Environmental

Details: Written by: Gabriel Filippelli

What Does The Dust In Your Home Mean For Your Health?

You vacuum it, sweep it and wipe it off your furniture. But do you know what it actually is – and how it may affect your health?

Details: Written by: Lauren Ford and Pamela Judith Walsh

Feeding Farm Animals Seaweed Could Help Fight Antibiotic Resistance And Climate Change Demand for food is increasing rapidly – the global population is expected to reach 11.2 billion by 2100. To keep up with the additional mouths to feed, intensive farming practices have maximised production, but often at the expense of the environment and human health.

Details: Written by: Mathias Traczyk

Why Drastic Cuts In City Air Pollution Could Extend Lifespans The average lifespan of residents of Copenhagen could increase by an entire year in 2040 if there were cuts in pollution to the level found in the countryside.

Details: Written by: Mark Patrick Taylor and Cynthia Isley

How Dust Storms And Hazardous Air Quality Can Harm Your Health A major dust storm swept through Sydney and regional New South Wales this week. Red skies over Broken Hill on Wednesday night and Sydney on Thursday resembled those seen during intense bushfire activity and the massive 2009 dust storm.

Details: Written by: Henry B. Lin

Environmental Hygiene: Simple Measures You Can Take To Combat Environmental Pollution
We are living in a world where environmental pollution has become part of life. Civilized humans today must live in cramped urban areas, drink contaminated water, take in polluted air, eat contaminated foods, and endure loud, disturbing noises. What can we do?

Details: Written by: Hannah Hickey

Why Winter Air In The Eastern U.S. Is Still So Dirty Despite overall lower levels of harmful emissions from power plants and vehicles throughout the year, winter air pollution in the Eastern United States remains high. A new study explains why.

Details: Written by: Julie Connolly

Low Levels Of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Can Be Very Difficult To Spot – And Can Cause Brain Damage

Carbon monoxide (CO), like many gases, cannot be detected by our human senses. We cannot see it, smell it or taste it. But unlike many gases, small amounts are extremely harmful to us.

Details: Written by: Vox channel

Stop Peeing In The Pool. Chlorine Doesn't Work Like You Think
Not everyone will readily admit to peeing in swimming pools, but it does happen. An anonymous survey from 2012 found that 19 percent of adults admitted they had peed in a pool at least once. But when you use a pool as a giant toilet, that yellow trail contains some nasty bacteria and parasites.

Details: Written by: Susanne Pallo, University of Rochester

Fracking Chemicals May Harm The Developing Immune System
Exposure to fracking chemicals in utero may harm the immune system and diminish the ability of female offspring to fend off diseases like multiple sclerosis, according to a new study with mice.

Details: Written by: Terry Kosdrosky, University of Michigan

Does Air Pollution Lead To More Unethical Behavior? Anxiety caused by exposure to pollution may make people more prone to cheating and unethical behavior, according to new research. And that can be a driver behind the higher crime rates in high-pollution areas.

Details: Written by: Liza Gross, Ensia

What Does The Environment Have To Do With Autism?
The search for autism’s causes is a daunting task — but researchers are investigating a variety of factors that might play a role.

Details: Written by: Ben Hewitt, Ensia

Why Farmers Are Using Glyphosate To Kill Their Crops And What It Might Mean For You A common herbicide is ending up in our food, thanks to the growing practice of using it to dry crops in preparation for harvest. In addition to speeding crop drying, glyphosate can help synchronize ripening in plants at harvest time.

Details: Written by: Kim Eckart-University Of Washington

The More Air Pollution, The More The Mental Distress The higher the level of particulates in the air, a new study shows, the greater the indications of psychological distress. Where a person lives can make a big difference to health and quality of life. Every increase in pollution of 5 micrograms per cubic meter had the same effect as a 1.5-year loss in education.

Details: Written by: University Of Chicago

How Air Pollution Cuts Years Off Life Expectancy People in northern China have a reduced life expectancy when compared with people living in the south due to higher concentrations of air pollution, a new study suggests.

Details: Written by: Brett Israel-University of California, Berkeley

This Common Pesticide May Cause Lung Problems In Kids The most heavily used pesticide in California, elemental sulfur, may harm the respiratory health of children who live near farms that use it, new research suggests.

Details: Written by: Amy Laird, Carnegie Mellon University

This Catalyst Clears 99 Percent Of BPA From Water Scientists have developed a method for removing more than 99 percent of bisphenol A (also known as BPA) from water quickly and cheaply.

Details: Written by: The University of Michigan

These Cheap Sensor Can Monitor Lead In Household Water A new electronic sensor can monitor water quality in homes or cities, informing residents or officials of the presence of lead in water within nine days—all for around $20.

Details: Written by: Ken Kingery-Duke University

Way More Rush Hour Pollution Gets Into Cars Than We Thought Researchers measuring the exposure to pollution inside cars during rush hour commutes have found that the levels of some harmful particulate matter are twice as high as previously believed.

Details: Written by: Keri Szejda, Arizona State University Andrew Maynard, Arizona State University

Is Lead In The US Food Supply Decreasing Our IQ? The environmental advocacy group Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) on June 15 released a study about dietary lead exposure, with a focus on food intended for babies and young children.

Details: Written by: Patrick Ercolano, Johns Hopkins University

Congestion Taxes On Downtown Driving Cuts Kids’ Asthma Attacks A “congestion tax” that discourages downtown driving not only cuts traffic and pollution, but also sharply reduces children’s asthma attacks.