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UrduIf you live along one of the major interstate highways running through Chicago or directly next to Lake Michigan, you are regularly exposed to more air pollution than the rest of the city, a new Northwestern University study has found.
Tag: Air Quality
TAKING CHARGE OF OUR FUTURE: NEW FEDERAL PROGRAM ENHANCES NATIONWIDE ELECTRIC VEHICLE INFRASTRUCTURE
A series of federal recommendations announced last week aims to make electric vehicle charging more accessible. The announcement paved the way for NEVI to begin implementing these recommendations.
How Climate Change and Wildfire Smoke Can Impact the Skin
New research shows that as wildfires are increasing in frequency, intensity and extent, and affecting air quality across the U.S., they are having a detrimental effect on people with and without skin conditions.
A mixture of trees purifies urban air best
Conifers are generally better than broadleaved trees at purifying air from pollutants.
‘National Conversation’ needed to address air pollution in classrooms, according to researchers
A ‘national conversation’ is needed to combat the worrying levels of air pollution in some city-based classrooms, say researchers from the University of Surrey.
Proximity to electric vehicle charging stations positively impacts home values
A new study finds that proximity to electric vehicle charging stations (EVCSs) can raise property values depending on where homes are situated. The study, conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Rhode Island, the University of Maryland College Park, Princeton University and Cardiff University, was recently published in Nature Sustainability.
20,000 premature US deaths caused by human-ignited fires
Over 80% of premature deaths caused by small smoke particles in the United States result directly from human-ignited fires.
AI improves detail, estimate of urban air pollution
Using artificial intelligence, Cornell University engineers have simplified and reinforced models that accurately calculate the fine particulate matter (PM2.5) – the soot, dust and exhaust emitted by trucks and cars that get into human lungs – contained in urban air pollution.
Itchy Eyes and a Runny Nose? It Could Be Climate Change
Researchers with the Rutgers Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute have simulated how climate change will affect the distribution of two leading allergens – oak and ragweed pollens – across the contiguous United States. The results, published in the journal Frontiers in Allergy, may make your eyes water.
Air pollution high at US public schools with kids from marginalized groups
Race- and ethnicity-based discrepancies in exposure to air pollution, especially regarding proximity to roadways and industrial zones, are well-established. A new study reports the first nationwide patterns in atmospheric fine particulate pollution and nitrogen dioxide exposure at U.S. public schools.
Low-Cost Air Quality Sensors Deliver Insights on Environmental Injustice
Networks of low-cost air quality sensors are able to detect temporary peaks and “hot spots” in air pollution and could be a better tool for tracking short-term changes in air quality in communities than regulatory sensors. Monitoring fine-scale, real-time changes in air pollution could support efforts to protect public health.
Media Briefing Schedule for ACS Fall 2022
Media Briefing Schedule for ACS Fall 2022
Tracking air pollution disparities — daily — from space (video)
Today, scientists report preliminary work calculating how inequities in pollution exposure fluctuate daily across 11 major U.S. cities. And in some places, climate change could exacerbate these differences. They will present their results at ACS Fall 2022.
Research reveals why tackling particle pollution leads to rise in photochemical smog
Researchers from the University of York have discovered why reducing particle pollution is actually increasing surface ozone pollution in some emerging economies, negatively impacting health, ecosystems and agriculture.
Ochsner Health expert offers commentary on Saharan Air Layer dust and its impact on health
A giant dust cloud known as the Saharan Air Layer came floating upon the southern United States in June. It brought with it degraded air quality and health issues for many who are vulnerable to this type of particle pollution, which is…
Improving air quality, health screenings, and public health messaging—research points to better strategies for managing future epidemics
Improving air quality, health screenings, and public health messaging—research points to better strategies for managing future epidemics
COVID-19 Lockdown Measures Affect Air Pollution from Cities Differently
In Chaos, researchers in China created a network model drawn from the traffic index and air quality index of 21 cities across six regions in their country to quantify how traffic emissions from one city affect another. They leveraged data from COVID-19 lockdown procedures to better explain the relationship between traffic and air pollution and turned to a weighted climate network framework to model each city as a node using data from 2019 and 2020. They added a two-layer network that incorporated different regions, lockdown stages, and outbreak levels.
