Latest Pollutants Stories
The link between prenatal exposure to air pollution and childhood lung growth and respiratory ailments has been established by several studies in recent years, and now a new study suggests that these prenatal exposures can be especially serious for children with asthma. The study will be presented at the ATS 2012 International Conference in San Francisco. "In this study, we found that prenatal exposures to airborne particles and the pollutant nitrogen dioxide adversely affect pulmonary...
Older adults may be at increased risk of being hospitalized for lung and heart disease, stroke, and diabetes following long-term exposure to fine-particle air pollution, according to a new study by researchers at Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH). It is the first study to look at the link between long-term effects of exposure to fine particles in the air and rates of hospital admissions. The study will be published online April 17, 2012 in PLoS ONE. Prior studies have reported an...
Rice University study finds federal efforts most effective at cutting pollutants In a recent study published by the Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, the Rice research group of environmental engineer Daniel Cohan looked at state implementation plans (SIPs) mandated by the United States Clean Air Act. SIPs detailed how states would attain standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for cutting ozone and other ground-level contaminants by 2009. The...
PITTSBURGH, March 27, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Air & Waste Management Association has issued a Call for Abstracts for its specialty conferences: Visibility and Air Pollution, Vapor Intrusion, and the International Conference on Thermal Treatment Technologies and Hazardous Waste Combustors (IT3/HWC). Visibility and Air Pollution will be held in Whitefish, MT on September 24-28, 2012 and this conference will provide a technical forum on advances in the scientific...
10 principles for clean air released ahead of review of air quality legislation Urgent action is needed to reduce the high concentrations of dangerous air pollutants in Europe, according to experts writing in the European Respiratory Journal today (1 March 2012). The European Respiratory Society's Environment and Health Committee are urging policymakers in Europe to introduce changes that will ensure the air that we breathe is safe and clean. The call to action comes ahead of the...
Chamber expansion and revamped website enable UL AQS to support increased global demand for product evaluation testing ATLANTA, Feb. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- UL Air Quality Sciences, Inc. (UL AQS) announced today that it has expanded the capacity of its environmental chamber laboratory to support growing international demand for product evaluation testing. An increase in the number of international requests for product emissions testing, including French...
Short-term exposure (for up to 7 days) to all major air pollutants, with the exception of ozone, is significantly associated with an increased risk of heart attack, according to a review and meta-analysis of previous studies appearing in the February 15 issue of JAMA. The potentially harmful effect of episodes of high air pollution on health has been suspected for more than 50 years. "In industrialized countries, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality and is associated...
WASHINGTON, Feb. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Despite reductions in US air pollution over the past several decades, resulting from the combined efforts of government, nonprofit and industrial sectors, concentrations of both fine particles and ozone remain a public health concern, particularly in urban areas. A new study by economists, scientists, and modelers at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows that levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone (O3) pose...
For the first time on Saturday, Beijing officials released data disclosing the amount of minute particles polluting the air in what Reuters has called "of the world's most heavily polluted capitals." According to the Xinhua news agency, the Beijing Environment Protection Monitoring Center revealed that a monitoring station in the city detected 0.003 micrograms of fine particular matter of 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter (PM2.5), which equates to an air-quality rating of "good." The...
In a first-of-its-kind study, scientists are reporting that the indoor air in offices is an important source of worker exposure to potentially toxic substances released by carpeting, furniture, paint and other items. Their report, which documents a link between levels of these so-called polyfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in office air and in the blood of workers, appears in ACS' journal Environmental Science & Technology. Michael McClean and colleagues explain that PFCs, used in...
