New WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines (AQGs) provide clear evidence of the damage air pollution inflicts on human health, at even lower concentrations than previously understood. The guidelines recommend new air quality levels to protect the health of populations, by reducing levels of key air pollutants, some of which also contribute to climate change. Since […]
Excess COVID-19 cases, deaths in the U.S. may be attributable to PM2.5 pollution from wildfires
Thousands of COVID-19 cases and deaths in California, Oregon, and Washington between March and December 2020 may be attributable to increases in fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) from wildfire smoke, according to a new study co-authored by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The study is the first to quantify the degree […]
Organic food intake linked with better fluid intelligence and working memory in children
A study analyzing the association between a wide variety of prenatal and childhood exposures and neuropsychological development in school-age children has found that organic food intake is associated with better scores on tests of fluid intelligence (ability to solve novel reasoning problems) and working memory (ability of the brain to retain new information while it […]
New method uses DNA biomarkers to flag prenatal environmental exposures in children
Scientists at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health developed a method using a DNA biomarker to easily screen pregnant women for harmful prenatal environmental contaminants like air pollution linked to childhood illness and developmental disorders. This approach has the potential to prevent childhood developmental disorders and chronic illness through the early identification of children […]
Rise in air pollution: What expecting mothers and parents with newborns need to know
A pregnant woman's exposure to every 10-µg/m3 increase in PM 2.5 could result in a four-gram decline in the baby's birth-weight By Dr Pratibha Singhal Every year, the onset of winter is automatically associated with poor air, respiratory and visibility problems. Have we ever realised that air pollution can adversely affect the health of an […]