Pollution News

October 14, 2016

Deep-Sea Animals Ingesting Microplastics

Water Crisis in Bangladesh

92% of People Exposed to Serious Air Pollution

Global Rise in Methane from Agriculture?

Latest Headlines

updated 8:27am EDT

Calcium Deficient Fauna and Brown Water Awaiting

Oct. 10, 2016 — Calcium deficient fauna, poor conditions for freshwater fish and mercury in the drinking water is the long-term consequences of acid rain in the 70's ... read more

Salty Snow Could Affect Air Pollution in the Arctic

Oct. 12, 2016 — In pictures, the Arctic appears pristine and timeless with its barren lands and icy landscape. In reality, the area is rapidly changing. Scientists are working to understand the chemistry behind ... read more

China's Emission of Toxic Fluorinated Chemicals Highest in the World

Oct. 12, 2016 — China is today the largest emitter of certain toxic fluorinated chemicals in the world, researchers show after measuring the levels of 12 fluorinated substances at the mouths of 19 Chinese ... read more

Assessing the Effects of Human-Caused Activities on Marine Mammals

Oct. 7, 2016 — Rising levels of noise in the ocean have been identified as a growing concern for the well-being of marine mammals, but other threats such as pollution, climate change, and prey depletion by ... read more

Shale Gas, Not EPA Rules, Has Pushed Decline in Coal-Generated Electricity, Study Confirms

Oct. 7, 2016 — Cheap shale gas produced by fracking has driven the decline in coal production in the United States during the last decade, ... read more

New Technology Helps Pinpoint Sources of Water Contamination

Oct. 4, 2016 — When the local water management agency closes your favorite beach due to unhealthy water quality, how reliable are the tests they base their decisions on? As it turns out, ... read more

Solution Blooming for Fracking Spills?

Sep. 28, 2016 — Wastewater from oil drilling and hydraulic fracturing – or fracking – is often laden with salts and can spill, contaminating soils. In a recent study, researchers tested ... read more

Study of North Atlantic Ocean Reveals Decline of Leaded Petrol Emissions

Sep. 28, 2016 — A new study of lead pollution in the North Atlantic provides strong evidence that leaded petrol emissions have declined over the past few decades. For the first time in around 40 years, scientists ... read more

Volcano Emissions Linked to Increases in Asthma Attacks

Sep. 27, 2016 — A new study from the active volcano K?lauea, which is on the big island of Hawaii, reports that people -- especially children -- with asthma are at greater risk of having serious asthma attacks if ... read more

Acidity in Atmosphere Minimized to Preindustrial Levels

Sep. 24, 2016 — New research shows that human pollution of the atmosphere with acid is now almost back to the level that it was before the pollution started with industrialization in the ... read more

Air Pollution Killing Hundreds of Thousands in S.Asia: WHO

9 Out Of 10 People On Earth Are Breathing Polluted Air

Paris Abandons Cars for the Day to Curb Pollution

Excess Levels Of Dangerous Chemical Found In Tap Water Across US

An Algorithm for Taxi Sharing

Sep. 26, 2016 — Researchers in Uruguay have developed an evolutionary algorithm to allow a smart city to facilitate efficient taxi sharing to cut an individual's transport costs as well as reduce congestion and ... read more

VW Emissions Cheat May Lead to 50 Premature Deaths, $423 Million in Economic Costs, Study Shows

Sep. 20, 2016 — Beginning in 2008, Volkswagen installed software to circumvent emissions testing by turning off the nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions control system in real-world driving in nearly half a million cars. ... read more

Smoke from 2015 Indonesian Fires May Have Caused 100,000 Premature Deaths

Sep. 19, 2016 — In the fall of 2015, hazardous levels of smoke from agricultural fires blanketed much of Equatorial Asia. Schools and businesses closed, planes were grounded and tens of thousands sought medical ... read more

Solar Radiation Variability Over Italy in the Last 55 Years Reconstructed for the First Time

