Pollution News and Research

Latest Pollution News and Research

Improvements in air quality and health during COVID-19 lockdown

COVID-19 has devastated lives and communities and will have a horrendous impact on the economy, but it has also revealed some environmental truths that we as humans may not want to hear.

24 Apr 2020

UK engineers develop low-cost Field Ventilator to treat COVID-19 patients in poorer countries

A UK team of academic and industrial engineers, manufacturers and clinicians have developed a potentially life-saving ventilator to treat coronavirus patients in poor and remote parts of the world.

24 Apr 2020

Study highlights health impacts of pollution on Indigenous communities

A new study from the University of Helsinki presents the current state of knowledge on the exposure and vulnerability of Indigenous Peoples to environmental pollution, reviewing the innumerable impacts that pollution poses on Indigenous communities from all over the world.

23 Apr 2020

Prenatal exposure to air pollutants is linked with growth delays

Prenatal exposure to air pollution has been linked to various adverse effects on children's health, including lower birth weight and respiratory and neurodevelopmental problems.

23 Apr 2020

Air pollution, dementia, and cardiovascular disease

A new study published in March 2020 in the journal JAMA Neurology shows an association between air pollution and the development of dementia. However, the role played by cardiovascular disease (CVD) is yet to become apparent.

21 Apr 2020

Report finds nearly half of the U.S. population breathing polluted air

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Clean Air Act, which is responsible for dramatic improvements in air quality.

21 Apr 2020

The inside story of how the Bay Area got ahead of the COVID-19 crisis

Sunday was supposed to be a rare day off for Dr. Tomás Aragón after weeks of working around-the-clock.

21 Apr 2020

University of Kentucky Superfund Research Center awarded $8.7 million NIEHS grant

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has awarded the University of Kentucky Superfund Research Center a five-year, $8.7 million grant to conduct research aimed at better understanding and minimizing the negative health and environmental impacts of chlorinated organic compounds found at Superfund sites across the Commonwealth and the U.S.

20 Apr 2020

Analysis reveals cocktail of pharmaceuticals in the waters of Bangladesh

In spring of 2019, researchers set out to investigate what chemicals could be found in the waters of Bangladesh.

20 Apr 2020

New data supports role of nitrogen dioxide in the high number of Covid-19 deaths

Elevated levels of nitrogen dioxide in the air may be associated with a high number of deaths from Covid-19. A new study by Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) provides concrete data that back this assumption for the first time.

20 Apr 2020

How climate change is putting doctors in the hot seat

A 4-year-old girl was rushed to the emergency room three times in one week for asthma attacks.

20 Apr 2020

Study: Incentive-based programs are not a suitable solution to control pests in fruits, vegetables

While incentive-based programs have had many success stories in helping to regulate air quality, control pollution, and protect wildlife and fisheries, they may not be the answer to controlling invasive pests.

17 Apr 2020

Anosmia (loss of smell) confirmed as a clinical feature of COVID-19

Earlier last month, the association of ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialists in the UK issued a public statement advising patients with a sudden loss of smell or taste to get tested for COVID-19. They cited not only their own observations but those from numerous other ENT consultants the world around. A review of multiple papers on the sinus and nasal symptoms and signs related to the diagnosis of COVID-19, published in April 2020, in the journal Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology, reiterates this finding.

15 Apr 2020

Unexpected benefit of COVID-19 lockdowns on the environment and health

The pandemic spreading over the world has affected over 185 countries and territories so far, with over 2 million cases and 134,354 deaths. In response, many countries and regions have enforced lockdowns, in addition to the almost universal recommendations for social distancing. One of the most significant impacts has been the effect on economic activity the world over.

15 Apr 2020

‘Entry Point’ enzyme for COVID-19 higher in COPD patients and smokers

News-Medical speaks to Professor Don Sin on his research into COVID-19 and its effect on smokers and people suffering from COPD.

9 Apr 2020

Air pollution and PM2.5 raise risk of COVID-19 death

According to a new analysis, air pollution is associated with more deaths in the currently raging COVID-19 pandemic. A new American study from researchers at Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, showed that a single unit increase in particle pollution levels in the air could raise the risk of death by 15 percent and that before this pandemic if the air was cleaner, it could have saved many lives.

8 Apr 2020

Short-term exposure to even low levels of air pollution can affect gene expression

New data from a landmark study done by Monash University researchers in Australia raises significant concerns that even short-term exposure to low level air pollution can affect gene expression, leaving us at risk of other diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

8 Apr 2020