Air pollution and genetics combine to increase risk for autism

USC scientists show gene-environment interaction augments risk for developing the disorder

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Greek Economic Crisis Leads to Air Pollution Crisis

In the midst of a winter cold snap, a study from researchers in the United States and Greece reveals an overlooked side effect of economic crisis -- dangerous air quality caused by burning cheaper fuel for warmth.

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Air pollution tied to slight reduction in birth weight

Women who were exposed to air pollution during pregnancy tended to give birth to slightly lighter babies, in a new study from New York City.

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Air Pollution, Genetics Combine to Increase Risk for Autism

Exposure to air pollution appears to increase the risk for autism among people who carry a genetic disposition for the neurodevelopmental disorder, according to newly published research led by scientists at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC).

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Air Pollution Puts the Health of School Children at Risk

A recently completed study by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) on 310 children in 12 schools across the territory found the air pollution level along the traveling routes from home to schools and particulate levels outside school both at a very high level, and most of the school children have lung function weaker than the predicted levels.

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Environmental toxins linked to heart defects

Children's congenital heart defects may be associated with their mothers' exposure to specific mixtures of environmental toxins during pregnancy, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2013.

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Residents of most polluted US cities -- New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles and Miami -- have increased risk of dry eye syndrome

Study suggests that environmental manipulation should be considered as part of overall management of dry eye syndrome.

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Air pollution linked to low birthweight in Europe

Women exposed to even low levels of urban air pollution during pregnancy may be at heightened risk of having a low-birthweight baby, according to a review of evidence from Europe.

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China to monitor link between smog and health

China's Health Ministry will set up a national network within five years to provide a way of monitoring the long-term impact of chronic air pollution on human health, state media said on Monday.

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Heavy Air Pollution in Canadian Area With Cancer Spikes

Levels of contaminants higher than in some of the world's most polluted cities have been found downwind of Canada's largest oil, gas and tar sands processing zone, in a rural area where men suffer elevated rates of cancers linked to such chemicals.

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Traffic-related air pollution a substantial public health concern

Traffic-related air pollution is increasingly shown to have negative health effects according to a growing body of epidemiologic evidence and is a substantial public health concern in Canada, argues a commentary published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

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Pollution deadlier than road accidents in Sao Paulo

Air pollution kills more people annually than road accidents in Sao Paulo, Brazil's most populous city which will host the opening game of the 2014 World Cup, a study found.

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Study links low birthweight to air pollution and traffic

For every increase of 5 micrograms per cubic metre in exposure during pregnancy, risk of low birthweight rises by 18%.

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Bulgaria’s Air Is Dirtiest in Europe, Study Finds, Followed by Poland

Hold your breath if you visit Bulgaria. The air in the small Black Sea nation is thicker with several major air pollutants than the air in any other country in Europe, according to a new study prepared by Europe’s environmental regulators.

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Air pollution 'still harming Europeans' health'

Air pollution is continuing to damage European citizens' health and the environment, latest figures show.

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WHO Agency: Air Pollution Causes Lung Cancer

The air most people breathe has become polluted with a complicated mixture of cancer-causing substances, experts say. The risk to the individual is low, but scientists say the main sources of pollution are widespread, including transportation, power plants, and industrial and agricultural emissions. Pollution also boosts heart and respiratory disease.

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Amid Heavy Pollution, Beijing Issues Emergency Rules to Protect Citizens

Snappily titled the Six Stops and One Wash, a new and complex string of regulations by the Beijing city government is aimed at combating the effects of persistent, heavy air pollution on the populace. A major rule will take private vehicles off the roads on alternate days, depending on their license plates, when pollution is especially bad.

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Air pollution tied to high blood pressure in pregnancy

Pregnant women who live in neighborhoods with lots of air pollution may be slightly more likely to develop high blood pressure, a new study says.

