A new peer-reviewed study, co-authored by two Indiana University researchers, suggests high levels of dangerous contaminants -- known as PFAS -- are finding their way into child care centers through cleaning products.
In a study, the researchers used a machine learning algorithm to classify more than 110 types of plastics, including commercial and lab-made varieties, to better understand how they might degrade in the ocean.
Putting systemic thinking at the centre of policymaking will be essential to address global issues in an era of rapid and disruptive change, according to a new joint report by IIASA and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Enhanced spreading, improved efficiency and reduced environmental impact will be the focus of continuing fertiliser research under a new five-year partnership agreement between the University of Adelaide and US-based fertiliser producer The Mosaic Company.
In a new study published in Urban Science, researchers including Daniel Mendoza and Logan Mitchell report the latest from the TRAX Observation Project, including data validation studies that bolster the data’s value for other researchers and three case studies from recent events showcasing the abilities of the mobile air quality sensors.
Researchers reporting in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology have compared PFAS in the serum of female firefighters and female office workers, finding higher levels of three compounds in the firefighters.
Professor Rob Hale of William & Mary's Virginia Institute of Marine Science is lead author of a new "Grand Challenges" paper commissioned to mark the 100th anniversary of the American Geophysical Union, the world's largest association of Earth and space scientists with more than 60,000 members in 137 countries.
To Nathaniel Warner, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering and recipient of a new National Science Foundation CAREER Award, a lack of available water-quality data and an abundance of potential salt polluters, such as road salting and oil and gas wastewater, makes it difficult to mitigate further contamination.
The military waste that results from the United States military’s drive to remain permanently war ready has unexpected consequences on civilians and the environment, according to a new book by a faculty member at Binghamton University, State University of New York.
According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, exposure to polluted air, water, and soil caused more than 9 million premature deaths in 2015 – three times more than malaria, AIDS and tuberculosis combined. Other pollution forms, such as noise and light pollution, can cause stress, anxiety, headaches, and sleep loss resulting in decreased productivity.
These alarming statistics recently led a team at HU to begin work toward real solutions aimed at changing the troubling pollution picture. The team intends to develop a blueprint for cities to minimize waste sources in electricity, transportation, water, and more.
Traditional stoves that burn biomass materials and are not properly ventilated, which are widely used in developing nations where cooking is done indoors, have been shown to significantly increase indoor levels of harmful PM2.5 (miniscule atmospheric particulates) and carbon monoxide (CO) and to stimulate biological processes that cause lung inflammation and may lead to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to new research published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
Using "BPA-free" plastic products could be as harmful to human health -- including a developing brain -- as those products that contain the controversial chemical, suggest scientists in a new study led by the University of Missouri and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The Garver Black Hilyard Family Foundation awarded a $250,000 grant to HARC (Houston Advanced Research Center) to optimize marine debris removal efforts in local waterways.
A new study finds a wide state-by-state variation in rates of melanoma caused by ultraviolet (UV) exposure with highest rates in several states on the East and West Coast including Hawaii, but also a few landlocked states, including Utah, Vermont, and Minnesota.
In a new discovery, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have detected widespread inflammation in the brains of veterans diagnosed with Gulf War Illness (GWI).
Using 30 years of satellite data, UW researchers discovered that within one year of the opening of a major dam in the Mekong River basin, downstream river temperatures during the dry season dropped by up to 3.6 degrees F (2 degrees C).
An inexpensive lead sample collection kit distributed to homes in St. Joseph County is comparable in accuracy and sensitivity to more costly in-home analysis, according to research published this month in the Journal of Environmental Research.
Individuals who visit natural spaces weekly, and feel psychologically connected to them, report better physical and mental wellbeing, new research has shown.
Toxic and invisible oil spread well beyond the known satellite footprint of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, according to a new study led by scientists at the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel school of Marine and Atmospheric Science.
With 80+ Featured and Scientific Sessions and 2,000+ presentations showcasing advances in fundamental and translational sciences and emerging disciplines and technologies, the 59th Annual Meeting and ToxExpo of the Society of Toxicology is the largest forum for toxicological research in the world.
Contrails — the white, fluffy streaks in the sky that form behind planes — can harm the environment. Now, scientists report in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology that small flight path adjustments could reduce the climate impact of these emissions.
There are no limits specific to airborne concentrations of microcystins (blue-green algae) or inhalation guidelines. Little is known about recreational and occupational exposure to these toxins. New research provides evidence of aerosol exposure to microcystins in coastal residents. Researchers detected microcystin in the nasal passages of 95 percent of the participants; some who reported no direct contact with impacted water. Results also showed higher concentrations among occupationally exposed individuals and demonstrated a relationship between nasal and water microcystin concentrations.
