Ateam from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the USDA Agricultural Research Service has used SIF to measure the effects of elevated ozone (O3) on soybean plants.
Tag: Ozone
Lung Disease Physicians and Researchers Disappointed by Environmental Protection Agency’s Slow-Motion Action to Curb Smog Ozone Air Pollution
In response to the Aug 21 announcement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that the agency will delay action on lowering the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ozone pollution, American Thoracic Society President M. Patricia Rivera, MD, ATSF, issued the following statement
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.
The Effects of Copper, Patient-Relevant Tissue Models, and Artificial Intelligence Featured in Sept. 2022 Issue of ToxSci
A new ToxPoint articles argues that “Copper Is the New Showstopper,” while a commentary calls for patient-relevant tissue models in the September 2022 issue of Toxicological Sciences (ToxSci), the official journal of the Society of Toxicology (SOT). Other featured articles…
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.

Ozone depletion over North Pole produces weather anomalies
Many people are familiar with the hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica, but what is less well known is that occasionally, the protective ozone in the stratosphere over the Arctic is destroyed as well, thinning the ozone layer there. This last happened in the spring months of 2020, and before that, in the spring of 2011.

Discovery Reveals Large, Year-Round Ozone Hole Over Tropics
In AIP Advances, Qing-Bin Lu, a scientist from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, reveals a large, all-season ozone hole in the lower stratosphere over the tropics comparable in depth to that of the well-known springtime Antarctic hole, but roughly seven times greater in area. His observed data agree well with the cosmic-ray-driven electron reaction (CRE) model and strongly indicate the identical physical mechanism working for both Antarctic and tropical ozone holes.
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
Ozone pollution has increased in Antarctica
Researchers reporting in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology have analyzed more than 25 years of Antarctic data, finding that ozone concentrations near the ground arose from both natural and human-related sources.
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.

Four Rutgers Professors Named AAAS Fellows
Four Rutgers professors have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), an honor given to AAAS members by their peers. They join 485 other new AAAS fellows as a result of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. A virtual induction ceremony is scheduled for Feb. 13, 2021.

Study: Clean Air Act Saved 1.5 Billion Birds
U.S. pollution regulations meant to protect humans from dirty air are also saving birds. So concludes a new continentwide study published today in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Study authors found that improved air quality under a federal program to reduce ozone pollution may have averted the loss of 1.5 billion birds during the past 40 years.

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.

Hubble Uses Earth as a Proxy for Identifying Oxygen on Potentially Habitable Planets Around Other Stars
Astronomers used Hubble during a total lunar eclipse to detect ozone in our planet’s atmosphere by looking at Earthlight reflected off the Moon in ultraviolet wavelengths. This method serves as a proxy for how astronomers will observe Earth-like exoplanets in search of life.

Ozone Disinfection Could Allow Safe Reuse of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
A new study shows that ozone gas, a highly reactive chemical composed of three oxygen atoms, could provide a safe means for disinfecting certain types of personal protective equipment that are in high demand for shielding health care personnel from Covid-19.
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.

EPA Proposal to Change How It Evaluates Environmental Policy Ignores Science
The American Thoracic Society is extremely concerned with today’s announcement about changes in how the EPA evaluates the costs and benefits of environmental policy. While the details of economic analysis of environmental regulations are complex, the guiding principle is remarkably simple: compare all the costs and benefits of agency actions. The proposed changes in how costs and benefits are evaluated will sufficiently degrade the credibility of economic analysis conducted at the EPA to the point that it is no longer able to function as an objective policy analysis tool.

New mechanism links ozone and disease resistance
Scientists have identified a new mechanism for the breakdown of the building blocks of cell membranes. The mechanism is based on autoxidation from the interaction of oxygen and hydroxyl free radicals and the subsequent chain reaction between hydroxyl radicals and the Criegee intermediates that form from atmospheric ozone.
HARC Research Analyzes Effects of COVID-19 on Air Quality
HARC (Houston Advanced Research Center) announces research analysis to study effects of COVID-19, associated stay-at-home orders, and the subsequent effects on air quality. Specifically, the changes in air quality measuring nitrogen oxides (NOx); benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene (BTEX); and ground-level ozone (O3).

Scientists Discover New Clue Behind Age-Related Diseases and Food Spoilage
Berkeley Lab scientists have made a surprising discovery that could help explain our risk for developing chronic diseases or cancers as we get older, and how our food decomposes over time.

FSU Research: Despite less ozone pollution, not all plants benefit
Policies and new technologies have reduced emissions of precursor gases that lead to ozone air pollution, but despite those improvements, the amount of ozone that plants are taking in has not followed the same trend, according to Florida State University researchers.

Exposure to Ozone Pollution or Wood Smoke Worsens Lung Health of Smokers and Former Smokers
Over many years, exposure to the levels of ozone and other forms of pollution found in most U.S. cities and some rural communities can take a toll on a person’s health. Two studies led by Johns Hopkins researchers describe the impact of pollution on lung disease, particularly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), in the U.S.

U.S. Carbon and Pollution Emissions Policies are ‘Up in the Air’
Tangles in courts and in Congress threaten emissions-related energy regulations and incentives. If these are lost, carbon emissions are projected to climb, and the fight against health-damaging ozone may lose traction, allowing it to resurge, too. An expert explains the legal messes.

Energy Regulation Rollbacks Threaten Progress Against Harmful Ozone
The fight against harmful ozone is under legal threat. Air quality and carbon emissions regulations are currently in limbo in courts and congress, from core legislation from the 1970s to rules from the last U.S. administration. This study models the future losses in the fight to drive down respiratory-damaging, ground-level ozone if the regulations go away.