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GoGreenNation news

Discrimination Has Trapped People of Color in Unhealthy Urban 'Heat Islands'

News Feed
Sunday, September 24, 2023

People of color, more than other groups, live in neighborhoods prone to excess heat and the illnesses that go with it

People of color, more than other groups, live in neighborhoods prone to excess heat and the illnesses that go with it

People of color, more than other groups, live in neighborhoods prone to excess heat and the illnesses that go with it

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

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay ReporterWEDNESDAY, Nov. 29, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- It's not just bumper-to-bumper highway traffic that's causing...

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay ReporterWEDNESDAY, Nov. 29, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- 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 hours.“The body has a complex set of systems to try to keep blood pressure to your brain the same all the time. It’s a very complex, tightly regulated system, and it appears that somewhere, in one of those mechanisms, traffic-related air pollution interferes with blood pressure," said researcher Dr. Joel Kaufman, a University of Washington physician and professor of environmental and occupational health sciences.For the study, his team drove healthy adults ages 22 to 45 three times through rush-hour Seattle traffic while monitoring their blood pressure.Unfiltered road air was allowed to enter the car on two of the drives, while on the third the car was equipped with high-quality HEPA filters that screened out 86% of the air pollution from traffic.Breathing unfiltered air resulted in blood pressure increases of more than 4.5 millimeters of mercury, compared to the drives with filtered air, researchers said.The increase occurred rapidly, peaking about an hour into the drive, and it held steady for at least 24 hours.“We know that modest increases in blood pressure like this, on a population level, are associated with a significant increase in cardiovascular disease,” Kaufman said in a university news release. “There is a growing understanding that air pollution contributes to heart problems. The idea that roadway air pollution at relatively low levels can affect blood pressure this much is an important piece of the puzzle we’re trying to solve.”Long-term exposure to highway air pollution already has been linked to increased rates of heart disease, asthma, lung cancer and death, researchers said in background notes.Traffic-related air pollution is also the main reason why air quality is worse in some neighborhoods and better in others.“This study is exciting because it takes the gold-standard design for laboratory studies and applies it in an on-roadway setting, answering an important question about the health effects of real-world exposures," said lead researcher Michael Young, a former University of Washington postdoctoral fellow. "Studies on this topic often have a challenging time separating the effects of pollution from other roadway exposures like stress and noise, but with our approach the only difference between drive days was air pollution concentration.""The findings are valuable because they can reproduce situations that millions of people actually experience every day,” Young added.SOURCE: University of Washington, news release, Nov. 29, 2023Copyright © 2023 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Health
Pollution
Science

Coal-powered emissions more deadly than previously thought, study finds

Researchers say policymakers should seriously consider the health effects of lingering coal-fired plants

A new paper published in Science shows that particulate matter from coal plants are more harmful than previously thought. The team of researchers from across the United States looked at data from 480 coal-fueled power plants and found that approximately 460,000 deaths in the Medicare population could be attributed to coal emissions, twice the number of premature deaths that was previously reported. The researchers also ranked coal plants by deadliest, and found the top 10 were associated with more than 5,000 deaths. The study estimated that coal-fueled plants in two states, Ohio and Pennsylvania, likely caused more than 103,000 deaths nationwide since 1999.  “Fine particle air pollution from coal has been treated as if it’s just another air pollutant,” said the paper’s lead author Lucas Henneman, an assistant professor of environmental engineering at George Mason University. “But it’s much more harmful than we thought and its mortality burden has been seriously underestimated.” There was one bit of good news in the data: deaths from coal were highest in 1999, but by 2020 they decreased by about 95 percent. Researchers emphasized that their study shows that cutting emissions from coal-powered plants, and moving toward clean energy, can save lives of those who live near and far away from the plants. As policymakers continue to weigh the future of the coal industry, the researchers say the results of this study should be significantly weighed.  “As countries debate their energy sources — and as coal maintains a powerful, almost mythical status in American energy lore—our findings are highly valuable to policymakers and regulators as they weigh the need for cheap energy with the significant environmental and health costs,” said co-author Francesca Dominici, a professor of biostatistics, population and data science at Harvard Chan School and director of the Harvard Data Science Initiative.  