The International Year of Sound (IYS 2020) is a global initiative to highlight the importance of sound-related sciences and technologies, and the U.S. opening ceremony will be held Thursday, Feb. 13, at the American Center for Physics. Sponsored by the Acoustical Society of America and its Washington, DC Regional Chapter, the ceremony will have presentations about sound-related issues as well as a public showing of a film highlighting how scientists are reducing the impact of noise pollution on the natural world.
As the effects of climate change become more evident, more than half of U.S. adults (56%) say climate change is the most important issue facing society today, yet 4 in 10 have not made any changes in their behavior to reduce their contribution to climate change, according to a new poll by the American Psychological Association.
At a glance: Treatment with a naturally occurring antioxidant, CoQ10, restores many aspects of fertility in C. elegans worms following exposure to BPA. Findings offer possible path toward undoing BPA-induced reproductive harms in people. Although CoQ10 is available over the counter, it is not yet clear whether the compound could improve human fertility or do so safely.
The Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) has initiated a project of the Russian Federation called “Arctic Hydrogen Energy Applications and Demonstrations” (AHEAD) in the Arctic Council’s Sustainable Development Working Group (SDWG). The project is supported by the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic, the governor of Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, and the EnergyNet infrastructure center of the National Technology Initiative.
Researchers have found that ozone treatment and subsequent chlorination can convert trace amounts of some pharmaceuticals in wastewater into DBPs called halonitromethanes.
Researchers report in Environmental Science & Technology Letters that cats and dogs excrete some PFAS in their feces at levels that suggest exposures above the minimum risk level, which could have implications for pet owners.
A University at Albany team worked with colleagues around the globe on two separate studies to determine the effects that greenery has on our health – finding that the greener our surroundings, the better.
The profound threat of future climate change to biodiversity demands that scientists seek ever more effective ways to identify the most vulnerable species, communities, and ecosystems.
In a new study, published in Nature Climate Change, an international team of scientists has shown that the most biodiverse regions on Earth are among the most vulnerable to future climate change.
Sandia National Laboratories senior scientist Tina Nenoff was elected by her peers fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science “for outstanding accomplishments in nanoporous materials and technology through research and group effort leadership, particularly in ion and gas separations for energy and environmental applications."
Wildfires significantly impact the health of economies in the western United States that are highly dependent on tourism, agriculture, and timber. David Blunck, associate professor of mechanical engineering at Oregon State University, has been selected by the U.S. Department of Defense to spearhead a $2.1 million study examining the burning behavior of live fuels
in order to better predict and manage wildfires.
Recently, 25 people were hospitalized for carbon monoxide poisoning at a vacation rental home in Idaho. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, half of all reported cases of carbon monoxide poisoning occur during the winter, with travelers especially at risk due to varying regulations on carbon monoxide (CO) alarms across states. Diane Calello, executive and medical director of the New Jersey Poison Control Center at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School’s department of emergency medicine discusses how to stay safe from carbon monoxide poisoning at home and when traveling.
Drifting algae in the Austral Ocean can bring invasive species to the Antarctic coasts, according to a study published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Even a relatively short walk to find the nearest bicycle is enough to deter many potential users of bike sharing systems, new Cornell research suggests.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists have identified a robust suite of technologies to help California clear the last hurdle and become carbon neutral – and ultimately carbon negative – by 2045. This groundbreaking study, “Getting to Neutral: Options for Negative Carbon Emissions in California,” was conducted as part of LLNL’s expansive energy programs work and the Laboratory’s Carbon Initiative. The goal of the initiative is to identify solutions to enable global-scale CO2 removal from the atmosphere and hit global temperature targets.
Earth Day in 1970 wasn’t just a demonstration that came and went. It catalyzed the modern U.S. environmental movement, with major legislative victories like the Clean Air Act of 1970, the Clean Water Act of 1972 and the Endangered Species Act of 1973 following.
New research from a team of Florida State University scientists shows that rapid weather variability as a result of climate change could increase the risk of a flu epidemic in some highly populated regions in the late 21st century.
Research from the University of Kentucky’s Superfund Research Center shows that a diet high in fiber could possibly reverse the adverse effects that environmental toxins have on cardiovascular health.
Mixing drinking water with chlorine, the United States’ most common method of disinfecting drinking water, creates previously unidentified toxic byproducts, says Carsten Prasse from Johns Hopkins University and his collaborators from the University of California, Berkeley and Switzerland.