Pollution News and Research

Latest Pollution News and Research

Common antibacterial soaps and wipes may worsen antibiotic resistance crisis

An international team of scientists is warning that everyday antibacterial soaps, wipes, sprays, and other "germ‑killing" products are quietly contributing to the global rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) while providing no added health benefit for most consumer uses.

31 Mar 2026

Unhealthy air exposure expected to rise sharply in coming decades

New modeling shows almost one in three Americans will routinely breathe air considered unhealthy for sensitive people by the year 2100 due to climate change, a sevenfold increase compared to the turn of the century.

31 Mar 2026

Lab gloves may inflate microplastics measurements in research studies

Nitrile and latex gloves that scientists wear while they are measuring microplastics may lead to a potential overestimation of the tiny pollutants, according to a University of Michigan study.

28 Mar 2026

Global meningitis deaths remain high despite progress since 1990

In 2023, globally 259,000 people died from meningitis and 2.5 million people were infected with the disease, suggests a study published in The Lancet Neurology.

27 Mar 2026

LDCT screening significantly reduces lung cancer mortality in non-smokers

New evidence from a Chinese cohort presented today at the European Lung Cancer Congress (ELCC) 2026 shows that onetime lowdose computed tomography (LDCT) screening can significantly reduce lung cancer mortality in a non-risk based population, including individuals with no smoking history.

27 Mar 2026

Historical redlining linked to modern reproductive health disparities in women

A pair of studies are the first to examine how the decades-old discriminatory mortgage lending practice may contribute to present-day reproductive health problems, which disproportionately burden Black residents and other communities of color.

25 Mar 2026

Study identifies early risk factors for progressive supranuclear palsy

Progressive supranuclear palsy, or PSP, is a rare brain disease that causes problems with balance, eye movements and thinking. Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson recently passed away after living with the disease for more than a decade.

24 Mar 2026

Transportation noise linked to higher risk of major cardiac events

Living in areas with consistently higher levels of noise from transportation was associated with a significantly higher risk of major adverse cardiac events compared with living in quieter areas, according to a study being presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26).

24 Mar 2026

Urban living may reduce risk of first-time stroke

While urban life is often associated with stress and pollution, living in more intensely developed neighborhoods may actually protect against stroke, a new University of Michigan study suggests.

19 Mar 2026

Socioeconomic gaps shape vulnerability to air pollution mortality in Europe

Socioeconomic factors are widely recognized as potential modifiers of the relationship between air pollution and mortality, but the available evidence remains limited.

19 Mar 2026

Microbial teamwork enables efficient breakdown of phthalate plastic pollutants

Plastic trash has reached the world's most remote locations, from the bottom of the Mariana Trench to the summit of Everest.

18 Mar 2026

Scientists turn plastic waste into Parkinson’s drug levodopa using engineered bacteria

Researchers engineered a two-strain microbial system that converts PET-derived terephthalic acid into levodopa, overcoming key bottlenecks in transport and enzyme inhibition. The proof-of-concept process achieves high yields under mild conditions and demonstrates a potential route for upcycling plastic waste into valuable pharmaceuticals.

17 Mar 2026

Biodegradable sanitary pads made from water hyacinth pass safety and absorbency tests in new study

Researchers developed a biodegradable sanitary pad using water hyacinth fibers and cotton, transforming an invasive aquatic weed into a sustainable absorbent material. Laboratory tests showed strong fluid absorption, safe pH levels, low microbial contamination, and rapid biodegradation.

17 Mar 2026

Climate policy tradeoffs may reduce air quality gains and global health outcomes

A new study published in The Lancet Global Health reveals a previously underappreciated tension at the heart of international climate negotiations: policies designed to protect developing countries from bearing an unfair share of the cost of cutting carbon emissions could inadvertently deprive those same countries of millions of life-saving air quality improvements.

16 Mar 2026

Global indicators identified to monitor health before pregnancy worldwide

The key health and social indicators needed for a new global system to monitor people's health before pregnancy have been identified for the first time by researchers at University College London and the University of Southampton.

16 Mar 2026

Everyday wearable data could reveal early brain health signals

Wearable sensors combined with AI offer a novel approach to continuous monitoring of cognitive and emotional health, detecting early changes in brain function.

12 Mar 2026

Air pollution may be lowering global IQ and widening inequality, researchers warn

Researchers argue that exposure to fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) may affect cognitive function and intelligence, potentially causing large population-level losses in global IQ. Using modelling based on published exposure–response data, the authors estimate that pollution could be associated with tens of billions of IQ points lost worldwide, with the largest impacts in lower-income regions.

10 Mar 2026

How social and environmental exposures across life influence mental health risk

Researchers outline how the exposome framework, which captures the totality of environmental exposures across the lifespan, can help explain how non-genetic factors shape mental health risk and resilience. The perspective highlights how integrating environmental, biological, and social data could improve prevention strategies, research models, and personalized mental health care.

10 Mar 2026

Using a smartwatch to detect changes in brain health

Can smartphones or smartwatches help detect early signs of neurological or mental illness? Researchers at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) monitored a group of participants wearing connected devices, and used artificial intelligence to analyze data such as heart rate, physical activity, sleep and air pollution.

10 Mar 2026

How somatic mutations shape disease and reveal new drug targets

Researchers reviewed how somatic mutations accumulate in normal and diseased tissues, showing that natural selection can expand clones that influence disease risk, tissue adaptation, or cellular resilience. The study proposes somatic genomics as a powerful strategy to uncover disease mechanisms and identify new therapeutic targets across multiple conditions.

8 Mar 2026