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Air Pollution and Psychological Distress During Pregnancy

Maternal psychological distress combined with exposure to air pollution during pregnancy have an adverse impact on the child's behavioral development, according to researchers at the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health at the Mailman School of Public Health.

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Air Pollution Increases Heart Attacks

Air pollution increases heart attacks, according to research presented at the Acute Cardiac Care Congress 2013 by Dr Savina Nodari from Brescia, Italy. The Acute Cardiac Care Congress 2013 is the annual meeting of the Acute Cardiovascular Care Association (ACCA) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). It takes place 12-14 October in Madrid, Spain.

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Diesel exhaust stops honeybees from finding the flowers they want to forage

Exposure to common air pollutants found in diesel exhaust pollution can affect the ability of honeybees to recognise floral odours, new University of Southampton research shows.

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High pollution levels hit Beijing at Golden Week's close

A cloud of pollution descended over Beijing at the weekend, shrouding the city and its famous cultural landmarks in a thick haze amid a US warning against physical activity outdoors.

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Cleaner air from tackling climate change 'would save millions of lives'

The benefits of a reduction in air pollution alone justify action on climate change, say the authors of a new report

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China vows air pollution cuts in major cities

China vowed Thursday to reduce levels of atmospheric pollutants in Beijing and other major cities by as much as 25 percent to try to improve their dire air quality.

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Death and Disability from Air Pollution Down 35 Percent in the US

Arden Pope's students know him as an excellent economics teacher, but some would be surprised to learn that, thanks to him, the air they breathe today is cleaner than the first breath they ever took.

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Air pollution causes 200,000 early deaths each year in the US, study finds

Researchers from MIT's Laboratory for Aviation and the Environment have come out with some sobering new data on air pollution's impact on Americans' health.

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'Safe' Levels of Environmental Pollution May Have Long-Term Health Consequences

If you're eating better and exercising regularly, but still aren't seeing improvements in your health, there might be a reason: pollution. According to a new research report published in the September issue of The FASEB Journal, what you are eating and doing may not be the problem, but what's in what you are eating could be the culprit.

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Air pollution takes toll on China’s tourism

China, one of the most visited countries in the world, has seen sharply fewer tourists this year — with worsening air pollution partly to blame.

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Researchers Constrain the Sources of Climate And Health-Afflicting Air Pollution from China

Particulate air pollution from incomplete combustion is affecting climate over East Asia more than carbon dioxide and cause premature deaths of over half a million annually in China alone, yet its sources have been poorly understood. In this week's issue of Environmental Science and Technology (journal of the American Chemical Society) a research team from China, Sweden, USA and South Korea use a powerful carbon-14 method to show that four-fifths of the soot particle air pollution are from fossil fuel combustion such as household cooking with coal briquettes and city traffic, drastically changing the view on sources and guiding efforts to mitigate emissions.

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Traffic Pollution and Wood Smoke Increases Asthma in Adults

Asthma sufferers frequently exposed to heavy traffic pollution or smoke from wood fire heaters, experienced a significant worsening of symptoms, a new University of Melbourne led study has found.

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Fuel Smoke Linked to Cardiovascular Issues

Rural households in developing countries often rely on burning biomass, such as wood, animal dung and waste from agricultural crops, to cook and heat their homes. The practice is long known to cause lung disease, but a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine links the resulting smoke to cardiovascular problems, including an increase in artery-clogging plaques, artery thickness and higher blood pressure.

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The cost of China’s economic miracle: shorter lives, due to air pollution

It’s a story as old as the Industrial Revolution itself: Progressives say pollution from factories makes people sick, and industrialists say there’s no way to link the emissions from their factories to any specific health problem.

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Burst appendix linked to ozone air pollution

High levels of ozone a major component of smog may increase the risk of a burst appendix, according to a new study from Canada.

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Pollution costs India $80 bn a year: World Bank

Pollution and other environmental degradation costs India $80 billion a year, nearly six percent of gross domestic product, the World Bank said in a report released on Wednesday.

