Pollution News and Research

Latest Pollution News and Research

What is the risk of catching the coronavirus on a plane?

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tried to alleviate fears of flying during the pandemic at an event with airline and rental car executives.”The airplanes have just not been vectors when you see spread of the coronavirus,” DeSantis said during a discussion at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Aug. 28. “The evidence is the evidence. And I think it's something that is safe for people to do.”

10 Sep 2020

Are micro and nanoplastics accumulating in human organs and tissues?

A team of researchers spoke to News-Medical about their latest research investigating whether micro and nanoplastics are accumulating in human tissues.

10 Sep 2020

Warm weather increases human mobility, and SARS-CoV-2 transmission

A recent study published in the preprint server medRxiv in September 2020 shows that the effect of climatic factors such as temperature and humidity is mediated mostly through human mobility. Thus, human behavioral changes are still the mainstay of containment rather than hoping for weather conditions to keep the virus at bay.

9 Sep 2020

COVID-19 lockdown has not reduced the level of toxic fine particles in Scotland

The significant reduction in vehicle journeys during the COVID-19 lockdown did not reduce the level of toxic fine particles in Scotland's air, according to experts at the University of Stirling.

8 Sep 2020

Cadmium levels found to be four times higher in waste pickers

Waste pickers exposed to discarded electronics, aluminum and metal cans have up to four times higher levels of the toxic heavy metal cadmium in their blood than the wider population, a study has found.

4 Sep 2020

Researchers identify a new way to curb air pollution

Studies show those flashing real-time speed limit displays you see in neighborhoods are effective at telling motorists to slow down. Kerry Kelly thought: Could something like that help curb air pollution?

1 Sep 2020

Two discoveries can lead to a new wave of more-complex organoid development

In back-to-back reports published Aug. 27, 2020, in Nature Communications, a team of scientists from Cincinnati Children's and Japan report discoveries that will be vital to a new wave of more-complex organoid development.

27 Aug 2020

WHO announces new approach to improve access to life-saving data

Today, as part of its commitment to strengthening health information systems and improving health, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, WHO announced a new approach to improving access to life-saving data: the SCORE for Health Data Technical Package.

27 Aug 2020

Hispanic or Latinx adults exposed to pollution at work more likely to have heart abnormalities

Hispanic/Latinx adults who are exposed to smoke from burning wood, vehicle exhaust, pesticides or metals at workplaces are more likely to have abnormalities of the heart structure and function that could lead to cardiovascular disease, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access journal of the American Heart Association.

26 Aug 2020

Air quality in China improved during COVID lockdown

With the onset of COVID-19 in China, the government placed drastic restrictions on travel and work. This action led to a huge reduction in the number of vehicular movements and factories running. Now, a recent study published in the journal Science of The Total Environment in August 2020 shows this change had an unintended benefit – it cleared the air over northern China dramatically.

23 Aug 2020

Scientific review on on link between air pollution and COVID-19

Researchers at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have conducted a “state-of-the-science” review of the evidence available on potential associations between exposure to air pollution and health outcomes in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

23 Aug 2020

Fewer rhinovirus infections in Philadelphia after COVID-19 stay-at-home orders

Philadelphia and its surrounding counties issued a series of "stay-at-home" orders on March 17, 2020 in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19.

20 Aug 2020

Air pollution may play a role in development of cardiometabolic diseases, shows study

Air pollution is the world's leading environmental risk factor, and causes more than nine million deaths per year.

20 Aug 2020

Nano and microplastics found in all human organs and tissues

Recently, a team of researchers from Arizona State University has discovered micro and nanoplastics in human tissues and organs. The study was presented at the American Chemical Society's virtual expo.

18 Aug 2020

New study finds a connection between traffic noise and obesity

Transport noise is a major problem in Europe, with over 100 million people living in areas where road traffic noise exceeds levels greater than 55dB, the health-based threshold set by the EU.

17 Aug 2020

Ambient air pollution increases carbon emissions

A study conducted by Associate Professor Alberto Salvo from the Department of Economics at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences revealed that households respond to ambient air pollution by increasing electricity consumption, which in turn increases the carbon emissions that are co-produced in supplying the electricity.

17 Aug 2020