ScienceDaily: Air Pollution News

Tropical upper atmosphere 'fingerprint' of global warming

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:11:11 EDT

The winds of the quasibiennial oscillation in the tropical upper atmosphere have greatly weakened at some altitudes over the last six decades, according to a new study. The finding is consistent with computer model projections of how the upper atmosphere responds to global warming induced by increased greenhouse gas concentrations.

Early-life traffic-related air pollution exposure linked to hyperactivity

Tue, 21 May 2013 01:12:12 EDT

Early-life exposure to traffic-related air pollution was significantly associated with higher hyperactivity scores at age 7, according to new research.

Air pollution and noise pollution increase cardiovascular risk

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:27:27 EDT

Both fine-particle air pollution and noise pollution may increase a person’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease, according to new research.

Jekyll into Hyde: Breathing auto emissions turns HDL cholesterol from 'good' to 'bad'

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:40:40 EDT

Academic researchers have found that breathing motor vehicle emissions triggers a change in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, altering its cardiovascular protective qualities so that it actually contributes to clogged arteries. The finding, shown in mice, reveals how car emissions activate the early cell and tissue damage called oxidation that causes inflammation leading to hardening of the arteries and HDL cholesterol may play a key role.

European winter weather harder to forecast in certain years

Wed, 15 May 2013 08:52:52 EDT

Weather forecasters have a tougher job predicting winter conditions over Europe in some years over others, concludes a new study.

Sulfate aerosols cool climate less than assumed

Tue, 14 May 2013 08:53:53 EDT

Life span of cloud-forming sulfate particles in the air is shorter than assumed due to a sulfur dioxide oxidation pathway which has been neglected in climate models so far.

Air pollution increases risk of insulin resistance in children

Thu, 09 May 2013 18:48:48 EDT

New research shows that growing up in areas where air pollution is increased raises the risk of insulin resistance (the prescursor to diabetes) in children.

PCBs are everywhere: Problem exists in industrial city and rural community

Wed, 08 May 2013 17:22:22 EDT

Despite the expectation of a large environmental exposure difference, researchers report that mothers and children in East Chicago, Ind., and residents in a rural area in Iowa have the same PCB levels in their blood as residents in urbanized East Chicago.

World's most extreme hearing animal: The greater wax moth

Wed, 08 May 2013 09:28:28 EDT

Researchers have discovered that the greater wax moth is capable of sensing sound frequencies of up to 300 kHz -- the highest recorded frequency sensitivity of any animal in the natural world.

Brighter clouds, cooler climate? Organic vapors affect clouds, leading to previously unidentified climate cooling

Sun, 05 May 2013 14:58:58 EDT

Scientists have shown that natural emissions and humanmade pollutants can both have an unexpected cooling effect on Earth's climate by making clouds brighter.

Toxic waste sites cause 'healthy years of life lost' for people living in India, Philippines and Indonesia

Sat, 04 May 2013 16:31:31 EDT

Toxic waste sites with elevated levels of lead and chromium cause a high number of “healthy years of life lost” in individuals living near 373 sites located in India, Philippines and Indonesia, according to a new study.

Progress in introducing cleaner cook stoves for billions of people worldwide

Wed, 01 May 2013 11:28:28 EDT

It may be the 21st century, but nearly half the world's population still cooks and heats with open fires or primitive stoves that burn wood, animal dung, charcoal and other polluting solid fuels. A new article describes impressive progress being made to remedy that situation and the obstacles that remain.

How trees play role in smog production

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:28:28 EDT

After years of scientific uncertainty and speculation, researchers have shown exactly how trees help create one of society's predominant environmental and health concerns: air pollution.

Ceramic foam cleans up exhaust gases

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:25:25 EDT

The introduction next year of the Euro 6 exhaust-gas standard means that catalytic converters will become more expensive, above all for diesel vehicles. Scientists are working on a catalytic substrate made of ceramic foam which, because of its structure, is more efficient and therefore more economic. Not only that – it also requires less noble metal coating.

