Articles in English
Source: New York Times Urban air pollution in the tropics is rapidly increasing and will lead to hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths if stronger regulations are not put in place, according to a new study. Some 180,000 premature deaths in large tropical cities in 2018 alone were attributable to increased exposure to pollutants since …
A ‘new era of air pollution’ in the tropics could have a huge toll Read More »
Source: Imperial College London A new pilot study integrates air quality sensors into digital advertising displays in London. The goal is to have a scalable network to better monitor London’s air quality, and thereby also inform the citizens of London about the cleanliness of the air they breathe. Setting up a networkBreathe London is a …
Digital screens to help monitor London’s air quality Read More »
Source: New York Times People who worked out in even moderately polluted air did not show the kinds of brain improvements tied to a lower risk of dementia. The benefits of working outWork out in polluted air and you may miss out on some of the brain benefits of exercise, according to two, large-scale new …
Exercise can build up your brain. Air pollution may negate those benefits. Read More »
Source: news-medical.net and sciencedirect.com A paper published in Environment International with data from 37,000 children from Vancouver found that Children living in areas with higher air pollution due to PM2.5 particles and very low levels of green space might have up to 62% increased risk of developing ADHD. On the contrary, children living in greener and less …
Study: higher PM2,5 and greenness associated with higher incidence of childhood ADHD Read More »
Source: Futurity.org For the pilot study in Atmosphere, researchers delved into indoor air quality and health outcomes in people working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers measured indoor air quality in both the offices and homes of employees in 2019 and 2020 and evaluated their health outcomes during those periods. Prolonged exposure to indoor air pollutants …
Air quality may be worse at home than in your office Read More »
Source: airqualitynews In the source article, Darren Turpin – marketing director at Imperial Civil Enforcement Solutions and Trapeze Group, reflects on the discussion and conclusion of two roundtable events with a variety of experts (hosted by Civil Enforcement Solutions and Trapeze group). The group consensus was clear: there is a chance to position public transport …
Source: ScienceDaily Exposure to low concentrations of air pollution, even within allowed limits, may be causing tens of thousands of early deaths each year among elderly people and other vulnerable groups in the U.S., according to a large national study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “We found that among elderly patients enrolled …
Source: livescience(1) & livescience(2) A recent United States Environmental Protection Agency report revealed indoor air can have up to five times higher levels of pollutants like mold, pesticides and particulates than the air outdoors, so the idea of a device that removes these pollutants, as well as allergens like dust, pet dander, and pollen, seems …
Source: Harvard Office air quality can have significant impacts on employees’ cognitive function, including response times and ability to focus, also potentially affecting their productivity, according to new research led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Researchers observed impaired cognitive function in a variety of fields, at concentrations of PM2.5 and CO2 that …
Office air quality may affect employees’ cognition, productivity Read More »
Source: UN environment program A global review of policies and programmes to improve air quality shows that over the past five years more countries have adopted policies on all major polluting sectors. Yet large gaps in implementation, financing, capacity, and monitoring mean that air pollution levels remain high. This data is published today, the International Day …
Source: airqualitynews.com Ella grew up near one of London’s busiest roads, where air quality frequently fell below UK standards and World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines, Ella died following a severe asthma attack in February 2013. The coroner argues that the UK’s PM2.5 norms should follow the WHO guidelines at the minimum, and that adverse effects of …
Source: CitiesToday, IQAir New air quality maps show that Copenhagen’s major access roads have nearly three times more (ultra)fine particles and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and five times higher black carbon levels than quieter residential areas. The maps are made through collaboration between Google and the city of Copenhagen. Even though Copenhagens’ air quality has improved in recent …
Copenhagens’ major roads significantly more polluted than elsewhere in the city Read More »
Source: airqualitynews.com Exposure to fine dust (PM2.5) is linked to asthma in preschoolers. The research looked at 376 mothers’ homes, and found that those homes with PM2.5 exposure had an 18% chance of the children being diagnosed with asthma after 3 years, compared with 7% children overall in the U.S. Additionally, the research suggests that …
The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service highlights that their air quality forecasting shows that a substantial plume of Saharan dust is travelling north; from Spain to France and the Benelux countries, possibly reaching as far as Norway. This will likely lead to a significant drop in air quality in the affected regions. The high concentrations of …
Plume of Sahara dust causes spike in European air pollution Read More »
As an experiment, four buses in Italy have been implemented with a filter on the roof that “eats” smog and purifies air; while it travels. The filters pick up PM2.5 and PM10, and are being tested for optimal usage. A similar experiment has been launched 2 years ago, with a trial in Southampton. In 2020 …
Brussels has set legal limits on particulate matter since 2005, resulting in a series of legal actions against countries flouting the rules. Air pollution in Europe has eased in the last decade, but remains the continent’s biggest environmental health risk. Fine particulate pollution caused 379,000 premature deaths in the EU in 2018, according to the …
EU sues more countries over air pollution, nature and water Read More »
A Korean study found that fine dust can make the brain shrink and cause cognitive decline. Using brain MRI, the researchers measured the subjects’ cortical thickness and subcortical volume. Then, they compared the values with the concentration of air pollutants in the subjects’ residential areas. The results showed that the higher concentration of air pollutants, …
Fine dust causes thinner brain, linked to dementia Read More »
Higher PM2.5 concentrations appear to be associated with brain amyloid-ß plagues, a signature characteristic of Alzheimer disease. This suggests the need to consider particulate matter more thoroughly in public health policy decisions. This links back to previous articles, which underline that particulate matter is not only detrimental to the respiratory system, but to organs throughout …
Higher PM2.5 concentrations may link to Alzheimer disease Read More »
Already 2 years ago, the Guardian wrote an interactive article on the broad detrimental effects of air pollution on the human body: Air pollution may be damaging every organ and virtually every cell in the human body, according to a comprehensive new global review. The research shows head-to-toe harm, from heart and lung disease to diabetes …
Air pollution may be damaging ‘every organ in the body’ Read More »
More pollution in the air could be linked to higher rates of mental health service utilization, researchers at the Yale School of Public Health found in a new study. Researcher in Nanjing – China, found that, after comparing outpatient visit numbers with the amount of particulate matter found in the air every day, that visits …
Air Pollution Linked to Increased Mental Health Outpatient Visits Read More »