Pollution News

March 9, 2025

Top Headlines

How London's Ultra Low Emission Zone Is Changing the School Run

Mar. 3, 2025 — London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) is transforming children's journeys to school by making streets safer, improving perceptions of air quality and encouraging children to live healthier lives. A new study highlights its benefits, with many ...

Researchers Reveal Nitrogen's Dominant Role in Global Organic Aerosol Absorption

Mar. 6, 2025 — A collaborative research team has introduced a nitrogen-centric framework that explains the light-absorbing effects of atmospheric organic aerosols. This groundbreaking study reveals that ...

Uncovering Dementia's Environmental Triggers

Mar. 7, 2025 — A new study focuses on the powerful role our surroundings play in shaping dementia ...

Microbiologist Calls for Public Vigilance and Urgent Action on the Danger of Raw Sewage in UK Seas

Feb. 26, 2025 — A microbiologist has written an article on the dangers posed by raw sewage in the seas around the ...

Latest Headlines

updated 5:18pm EDT

How Air Pollution and Wildfire Smoke May Contribute to Memory Loss in Alzheimer's Disease

Feb. 27, 2025 — Air pollution contributes to nearly 7 million premature deaths each year, and its effects go far beyond the lungs. Breathing in wildfire smoke or ...

Birds Breathe in Dangerous Plastics -- And So Do We

Feb. 27, 2025 — Microscopic plastic pollutants drifting through the air are lodging in the lungs of birds, a new study finds. Researchers worldwide are increasingly alarmed by how pervasive these harmful particles ...

Microplastics in Ocean Linked to Disabilities for Coastal Residents

Feb. 26, 2025 — Tiny bits of plastic found in the ocean may be tied to a higher risk of disability for people who live in coastal areas with high levels, according to a preliminary study. The study looked at ...

Biodiversity in England's Rivers Improved as Metal Pollution Reduced

Feb. 19, 2025 — An improvement in freshwater biodiversity in England's rivers was linked to reductions in pollution of zinc and copper, largely due to the decline of coal burning and heavy industry, say researchers. ...

Study Reveals Extent of Ecological Damage from Niger Delta Oil Spills

Feb. 18, 2025 — An international research team has used earth observation radar data to map oil pipeline networks covering a 9000 km2 region in the Niger Delta and pinpoint where crude oil spills have caused the ...

Air Inside Your Home May Be More Polluted Than Outside Due to Everyday Chemical Products

Feb. 18, 2025 — Bringing aromas indoors with the help of chemical products -- yes, air fresheners, wax melts, floor cleaners, deodorants and others -- rapidly fills ...

Air Pollution Levels May Be Higher Inside Your Home Than Outside

Feb. 13, 2025 — People may be exposed to unhealthy levels of airborne pollutants inside their homes, even if the outdoor air quality is ...

Air Pollution Exposure Late in Pregnancy Increases NICU Admission Risk

Feb. 14, 2025 — In a study measuring neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions and satellite-based air pollution data, newborns exposed to higher levels of NO2 have a 30-35% higher risk of NICU admission and an ...

Nanoplastics at Lofty Heights

Feb. 13, 2025 — Nanoplastics -- plastic particles smaller than 1 m -- are widely dispersed because of their low weight. A research team now shows the extent to which glaciers at an altitude of more than 3,000 m in ...

Solar-Powered Device Captures Carbon Dioxide from Air to Make Sustainable Fuel

Feb. 13, 2025 — Researchers have developed a reactor that pulls carbon dioxide directly from the air and converts it into sustainable fuel, using sunlight as the ...

Brake Pad Emissions Can Be More Toxic Than Diesel Exhaust

Feb. 14, 2025 — A study has found microscopic particles emitted from certain types of commonly fitted brake pads can be more toxic than those found in diesel vehicle ...

Models Show Intensifying Wildfires in a Warming World Due to Changes in Vegetation and Humidity; Only a Minor Role for Lightning

Feb. 12, 2025 — Climate scientists present a realistic supercomputer simulation that resolves the complex interactions between fire, vegetation, smoke and the atmosphere. The authors find that increasing greenhouse ...

Engineered Animals Show New Way to Fight Mercury Pollution

Feb. 12, 2025 — Using genes borrowed from bacteria, researchers have demonstrated fish and flies can be engineered to break down methylmercury and remove it from their bodies as a less harmful gas, offering new ways ...

