Researchers have developed a new machine learning system to improve the accuracy and efficiency of sewer-river system models. This innovative approach, detailed in their latest publication, promises to significantly reduce parameter calibration time and enhance model precision in predicting urban water pollution.
Tag: Pollution
UC Irvine study: vehicle brakes produce charged particles that may harm public health
Irvine, Calif., March 12, 2024 — Scientists know relatively little about particles released into the air when a vehicle driver brakes, though evidence suggests those particles may be more harmful to health than particles exiting the tailpipe.
Breathing Easy: New Study Declares Waste-to-Energy Plants a Low Health Risk
A recent study has highlighted the insignificant health hazards posed by the emissions from waste-to-energy (WtE) facilities in China’s Bohai Rim. This investigation brings to light the negligible impact of WtE plant emissions on public health, grounded in sophisticated regression analysis techniques.
Study Finds Pesticide Use Linked to Parkinson’s in Rocky Mountain, Great Plains Region
Pesticides and herbicides used in farming have been linked to Parkinson’s disease in the Rocky Mountain and Great Plains region of the country, according to a preliminary study released today, February 27, 2024, that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 76th Annual Meeting taking place April 13–18, 2024, in person in Denver and online.
Burning landfill gases is dangerous, RUDN ecologists say
RUDN University ecologists and a professor from the Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) have shown that the combustion of landfill gas in flares continues to pose a danger to the health of the environment and humans. Moreover, it is likely that the situation only gets worse after flaring
Study Details Toxic Elements Found in Stranded Whales, Dolphins Over 15 Years
Researchers evaluated the prevalence, concentration and tissue distribution of essential and non-essential trace elements, including heavy metal toxicants in tissue (blubber, kidney, liver, skeletal muscle, skin) and fecal samples. Findings reveal how toxicant levels relate to their sex, breed, age and other demographic factors.
Study shows UK offshores emissions through used vehicle exports
Published today in Nature Climate Change, the study found that exported used vehicles generate at least 13-53% more emissions per mile than those that are scrapped or on the road in Great Britain.
Study: Global deforestation leads to more mercury pollution
About 10 percent of human-made mercury emissions into the atmosphere each year are the result of global deforestation, according to a new MIT study.
University of Kentucky scientists develop eco-friendly magnet to battle microplastics
Plastic pollution is a pressing environmental issue, and University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment researchers are leading the charge with an innovative solution.
Monitoring of natural gas compressor stations underestimates health risks to nearby communities
Gaps in state and federal monitoring mean rural, poor, non-white and elderly communities disproportionally experience harmful health effects from compressor station pollution.
An eco-friendly solar-driven protocol solves water-oil separation
Researchers have developed a novel oil separation technique using solar thermal energy that is environmentally friendly, cost-effective, and highly efficient.
Navigating Childhood Asthma: Insights From a Pediatric Pulmonologist
As the seasons transition from warm fall nights to cool and wintry evenings, children with asthma often experience a rise in wheezing or chest tightness, because weather changes and cold temperatures are often asthma triggers.
Concrete as CO2 trap – right at the plant
After their production, which emits a lot of carbon dioxide, cement-based building materials such as concrete absorb the climate gas again – a process that takes decades and can hardly be controlled.
Commonly Used Herbicide is Harmful to Adolescent Brain Function
UC San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science researchers report in a new study that exposures to two of the most popular herbicides were associated with worse brain function among adolescents.
Urban Pollution Changes Properties of Lung Cells, Causes Fibrosis
Article title: Complex urban atmosphere alters alveolar stem cells niche properties and drives lung fibrosis Authors: Randa Belgacemi, Bruno Ribeiro Baptista, Grégoire Justeau, Marylène Toigo, Andrew Frauenpreis, Rojda Yilmaz, Audrey Der Vartanian, Mathieu Cazaunau, Edouard Pangui, Antonin Bergé, Aline Gratien,…
Electrifying vehicles in Chicago would save lives, reduce pollution inequities
If the Chicago region replaced 30% of all on-road combustion-engine vehicles — including motorcycles, passenger cars and trucks, buses, refuse trucks and short- and long-haul trucks — with electric versions, it would annually save more than 1,000 lives and over $10 billion, according to a new Northwestern University study.
World can now breathe easier
Global, population-weighted PM2.5 exposure — related to both pollution levels and population size — increased from 1998 to a peak in 2011, then decreased steadily from 2011 to 2019, largely driven by exposure reduction in China and slower growth in other regions, new research shows.