Sep. 19, 2016 — Surface solar radiation variability over Italy from the end of the 1950s has been reconstructed in a new framework, report scientists. This information -- based on more than 50 daily records ... read more

Brain Benefits of Aerobic Exercise Lost to Mercury Exposure

Sep. 16, 2016 — Cognitive function improves with aerobic exercise, but not for people exposed to high levels of mercury before birth, according to new ... read more

Assessing Health Risks from Oil and Gas Operations

Sep. 15, 2016 — A new study of air pollutant emissions from northern Front Range oil and gas operations has been presented to state officials in ... read more

Greenhouse Gas-Monitoring Aircraft Keep Tabs on the Amazon's Rising Methane Levels

Sep. 14, 2016 — New research into Amazon wetland emissions has been published by scientists. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, second only to carbon dioxide in its contribution to global ... read more

Westerly Winds Have Blown Across Central Asia for at Least 42 Million Years

Sep. 13, 2016 — The winds that gust across the Tibetan Plateau have done so for far longer than previously believed, showing they are resilient to the formation of mountains and changes in carbon dioxide and ... read more

Air Pollution a Risk Factor for Diabetes, Say Researchers

Sep. 8, 2016 — Exposure to air pollution at the place of residence increases the risk of developing insulin resistance as a pre-diabetic state of type 2 diabetes, report ... read more

Calculating the Role of Lakes in Global Warming

Sep. 7, 2016 — As global temperatures rise, how will lake ecosystems respond? As they warm, will lakes -- which make up only 3 percent of the landscape, but bury more carbon than the world's oceans combined -- ... read more

Pushing a Parasite from Land to Sea

Sep. 6, 2016 — Higher levels of rainfall and coastal development increase the risk of disease-causing organisms flowing to the ocean, according to a study. The work advances earlier work by tracking the parasite T. ... read more

Aerosol Emissions in East Asia Driven by Consumption in Developed Countries

Sep. 6, 2016 — Much of the influence on climate from air pollution in East Asia is driven by consumption in the developed countries of Western Europe and North America, according to research by atmospheric ... read more

Nutrient Pollution Is Changing Sounds in the Sea

Sep. 6, 2016 — Nutrient pollution emptying into seas from cities, towns and agricultural land is changing the sounds made by marine life -- and potentially upsetting navigational cues for fish and other sea ... read more

London Air Pollution Policies Are Starting to Have Impact, but More Work to Be Done

Sep. 2, 2016 — Air pollution from London's roads is improving overall but more work may be needed to tackle some sources of traffic pollution, which continue to breach limits in many parts of the city, new ... read more

Drugs in the Water? Don't Blame the Students

Sep. 1, 2016 — A new study contradicts the common assumption that down-the-drain disposal is an important source of pharmaceutical pollution in ... read more

Plants Found to Regulate Leaf Temperature to Boost Carbon Uptake

Aug. 30, 2016 — A new study has found that plants regulate their leaf temperature with some independence from the surrounding air temperature, a trait that increases carbon uptake through ... read more

Making Pesticide Droplets Less Bouncy Could Cut Agricultural Runoff

Aug. 30, 2016 — By using a clever combination of two inexpensive additives to the spray, researchers found they can drastically cut down on the amount of liquid that bounces off ... read more

Air Contamination Near Fracking Sites Result of Operational Inefficiencies

Aug. 26, 2016 — Chemists have published a new study that indicates that highly variable contamination events registered in and around unconventional oil and gas developments are the result of operational ... read more

Research Priorities for the Field of Atmospheric Chemistry

Aug. 26, 2016 — Increasing energy demands and expanding industrial and agricultural activities worldwide are changing the composition of the atmosphere and contributing to major global challenges like climate change ... read more

Microplastics Discovered in the Deep, Open Ocean

Aug. 26, 2016 — A unique study will provide valuable new insights into the concentrations of microplastics in the open ocean from surface to the sea bed, say ... read more

Monday, September 26, 2016