The microbes you inhale on the New York City subway

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 18:52:52 EDT

The microbial population in the air of the New York City subway system is nearly identical to that of ambient air on the city streets. This research establishes an important baseline, should it become necessary to monitor the subway's air for dispersal of potentially dangerous microbes.

A simple solution to air pollution from wood-burning cookstoves

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 13:26:26 EDT

Wood-burning cookstoves, used by millions of people worldwide, cause air pollution, disease and death. A team of university students studied the problem and came up with a simple, low-cost solution: better ventilation.

Sunlit snow triggers atmospheric cleaning, ozone depletion in the Arctic

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:23:23 EDT

Researchers have discovered that sunlit snow is the major source of atmospheric bromine in the Arctic, the key to unique chemical reactions that purge pollutants and destroy ozone.

Air pollution and hardening of arteries

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:27:27 EDT

Long term exposure to air pollution may be linked to heart attacks and strokes by speeding up atherosclerosis, or "hardening of the arteries", according to a new study.

Pollution plumes in Paris air are richer in gaseous aromatic compounds than in Los Angeles

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 10:42:42 EDT

What is the origin of the volatile hydrocarbons, other than methane, present in city air? Mainly gasoline-powered vehicles, according to a new study. The study also shows that the proportion of gaseous aromatic compounds in hydrocarbon emissions is two to three times greater in pollution plumes in Paris than in Los Angeles, even though the total quantity of hydrocarbons emitted in Los Angeles remains considerably greater than in Paris.

Long-term exposure to fine particles of traffic pollution increases risk of heart disease

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 10:01:01 EDT

Long-term exposure to fine particle matter air pollution in part derived from traffic pollution is also associated with atherosclerosis independent of traffic noise.

Human shadow cast over the Caribbean slows coral growth

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 11:16:16 EDT

Striking Caribbean sunsets occur when particles in the air scatter incoming sunlight. But a particulate shadow over the sea may have effects underwater. A research team has linked airborne particles caused by volcanic activity and air pollution to episodes of slow coral-reef growth.

Exposure to air pollution during pregnancy linked to increased incidence of specific pediatric cancers

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 09:09:09 EDT

Increased exposure to traffic-related air pollution during pregnancy was associated with a higher incidence of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and two rare childhood cancers, according to a new study.

Air pollution stunts coral growth

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 13:32:32 EDT

A new study has found that pollution from fine particles in the air -- mainly the result of burning coal or volcanic eruptions -- can shade corals from sunlight and cool the surrounding water resulting in reduced growth rates.

Environmental policies matter for growing megacities

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 13:13:13 EDT

A new study shows clean-air regulations have dramatically reduced acid rain in the United States, Europe, Japan and South Korea over the past 30 years, but the opposite is true in fast-growing East Asian megacities, possibly due to lax antipollution rules or lack of enforcement.

Ozone masks plants volatiles, plant eating insects confused

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 15:01:01 EDT

Increases in ground-level ozone, especially in rural areas, may interfere not only with predator insects finding host plants, but also with pollinators finding flowers, according to new research.

Road traffic pollution as serious as passive smoke in the development of childhood asthma

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 20:55:55 EDT

New research conducted in 10 European cities has estimated that 14 percent of chronic childhood asthma is due to exposure to traffic pollution near busy roads.

Researchers map out an alternative energy future for New York

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 09:26:26 EDT

A new study outlines a path to statewide renewable energy conversion, and away from natural gas and imported fuel.

Ground-level ozone falling faster than model predicted

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 12:39:39 EDT

While dangerous ozone levels have fallen with reductions in emissions from vehicles and industry, a new study suggests a model widely used to predict the impact of remediation efforts has been too conservative.

A new look at urbanization's environmental impact

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 22:56:56 EST

A research team from Sweden has developed a technique for quick, simple and cost-effective mapping of worldwide urban growth and its environmental impact.

Key component of China's pollution problem: Scale of nitrogen's effect on people and ecosystems revealed

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 09:21:21 EST

It's no secret that China is faced with some of the world's worst pollution. Until now, however, information on the magnitude, scope and impacts of a major contributor to that pollution -- human-caused nitrogen emissions -- was lacking.

