Long-term ozone exposure linked to higher death risk

September 30th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has determined that plumes of harmful air pollutants can be transported across oceans and continents and have a negative impact on air quality far from their original sources. The study was done by researchers from the National Research Council, US.

September 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Carbon monoxide exposure has been found to elevate the risk of hospitalisation for the elderly with heart problems in an American study. The nationwide study of 126 urban communities has shown that an increase in carbon monoxide of 1 part per million in the maximum daily one-hour exposure is linked with a 0.96 percent increase in the risk of hospitalisation from cardiovascular disease among people over the age of 65.

August 28th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has determined that nitrous dioxide, popularly known as 'laughing gas', has now become the largest ozone-depleting substance emitted through human activities, and is expected to remain the largest throughout the 21st century. The study was authored by A.R.

August 9th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new research, scientists have determined that depletion in the ozone layer is reducing the atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) uptake of the Southern Ocean. Most current models predict that the strength of the Southern Ocean CO2 sink should increase as atmospheric CO2 rises, but observations show that this has not been the case.

July 24th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Exposure to coal dust can increase the severity of emphysema in smokers and non-smokers alike, according to a new study by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The findings of the study highlight a health problem related to a growing industry, as coal production has nearly doubled worldwide in the past 25 years.

July 21st, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new study, scientists at University of California Irvine (UCI) have discovered a previously unknown chemical reaction that could account for up to 40 parts per billion of ozone. This reaction is not included in computer models used to predict air pollution levels and the effectiveness of ozone control strategies that can cost billions of dollars.

July 10th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A team of NASA-funded researchers have found that future concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) and ozone in the atmosphere and of nitrogen in the soil are likely to have an important but overlooked effect on the cycling of water from sky to land to waterways. With the help of a modeling experiment, the researchers concluded that models of climate change may be underestimating how much water is likely to run off the land and back into the sea as atmospheric chemistry changes.

June 25th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Researchers have found that exposure to toxic chemical used as plasticizers in a wide variety of personal care product and children's toys might contribute to low birth weight in infants. Phthalate exposure can begin in the womb and has been associated with negative changes in endocrine function.

April 11th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new research by NASA scientists has suggested that the ozone layer might recover in the future, thanks to the changing climate and atmospheric circulation. According to the scientists, Earth's ozone layer should eventually recover from the unintended destruction brought on by the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and similar ozone-depleting chemicals in the 20th century, since greenhouse gases are changing the dynamics of the atmosphere.

April 11th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Global warming will set back the recovery of the ozone layer of the earth's atmosphere, warns a NASA study. Previous studies have shown that while the build up of greenhouse gases makes it warmer in the troposphere, up to 10 km high from sea level, these gases actually cool the upper stratosphere, between 30 to 50 km high.

April 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Rocket launches in future may require more stringent regulation to minimise damage to the ozone layer of the Earth's atmosphere, according to a new study. Today, just a handful of NASA space shuttle launches release more ozone-depleting substances in the stratosphere than the entire annual use of CFC-based medical inhalers used to treat asthma and other diseases in the US, said Darin Toohey, professor of Colorado University at Boulder (CUB) atmospheric and oceanic sciences department.

March 20th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new simulation has shown that if 193 nations had not agreed to ban ozone-depleting substances, then nearly two-thirds of Earth's ozone would have been gone by the year 2065. The simulation was developed by atmospheric chemists at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, and the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, Bilthoven.

March 20th, 2009 TORONTO - Acetaldehyde in alcohol is the greatest risk factor for digestive tract cancers, particularly for heavy drinkers, according to the latest evidence. Acetaldehyde is inhaled from the air and tobacco smoke, ingested from alcohol and foods, and produced in our body during the metabolism of alcoholic beverages.

March 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Researchers from University of Toronto have suggested a new minimal invasive therapy for relieving the pain of herniated disks. The minimally invasive interventional radiology treatment uses oxygen/ozone to relieve the chronic pain of herniated disks.

February 3rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - Researchers have identified factors that cause airway irritation and wheezing after exposure to a common urban air pollutant like ozone. 'We found that it is not the ozone itself that causes the body to wheeze, but the way the lungs respond to ozone,' said Stavros Garantziotis, principal investigator at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and co-author of the study.