Rubber plumbing seals can leak additives into drinking water, study says
Rubber seals inside some plumbing devices contain additives that contribute to their flexibility and durability, but these potentially harmful compounds can leak into drinking water, according to a small-scale study in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology Letters.
Bit by bit, microplastics from tyres are polluting our waterways
Urban stormwater particles from tyre wear were the most prevalent microplastic a new Griffith-led study has found.
Taxpayers should foot the bill if EU demands efficient removal of pharmaceuticals from wastewaters
Public sector should pay if EU demands efficient removal of pharmaceuticals from wastewaters, according to researchers at the Centre for Antibiotic Research, CARe, at the University of Gothenburg.
ACS Fall 2023 media briefing schedule
Recordings of media briefings will be posted by 10 a.m. Eastern Time on each day. Watch recorded media briefings at: www.acs.org/ACSFall2023briefings.
Tubing and swimming change the chemistry and microbiome of streams
As Labor Day approaches, many people will go tubing and swimming, but do these delightful summertime activities impact streams and rivers? Today, scientists report that recreation can alter the chemical and microbial fingerprint of waterways. They will present their results at ACS Fall 2023.
Cleaning water with ‘smart rust’ and magnets (video)
Pouring flecks of rust into water usually makes it dirtier. Now, researchers have developed special iron oxide nanoparticles called “smart rust” to trap estrogen hormones that are potentially harmful to aquatic life. They will present their results at ACS Fall 2023.
Benefits of Electric Stoves on Health and Environment in Ecuador
An international team of researchers led by UC San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science investigated the health and environmental impacts of a program in Ecuador that put induction stoves in 750,000 households.
UC Irvine receives grant to study lead exposure effects on children’s learning, behavior
The Program in Public Health at the University of California, Irvine has received a five-year, $2.7 million grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to research the connection between low-level lead exposure during pregnancy and early childhood and children’s school performance and behavior in Santa Ana, California.
GW Expert Available: UN Committee Meets This Week on Treaty to End Global Plastic Pollution
Talks are underway this week to create a global treaty that would bring an end to plastic pollution. According to The Associated Press, a United Nations committee is meeting in Paris to work on what would be a landmark agreement that…
Scientists discover microbes in the Alps and Arctic that can digest plastic at low temperatures
Finding, cultivating, and bioengineering organisms that can digest plastic not only aids in the removal of pollution, but is now also big business.
Air Quality and Lung Cancer in Wayne County, Mich.—a Large Urban/Suburban Study
Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related deaths in North America. Although cigarette smoking remains the main risk factor for lung cancer development, the importance of environmental factors such as pollution and poor air quality is becoming increasingly recognized.
Marine Seagrass Meadows Show Resilience to ‘Bounce Back’ After Die-Offs
A study in Florida Bay, one of the largest global contiguous seagrass systems, examined if a phytotoxin that accumulates as seagrass ecosystems become more enriched in nutrients prevents a marine seagrass, turtlegrass, from recruiting into open bare sediment following die-off events. While they do “bounce back,” long-term monitoring indicates the timeframe for recovery after major die-off events is at least a decade. Turtlegrass can successfully recruit into open bare sediment following die-off events due to biomass partitioning.
Treating Polluted Water with Nanofiber Membranes
In Biointerphases, researchers develop a fabrication method to increase the efficacy and longevity of membrane separation technology. The team created a nanofibrous membrane with electrospinning, in which a liquid polymer droplet is electrified and stretched to make fibers, and increased the roughness of the membrane surface by loading it with silver nanoparticles. In water, this rough surface promotes a stable layer of water, which acts as a barrier to prevent oil droplets from entering the membrane. The technology is greater than 99% effective at separating a petroleum ether-in-water emulsion.
GW Experts Available: EPA Proposes Historic Auto Pollution Limits That Would Boost EV Sales
The Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday plans that would ensure two-thirds of new passenger cars and a quarter of new heavy trucks sold in the United States are all-electric by 2032. According to The New York Times, “if the two rules…
Scientists discover a way Earth’s atmosphere cleans itself
Irvine, Calif., April 7, 2023 — Human activities emit many kinds of pollutants into the air, and without a molecule called hydroxide (OH), many of these pollutants would keep aggregating in the atmosphere. How OH itself forms in the atmosphere was viewed as a complete story, but in new research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a research team that includes Sergey Nizkorodov, a University of California, Irvine professor of chemistry, report that a strong electric field that exists at the surface between airborne water droplets and the surrounding air can create OH by a previously unknown mechanism.