Childhood blood lead levels rise and fall with exposure to airborne dust in urban areas

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 10:25:25 EST

A new nine-year study of more than 367,000 children in Detroit supports the idea that a mysterious seasonal fluctuation in blood lead levels -- observed in urban areas throughout the United States and elsewhere in the northern hemisphere -- results from resuspended dust contaminated with lead.

Exposure to air pollution is associated with increased deaths after heart attacks

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 20:15:15 EST

Air pollution contributes to an increased number of deaths among patients who have been admitted to hospital with heart attacks, according to a new study.

Pollution doesn't change the rate of droplet formation

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 16:41:41 EST

When it comes to forming the droplets that make up clouds, a little oily and viscous organic material apparently doesn’t matter that much. And that’s good news for reducing the uncertainty of climate model predictions.

Links between ozone levels and cardiac arrest analyzed

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 13:42:42 EST

Researchers working with a massive data set unique to Houston, have found a direct correlation between out-of-hospital heart attacks and levels of air pollution and ozone.

One in 20 cases of pre-eclampsia may be linked to air pollutant

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 18:58:58 EST

One in every 20 cases of the serious condition of pregnancy, pre-eclampsia, may be linked to increased levels of the air pollutant ozone during the first three months, suggests a large study.

New steps recommended to preserve China's famous Terracotta Warriors and other relics

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 11:09:09 EST

The preservation of immovable historic relics displayed in large open spaces like China's world-renowned Museum of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses requires air curtains and other modifications to recreate the primitive environment from which archaeologists excavated the relics. That's the conclusion of a study of environmental control measures for archaeology museums in the People's Republic of China.

Air pollution primes children for asthma-related cockroach allergy

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 09:47:47 EST

An allergic reaction to cockroaches is a major contributor to asthma in urban children, but new research suggests that the insects are just one part of a more complex story. Very early exposure to certain components of air pollution can increase the risk of developing a cockroach allergy by age 7 and children with a common mutation in a gene called GSTM may be especially vulnerable.

Maternal exposure to outdoor air pollution associated with low birth weights worldwide

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 09:35:35 EST

Mothers who are exposed to particulate air pollution of the type emitted by vehicles, urban heating and coal power plants are significantly more likely to bear children of low birth weight, according to an international study.

Planting trees may not reverse climate change, but it will help locally

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 09:06:06 EST

Afforestation, planting trees in an area where there have previously been no trees, can reduce the effect of climate change by cooling temperate regions, a new study finds.

Indoor air puts Chinese women nonsmokers at risk

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 11:17:17 EST

The hazards of breathing outdoor air in some Chinese cities have been well-documented. Now a study confirms that breathing indoor air also carries significant cancer risks, especially for Chinese women.

Measuring the consequence of forest fires on public health

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 22:58:58 EST

Pollution from forest fires is impacting the health of people with asthma and other chronic obstructive lung diseases, finds a new study. This study uses data from pharmacies and dispensaries to measure the increase in drugs needed to alleviate symptoms associated with pollution.

NASA ozone study may benefit air standards, climate

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 11:18:18 EST

A new NASA-led study finds that when it comes to combating global warming caused by emissions of ozone-forming chemicals, location matters.

Air pollution and unhappiness correlated, study of Europeans shows

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 12:59:59 EST

Researchers in Canada have found a correlation between air pollution and people's happiness. Their deep analysis suggests that air pollution may lead to unhappiness while the converse is also true, the unhappier the citizens of a country the more air pollution.

Where there's smoke or smog, there's climate change

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 15:35:35 EST

In addition to causing smoggy skies and chronic coughs, soot -- or black carbon -- turns out to be the number two contributor to global warming. It's second only to carbon dioxide, according to a four-year assessment by an international panel. The new study concludes that black carbon, the soot particles in smoke and smog, contributes about twice as much to global warming as previously estimated, even by the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Groundbreaking air-cleaner saves polluting industrials

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 20:32:32 EST

Industries across Europe are threatened with shutdown as European Union emission rules for Volatile Organic Compounds are tightened. Now an air cleaning invention has proven its ability to remove these compounds. And in the process they have helped a business in Danish town Aarhus improve relations to angry neighbors.

