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EPA/Argonne Develop Innovative System to Capture Mercury from Gold Mining Shops

In any given year, workers in artisanal and small-scale gold mining shops in remote locales like Brazil and Peru release an estimated 700 tons of airborne mercury from their rooftops.

24 Dec 2014

High Exposure to Air Pollution Linked to Increased Risk of Congenital Malformations

The health effects of air pollution are a major concern for urban populations all over the world. Children, the elderly, and people with impaired respiratory systems (such as asthmatics) tend to be especially sensitive to the impact of exposure to ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, and particulate matter.

23 Dec 2014

Exposure to Airborne Environmental Contaminants during Pregnancy Increases Risk of Autism in Children

Women exposed to high levels of fine particulate matter specifically during pregnancy--particularly during the third trimester--may face up to twice the risk of having a child with autism than mothers living in areas with low particulate matter, according to a new study from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH).

19 Dec 2014

Microplastics Have Sunk to the Ocean Floor

The deep sea is becoming a collecting ground for plastic waste, according to research led by scientists from Plymouth University and Natural History Museum.

17 Dec 2014

Duke Scientists Develop New Forensic Tracers to Identify Coal Ash Contamination in Water

Duke University scientists have developed new forensic tracers to identify coal ash contamination in water and distinguish it from contamination coming from other sources.

17 Dec 2014

Vehicles Powered by Electricity from Renewable Energy Could Reduce Deaths Due to Air Pollution

Driving vehicles that use electricity from renewable energy instead of gasoline could reduce the resulting deaths due to air pollution by 70 percent. This finding comes from a new life cycle analysis of conventional and alternative vehicles and their air pollution-related public health impacts, published Monday, Dec. 15, 2014, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

16 Dec 2014

California Air Pollution Regulations Lead to Reduction in Air Pollution

Ever wonder what’s in the black cloud that emits from some semi trucks that you pass on the freeway? Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) scientist Thomas Kirchstetter knows very precisely what’s in there, having conducted detailed measurements of thousands of heavy-duty trucks over months at a time at two San Francisco Bay Area locations.

12 Dec 2014

No Lead Pollution Found in Alberta’s Oil Sands Region

Recent research from the University of Alberta reveals that contrary to current scientific knowledge, there's no atmospheric lead pollution in the province's oil sands region.

11 Dec 2014

Shark-Shaped Sampler Measure Levels of Fugitive Pollutants

Industrial sites and highways could become cleaner in the future thanks to shark-shaped samplers that hunt ‘fugitive’ air pollutants.

4 Dec 2014

Soil Plays Major Role in Pollution Control

Scientists have long known that air pollution caused by cars and trucks, solvent use and even plants, is reduced when broken down by naturally occurring compounds that act like detergents of the atmosphere. What has not been well understood until now are the relative contributions of all the processes producing such compounds.

3 Dec 2014