FAU Developed AUTOHOLO Shows Potential as Red Tide Warning System
Current methods to monitor red tide are limited. Using AUTOHOLO, a new autonomous, submersible, 3D holographic microscope and imaging system, a study is the first to characterize red tide in the field and breaks new ground for monitoring harmful algal blooms.
What can we do about all the plastic waste?
The Institute for the Cooperative Upcycling of Plastics (iCOUP) is helping to address the plastic waste accumulation problem by developing the science needed to turn used plastic into valuable materials.
Pulsing ultrasound waves could someday remove microplastics from waterways
Colorful microplastics — less than 5 mm wide — drift along under the surface of most waterways. Now, a team reports a two-stage device made with steel tubes and pulsing sound waves to remove these potentially harmful particles from water samples. They will present their results at ACS Spring 2023.
Toilet paper is an unexpected source of PFAS in wastewater, study says
Sewage can provide information on potentially harmful compounds, such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), that get released into the environment. Now, researchers in Environmental Science & Technology Letters report an unexpected source of these substances in wastewater — toilet paper.
FAU Harbor Branch Lands U.S. EPA Grant for ‘Hands-on’ Indian River Lagoon Field Trip
The project will host 125 field trips, which will educate as many as 3,125 socially disadvantaged middle and high school students about Florida’s natural resources and the importance of conserving them.
Study Finds Air Pollution Exposure Linked to Parkinson’s Risk, Identifies U.S. Hot Spot
Living in areas of the United States with higher levels of air pollution is associated with an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease, according to a preliminary study released today, February 23, 2023, that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 75th Annual Meeting being held in person in Boston and live online from April 22-27, 2023.
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.
Upcoming Supreme Court ruling could dramatically limit Clean Water Act, Tulane expert says
The U.S. Supreme Court could soon rule on a challenge to the Clean Water Act, dramatically affecting the quality of the nation’s waterways. Haley Gentry, a water law expert at the Tulane University Law School, says that if the high…
Enlisting mealworms to help tackle plastic waste
A University of Delaware researcher is leading a multi-institutional team exploring ways to engineer microbes from the gut of the yellow mealworm to degrade non-recyclable plastics. The work is supported with funding from the Department of Energy.
All in the planning: State policies working to fix Gulf nutrient pollution
Tackling nutrient pollution in the Gulf of Mexico is a big job, requiring coordination between dozens of states whose waters flow into the Mississippi.
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.
Marine Plankton Tell the Long Story of Ocean Health, and Maybe Human Too
UC San Diego researchers suggest that rising levels of manmade chemicals, accumulating in marine plankton, might be used to monitor the impact of human activity on ecosystem health and perhaps study links between ocean pollution and land-based rates of childhood and adult chronic illnesses.
Inflation Reduction Act Offers Significant Benefits for Public Health
An analysis published today in the New England Journal of Medicine describes the significant benefits The Inflation Reduction Act offers to improve public health through tax credits and other financial incentives.
Toxins from Harmful Algae Found in Bull Sharks of Florida’s Indian River Lagoon
The Indian River Lagoon (IRL) is a bull shark nursery habitat crucial to survival and recruitment of Atlantic coast bull sharks. Analysis of 123 samples found the presence of one or more phycotoxin from harmful algal blooms in 82 percent of the bull sharks and their prey items. Findings highlight the potential threat of toxic algae to the IRL’s ecosystem and surrounding human populations that may consume the same prey species. The highest concentrations of most toxins were detected in gut content samples, highlighting dietary exposure as an important mechanism of toxin transfer to bull sharks in the system.
Review: Are Climate Change and Air Pollution Making Neurologic Diseases Worse?
People with neurologic diseases like headache, dementia, multiple sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson’s disease may experience worsening symptoms due to climate change, according to a scoping review of research published in the November 16, 2022, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Blind spots in the monitoring of plastic waste
Whether in drinking water, food or even in the air: plastic is a global problem – and the full extent of this pollution may go beyond of what we know yet. Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), together with partners from the Netherlands and Australia, have reviewed conventional assumptions for the transport of plastic in rivers.
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.
Study shows hazardous herbicide chemical goes airborne
New research from the lab of Kimberly Parker at the McKelvey School of Engineering shows that amines, sometimes used as an additive in herbicides, can enter the atmosphere, where they pose risks for human health and alter the atmosphere.