Archive for category Pollution

Fossil Fuel Industries Identified As The Main Source of Methane

Posted by Mila Luleva in Pollution on May 17, 2013

A study recently published in the journal Atmospheric Environment, reported an increase in methane concentrations alongside major southern US roads and highways. Researchers from University of California, Santa Barbara, conducted an extensive sampling of atmospheric methane concentrations along transects from the Southwest and moving towards Huston. The scientists used a gas chromatograph to measure methane, since [...]

Air Quality Directive Strengthened by Scientists

Posted by Mila Luleva in Pollution on May 16, 2013

In anticipation of the Green Week 2013, which will take place in Brussels between the 4th and 7th of June, scientists and stakeholders gathered earlier this week to discuss ways to expand research and strengthen the Air Quality Directive. The event entitled „Frontline Research for Improved Air Quality and Climate Action” was initiated by the the Leibniz [...]

Toxic Contaminants Threaten More Lives Than Malaria

Posted by Mila Luleva in Pollution on May 10, 2013

Earlier this week, a research conducted by scientists at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York established that toxic pollutants from contaminated land cause more deaths in developing countries than infectious diseases such as malaria. The study lead by Dr. Kevin Charham was based on samples collected from various locations in India, Indonesia [...]

Technique for Waste Water Phosphorous Removal Improved

Posted by Mila Luleva in Pollution on May 9, 2013

Research coming from the Urban Water Technologies Stream of CSIRO’s Water for a Healthy Country Flagship created a new approach to remove phosphorus from waste water and limit algal blooms. Phosphorus is one of the most commonly found constituents of commercial fertilizers. Concentrations of the element in waste waters increase mainly due to agricultural run off. [...]

Coal Mining Pollution Neglected by The Environmental Protection Agency

Posted by Mila Luleva in Pollution on May 3, 2013

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced earlier this week, that they will not take any action against coal mining pollution. The reasoning for EPA’s inactions is that the agency has “other priorities”. It is somehow difficult to comprehend how such agency, which is responsible for protecting the environment from deadly pollutants, harmful to human health, [...]

Oslo Imports Trash for Power Generation, But There’s Not Enough Trash to Go Around

Posted by Benji Jerew in Pollution, Recycling on May 2, 2013

The city of Oslo, Norway, burns its trash in specialize plants for power generation and heating, but there are more trash-burning plants than there is trash to feed them. The situation is similar in other Northern European countries, which exceed 700 million tons of trash-burning power generation capacity. The problem is, in an age of [...]

Truth About BP’s Oil Spill in The Gulf of Mexico Uncovered

Posted by Mila Luleva in Pollution on May 1, 2013

The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 is known as the largest unintentional environmental disaster in history, with around 210 million gallons of Louisiana sweet crude spilled in the Gulf. It took nearly 3 months to clean, with thousands of workers being involved. Although the media followed closely each step of [...]

California Ranked as Most Polluted State

Posted by Mila Luleva in Pollution on April 26, 2013

The American Lung Association ranked Los Angeles as the U.S. city with the highest levels of ozone pollution, the worst smog and the heaviest traffic. The annual report on national air quality released earlier this week placed the farming town of Bakersfield, California at first place for particulate pollution. The American Lung Association estimated that [...]

New LED Streetlight Reduces Light Pollution and Saves Energy

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Green Electronics, Pollution, Power Saving on April 25, 2013

Light pollution is one of the biggest sources of pollution worldwide. Because some chemical processes that cleanse the atmosphere only occur in the dark, light pollution prevents these chemical reactions to happen, thus contributing to the chemical pollution throughout the next day and so on. New streetlights designed by scientists in Mexico and Taiwan are now [...]

Living Near Car Traffic Leads to Heart Disease, Study Finds

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Pollution on April 21, 2013

Fumes from gas-powered cars (diesels, mostly) can harm your health seriously if you live near high-trafficked roads. Fine particle matter (PM) emitted by ICE engines enter your lungs and access even the deepest parts of them, as they’re just 1/100 of a human hair in width (2.5 micrometers). David Rich, ScD, associate professor of public [...]

Deadly Pollution Levels Plague Hong Kong

Posted by Leigh Kim in Pollution on April 16, 2013

On Monday in Hong Kong, children, the elderly, and people with respiratory illnesses and heart conditions were advised to stay inside because air pollution index readings were at their highest this year. In Beijing on Monday, the pollution index reached as high as 167, considered a very unhealthy level of pollution according to the US [...]

Air Pollution Killing Children and Elderly in China

Posted by Leigh Kim in Pollution on April 9, 2013

According to the Health Effects Institute (HEI), 40% of premature deaths linked to air pollution across the world occurred in China. In China, particulate matter is the fourth leading cause of death. It is just behind high blood pressure, smoking, and dietary risks. Experts posit that without major changes, by 2050, air pollution will be [...]

Los Angeles Imposes New Regulations to Combat Coastal Pollution

Posted by Mila Luleva in Pollution on April 8, 2013

An initiative by local officials in Los Angeles, has an aim to reduce runoff pollution after rainfall events, while solving the problem with depleting resources of drinking water in the region. Water pollution due to runoff has been one of the major problems in the L.A. area. Various pesticides, heavy metals, animal waste and many other polluting [...]

Beijing Air Pollution Reached Alarming Levels In Three Months

Posted by Mila Luleva in Pollution on April 5, 2013

According to a recent report by the Chinese news organization, the levels of two of the most toxic atmospheric pollutants- nitrogen dioxide and particular matter, has increased by 30% in Beijing over the past three months. As stated by Chen Tian, the head of the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau, who is cited in the report, [...]

More Than Half of US Rivers Found Unsuitable For Aquatic Life

Posted by Mila Luleva in Pollution on April 3, 2013

The US Environmental Protection Agency conducted a survey on quality of US rivers, indicating that majority of streams and rivers in the country are in “poor condition” for their inhabitants due to high levels of contamination and physical disturbances. Hydrologists from the agency collected samples from around 2000 sites over the period between 2008 and 2009. They [...]