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Air pollution kills millions each year, says study

Outdoor air pollution is estimated to contribute to more than two-and-a-half million deaths each year, a study has suggested.

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Air pollution boosts lung, heart risks, studies find

Long-term exposure to particulate air pollution boosts the risk of lung cancer, even at concentrations below the legal maximum, said a European study published on Wednesday.

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Air pollution 'harmful for those with failing hearts'

Air pollution is harming people with weak hearts - even killing them, a big international study reveals.

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Innovative Study Estimates Extent to Which Air Pollution in China Shortens Human Lives

A high level of air pollution, in the form of particulates produced by burning coal, significantly shortens the lives of people exposed to it, according to a unique new study of China co-authored by an MIT economist.

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Air pollution linked to higher risk of lung cancer and heart failure

Two studies show effects on health of long- and short-term exposure to pollutants from traffic and industry.

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Europe must tackle air pollution, warn UN scientists

Poor air quality linked to premature deaths, with London one of the worst cities in Europe for some pollutants.

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Airborne pollution-scanning device maps Leicester's air quality

Leicester scientists have installed their groundbreaking pollution-detecting technology in a plane to map air quality around the city.

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Air Pollution May Have Suppressed Storms, Research Suggests

To the ever-growing list of ways humanity seems to have altered the earth, add another candidate: Air pollution may have had a major soothing influence on storm cycles in the North Atlantic.

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Early-Life Air Pollution Linked With Childhood Asthma in Minorities

A research team led by UCSF scientists has found that exposure in infancy to nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a component of motor vehicle air pollution, is strongly linked with later development of childhood asthma among African Americans and Latinos.

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More Fresh Air in Classrooms Means Fewer Absences

If you suspect that opening windows to let in fresh air might be good for you, a new study by scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has confirmed your hunch. Analyzing extensive data on ventilation rates collected from more than 150 classrooms in California over two years, the researchers found that bringing classroom ventilation rates up to the state-mandated standard may reduce student absences due to illness by approximately 3.4 percent.

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Exposure to High Pollution Levels During Pregnancy May Increase Risk of Having Child With Autism

Women in the U.S. exposed to high levels of air pollution while pregnant were up to twice as likely to have a child with autism as women who lived in areas with low pollution, according to a new study from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH). It is the first large national study to examine links between autism and air pollution across the U.S.

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Exhaust fumes only third of traffic pollution problem

Vehicle exhausts are responsible for only a third of traffic pollution, according to new research. The study, published in Atmospheric Environment, says nearly half of air pollution from road traffic is down to non-exhaust sources such as brake wear, road surface wear, and particles whipped up from the road by passing vehicles.

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Early-Life Traffic-Related Air Pollution Exposure Linked to Hyperactivity

Early-life exposure to traffic-related air pollution was significantly associated with higher hyperactivity scores at age 7, according to new research from the University of Cincinnati (UC) and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

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Prenatal Exposure to Traffic Is Associated With Respiratory Infection in Young Children

Living near a major roadway during the prenatal period is associated with an increased risk of respiratory infection developing in children by the age of 3, according to a new study from researchers in Boston.

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Exposure to Air Pollution Is Associated With Increased Deaths After Heart Attacks

Air pollution contributes to an increased number of deaths among patients who have been admitted to hospital with heart attacks, according to a study published online February 20 in the European Heart Journal.

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One in 20 Cases of Pre-Eclampsia May Be Linked to Air Pollutant

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 published in the online journal BMJ Open.

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New research could revolutionise the way we monitor air pollution and help us understand its effect on our health

Different people are exposed to different amounts of pollution, so current methods of using your postcode to calculate personal exposure levels could be giving inaccurate results.

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Air Pollution and Unhappiness Correlated, Study of Europeans Shows

Researchers in Canada have found a correlation between air pollution and people's happiness. Their deep analysis, reported in the latest issue of the International Journal of Green Economics, 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.

