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26 Sep

Pollution from Wildfire Smoke May Be Impacting Kids’ Mental Health

Children exposed to unsafe levels of fine particulate matter through wildfires and other extreme forms of air pollution face an increased risk of depression, anxiety and other internalizing symptoms, a new study finds.

Health News Results - 151

Breathing Dirty Air Might Raise Eczema Risks

Cases of the autoimmune skin condition eczema appear to rise in areas most plagued by air pollution, new research shows.

Since data has long shown that rates of eczema -- clinically known as atopic dermatitis -- increase along with industrialization, dirty air mig...

Could Dirty Air Raise Kids' Odds for Peanut Allergy?

Babies who breathe in polluted air tend to have higher rates of peanut allergy as they grow up, but the same wasn't true for immune-based conditions like egg allergy or eczema, Australian researchers report.

Why the connection to peanut allergy in particular?

That's not yet clear, said study lead author

  • Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
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  • October 23, 2024
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    • ERs See More Trauma Patients on Smog-Filled Days

    Accident victims tend to flood emergency rooms on days with heavy air pollution, a new study shows.

    The number of patients treated at ERs increase by 10% to 15% on days with increased particle pollution in the air, researchers found.

    That increase is driven by cases of trauma, along with more people suffering

  • Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
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  • October 16, 2024
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    • Air Pollution Could Be Changing Children's Brains

    Even air pollution levels considered safe by U.S. standards appear to cause differences in the brains of growing children, a new review suggests.

    "We're seeing differences in brain outcomes between children with higher levels of pollution exposure versus lower levels of pollution exposure," said corresponding author Camelia ...

    Stroke Kills 7 Million Worldwide Each Year, and Deaths Are Rising

    Climate change and worsening diets are sending global rates of stroke and stroke deaths skyward, a new study warns.

    Almost 12 million people worldwide had a stroke in 2021, up 70% since 1990, according to a team led by Valery Feigin, of the Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand.

    It's now the third leading cause of d...

    Buildup of Metals in Body Can Worsen Heart Disease

    Cadmium, uranium, cobalt: These and other metals found in the environment can collect in the body and exacerbate heart disease, new research suggests.

    "Our findings highlight the importance of considering metal exposure as a significant risk factor for atherosclerosis and cardi...

    Polluting Puff: Asthma Inhalers Are Big Contributors to Climate Change

    Tiny puffs from asthma inhalers could be causing big climate problems for Mother Earth, a new study warns.

    Each inhaler dose contains some of the most potent greenhouse gases known, and they are adding up, researchers reported recently in the

  • Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
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  • September 16, 2024
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    • Dirty Air Could Harm Men's Fertility, Noise Could Harm Women's

    City living may be tough on couples wanting to conceive: New data shows that air pollution appears to be linked to lower fertility in men, while noisy traffic could harm the fertility of women.

    “If our results are confirmed in future studies, it suggests that political implementation of air pollution and noise mitigations may be important tools for improving birth rates in the weste...

    Americans Are Moving Away From Polluted Areas -- If They Can Afford To

    Americans of means are fleeing heavily polluted places in the United States for cleaner locales, a new study has found.

    Pollution levels are a factor in families’ decision to move within the United States, but only richer households can afford to move to areas with better air qualit...

    Too Much Fun? Fireworks Displays Quickly Harm Air Quality

    Fireworks displays can cause worse air quality than wildfire smoke, a new study reveals.

    About 60,000 firework shells exploded over Manhattan’s East River as part of Macy’s Fourth of July show in 2023, researchers said.

    The colorful bursts caused air pollution in New York City to spike dramatically, with levels many times higher in the hours after the display than was ...

    How Wildfire Smoke Could Be Harming Surgical Patients

    Wildfire smoke could interfere with the safety of surgeries, a new study warns.

    Inhaling the smoke could complicate the effects of anesthesia on surgical patients, and it also might hamper their recovery, researchers reported Aug. 6 in the journal Anesthesiology.

    “Wildfire smoke poses significant health risks, particularly in people with preexisting heart and lung dis...

    14 Risk Factors Raise Your Odds for Odds for Dementia

    New research has added two conditions to the list of 12 risk factors that boost the chances of a dementia diagnosis.

    The good news? You can guard against the development of both and researchers offer advice on exactly how to do that.

    In a study published Wednesday in 

  • Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
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  • August 1, 2024
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    • Wildfire Smoke Exposure Linked With Higher Dementia Risk

    The wildfires thats are increasing with climate change could harm the future brain health of humanity, a new study suggests.