Validation Technique Could Help Scientists Make More Accurate Forecasts

Feb. 11, 2025 — A new evaluation method assesses the accuracy of spatial prediction techniques, outperforming traditional methods. This could help scientists make better predictions in areas like weather ...

Born Too Late? Climate Change May Be Delaying Births

Feb. 10, 2025 — New research has found exposure to outdoor air pollution and extreme temperatures during pregnancy may increase the risk of prolonged pregnancy, offering new insights into the impact of climate ...

Air Pollution Clouds the Mind and Makes Everyday Tasks Challenging

Feb. 6, 2025 — People's ability to interpret emotions or focus on performing a task is reduced by short-term exposure to particulate matter (PM) air pollution, potentially making everyday activities, such as ...

Clean Air Policies Having Unintended Impact Driving Up Wetland Methane Emissions by Up to 34 Million Tons

Feb. 5, 2025 — Reducing sulphur in the air may inadvertently increase natural emissions of methane from wetlands such as peatlands and swamps, a new study has found. The resulting additional future release of 20-34 ...

Stormwater Pollution Sucked Up by Specialized Sponge

Feb. 5, 2025 — A specialized sponge that works to slurp up pollutants, and then release them as desired, may present a reusable, low-cost ...

One in Four Chance Per Year That Rocket Junk Will Enter Busy Airspace

Feb. 5, 2025 — There's a 26 per cent annual chance that space rocket junk will re-enter the atmosphere and pass through a busy flight area, according to a recent study. While the chance of debris hitting an ...

Coal Emissions Cost India Millions in Crop Damages

Feb. 4, 2025 — New research shows grain yields critical to India's food security are dragged down 10% or more in many parts of the country by nitrogen dioxide pollution from power stations that run on coal. ...

Nanomaterials Are Emerging as a Powerful Tool for Coastal Oil Spill Cleanup

Feb. 4, 2025 — Advances in nanotechnology may provide solutions to oil spill cleanups in coastal regions that are more effective, safer and work much faster than current methods, according to a new paper. The paper ...

New Device Uses Electrically Assisted Wind to Fight Fires

Feb. 4, 2025 — Researchers have developed a new portable tool that could improve how firefighters douse fires, making the process more efficient and far less ...

Exposure to Air Pollution Associated With More Hospital Admissions for Lower Respiratory Infections

Feb. 3, 2025 — Long-term exposure to PM2.5, PM10, NO2 and ozone (O3) air pollution is associated with more hospital admissions for lower respiratory tract infections in ...

We Have Underrated the Climate Effects of New Particles in Urban Areas

Feb. 3, 2025 — A recent study has uncovered compelling evidence suggesting that the climate effects of new particles in urban areas have been significantly ...

Temperature, Rainfall and Tides Speed Glacier Flow on a Daily Basis

Feb. 3, 2025 — Detailed study of a Greenland glacier's flow rate reveals the impact of environmental ...

Low-Level Traffic Air Pollution Linked to Liver Damage and Fatty Liver Disease

Jan. 31, 2025 — Low levels of traffic-related air pollution harms the liver and may raise the risk of metabolic-associated fatty liver disease, a new study in mice ...

Wildfire Smoke Can Carry Toxins Hundreds of Kilometers, Depositing Grime on Urban Structures, Surfaces

Jan. 30, 2025 — Researchers have shown that plumes of wildfire smoke can carry contaminants hundreds of kilometers, leaving a toxic and lingering footprint which has the potential to be re-released into the ...

Lead Contamination in Ancient Greece Points to Societal Change

Jan. 30, 2025 — Studies of sediment cores from the sea floor and the coastal regions surrounding the Aegean Sea show that humans contaminated the environment with lead early on in antiquity. Geoscientists conducted ...

Study Reveals How Microbes Help Detoxify Our Atmosphere

Jan. 29, 2025 — Researchers have discovered crucial new information about how microbes consume huge amounts of carbon monoxide (CO) and help reduce levels of this deadly ...

Air Pollution Inequities Linked to Industrial Swine Facilities Are Detectable from Space

Jan. 28, 2025 — A UVA study uses satellite data to show that air pollution from industrial swine farms in Eastern North Carolina disproportionately affects marginalized ...