UCLA-led Research Finds Ozone Exposure Link to the Development of Type 2 Diabetes
UCLA-led research finds ozone exposure contributes to the development of Type 2 diabetes; team examining Californians’ health finds pattern holds true, particularly among those with higher levels of leisure-time outdoor physical activity
UCLA Experts Available for Comment on “A Year of Climate Action” Stemming From the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
UCLA Fielding School of Public Health Experts, affiliated with FSPH’s UCLA Center for Healthy Climate Solutions, are available for comment on issues raised by the IPCC report: Dr. Jonathan Fielding, UCLA FSPH distinguished professor of health policy and management and…
NSF awards to impact air quality in Great Lakes region and beyond
A Wayne State University researcher recently received confirmation for funding of two grants from the National Science Foundation that will help protect the air we breathe and other aspects of our environment.
UCLA Fielding School of Public Health experts available to comment on IPCC report in terms of the public health impact of climate change
Dr. David Eisenman, director of the UCLA Center for Public Health and Disasters and a MD, is available to respond to media inquiries on the potential impacts of climate change on human populations, including extreme heat, wildfire/smoke exposure, mental health, and…
Up in smoke
University of Utah researchers have developed a method to better predict if and when wildfire smoke might affect the ground-level air quality of nearby residents.
How air pollution changed during COVID-19 in Park City, Utah
Throughout the pandemic, air sensors watched during lockdowns as air pollution fell in residential and commercial areas, and then as pollution rose again with reopenings. The changing levels, the researchers found, which behaved differently in residential and commercial parts of the city, show where pollution is coming from and how it might change in the future under different policies.
Empowering a Neighborhood to Breathe Easy
Companies like Purple Air and IQAir, with air pollution sensors that cost under $300, have brought air quality monitoring to the masses. But when Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory scientist Tom Kirchstetter looked at Purple Air’s map last year during wildfire season, he noticed a big hole in Richmond, a city of 110,000 to the north of Berkeley.
ACSM / Anthem American Fitness Index to Reveal 2021 Fittest City
For more than a decade, the evidence-based ACSM / Anthem American Fitness Index has recognized the critical role physical activity and city infrastructure play in a city’s overall health and fitness. ACSM and the Anthem Foundation will release the 2021 Fitness Index rankings at 7 a.m. EDT on July 13.
Pandemic air quality affected by weather, not just lockdowns
Using a diverse set of tools, the lab of Randall Martin shows how the pandemic did – or didn’t – affect levels of particulate matter during COVID lockdowns.
UCLA-led Research Finds Connections Between Air Quality and COVID Vulnerability
Even as governments across the United States consider lifting mask mandates and relaxing preventative measures as vaccination numbers creep up, new research from a UCLA-led team has found that such basic techniques significantly reduce the risk of getting COVID-19. In addition, the research found that U.S. counties with higher exposures to poor air quality, historically, saw higher county-level COVID-19 mortality rates in 2020.
Losing Nature Impacts Black, Hispanic, and Low-Income Americans Most
When nature vanishes, people of color and low-income Americans disproportionally lose critical environmental and health benefits–including air quality, crop productivity and disease control–a new study in Nature Communications finds.
Argonne’s Wang and Streets named highly influential climate scientists
Michael Wang and David Streets, both of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory, were named to Reuters’ “Hot List” of today’s 1,000 most influential climate scientists. Both are in Argonne’s Energy and Global Security-Energy Systems (EGS-ES) division.
Wildfire smoke trends worsening for Western U.S.
New research from the University of Utah ties the worsening trend of extreme poor air quality events in Western regions to wildfire activity, with growing trends of smoke impacting air quality clear into September.
COVID-19 Mortality Rates in Los Angeles County Higher in Communities with Poor Air Quality
A research project led by the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health has found that Los Angeles County neighborhoods with poor air quality had the highest death rates from the pandemic.
Weizmann Scientists Determine How Smoke from Australia’s Fires Spanned the Globe
Prof. Ilan Koren at the Weizmann Institute and Dr. Eitan Hirsch have identified another impact of Australia’s massive wildfires: smoke particles from the country’s southeast actually reached the stratosphere. They then traveled on a steady current that carried them around the world, covering and lingering above much of the Southern Hemisphere.
How ‘green’ are environmentally friendly fireworks?
Researchers reporting in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology have estimated that, although so-called environmentally friendly fireworks emit 15–65% less particulate matter than traditional fireworks, they still significantly deteriorate air quality.
How outdoor pollution affects indoor air quality
In a long-term study in a Salt Lake-area building, researchers found that the amount of air pollution that comes indoors depends on the type of outdoor pollution. Wildfires, fireworks and wintertime inversions all affect indoor air to different degrees.
