pollution research News

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has found that long-term exposure to poor air quality can have the same damaging effect as smoking 20 cigarettes a day, with air pollution shown to be more dangerous than passive smoking. Many employees are exposed to poor air quality on a regular basis and employers are often unaware of the risks and what they can do to manage ...

Oct. 13, 2019

By AQMesh

A team of three New England-educated scientists who have designed an innovative clothing line to help measure the harmful health effects of air pollution has been awarded $100,000 in a prestigious federal award. The winning team includes Gabrielle Dockterman of Carlisle, Mass., David Kuller of Milan, Italy, formerly of Minnesota, and Dot Kelly of Darien, Conn. The team was honored by the US ...

Jun. 11, 2013

By US EPA - Environmental Protection Agency

Air pollution indices are tools that can be used to compare air quality in different geographical regions. In a new study, researchers evaluated the 'BC indices', primarily designed to assess health risks from particular pollutants over a given time and space, to compare air quality in Italy, Germany and Poland. The indices could be useful for policy makers developing pollution control ...

Dec. 11, 2008

By European Commission, Environment DG

Where rain falls can influence the quality of surface water before it enters underground reservoirs, some of which provide water that eventually comes out of our taps. That's one conclusion from a collaborative study by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the University of Arizona (UA). The ARS and UA scientists are investigating how urban landscapes influence storm runoff and water ...

Sep. 23, 2008

By The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) - USDA

The three-wheeled rickshaw lurched through New Delhi's commuter-clogged streets with an American scientist and several air pollution monitors in the back seat. Car horns blared. A scrappy scooter buzzed by belching black smoke from its tailpipe. One of the monitors spiked. Joshua Apte has alarming findings for anyone who spends time on or near the roads in this city of 25 million. The numbers are ...

Nov. 25, 2014

By Associated Press

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $32 million to fund four new Clean Air Research Centers at universities conducting cutting edge air pollution research. The research will focus on the impacts of air pollution mixtures on people’s health. It is important to understand the health risks associated with exposure to multiple air pollutants because people are exposed to more ...

Mar. 6, 2011

By US EPA - Environmental Protection Agency

Indoor pollution is killing people at rates significantly higher than outdoor pollution, and the general public has for years been none the wiser new research reveals. According to a recent publication by leading global air filtration specialist Camfil, many people are unaware of the massive number of indoor pollution related deaths that occur annually. According to the World Health Organization, ...

Jun. 21, 2016

By Camfil Ltd

Researchers from the University of Leicester have for the first time discovered that bacteria that cause respiratory infections are directly affected by air pollution - increasing the potential for infection and changing the effectiveness of antibiotic treatment. The interdisciplinary study, which has been published in the journal Environmental Microbiology, has important implications for the ...

Mar. 2, 2017

By Camfil Ltd

Nearly one-fifth of the earth’s surface is comprised of mountains that play a role in the storage and distribution of fresh water, with one-tenth of the world’s population relying on that mountain snowpack as their sole source of fresh water. Understanding the amount of pollutants in soil and snow is critical to maintaining the quality of alpine water sources, and is the subject of a ...

Nov. 21, 2010

By Soil Science Society of America (SSSA)

Research will be launched to evaluate the health impact of indoor air pollution in urban public spaces by the International Ecological Economy Promotion Association (IEEPA), announced Li Junyang, secretary-general of the IEEPA, at a seminar in Beijing on July 24, 2016. The seminar was held to solicit opinions on the research from experts in government departments and universities as ...

Jul. 24, 2016

By Camfil Ltd

Today at the 14th National Conference and Global Forum on Science, Policy and the Environment, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy announced grants to four research institutions for innovative and sustainable water research to manage harmful nutrient pollution. Nutrient pollution is one of America's most widespread, costly and challenging environmental problems, ...

Jan. 29, 2014

By US EPA - Environmental Protection Agency

Today at the 14th National Conference and Global Forum on Science, Policy and the Environment in Washington, D.C., U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy announced a grant of $2.2 million to the Center for Comprehensive, OptimaL and Effective Abatement of Nutrients (CLEAN) at Colorado State University to demonstrate sustainable solutions for reduction of nutrient ...

Jan. 29, 2014

By US EPA - Environmental Protection Agency

Rapid expansion of cities has a greater negative impact on poorer inhabitants who cannot afford to move to the outskirts where the air is cleaner, according to a recent study which examined the effects of urban sprawl. Urban sprawl is characterised by rapid, expansive growth of a town or city, which is often driven by uncontrolled development of suburbs at the edges. During this two-part study, ...

Nov. 5, 2008

By European Commission, Environment DG

Indoor and outdoor pollutants can adversely affect the heart in ways different from outdoor air pollution alone, according to a new cardiovascular study conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan, in collaboration with an exposure study conducted by RTI International. The Cardiovascular Sub-Study of the Detroit Exposure and Aerosol Research Study (DEARS) has shown for the first time ...

Nov. 13, 2008

By RTI International

Iranian scientists have isolated local strains of fungi that can digest petroleum compounds and may be useful in cleaning up polluted sites, especially in similar, semi-arid areas. The researchers isolated fungal strains from oil-contaminated sites within the Arak refinery in Iran and found some of them to cut the amount of petroleum pollution in soil by more than half. Although ...

Jan. 13, 2013

By SciDev.Net

If the effects of air pollution on climate change are included in air quality strategies, efficiency gains of €2.5 billion can be achieved in the EU, according to recent research. Various greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and pollutants both affect the climate and air quality, yet climate change and air pollution are often treated separately in environmental policy. Air pollutants are regulated ...

Jan. 6, 2010

By Science for Environment Policy - European Commission DG Environment News Alert Service

Long-term exposure to air pollution may increase the risk of developing type-2 diabetes, a Swiss study has found. The results also suggest that the association between type-2 diabetes and air pollution occurs at concentrations below World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guidelines. Air pollution has been linked with high blood pressure as well as heart and respiratory disease. Heart disease ...

Oct. 29, 2014

By European Commission

High blood pressure is linked to long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution, new research suggests. After accounting for lifestyle factors, socioeconomic status and pre-existing health conditions, the researchers found that a rise in traffic emissions of nitrogen dioxide corresponded to a rise in blood pressure of exposed individuals. Long-term exposure to air pollution has previously ...

Jul. 23, 2014

By European Commission, Environment DG

Low emissions zones (LEZs) can substantially reduce local levels of traffic-based air pollution, a new study has shown. Monitoring air pollution in Munich, Germany, researchers found that particulate matter from traffic sources dropped by 60% after implementation of an LEZ. Traffic exhaust is a major source of fine particulate matter, a type of air pollution that has been linked to respiratory ...

May 29, 2013

By European Commission, Environment DG

Traffic pollution contributes to childhood obesity, a recent study concludes. In the US investigation of over 4 500 children, the researchers estimated that air pollution increased the body mass index (BMI) of 10-year olds in the most polluted areas of study by 0.4 units, compared to those in the least polluted areas. It is thought that pollution may have slowed the children’s metabolism. ...

Sep. 17, 2014

By European Commission, Environment DG