Researchers reporting in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology have observed in a thorough field study that sea spray pollutes the air in coastal areas with these potentially harmful chemicals, including perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs).
Researchers reporting in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology Letters have detected a broad range of emerging synthetic antioxidants, called hindered phenol and sulfur antioxidants, in dust from electronic waste (e-waste) recycling workshops, possibly posing risks for the workers inside.
University of Washington researchers investigated disparities in exposure to six major air pollutants in 1990, 2000 and 2010 by comparing models of air pollution levels to census data. While overall pollutant concentrations have decreased since 1990, people of color are still more likely to be exposed to all six pollutants than white people, regardless of income level, across the continental United States.
New research, led by the University of Bristol and Peking University, has discovered that emissions coming from China of the ozone-destroying chemical, dichloromethane, have more than doubled over the last decade.
An international team of researchers explored how focusing either on the short- or long-term warming effects of methane can affect climate mitigation policies and dietary transitions in agriculture.
A multi-institution research team has discovered a catalyst that converts methane, the primary component of natural gas and a major greenhouse gas, into ethane and ethylene that can be turned into plastics and resins.
A new study shows that people who do vigorous physical activities, like jogging or playing competitive sports, in areas with higher air pollution may show less benefit from that exercise when it comes to certain markers of brain disease. The markers examined in the study included white matter hyperintensities, which indicate injury to the brain’s white matter, and gray matter volume. Larger gray matter volumes and smaller white matter hyperintensity volumes are markers of overall better brain health. The research is published in the December 8, 2021, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Increasing adoption of certain agricultural practices can help combat climate change, according to a new report by researchers from Rutgers and the University of Maine. The study explores how New Jersey’s plants and soils can help to absorb and store carbon dioxide from greenhouse gas emissions.
RUDN University economists have found out how consumers feel about ecolabeling in Russia. It turned out that consumers do not pay attention to eco-labels, and manufacturers mislead them, so in Russia ecolabeling does not contribute to the sustainable development of the economy. Economists have suggested using a smartphone app to help buyers verify the authenticity of eco-stamps.
There are more than 300,000 septic systems permitted in six counties adjacent to the 156-mile-long Indian River Lagoon (IRL) in Florida. Researchers assessed water quality and measured stable nitrogen isotopes in groundwater, surface water, and macrophyte tissue to identify nitrogen sources impacting the lagoon.
Filtering and removing the microplastics from water is a difficult task, but acoustic waves may provide a solution. Researchers have developed a filtration prototype that uses two speakers to create acoustic waves. The force produced by the waves separates the microplastics from the water by creating pressure on a tube of inflowing water. As the tube splits into three channels, the microplastic particles are pressed toward the center as the clean water flows toward the two outer channels.
When a fire broke out on the deck of the M/V XPress Pearl cargo ship on May 20, 2021, an estimated 70-75 billion pellets of preproduction plastic material, known as nurdles, spilled into the ocean and along the Sri Lankan coastline. That spill of about 1,500 tons of nurdles, many of which were burnt by the fire, has threatened marine life and poses a complex clean-up challenge.
A new international study coordinated by IIASA shows how near-term mitigation can help to prevent an overshoot in global temperatures, thereby reducing climate risks and bringing long-term economic gains.
The SINC Center aims to develop technologies to decrease the use of nitrogen fertilizer, a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, by 12% without the loss of crop productivity.
The opportunity to make a small charitable donation on a store owner’s nickel may be just the encouragement shoppers need to forgo toting their goods home in a single-use plastic bag, new research suggests.
Researchers report in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology Letters that satellite data from before & during the spring 2020 lockdown in Los Angeles shows that vehicles are the main source of urban airborne ammonia, which forms small particles that contribute to air pollution & harm human health.
Broad-based scientific team from government, academia and industry joins forces to identify new opportunities to reduce the environmental impact of polyurethane — one of the most widely used but little recycled plastic materials.
Global change is eroding life on earth at an unprecedented rate and scale. Species extinctions have accelerated over the last decades, with the concomitant loss of the functions and services they provide to human societies.
