air-pollution

A research team has found that arsenic-contaminated soils around a typical shut-down brick kiln in Anhui, China, show clear shifts in bacterial diversity, community structure, metabolic pathways, and detoxification genes.

A natural quasi-experiment in Suba, Bogotá, found that more stringent COVID-19 mobility restrictions were associated with larger reductions in PM₁₀ and PM₂.₅ air pollution. The findings suggest targeted traffic and emissions controls could improve urban air quality, although ozone responses were more complex, and the results may not generalize beyond this high-traffic district.

Plastic products are part of daily life for most people. We store food in plastic containers, use cosmetics packaged in plastic, and rely on many medical and household products made from plastic materials. Because these products are so common, few people think about the chemicals they may contain. However, a new study suggests that some […] The post Everyday Plastics May Cause Heart Disease Death…

At least three coal plants have been repeatedly cited for violating environmental regulations.

More bad air is expected around the Boyle Heights warehouses that has been burning since Wednesday.

Every year, people around the world drink enormous amounts of coffee, leaving behind more than 10 million tons of used coffee grounds. Most of this waste ends up in landfills or is burned, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and environmental pollution. However, used coffee grounds contain a significant amount of energy. The problem is that […] The post Scientists turn wet coffee grounds int…

Scientific Reports, Published online: 20 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41598-026-57469-3 Environmental sustainability in Somalia: the role of clean cooking energy and remittances on ecological footprints

Microplastics are everywhere. They are tiny pieces of plastic that form when larger plastic items, such as bottles, food containers, plastic bags, and packaging materials, slowly break down over time. These particles are so small that people often cannot see them with the naked eye. Scientists have found microplastics in rivers, oceans, soil, drinking water, […] The post Tiny Plastic Particles Co…

Lanchester Wines in north-east England uses heat from a disused coalmine to maintain wine temperatures and with 23,000 flooded mines in the UK, there’s huge potential for more businesses and homes to follow its lead Shove them in a fridge, stash them in a cellar – this is how most people store their favourite bottles of wine. But if you have warehouses full of thousands of vintages, you have to t…

Scientific Reports, Published online: 20 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41598-026-59084-8 Efficiency of a microplastic removal system from synthetic wastewater using a chemical process combined with simple filtration

Microplastics – tiny bits of degraded polymers that are ubiquitous in our air, water and soil – have lodged themselves throughout the human body, including the liver, kidney, placenta and testes, over the past half century. Now, University of New Mexico Health Sciences researchers have found microplastics in human brains, and at much higher concentrations […]

ABSTRACT Recent advances in additive‐assisted plastic biodegradation have revealed multiple pathways—oxidative, hydrolytic, enzymatic, and microbial—that accelerate polymer breakdown in environmental conditions. Innovations in pro‐oxidant, hydrolysis‐promoting, microbial nutrient, enzyme‐releasing, and surface‐activating additives have expanded the toolkit for enhancing polymer degradation throug…

Abstract Microplastic contamination in freshwater ecosystems poses a critical environmental challenge, necessitating effective removal technologies in wastewater treatment. This research aims to evaluate the efficiency of a hybrid removal system for polyethylene microplastics (particle sizes 0.15–1 mm) by integrating chemical coagulation with simple sand filtration. The performance of three coagu…

Air pollution in urban learning environments remains an important public health concern for young children, particularly where schools are located close to major roads and industrial activities. Early Childhood Development Education centres located near high-traffic roads, transport corridors, and industrial zones are especially exposed to elevated concentrations of particulate matter, which pose…

Abstract PM 2.5 is associated with multiple adverse health outcomes, yet data on its concentration, composition and sources in African cities remain limited. This study presents the first detailed characterisation of outdoor PM 2.5 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Twenty-four-hour filter samples were collected every sixth day from 3 October 2020 to 12 October 2021 at a residential site in the subur…