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Reduction in Air Pollution from Wood Stoves Associated With Significantly Reduced Risk of Death

Male deaths from all-causes, but particularly cardiovascular and respiratory disease, could be significantly reduced with a decrease in biomass smoke (smoke produced by domestic cooking and heating and woodland fires), a paper published January 8 on the British Medical Journal website suggests.

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Commuter traffic poses greater dangers to children in poor neighbourhoods, study finds

A new McMaster study suggests children are at greater risk of being hit by vehicles driving through their neighbourhood than from drivers who live nearby, posing particular dangers in poorer, downtown areas where traffic levels tend to be highest.

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Asia air pollution deaths to rise, environment group says

Air pollution in Asia, which already kills at least 800,000 people each year, will likely lead to even higher death rates as the region's air quality worsens, an environmental group warned Wednesday.

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Answer to Mongolia pollution is blowing in the wind

Mongolia's economic boom has been built on the vast coal reserves that lie under its seemingly endless steppes, but it is turning to wind to power itself and fight the pollution that chokes Ulan Bator.

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Declining Air Pollution Levels Continue to Improve Life Expectancy in U.S.

A new study led by researchers at Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) has found an association between reductions in fine particulate matter and improved life expectancy in 545 counties in the U.S. from 2000 to 2007. It is the largest study to date to find beneficial effects to public health of continuing to reduce air pollution levels in the U.S.

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Integrating science and policy to address the impacts of air pollution

An article in this week's Science magazine by Dr Stefan Reis of the NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UK) and colleagues from six countries examines how science and policy address air pollution effects on human health and ecosystems, and climate change in Europe.

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Autism Risk for Developing Children Exposed to Air Pollution: Infant Brain May Be Affected by Air Quality

Research conducted by University of Southern California (USC) and Children's Hospital Los Angeles scientists demonstrates that polluted air -- whether regional pollution or coming from local traffic sources -- is associated with autism.

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Bad air means bad news for seniors' brainpower

Living in areas of high air pollution can lead to decreased cognitive function in older adults, according to new research presented in San Diego at The Gerontological Society of America's (GSA) 65th Annual Scientific Meeting.

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Near-roadway air pollution a major contributor to asthma in Los Angeles County, USC research finds

State policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will have maximum health benefits if coupled with policies to reduce near-roadway exposure, study says.

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Gestational exposure to urban air pollution linked to vitamin D deficiency in newborns

New study highlights potential importance of vitamin D supplementation in pregnant women

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A third of urban Europeans exposed to polluted air: EU

Nearly a third of Europe's urban population is exposed to air particles that breach European Union limits, an official report said Monday.

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"Green walls" against air pollution

Planting vegetation along streets in the city might reduce air pollution better than assumed so far, that is by up to 30 percent instead of one to two percent. This finding was made by Dr. Thomas Pugh, now working at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), and his colleagues from the universities of Birmingham and Lancaster. The scientists published their results in the Environmental Science and Technology journal.

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Wind concentrates pollutants with unexpected order in an urban environment

Cities – with their concrete canyons, isolated greenery, and congested traffic – create seemingly chaotic and often powerful wind patterns known as urban flows. Carried on these winds are a variety of environmental hazards, including exhaust particles, diesel fumes, chemical residues, ozone, and the simple dust and dander produced by dense populations.

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Air Pollution Linked with Stillbirth Risk

Air pollution has been linked to a number of breathing problems, mainly in developing countries, and now a new preliminary study looking at pollution levels in New Jersey has found an increased risk of stillbirths among women exposed to specific pollutants.

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Oxid uhelnatý je škodlivé role ve srdečního rytmu nalezeno

The way that even low levels of carbon monoxide can be fatal, by disrupting the heart's rhythm, has been unravelled by researchers in Leeds.