    Wildfire smoke appears to increase people’s risk of a dementia diagnosis even more than other types of air pollution, researchers

    Athletes Can Expect High Ozone, Pollen Counts for Paris Olympics

    Bad news for Olympians headed to Paris -- high levels of ozone pollution and grass pollen are likely during the upcoming games if hot, sunny weather prevails, researchers said.

    Ozone levels in Paris and its environs tend to exceed World Health Organization (WHO) recommended thresholds about 20 days per month between July and September, according to an analysis of air quality monitoring da...

    Wildfires in Western U.S., Canada Create Hazardous Air Conditions

    Wildfires raging in several states and Canada are triggering air quality alerts and evacuation orders across the western parts of the United States.

    Smoke and haze have filled the skies in California, Oregon, Arizona, Washington and several other western states: As of Wednesday, there were 79 large, active wildfires that have burned over 1.4 million acres across the country, accordin...

    Huge Warehouses Can Create Unhealthy Neighborhoods

    Online retail giants like Amazon have made it easier for people to buy what they want when they want it, but that convenience comes at a cost to people’s health, a new study says.

    Huge warehouses that support online shopping increase air pollution in the neighborhoods where they’re located, increasing residents’ risk of

  • Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
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  • July 24, 2024
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    • Air Pollution Exposure Tied to 40% Drop in Live Births Among IVF Patients

    Exposure to air pollution can significantly reduce the odds of in vitro fertilization (IVF) leading to a live birth, a new study says.

    The odds of a live birth are nearly 40% lower in women heavily exposed to particle pollution in the two weeks before her eggs were collected for IVF, com...

    Childhood Exposure to Air Pollution May Trigger Bronchitis Years Later

    Exposure to air pollution as a child increases an adult's risk of bronchitis, a new study warns.

    Young adults with bronchitis symptoms tended to have been exposed during childhood to two types of air pollutants, researchers found:

    • Particle pollution from dust, pollen, wi...

    9/11 Responders May Face Higher Odds for Dementia

    After helping America through one of its worst tragedies, some responders to the events of 9/11 may now face another foe: Heightened risks for dementia.

    A new study looks at the health of thousands of firemen, construction workers and others who worked at the World Trade Center (WTC) si...

    Many Louisiana Residents May Be Exposed to Sky-High Levels of Toxic Gas

    Many Louisiana residents are being exposed to a cancer-causing toxic gas that's used in industrial settings, researchers report.

    A cutting-edge mobile air-testing lab found dangerous levels of ethylene oxide along large stretches of Louisiana, sometimes at levels a thou...

    Health Savings Could Near $250,000 When Electric School Bus Replaces Diesel

    It might be hoped that replacing a diesel school bus with a clean electric model would pay off for health and the environment.

    New research suggests that it does -- and gives a dollar figure for that payoff.

    Replacing a diesel bus with a clean electric model yields up to $247,600 in climate and health benefits per bus, according to research from Harvard University's T.H. Chan Schoo...

    Gas Stoves Could Leave Your Lungs Vulnerable to Nitrogen Dioxide

    People in homes with gas or propane stoves regularly breathe in unhealthy levels of nitrogen dioxide, a new study says.

    Typical use of these stoves increases exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) by an estimated 4 parts per billion, averaged over a year, researchers report.

    That's three-quarters of the way to the NO2 exposure level deemed unsafe in outdoor air by the World Health ...

    Almost 40% of Americans Live With Dirty Air: Report

    Nearly 40% of Americans live where the air is polluted enough to harm them, a new report warns.

    In the American Lung Association's "State of the Air"report, released Wednesday, the number of people living with levels of air pollution that could jeopardize their health climbed from about 119 million in 2023 to 131 million now.

    EPA Designates Two 'Forever Chemicals' as Hazardous

    Two common PFAS "forever chemicals" have been deemed hazardous substances by the Environmental Protection Agency.

    The new designation, enacted under the country's

  • Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
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  • April 22, 2024
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    • Roadside Trees, Bushes Are Cutting Air Pollution, Study Finds

    Planting trees and bushes near busy highways helps clear the air of harmful air pollutants from motor vehicles, new research affirms.

    "They provide benefits that go beyond aesthetics," Roby Greenwald, an associate professor of public health at Georgia State University in Atlanta, said in a university news release.

    "B...

    There Are Multiple Child Asthma Triggers in Dirty Air

    There's a toxic stew of chemicals in polluted air that can all trigger asthma attacks in kids, new research shows.