Health
Energy
Science

London mayor faces challenges in expanding clean air zone

London Mayor Sadiq Khan confronts protests and threats as he extends the city’s Ultra Low Emission Zone to combat pollution.Karl Mathiesen reports for POLITICO.In short:The well-intentioned move to improve London air has provoked fierce backlash.Protests and personal threats to the mayor have put his security detail on high alert.Khan faces a delicate dance negotiating a conflict some city leaders view as a global bellwether. Key quote: "I’ve received death threats on a whole host of issues, from my views on Trump, to my religion. This is the latest incarnation."— Sadiq Khan, Mayor of LondonWhy this matters: Khan's bold move to curb vehicle emissions in London underscores the global challenge of moving the needle on public health against political and cultural resistance. His struggle is emblematic of a broader conflict in cities worldwide, where environmental policies clash with traditional values and personal freedoms.How do you think cities should balance environmental policies with public opinion and cultural values?AI-based tools helped produce this text, with human oversight and editing.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan confronts protests and threats as he extends the city’s Ultra Low Emission Zone to combat pollution.Karl Mathiesen reports for POLITICO.In short:The well-intentioned move to improve London air has provoked fierce backlash.Protests and personal threats to the mayor have put his security detail on high alert.Khan faces a delicate dance negotiating a conflict some city leaders view as a global bellwether. Key quote: "I’ve received death threats on a whole host of issues, from my views on Trump, to my religion. This is the latest incarnation."— Sadiq Khan, Mayor of LondonWhy this matters: Khan's bold move to curb vehicle emissions in London underscores the global challenge of moving the needle on public health against political and cultural resistance. His struggle is emblematic of a broader conflict in cities worldwide, where environmental policies clash with traditional values and personal freedoms.How do you think cities should balance environmental policies with public opinion and cultural values?AI-based tools helped produce this text, with human oversight and editing.

Health
Pollution

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

By Ernie Mundell HealthDay ReporterMONDAY, Nov. 27, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- When it comes to the ultra-fine particles you may breathe in from...

By Ernie Mundell HealthDay ReporterMONDAY, Nov. 27, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- 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 new study finds. “PM2.5 from coal has been treated as if it’s just another air pollutant. But it’s much more harmful than we thought, and its mortality burden has been seriously underestimated,” lead author Lucas Henneman said in a Harvard University news release. He's an assistant professor of civil, environmental, and infrastructure engineering at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va.The study was led by researchers at George Mason, Harvard and the University of Texas at Austin. The team reported its findings Nov. 23 in Science.The study was based on more than two decades of Medicare data collected between 1999 and 2020.The team estimate that exposure to coal PM2.5 could have contributed to over 460,000 U.S. deaths over the study period. Most of these deaths occurred between 1999 and 2007, when coal PM2.5 levels were highest, Henneman and colleagues said.Scientists have long known that PM2.5 can lodge deep in the human respiratory tract, with unhealthy results.But until now, it wasn't known if the source of the PM2.5 mattered. “As countries debate their energy sources — and as coal maintains a powerful, almost mythical status in American energy lore — our findings are highly valuable to policymakers and regulators as they weigh the need for cheap energy with the significant environmental and health costs,” study co-author Francesca Dominici, professor of biostatistics, population and data science at Harvard, said in the news release.The study, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health, also used detailed data on emissions from 480 U.S. coal plants over the same study time period.  The team looked at how these emissions drifted in the short term over geographic areas to create "exposure fields."They compared exposure field data to 1999-2016 Medicare data on seniors who were living and dying in those areas. A rise in levels of airborne coal PM2.5 was linked to a 1.12% increase in local death rates -- double the increase compared to a local uptick in PM2.5 coming from any other source.Drilling down further into the data, the team was able to estimate the contribution to local death rates of individual power plants. Overall, 10 of the 480 plants are thought to have each contributed to 5,000 excess deaths over the two decades of the study. But there was also some good news: Reductions in the prevalence of coal-fired power plants across the U.S. after 2007 was mirrored in a rapid reduction in these types of deaths. "Deaths from coal were highest in 1999 but by 2020 decreased by about 95%, as coal plants have installed scrubbers or shut down,” Henneman said.In fact, "I see this as a success story,” study senior author Corwin Zigler, associate professor of statistics and data sciences at UT Austin, said in the news release. “Coal power plants were this major burden that U.S. policies have already significantly reduced."However, he stressed that "we haven’t completely eliminated the burden — so this study provides us a better understanding of how health will continue to improve and lives will be saved if we move further toward a clean energy future.”SOURCE: Harvard T. Chan School of Public Health, news release, Nov. 23, 2023Copyright © 2023 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Health
Energy
Science