Clean air: New paints break down nitrogen oxides

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 14:34:34 EST

Surfaces with photo-catalytic characteristics clean the air off nitrogen oxides and other health-endangering substances. Using a new test procedure, researchers can find out how the coatings behave during a long-term test.

Ozone levels have sizeable impact on worker productivity

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 15:32:32 EST

Researchers assessed the impact of pollution on agricultural worker productivity using daily variations in ozone levels. Their results show that ozone, even at levels below current air-quality standards in most parts of the world, has significant negative impacts on worker productivity. Their findings suggest that environmental protection is important for promoting economic growth and investing in human capital in contrast to its common portrayal as a tax on producers.

Plumes across the Pacific deliver thousands of microbial species to North American West Coast

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 15:27:27 EST

Microorganisms -- 99 percent more kinds than had been reported in findings published just four months ago -- are leaping the biggest gap on the planet. Hitching rides in the upper troposphere, they're making their way from Asia across the Pacific Ocean and landing in North America.

Variable congestion charges may yield more stable air quality and improved health

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:10:10 EST

Higher congestion charges in the morning and in the spring would even out the negative health effects caused by air pollution from cars in large cities.

Greenland ice sheet carries evidence of increased atmospheric acidity

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 13:27:27 EST

Studies have shown decreasing levels of the isotope nitrogen-15 in core samples from Greenland ice starting around the time of the Industrial Revolution. New research suggests the decline corresponds to increased acidity in the atmosphere.

Migrating Great Lakes salmon carry contaminants upstream

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 15:36:36 EST

Salmon, as they travel upstream to spawn and die, carry industrial pollutants into Great Lakes streams and tributaries.

Declining air pollution levels continue to improve life expectancy in U.S.

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 16:35:35 EST

A new study has found an association between reductions in fine particulate matter and improved life expectancy in 545 counties in the US from 2000 to 2007.

Integrating science and policy to address the impacts of air pollution

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 14:32:32 EST

New research examines how science and policy address air pollution effects on human health and ecosystems, and climate change in Europe.

Mathematics used to identify contamination in water distribution networks

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 14:35:35 EST

New research considers the identification of contaminants in a water distribution network as an optimal control problem within a networked system.

Tracking pollution from outer space: Team uses NASA satellites to measure pollution hovering over world's megacities

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 13:02:02 EST

A researcher in Israel is turning to three of NASA's high-tech satellites for a comprehensive view of pollutants in the atmosphere. Using eight years' worth of data collected by the satellites, he tracked pollution trends for 189 megacities -- metropolitan hotspots where the population exceeds 2 million.

Autism risk for developing children exposed to air pollution: Infant brain may be affected by air quality

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 16:42:42 EST

Scientists have demonstrated that polluted air -- whether regional pollution or coming from local traffic sources -- is associated with autism.

Gold nanoparticles quickly detect hazardous chemicals

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 15:23:23 EST

Scientists have developed a system to quickly detect trace amounts of chemicals like pollutants, explosives or illegal drugs. The new system can pick out a single target molecule from 10,000 trillion water molecules within milliseconds, by trapping it on a self-assembling single layer of gold nanoparticles. The technology opens the way to develop devices that are compact, reusable and easy to assemble, and could have a range of uses including detecting illegal drugs, explosives, pollutants in rivers or nerve gases released into the air.

Thousands of natural gas leaks discovered in Boston

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 12:18:18 EST

The City of Boston is riddled with more than 3,000 leaks from its aging natural-gas pipeline system, according to a new study.

Bad air means bad news for seniors' brainpower

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 16:10:10 EST

Living in areas of high air pollution can lead to decreased cognitive function in older adults, according to new research.

Airborne particles smuggle pollutants to far reaches of globe

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 14:14:14 EST

Pollution from fossil fuel burning and forest fires reaches all the way to the Arctic, even though it should decay long before it travels that far. Now, lab research can explain how pollution makes its lofty journey: rather than ride on the surface of airborne particles, pollutants snuggle inside, protected from the elements on the way. The results will help scientists improve atmospheric air-quality and pollution transport models.