    Also, where a child lives -- for example, near factories or highways -- greatly influences how much they're exposed to these toxins, reports a team from Washington State University in Spokane.

    "It's not just one pollutant that can be linked to

  • Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
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  • March 14, 2024
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    • Living Near Green Spaces Could Strengthen Your Bones

    Living close to trees and other greenery could be keeping your bones strong, a new 12-year study suggests.

    Folks whose residences were near spots deemed "green" by satellite imagery tended to have better bone density than those who lived elsewhere, Chinese researchers found.

    Reductions in air pollution seemed key to greenery's benefit for bones, according to a team led by

  • Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
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  • March 7, 2024
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    • Dirty Air Increasingly Affects Minority Communities

    Air pollution harms the health of everyone exposed to it, but a new study says communities of color are disproportionately harmed by dirty air.

    Smog causes nearly 8 times higher childhood asthma rates and 1.3 times higher risk of premature death among minority communities compared to white communities, researchers found.

    These elevated risks are a matter of geography, said study co-...

    Dirty Air Could Be Raising Your Alzheimer's Risk

    People exposed to high levels of traffic-related air pollution are more likely to have more amyloid plaques in their brain, a condition associated with Alzheimer's disease, a new study finds.

    Seniors were nearly twice as likely to have more amyloid plaques if, in the year before their death, they lived in places with high concentrations of particle pollution caused by traffic, results sho...

    Move to Electric Vehicles Could Prevent Millions of Child Asthma Attacks Each Year

    If all cars and trucks sold in America were "zero emission" by 2040 and the country's electric grid was also powered by clean energy, nearly 2.8 million child asthma attacks would be prevented annually, a new report finds.

    The American Lung Association (ALA) report also estimates that with cleaner air, 508 infant lives ...

    Despite the Evidence, Nearly 15% of Americans Deny Climate Change

    Nearly 15% of Americans still deny that climate change is real, according to a new national assessment from the University of Michigan.

    Evidence of climate change has been mounting, including science which has shown that climate-related natural disasters are growing in frequency and intensity sooner than originally predicted, researchers said.

    Nevertheless, climate change is still n...

    A Quarter of Americans Breathe 'Unhealthy Air,' Report Shows

    Few can forget the haunting images of New York City bathed in a thick orange smog after smoke from Canadian wildfires swept southward last summer.

    Now, a new report from the First Street Foundation suggests these alarming effects of climate change are becoming far more common, wit...

    Biden Administration to Tighten Air Pollution Standards

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced that it is cracking down on air pollution.

    Specifically, the agency introduced a tougher air quality standard that takes aim at fine particulate matter -- the tiny bits of pollution that can penetrate the lungs -- by lowering the allowable annual concentration of the deadly pollutant that each state can have.

    "This final air qua...

    Ozone-Linked Deaths on the Rise Globally

    Deaths related to ozone air pollution will rise significantly around the world during the next two decades due to climate change, a new study warns.

    Cities in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa can expect to see ozone-related deaths increase by as many as 6,200 fatalities a year by 2054 unless humans rein in global warming, researchers project.

    "This paper is further ...

    American Air Is Getting Cleaner, But Benefits Aren't Reaching All

    An American's income and ethnicity could play a role in how clean the air is that they breathe, a new study finds.

    Air pollution emissions have fallen more in wealthier areas, and less in areas with larger Hispanic or American Indian populations.

    Overall, U.S. air pollution emissions have decreased substantially, but the magnitude of the change varies based on demographics, the rese...

    Wildfires Are Undoing Gains Made Against Air Pollution

    Unhealthy air from wildfires is causing hundreds of additional deaths in the western United States every year, a new study claims.

    Wildfires have undercut progress made in cleaning America's air, and between 2000 and 2020 caused an increase of 670 premature deaths each year in the West, researchers report Dec. 4 in The Lancet Planetary Health journal.

    "Our air is supposed t...

    Commuting on a Highway? Your Blood Pressure May Pay a Price

    It's not just bumper-to-bumper highway traffic that's causing your blood pressure to spike during your daily commute.

    New research shows that the exhaust fumes spewing from all those vehicles triggers a significant increase in car passengers' blood pressure.

    The observed increase is comparable to the effect of a high-salt diet, researchers found, and the effect can last up to 24 hou...

    Breathing in Coal-Based Pollution Could Be Especially Deadly: Study

    When it comes to the ultra-fine particles you may breathe in from polluted air, all is not created equal as it affects your health.