Researchers are continuing a first-of-its-kind evaluation of both the short-term and potential long-term health effects of harmful algal blooms among Florida residents. The study also will be the first-of-its-kind to evaluate the potential effect of exposure to COVID-19. Researchers will explore if there is a relationship between a history of SARS-CoV-2 virus infection and susceptibility to the effects of harmful algal blooms exposure.
The World Climate Conference in Glasgow has just ended. Empa researchers show how the energy transition could lead to the lowest possible cumulative emissions: Instead of slowly cutting back emissions, we should quickly push ahead with the conversion to solar energy and use fossil power plants at full capacity for one last time to do so.
The humdrum task of garbage-sorting can elicit confusion or even suspicion. Compost? Recycle? Are those corn-based disposable forks truly compostable or are they just feel-good trash? Many recyclable plastics never even make it into the right bin, and while products with terms like “eco” and “plant-derived” in their brand names can let us feel like we are making Earth-friendly choices, scientists say their benefits may be oversold.
Observational data shows air pollution in India decreased drastically in the first COVID-19 lockdown when emissions from vehicles naturally declined, but York University researchers say those numbers only tell part of the story – blue skies and an absence of visible smog can be deceiving and hide pollutants that could potentially cause health issues.
Glitter is the bane of every parent and primary school teacher. But beyond its general annoyance factor, it’s also made of toxic and unsustainable materials, and contributes to plastic pollution.
In a new review article, published today in The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers from University Hospitals (UH), Case Western Reserve University and Boston College discuss evidence linking pollution and cardiovascular disease. The research team highlights strategies for reducing individual exposure to pollution, and the importance of government-supported interventions encouraging clean energy.
A specific messaging strategy used in a public service announcement (PSA) video can effectively encourage New Yorkers who struggle with recycling compliance to properly separate their trash from recycling, according to the results of a University at Buffalo study.
Minority neighborhoods in rural New York experienced a disproportionately greater improvement in air quality compared to other neighborhoods, according to new research conducted at Binghamton University, State University of New York.
The rates of death and health burdens associated with air pollution are borne unequally and inequitably by people of color and those with lower household income and educational attainment in Washington, D.C., according to a new study.
Need another reason to cut back on sugary foods and drinks, apart from an expanding waistline? They're not helping the environment, contributing to a higher cropland, water scarcity and ecological footprint, according to a new review led by the University of South Australia.
• Among adults with hypertension, air pollution exposure was not linked with blood levels of Galectin 3, a marker of scarring in the heart; however, in adults who also had chronic kidney disease, air pollution exposure was associated with rising levels of Galectin 3.
• Results from the study will be presented online at ASN Kidney Week 2021 November 4–November 7.
Tackling pollution from the emission of nitrogen compounds, particularly ammonia, could reduce many of the 23.3 million years of life that were lost prematurely across the world in 2013 due to nitrogen-related air pollution.
Michael Méndez, assistant professor of urban planning & public policy at the University of California, Irvine, will moderate a press conference on California’s approach to integrating environmental justice into climate solutions at 1:15 p.m. GMT on Monday, Nov. 8, at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference being held in Glasgow, Scotland.
The University of Portsmouth will launch its Global Plastics Policy Centre at the COP26 Climate Conference in Glasgow today - 4th November, to help find sustainable solutions to tackle plastic pollution around the world.
Aviation is responsible for more global warming than implied by its carbon footprint alone. According to new research published today, aviation could consume up one-sixth of the remaining temperature budget required to limit warming to 1.5˚C by 2050.
In Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, by AIP Publishing, researchers from Caltech report using catalytic pyrolysis to turn plastic wastes into a valuable fuel source. They focused on recycling plastic and upgrading plastic into other products or converting it to a vapor with heat, which met a catalyst and turned into the desired fuel-like product.
Researchers in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology report three ways that Americans can reduce the carbon footprint of their food purchases, without requiring drastic dietary changes.
As world climate experts begin to gather in Glasgow, Scotland, for the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), a provocative Canada-U.K. study co-authored by two Université de Montréal anthropologists is generating a lot of buzz around the globe.