.

28 Jan 2007

New treatment technique for decontaminating flood water

Engineers have developed a system that uses a simple water purification technique that can eliminate 100 percent of the microbes in New Orleans water samples left from Hurricane Katrina. The technique makes use of specialized resins, copper and hydrogen peroxide to purify tainted water.

10 Jan 2007

U.S. surplus mercury strategy welcomed prior to UN negotiations

Department of Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman cited recognition of health and environmental concerns as prime reasons why DOE "has no current plans to sell" their stockpile of over 1,200 metric tons of mercury.

3 Jan 2007

Why we all carry on with those bad habits

If you have ever wondered why so many people continue to ignore public warnings and advertisements about the dangers of smoking, drinking alcohol and other habits that we know to be bad for us, a Canadian researcher may have the answer.

13 Nov 2006

Toxic chemicals affecting childrens brains

According to a new report toxic chemicals may be causing a pandemic of brain disorders because of inadequate regulation.

8 Nov 2006

Living near highways bad for kids asthma

According to the results of a five-year study by researchers at New York University's School of Medicine, the unusually high numbers of elementary school children suffering from asthma and other respiratory ailments in the South Bronx area of New York, can be attributed to motor vehicle exhaust fumes.

30 Oct 2006

CT scans pick up early lung cancers

New research has shown that early screening with CT scans could significantly improve the survival rates from lung cancer.

26 Oct 2006

Mobile phones increase mens' risk of infertility

More doubt has been cast on the safety of mobile phones by a new study which says men who use them could be risking their fertility.

24 Oct 2006

One in four smokers doomed to get incurable lung disease

According to British and Danish researchers the longer someone smokes the higher their risk of developing the incurable lung condition chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

18 Oct 2006

Comprehensive review backs health benefits of eating fish

There is ample research advocating the nutritional benefits of eating fish and shellfish because fish is high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids.

18 Oct 2006

Do the risks of eating fish outweigh the benefits? Yes or No

Fish is high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids. But concerns have been raised in recent years about chemicals found in fish from environmental pollution, including mercury, PCBs and dioxins. That has led to confusion among the public--do the risks of eating fish outweigh the benefits?

17 Oct 2006

More 'eco-friendly' hospitals being built

Hospitals are beginning to build "more efficient, eco-friendly facilities with 'sustainable' design features" as the industry "embarks on a $200 billion construction program over the next decade to replace or rebuild decaying facilities and meet growing demand from aging baby boomers," the Wall Street Journal reports.

5 Oct 2006

Socioeconomic improvement for poor women has little effect on risk of delivering low-birthweight infants among blacks

Although improvement of socioeconomic status for poor women might reduce a white woman's risk of delivering a low-birthweight infant by nearly 50%, such upward mobility seems to have little effect for black women with similar socioeconomic status, according to a study published in the Oct. 3 online edition of the American Journal of Public Health, CQ HealthBeat reports (Crowley, CQ HealthBeat, 10/4).

5 Oct 2006