How air pollution alters lung tissue, increasing cancer susceptibility
eLifeScientists have identified a mechanism that explains how fine air pollution particles might cause lung cancer, according to a study published today in eLife.
Scientists have identified a mechanism that explains how fine air pollution particles might cause lung cancer, according to a study published today in eLife.
Increasingly large and intense wildfires in the Pacific Northwest are altering the seasonal pattern of air pollution and causing a spike in unhealthy pollutants in August, new research finds.
Dams are conventionally regarded as emitters of GHGs in large rivers. A team from Peking University of China, however, has disrupted this perception, based on whole system thinking applied to the Three Gorges Dam (TGD) on the Yangtze River in China.
Plastic rubbish is everywhere and now broken-down microplastics have been found in variable concentrations in blue mussels and water within the intertidal zone at some of southern Australia’s most popular and more remote beaches.
Held monthly from February through May, the Warren M. Anderson programs feature experts who address major legal and policy issues pending before New York State government.
Asian and Hispanic communities experience significantly more air pollution from economic activity compared to predominantly white neighborhoods across the state of California, according to new research from the University of California San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy.
Chemists at Cornell University have discovered a way to use light and oxygen to upcycle polystyrene – a type of plastic found in many common items – into benzoic acid, a product stocked in undergraduate and high school chemistry labs and also used in fragrances, food preservatives, and other ubiquitous products.
Experts from around the world are coming together this week to discuss the success of policies designed to tackle the global plastic pollution crisis.
There is increasing evidence of the success of climate action, say scientists in the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report.
Even the High North can’t escape the global threat of plastic pollution.
The third and final installment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC’s) Sixth Assessment Report calls for aggressive and comprehensive actions if we are to achieve net zero emissions by mid-century. It finds we still need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions drastically, beyond what governments have pledged, and that this emissions gap is exacerbated by implementation gaps despite the mitigation efforts underway.
Infant monkeys conceived while their mothers were naturally exposed to wildfire smoke show behavioral changes compared to animals conceived days later, according to a new study from researchers at the California National Primate Research Center at the University of California, Davis.
Nighttime light pollution levels are increasing the most in the southeastern United States, Mexico, and Central America—findings based on year-round data collected over the last two decades in the Western Hemisphere.
A new study finds that temporary nature-based carbon removal can lower global peak warming levels but only if complemented by ambitious fossil fuel emission reductions.
In research led by Elizabeth Hénaff, with collaborators from Yale University In this new study explore how active plant-based systems may address air pollutions. The researchers investigated relationships between plant species choice, growth media design (hydroponic versus organic), and factors of design-related performance such as weight, water content, and air flow rate through growth media.
When cities or counties institute plastic bag bans or fees, the idea is to reduce the amount of plastic headed to the landfill. But a new analysis by a University of Georgia researcher finds these policies, while created with good intentions, may cause more plastic bags to be purchased in the communities where they are in place. The study was published earlier this year in the journal Environmental and Resource Economics.
An article says that microplastics have been found in human blood for the first time. We rate this claim as true, although more studies are needed to determine if these substances in humans are associated with a public health risk.
A study led by scientists at IUPUI suggests blow flies could be used to detect the use of chemical weapons -- as well as other dangerous substances -- in areas too dangerous or remote for human investigators.
Scientists from around the world will come together to help tackle the global plastic pollution crisis at the first annual World Plastic Summit in Monaco next week.
A group of high school students and their instructor have developed an inexpensive faucet attachment to remove lead from drinking water. Their filter indicates when it’s “used up” by turning the tap water yellow. They will present their results at ACS Spring 2022.
Scientists who helped to pioneer the use of enzymes to eat plastic have taken an important next step in developing nature-based solutions to the global plastics crisis.
Long term exposure to air pollution is linked to a heightened risk of autoimmune disease, particularly rheumatoid arthritis, connective tissue and inflammatory bowel diseases, finds research published online in the open access journal RMD Open.
An international team of researchers has revealed that tropical terrestrial methane (CH4) emissions explain more than 80% of the observed changes in the global atmospheric methane growth rate over 2010-2019.
Nearly 200 nations, endorsed a historic resolution at the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi to end plastic pollution, and forge an international legally binding agreement, by the end of 2024.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has enlisted the help of the University’s Global Plastics Policy Centre to inform negotiations for the possible adoption of an international agreement to tackle plastic pollution.
Exposure to ozone from air pollution has been linked to an increase in depressive symptoms for adolescents over time, even in neighborhoods that meet air quality standards, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.
It is well known that methane, a greenhouse gas, is produced by special microorganisms, for example in the intestines of cows, or in rice fields. For some years, scientists had also observed the production of methane in plants and fungi, without finding an explanation.
Scientists have produced a map showing where the world’s major food crops should be grown to maximise yield and minimise environmental impact.
To have a better chance of holding global warming to 1.5°C, we need to accelerate the phase-down of HFC refrigerants under the Montreal Protocol. This could also reduce pollution and improve energy access.
Together with Ukrainian colleagues, IIASA researchers took a novel approach to further the understanding of the planetary burden and its dynamics caused by emissions from human activity.
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As Florida and other states become more urbanized, an increasing number of stormwater ponds are built. Florida already has 76,000 such ponds. The newer ones emit more carbon than they store, a new University of Florida study finds. Researchers hope this finding will inform policy makers and others about when, where and how to install stormwater ponds.
When it comes to helping mitigate the effects of climate change by absorbing carbon, flora rather than fauna usually comes to mind.
In the 1930s, the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation drew maps of U.S. cities characterizing mortgage lending desirability, with many Black and immigrant communities receiving the worst grade. Now, researchers reporting in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology Letters have found these “redlined” areas have higher air pollution levels 80 years later.
Ordinary potted house plants can potentially make a significant contribution to reducing air pollution in homes and offices, according to new research led by the University of Birmingham and in partnership with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).
Today, the American Thoracic Society joined the chorus of voices worldwide condemning the violence in Ukraine.
The New York University Tandon School of Engineering is addressing growing climate and environmental challenges with a newly launched sustainable engineering initiative devoted to developing comprehensive engineering solutions, and encouraging their deployment and adoption.
Air pollution increases in South East Asia, combined with pollution cuts in Europe, may have had an important influence on European and Asian weather patterns in recent decades, new research has found.
Iowa State researchers are working to add value to the bioeconomy by using a co-product of bio-oil production to separate and capture nutrients from livestock manure. The nutrients would then be processed into slow-release fertilizer pellets that would be applied to farm fields.
New research shows turtles can experience temporary hearing loss from an excess of underwater noise. This phenomenon, previously noted in other marine animals such as dolphins and fish, was not widely understood for reptiles and underscores another potential risk for aquatic turtles. This high volume of sound, referred to as underwater noise pollution, can be caused by passing ships and offshore construction.
Fish are exposed to pollutants, like tire-derived 6PPD-quinone, in rain runoff. The compound has been linked to massive die-offs of coho salmon. Now, researchers in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology Letters report exposure can also be deadly for two important trout species.
ORNL story tips: Beneath the skin, crustacean-inspired cotton, automating clean water, samples in space and capturing furnace emissions
Disposable face masks could be harmful to wildlife, according to researchers who have observed harmful effects of the masks on keystone marine animals in coastal areas.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists have provided input on Microsoft’s pathway to become carbon negative by 2030. LLNL researchers built on their pivotal report “Getting to Neutral: Options for Negative Carbon Emissions in California," which has become a trusted adviser in the discussion of how to remove carbon dioxide from the air, to make recommendations to Microsoft.