Air Pollution News

March 21, 2025

Top Headlines

Mar. 18, 2025 — The EPA's network consistently failed to capture air quality in communities of color across six major pollutants. The monitors are the key data source driving decisions about pollution reduction, urban planning and public health initiatives. The ...

Adopting Zero-Emission Trucks and Buses Could Save Lives, Prevent Asthma

Mar. 18, 2025 — Researchers used community input to design Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) air-quality model experiments. Community asked for ACT policy simulations that convert 48% of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles into zero tailpipe emission versions. Researchers ...

Global Warming Can Lead to Inflammation in Human Airways, New Research Shows

Mar. 17, 2025 — In a recent, cross-institutional study partially funded by the National Institutes of Health, researchers report that healthy human airways are at higher risk for dehydration and inflammation when ...

Delhi Air Pollution Worse Than Expected as Water Vapor Skews Figures

Mar. 12, 2025 — New Delhi's air pollution is more severe than previously estimated with particles absorbing atmospheric water vapor leading to particulate matter levels across the city being underestimated by up to ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:18pm EDT

Plastic Recycling Gets a Breath of Fresh Air

Mar. 11, 2025 — Current methods to recycle plastics often use expensive catalysts, harsh conditions and produce toxic byproducts. New process converts PET plastic into monomer building blocks, which can be recycled ...

Earth's 'Dirty Mirror' Effect Is Accelerating Climate Change

Mar. 11, 2025 — Cloudy areas over oceans are reflecting less sunlight to space than ...

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 ...

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. ...

Uncovering Dementia's Environmental Triggers

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

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 ...

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. ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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. ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Technology for Oxidizing Atmospheric Methane Won't Help the Climate

Jan. 17, 2025 — Atmospheric scientists show proposed 'geoengineering' effort to remove methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from the atmosphere could worse air quality while providing minimal climate ...

Lower Access to Air Conditioning May Increase Need for Emergency Care for Wildfire Smoke Exposure

Jan. 11, 2025 — People who have limited access to air conditioning may be at higher risk of seeking emergency care for health problems following exposure to wildfire smoke, according to a new study. The study found ...

Taking a Cue from Lightning, Eco-Friendly Reactor Converts Air and Water Into Ammonia

Dec. 24, 2024 — Taking inspiration from how nature --including lightning -- produces ammonia, a team has developed a reactor that produces the chemical commodity from nitrogen in the air and water, without any ...

Researchers Find Compromised Indoor Air in Homes Following Marshall Fire

Dec. 23, 2024 — A new study finds gases harmful to human health lingered for weeks following the ...