Prenatal exposure to air pollution may hurt reproductive health in adult men, study finds

Ingestion of particulate matter may shorten distance between anus and genitals in the womb, a sign of lower testosterone activityIn-utero exposure to common air pollutants may lower semen quality and increase the risk of reproductive system disease in men, new research finds.The peer-reviewed Rutgers University study looked at whether exposure to particulate matter called 2.5 (PM2.5) and nitrogen oxide may shorten the distance between the anus and genitals, or the anogenital distance, in developing fetuses and newborns. Continue reading...

In-utero exposure to common air pollutants may lower semen quality and increase the risk of reproductive system disease in men, new research finds.The peer-reviewed Rutgers University study looked at whether exposure to particulate matter called 2.5 (PM2.5) and nitrogen oxide may shorten the distance between the anus and genitals, or the anogenital distance, in developing fetuses and newborns.Crucially, anogenital distance is a marker of reproductive health related to hormone levels, lower semen quality, fertility and reproductive disorders, and the research identified a likely link between it and exposure to the pollutants.“When we see shorter anogenital lengths, it’s telling us there is lower testosterone activity in the womb … and it may have implications for fertility and reproductive health down the road,” said Emily Barrett, a biostatistics and epidemiology professor at the Rutgers School of Public Health, and the study’s lead author.The findings come amid growing concern over global drops in semen quality, which have so far been tied to exposure to other toxins like PFAS and phthalates. Sperm concentration levels have dropped by 51% in recent decades, and the Rutgers study is among the first “to suggest that the air around is contributing to that, as well”, Barrett added.PM2.5 is among the most common and well-studied air pollutants, and is linked to cancer and respiratory and circulatory disease. Among common sources are diesel exhaust, heavy industry emissions and wildfires, and the Environmental Protection Agency is poised to lower ambient air limits as evidence of its toxicity at smaller exposures becomes clearer.Nitrogen oxide is a common toxin linked to cardiopulmonary disease, decreased lung function growth in children, asthma and other respiratory ailments. Among common sources are heavy industry like power plants, and traffic.In animal studies, anogenital distance is used to determine developmental toxicity of pollutants – reduced distances are a sign that a toxic exposure is interfering with fetal testosterone production.Researchers suspected that the same might hold true in humans and pulled anogenital distance data from The Infant Development and Environment Study (TIDES), an ongoing study of about 700 pregnant women and their children launched in 2010 in Minneapolis; Rochester, New York; San Francisco and Seattle. It tracks anogenital distance at birth in children, and at one year for boys.The study compared TIDES data with air pollution levels in the residential neighborhoods where the study’s participants lived. Researchers identified a link between elevated PM2.5 exposure during the “male programming window” at the first trimester’s conclusion and anogenital distance.The male fetus typically develops testosterone during this period, and that affects anogenital distance at birth.“Testosterone is really important for the development of the male reproductive system, and anything that disrupts that normal testosterone surge during gestation has the potential to then have a cascade of effects that impacts all future reproductive development,” Barrett said.The researchers also found a link between PM2.5 exposure during “mini puberty”, a period in early infancy when hormone production is high, and shorter anogenital distance in males at one year old.PM2.5 may also carry other toxins, like cadmium and lead, that interfere with hormone production. Though the study didn’t include women, those women with longer anogenital distances are at higher risk of polycystic ovary syndrome, Barrett said.The best way for pregnant people to protect their fetuses is to follow air quality advisories and stay indoors when pollution levels are high. N95 masks can be used outdoors, and furnace filters with a rating of MERV 13 are effective at reducing indoor air pollution.Policymakers and regulators should also be doing more to rein in pollution and not leaving it to individuals to protect themselves, Barrett added.“This is a public health issue that impacts all of us and there should really be a nationwide and worldwide effort to reduce air pollution,” she said.