    Fine particle pollutants known PM2.5 -- particles that are 2.5 microns or less in diameter -- appear to double the risk for premature death over time if they originate from coal-fired power plants versus other sources, a

  • Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
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  • November 27, 2023
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    • Most Americans Know Little About Harmful PFAS 'Forever Chemicals'

    Nearly half of Americans have never heard of health-threatening PFAS "forever chemicals,"a new survey has found.

    PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a category of thousands of manufactured chemicals that have become an emerging concern to environmental and human health, researchers from Texas A&M University said.

    Nonetheless, 45% of survey participants had n...

    Air Pollution Exposure Before Birth May Harm Reproductive Development: Study

    Air pollution could be harming the development of children, reaching into the womb to alter their healthy growth, a new study reports.

    Researchers say certain air pollutants appear to negatively alter a specific measure of prenatal exposure to hormones.

    "These findings suggest air pollution may interfere with normal hormone activity during critical periods of prenatal and early infa...

    Wildfire Smoke Raises Risks for Folks on Dialysis

    Exposure to wildfire-related air pollution in western states has taken its toll on U.S. patients who are on dialysis.

    New research linked it to elevated risks of hospitalization and death in patients who were receiving in-center hemodialysis treatment in Washington, Oregon and Califo...

    Car Exhaust Could Harm a Woman's Pregnancy

    Air pollution from heavy traffic may be driving pregnancy complications and health concerns for infants.

    Researchers who matched more than 60,000 birth records with air-monitoring data found that pregnant patients living in an urban area with elevated levels of nitrogen dioxide had higher rates of preterm birth.

    This included delivery before 28 weeks, according to

  • Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
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  • October 16, 2023
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    • Smoggy Days Raise Short-Term Odds for Stroke

    Exposure to air pollution, even for just a short time, drives up your risk of having a stroke over the next few days, new research warns.

    That conclusion stems from a review of 110 studies conducted across Asia, Europe and the Americas.

    Depending on the specific nature of the pollutant in question, stroke risk rose anywhere from 5% to 28% within less than a week after first being e...

    Wildfire Smoke Pollution a Growing Global Threat

    More people around the world are exposed to wildfire smoke that has the potential to harm human health, and their numbers are growing, new research finds.

    More than 2 billion people are exposed to at least one day of potentially health-impacting wildfire smoke each year, a figure that has grown by almost 7% in the past decade, according to a study led by Australian scientists.

    Mor...

    Wildfire Smoke Is Reversing Recent Clean-Air Gains Across the U.S.

    When Canadian wildfire smoke shrouded the New York City skyline and spread to parts of New England this summer, millions of East Coast residents saw firsthand just how pervasive it can be.

    Now, a new study quantifies exactly what wildfire smoke is doing to hard-fought gains in cleaning up the air, even in Eastern states not typically affected by wildfires.

    "Since 2000, there's been ...

    Dirty Air Could Raise Breast Cancer Risk

    Air pollution has long been known to harm the heart and lungs, but new research suggests it might also raise the risk of breast cancer.

    Researchers at the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) discovered that the largest increases in breast cancer incidence were among women who, on average, had higher levels of particulate...

    Could Wildfire Smoke Raise Rural Suicide Rates?

    As this summer has shown, the massive smoke plumes generated by wildfires can dirty the air of regions many miles away. Now a new study is raising the question of whether that pollution is contributing to suicides in rural America.

    Researchers found a correlation between air pollution from "drifting" wildfire smoke and a rise in U.S. counties' suicide rates. The connection was not seen ev...

    Canadian Wildfire Smoke Caused Spikes in Asthma-Related ER Visits Across the U.S.

    Smoke from Canadian wildfires sent high numbers of people suffering from asthma attacks to America's emergency rooms this spring and summer, according to two new reports.

    From April 30 to August 4, 2023, smoke from out-of-control wildfires in Canada increased emergency room visits for asthma by 17% over average, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ...

    Canadian Wildfire Smoke's Health Impact on NYC  Residents May Have Been Less Than Feared

    Living through days of smoky air from Canadian wildfires in June was unpleasant for New York City residents, but new data shows it wasn't as immediately concerning for their lungs as feared.

    The research finds breathing-related hospital visits weren't much worse in the city on these days than when pollen is especially high, though longer-term impacts aren't so clear.

    "Thankfully, th...

    Living With Air Pollution Raises Chances of Dementia, Study Finds

    People who daily breathe in air pollution, particularly from wildfires or agricultural sources, might need to add a heightened risk of dementia to their list of health concerns.

    New research looked at the potential effects of particle pollution on dementia, finding an association even ...

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