Pre-COVID Subway Air Polluted from DC to Boston, But New York Region’s Is the Worst, Study Finds
New York City’s transit system exposes riders to more inhaled pollutants than any other metropolitan subway system in the Northeastern United States, a new study finds. Yet even its “cleaner” neighbors struggle with enough toxins to give health-conscious travelers pause.
Taking greenhouse gas analysis on the road, er, rails
Since 2014, the University of Utah has maintained research-grade suites of air quality instruments installed on light rail trains. These mobile sensors cover the same area as 30 stationary sensors, providing the Salt Lake Valley with a highly cost-effective way to monitor its greenhouse emissions and fill in gaps in emissions estimates.
Study connects diabetes, air pollution to interstitial lung disease
A new study published in the Environmental Health Perspectives connects insulin resistance and repetitive ozone exposure to the development of interstitial lung disease.
How Utah’s air pollution affects homeless populations
Researchers from the University of Utah document the effect of air pollution on people experiencing homelessness, finding that nearly all notice and are impacted by air pollution, whether or not they reside in shelters.
HOLIDAY COOKING
The upcoming holiday season is sure to look a lot different. According to a recent Filtrete™ Brand survey, more than half of Americans (52%) plan to spend more time at home this holiday season compared to years past. And, with more people…
NYCHA Secondhand Smoke Policy Needs More Time and Effort To Show How Well It Works
One year into a smoking ban in buildings run by the nation’s largest public housing authority, tenant exposure to secondhand smoke in hallways, stairwells, and apartments has not declined, a new study shows.
School absences correlate to impaired air quality
In Salt Lake City schools, absences rise when the air quality worsens, and it’s not just in times of high pollution or “red” air quality days—even days following lower levels of pollutions saw increased absences.
UCLA pulmonary expert to speak on air quality and wildfires
Dr. Reza Ronaghi, a pulmonologist at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, explains how wildfires affect air quality and what precautions people can take to limit exposure to smoke and other fire-generated toxins in the air. How do you…
Alliance for Consumer Education to Host Inaugural Clearing the Air Summit
This virtual event will explore the science and safety of air care products
Low-Cost Home Air Quality Monitors Prove Useful for Wildfire Smoke
Published recently in the journal Sensors, a new study by Berkeley Lab air quality scientists tested four models of low-cost air quality monitors during actual wildfire pollution events and found that their readings of PM2.5 – or particulate matter under 2.5 microns, which has been linked to respiratory and cardiovascular issues – were consistently higher than the reference monitor used by the regulatory agencies; however, since each monitor had a relatively consistent response to the smoke, it is possible to use the readings to estimate true PM2.5 levels. Overall, the researchers concluded that the monitors can provide actionable information.
Disparities in a common air pollutant are visible from space
Researchers reporting in Environmental Science & Technology have used airplanes and a satellite to uncover disparities in nitrogen dioxide amounts in the atmosphere above Houston.
COVID-19 and Air Quality: Another Perspective
Researchers at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) discovered the air quality in New York City did not improve during the New York on PAUSE order. While other studies have suggested that the levels of nitrogen dioxide and other air particles decreased during the pandemic in cities such as New Delhi and industrialized parts of northern China, the ESF team found the opposite in the Big Apple.
Arlington, Va., Named ‘Fittest City’ in 2020 American Fitness Index Ranking of Top 100
ACSM and the Anthem Foundation release the 2020 American Fitness Index, ranking America’s 100 largest cities on health behaviors, chronic disease and community infrastructure indicators. Arlington, Va. earned the title of “America’s Fittest City.” Seattle, Wash.; Minneapolis, Minn.; Madison, Wis.; San Francisco, Calif.; Washington, D.C.; Irvine, Calif.; Denver, Colo.; Boise, Idaho; and Boston, Mass., round out the top 10 fittest cities.
Global pollution estimates reveal surprises, opportunity
Using recent satellite observations, ground monitoring and computational modeling, researchers at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis have released a survey of global pollution rates. There are a couple of surprises, for worse, but also, for better.
Study: Air pollution from fracking linked to deaths in Pennsylvania
Approximately 20 people in Pennsylvania lost their lives during a seven-year period because of particulate matter pollution emitted by shale gas wells, according to a recent study including faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York.
Is the air getting cleaner during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Using air quality data from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency monitors across the U.S., a UW-led team looked for changes in two common pollutants over the course of 2020.