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Prenatal Exposure to Air Pollution Linked to Childhood ADHD

Prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAH, a component of air pollution, raises the odds of behavior problems associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, at age 9, according to researchers at the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health at the Mailman School of Public Health. Results are published online in the journal PLOS ONE.

7 Nov 2014

Study Determines Importance of Denitrification in Patches of Shallow Groundwater

Even during summer dry spells, some isolated patches of soil in forested watersheds remain waterlogged. These patches act as hot spots of microbial activity that remove nitrogen from groundwater and return it to the atmosphere, researchers from several institutions, including Virginia Tech, report in a leading scientific journal.

4 Nov 2014

Neglecting Linkages Between SLCFs and CO2 Overestimates Long-Term Climate Benefits

Targeting emissions of non-CO2 gases and air pollutants with climate effects might produce smaller benefits for long-term climate change than previously estimated, according to a new integrated study of the potential of air pollution and carbon dioxide mitigation.

4 Nov 2014

Thirdhand Smoke Continues to be Harmful Long after a Cigarette Has Been Extinguished

Ever walked into a hotel room and smelled old cigarette smoke? While the last smoker may have left the room hours or even days ago, the lingering odors—resulting from noxious residue that clings to walls, carpets, furniture, or dust particles—are thanks to thirdhand smoke.

4 Nov 2014

Inexpensive Tidal Simulation Units Could Help Preserve, Restore Environmentally Important Tidal Wetlands

Rachel MacTavish is growing salt marsh plants in microcosms that replicate the tide. She assembled them in an outdoor greenhouse at the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve in Georgia, USA, with buckets from a hardware store, aquarium tubing, and pumps. Her tidal simulation units could be an important tool for preserving and restoring environmentally important wetlands, because they enable researchers to investigate tidal marsh plant growth in a controlled setting.

3 Nov 2014

Researchers Accurately Measure Concentrations of PCB Pollutants in Ice of Alpine Glacier

As glaciers increasingly melt in the wake of climate change, it is not only the landscape that is affected. Thawing glaciers also release many industrial pollutants stored in the ice into the environment.

3 Nov 2014

Unconventional Oil and Gas Production Releases Air Pollutants Well Over Recommended Levels

Research suggesting air pollutants released by unconventional oil and gas production are well over recommended levels in the US is published today in the open access journal Environmental Health.

31 Oct 2014

Chromium Pollution Decreases Across the UK

Scientists at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) have detailed the changing levels of chromium pollution across the UK Heavy Metals Monitoring Network, which celebrates 10 years of NPL operation this month.

28 Oct 2014

Citizen Scientists with Smartphones Deliver Accurate Data of Atmospheric Dust

Measurements by thousands of citizen scientists in the Netherlands using their smartphones and the iSPEX add-on are delivering accurate data on dust particles in the atmosphere that add valuable information to professional measurements.

28 Oct 2014

Study Findings Help Develop More-Efficient Methods for Detoxifying Dangerous Pollutants

Scientists at The University of Manchester hope a major breakthrough could lead to more effective methods for detoxifying dangerous pollutants like PCBs and dioxins. The result is a culmination of 15 years of research and has been published in Nature. It details how certain organisms manage to lower the toxicity of pollutants.

21 Oct 2014