Prolonged exposure to the Red Planet’s regolith, which contains carcinogens and toxic metals, could pose respiratory threats and increase chronic disease risk.
air quality
Posted inResearch & Developments
Trump Administration Set to Backtrack on “Cancer Alley” Lawsuit
At AGU’s Annual Meeting 2024, activist Sharon Lavigne spoke about living in Louisiana, in what is commonly known as “Cancer Alley.” The 85-mile stretch along the Mississippi River is home to more than 200 industrial facilities, including the Denka Performance Elastomer plant, which uses chloroprene to manufacture synthetic rubber for products such as automotive parts, adhesives, and construction materials.
Posted inResearch & Developments
404: Air Quality Data from U.S. Embassies Removed
On 4 March, AirNow, the home of the U.S. Air Quality Index, shut down its webpage that reported data from air quality monitors at U.S. embassies and consulates around the world. Eos learned of the removal of these data from Dan Westervelt, a climate change and pollution scientist at Columbia University’s Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, New York.
Posted inNews
Access to Air-Conditioning May Affect Wildfire-Related Health Outcomes
A new study found that access to air-conditioning is a stronger predictor of emergency department visits related to PM2.5 exposure from smoke than factors such as race, age, and socioeconomic status.
Posted inNews
The Breath of Colonialism Continues to Taint the Air in Uganda
Potentially harmful air quality in Kampala, Uganda, follows the borders of segregated settlements from Africa’s colonial era.
Posted inNews
Cooking with Gas Creates Unhealthy Work Environments
Even with ventilation, commercial kitchens can have air pollution levels that exceed health-related limits.
Posted inNews
EPA Air Monitoring Network Misses 2.8 Million Americans in Pollution Hot Spots
Current EPA air monitoring may not capture the extent of particulate air pollution.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Fixing Pollution from Space Needs Global Coordination
Remote sensing is a tool of choice for monitoring regions for air pollution, but the scale of the problem requires extending geostationary soundings globally.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Buffering by Ammonia Sustains Sulfate Aerosol Production
A new method for evaluating the role of multiphase buffering and acidification reactions on aerosol pH finds that the buffering effect sustains sulfate production from high pH-favored multiphase reactions.
Posted inNews
Toxic Ethylene Oxide May Exceed Safe Levels in Cancer Alley
Concentrations of the cancer-causing chemical far surpass EPA threshold levels for safety in southeastern Louisiana.