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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