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Green plants reduce city street pollution up to eight times more than previously believed

Trees, bushes and other greenery growing in the concrete-and-glass canyons of cities can reduce levels of two of the most worrisome air pollutants by eight times more than previously believed, a new study has found. A report on the research appears in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology.

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Asthma Linked to Congested Highways: Those Living Near Heavily Traveled Interstate Have Higher Rates of Disease

Researchers at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, found that living near a heavily congested highway correlates with a higher presence of asthma.

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Today's Environment Influences Behavior Generations Later: Chemical Exposure Raises Descendants' Sensitivity to Stress

Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin and Washington State University have seen an increased reaction to stress in animals whose ancestors were exposed to an environmental compound generations earlier.

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Prenatal Pollution Exposure Dangerous for Children With Asthma

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.

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Air Pollution Level Changes in Beijing Linked With Biomarkers of Cardiovascular Disease

During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, changes in air pollution were associated with changes in biomarkers of systemic inflammation and thrombosis (formation of blood clot) as well as measures of cardiovascular physiology in healthy young persons, according to a study in the May 16 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on Global Health.

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Lead Dust Is Linked to Violence, Study Suggests

Childhood exposure to lead dust has been linked to lasting physical and behavioral effects, and now lead dust from vehicles using leaded gasoline has been linked to instances of aggravated assault two decades after exposure, says Tulane toxicologist Howard W. Mielke.

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Air Pollution from Trucks and Low-Quality Heating Oil May Explain Childhood Asthma Hot Spots

Where a child lives can greatly affect his or her risk for asthma. According to a new study by scientists at Columbia University, neighborhood differences in rates of childhood asthma may be explained by varying levels of air pollution from trucks and residential heating oil.

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Prenatal exposure to combustion-related pollutants and anxiety, attention problems in young children

Mothers' exposure during pregnancy to a class of air pollutants called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) can lead to behavioral problems in their children. PAH are released to air during incomplete combustion of fossil fuel such as diesel, gasoline, coal, and other organic material.

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Study shows air emissions near fracking sites may impact health

In a new study, researchers from the Colorado School of Public Health have shown that air pollution caused by hydraulic fracturing or fracking may contribute to acute and chronic health problems for those living near natural gas drilling sites.

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Could Air Pollution Be Making Us Fat?

A hypothesis proposes that rising levels of CO2 in the atmosphere may be contributing to obesity.

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Better models needed to track atmospheric pollution's impact on health, climate

The past decade has witnessed a significant growth in Asian air pollution, causing a great concern for air quality and climate. If government policy makers hope to contain the problem, they will need increased research and better computer models of black carbon and other aerosol pollutants, also known as atmospheric brown cloud (ABC), according to University of Iowa engineering professor Gregory Carmichael.

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Short-term exposure to most major air pollutants associated with increased risk of heart attack

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.

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Asthma rate and costs from traffic-related air pollution are much higher than once believed

A research team led by University of Massachusetts Amherst resource economist Sylvia Brandt, with colleagues in California and Switzerland, have revised the cost burden sharply upward for childhood asthma and for the first time include the number of cases attributable to air pollution, in a study released this week in the early online version of the European Respiratory Journal.

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First Link Between Potentially Toxic PFCs in Office Air and in Office Workers' Blood

 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.

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Study finds air pollution linked to diabetes and hypertension in African-American women

-The incidence of type 2 diabetes and hypertension increases with cumulative levels of exposure to nitrogen oxides, according to a new study led by researchers from the Slone Epidemiology Center (SEC) at Boston University.

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Prenatal Air Pollution Exposure Linked to Low Childhood IQ

Prenatal exposure to pervasive air pollutants may adversely affect a child's intelligence by preschool, researchers reported today.

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Air Pollution Linked to Learning and Memory Problems, Depression

Long-term exposure to air pollution can lead to physical changes in the brain, as well as learning and memory problems and even depression, new research in mice suggests.

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