Pollution News and Research

Latest Pollution News and Research

Contributions on IASS website address Covid-19 pandemic

The covid-19 pandemic remains an important topic throughout the world. A number of contributions on the IASS website address the pandemic and its consequences from the perspective of sustainability. We would be happy to put you in contact with the respective authors.

12 Jun 2020

Colorado researchers receive $730,000 grant to examine the impact of Senate Bill 181

In Colorado, Senate Bill 181 (SB19-181) is changing the way oil and gas development is regulated, and one of the main effects of the bill is a large shift towards increased local control over siting decisions.

10 Jun 2020

Undersized airways increase risk of COPD regardless of smoking habits

A new study of lung anatomy may explain why 1 in 4 cases of COPD--a lung disease most often linked to smoking--occur in people who have never smoked, a fact that has long perplexed researchers.

9 Jun 2020

Health disparities negatively impact various groups of people

Certain illnesses and diseases have the ability to affect various groups of people in detrimental ways.

8 Jun 2020

Tear-gassing protesters during an infectious outbreak ‘a recipe for disaster’

In nationwide demonstrations sparked by the killing of George Floyd in police custody, protesters have been frequently pepper-sprayed or enveloped in clouds of tear gas.

5 Jun 2020

Exploring how air pollution affects the brain

Air pollution has become a fact of modern life, with a majority of the global population facing chronic exposure.

3 Jun 2020

Study shows link between exposure to air pollution and vascular damage

A study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a centre supported by the "la Caixa" Foundation, contributes new evidence about the negative impact of air pollution on cardiovascular health.

3 Jun 2020

Towards effective protection of water resources and human health

The covid-19 pandemic has shown us that public health can be endangered by "hidden enemies" like viruses that cannot be detected by our senses.

2 Jun 2020

Scientists track SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater

Epidemiologist David Larsen, from Syracuse University and microbiologists Hyatt Green, from the College of Environmental Science and Forestry and Frank Middleton, from Upstate Medical University are lead members of a multi-institution research project that is expected to have global application in future efforts to track and contain Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

30 May 2020

Is air pollution a risk factor for COVID-19 infection?

The COVID-19 pandemic began at the very end of 2019 in Wuhan city, Hubei province, China. However, its spread soon began to threaten the health of the whole country and then of the world, leading to nearly 5.7 million cases and over 355,000 dead as of today. A new study, published on the preprint server medRxiv* in May 2020, explores the effects of air pollution on COVID-19 infections in China.

27 May 2020

Prolonged period of lockdown may change people’s housing desires

Writing for The Conversation,Dr Tara Hipwood, lecturer in architecture at Northumbria University, suggests that changes in commuting or work habits will prompt a fundamental shift in what people perceive as priority features in the home, with outdoor space and a home office high up the list in future.

27 May 2020

New initiative to address multiple environmental crises beyond COVID-19

The unfolding SARS-CoV-2 (COVID) pandemic is drastically altering the human-nature relationship. It is affecting global environmental issues in complex ways while the overall picture still remains unclear.

27 May 2020

Researchers discover ear infections in the remains of ancient humans living in Levant

Researchers at Tel Aviv University have discovered evidence of ear infections in the skull remains of humans living in the Levant some 15,000 years ago.

26 May 2020

North Atlantic Microplastic Centre established to gain a better understanding of microplastics

Invisible microplastics are everywhere - in the air you breathe, the water you drink and in the food, you eat.

26 May 2020

Preterm birth rates during COVID-19 in Denmark

The current COVID-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic in March 2020 by the World Health Organization (WHO). This led to the enforcement of a lockdown on an almost global scale with wide-ranging consequences. Now, a new Danish study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in May 2020 reveals the impact on preterm birth rates.

26 May 2020