Health
Pollution

Suggested Viewing

The Rulindo Challenge

In May 2010, Rulindo, Rwanda launched an ambitious plan to bring access to water and sanitation services to the entire district population. This film explores the story, challenges and ultimate success for reaching over 330,000 people with safe water in the rural and mountainous Rulindo District, and how this project is inspiring sustainable water (infrastructure and sanitation) models around the world.

Sustainable
Business
Health

Ground Operations: Battlefields to Farmfields

Combat veterans from the wars in Iraq & Afghanistan find a new mission and personal healing with new careers as organic farmers and ranchers.

Health
Agriculture
Government

Vanishing Springs

The Florida you know is a lie. In contrast to what Americans have been told, Florida’s magic is not found in the giant mouse, the rolling green golf courses, or in the beachside palaces. The beauty and uniqueness of Florida is under our feet - the aquifer. This pure, crystal clear water is the life blood of our state and without it, life as we know it in the sunshine state would not exist. This life sustaining force is only seen where it bubbles up to the surface through Florida’s collection of 1,000 springs. These springs were originally what drew society to this land. Wealthy tourists in the 1900’s flooded the Florida springs seeking medicinal cures from its pristine waters. As springs became a popular tourist destination, spring houses were built around these pools of water. When this development began, the springs began flowing less and some eventually stopped altogether. People assumed this was the natural order of this wonder and moved on. Theme parks, golf courses and resorts were erected to entice tourists to visit Florida, the natural beauty of the state soon faded out of our memory. The springs of Florida now silently suffer from the effects of continued development in Florida. The current strain we are placing on the fragile ecosystem is choking the life out of our state. Overdevelopment is one of the leading forces that is damaging the springs. The once pure sources of water no longer boil up like a fountain the way they have for centuries. The water that the springs do produce is polluted by nitrates. This pollution fuels the growth of toxic algae blooms, which are taking over springs and the rivers they feed, thus putting our health at risk. Over 90% of our drinking water gushes out of these sapphire pools. These glorious reservoirs have begun to shrink. If something is not done soon, the springs will simply become part of Florida history. In southern Florida they already have. Springs once bubbled up all across the state. They were wiped out in South Florida decades ago by the ditching and draining of the landscape as well as over-pumping of the aquifer. This water was then sprayed on suburban lawns and farmers' fields, run through showers and flushed down toilets, turned into steam to crank turbines for electricity, or siphoned into plastic bottles for sale around the country. Because of poor use and neglect of our greatest resource, we will soon be without this supply of fresh water. Floridians regard their water supply as abundant and cheap, when the fact is it's neither. Until this attitude changes, the springs will not be rescued.

Water
Conservation
Health

Living with the Coronavirus

In next years we must learn to live together with mr. Coronavirus, as the experts say. Are we ready?

Health
Student
Youth

We Are Nature

We made this short film under lockdown conditions throughout the pandemic of Covid-19. The film argues that policies are not enough to prevent a future outbreak. We need a paradigm shift in how we view nature and the rest of life on this planet. The film was made remotely via zoom, a fact made clear in the style of the film. Our speakers appear on screens, which we filmed from inside our homes. Each speaker offers a different perspective on the origins of the pandemic in the ways we see and value nature. If humans can’t escape their connection to the natural world, it’s time for a better one. The health of us and the planet depends on it.

Health
Nature
Animals

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