Category Archives: air pollution

Climate change is still “the biggest global health threat of the 21st century”

Posted on July 10, 2015 by tbach

Two recent reports add to the growing call for linking climate change laws with public health. From the U.K., the Lancet Commission on Health and Climate Change followed up on its 2009 announcement that global warming “is the 21st century’s … Continue reading →

Posted in air pollution, asthma, cardiovascular disease, climate change and health, coal, Fine Air Particulates, global health, global warming, public health | Comments Off on Climate change is still “the biggest global health threat of the 21st century”

China’s viral enviro health documentary and US TSCA reform malaise

Posted on April 6, 2015 by tbach

Last month, this Chinese documentary about the country’s legendary air pollution problems went viral. Now available with English subtitles, Under the Dome has the look and feel of Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, from TED style narration and eye-grabbing background slides to shots of rapt … Continue reading →

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“I Can’t Breath,” an enviro justice double entendre?

Posted on January 24, 2015 by tbach

Listen to this WGBH news story, exploring the overlap between the civil rights and environmental justice movements.  It leads off with: Environmental activists may not seem like the most likely allies for police brutality protestors who, in recent months, have been … Continue reading →

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DC Court of Appeals Upholds EPA Rule on Mercury Emissions

Posted on April 16, 2014 by caitlin

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld EPA’s 2012 rule setting emission standards for coal and oil-fired electric utility steam generating units, denying the challenge from utilities and industry groups that EPA exceeded its authority under the Clean Air Act. The … Continue reading →

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Remembrance of Things Past: London, 1952

Posted on April 4, 2014 by tbach

This week the United Kingdom has experienced a toxic smog that has caused 1.6 million people to suffer an  asthma attack.  A survey by Asthma UK conducted yesterday found 30% of the country’s  5.4 million asthmatics had suffered an asthma attack as … Continue reading →

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WHO describes air pollution as single largest environmental health risk

Posted on March 26, 2014 by tbach

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), some 7 million people died in 2012 due to air pollution.  The majority of these deaths, from heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer, resulted from indoor smoke from cook stoves.  Air pollution is … Continue reading →

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Residential traffic pollution associated with rising incidence of childhood leukemia

Posted on March 23, 2014 by tbach

A new meta-analysis report by the CDC published in the April 2014 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine concludes the following: “Exposure to elevated concentrations of traffic-related air pollutants in the near-road environment is associated with numerous adverse … Continue reading →

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Africa on track to contribute majority of global particulate matter

Posted on March 12, 2014 by tbach

A study co-authored by researchers from France and Cote d’Ivoire concludes that Africa will contribute as much as 55% of the world’s particle pollutants by 2030.  In 2005, the continent accounted for 5% of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions and … Continue reading →

Posted in air pollution, cardiovascular disease, climate change and health, coal, Fine Air Particulates, global health, indoor air pollution, soot, WHO | Comments Off on Africa on track to contribute majority of global particulate matter

Clean air, healthy heart

Posted on February 25, 2014 by tbach

February is American Heart Month.  To honor it and make the case for how environmental laws lead to improved public health, the EPA created a new Public Service Announcement (PSA) about how air pollution affects heart health aimed at patients … Continue reading →

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As Winter Descends, EPA Proposes Stricter Standards for Wood Stoves

Posted on January 6, 2014 by caitlin

New Englanders feeding their wood stoves in a struggle against the sub-zero temperatures have something new to read, because EPA has proposed new emission limits on residential wood-burning heaters. While more than twelve million U.S. homes rely on wood stoves … Continue reading →

Posted in air pollution, asthma, carbon monoxide, cardiovascular disease, Clean Air Act, EPA, Fine Air Particulates, pollution control standards, soot, Uncategorized, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), woodstoves | Comments Off on As Winter Descends, EPA Proposes Stricter Standards for Wood Stoves