Lungs response to ozone causes wheezing, airway irritation

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 25th, 2009 WASHINGTON - An Indian American researcher has found that the mechanism which helps detect bad tasting and potentially poisonous foods also protects lungs from harmful substances. Alok Shah, study co-author and doctoral researcher from the Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa (U-I), along with other scientists found why injured lungs are susceptible to further damage -- in them, the mechanism is damaged.

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.

June 16th, 2009 WASHINGTON - British scientists claim to have identified a key element in the development of chronic asthma. Remodelling occurs when the small airways in the lungs of people change gradually with time as their lungs respond to the presence of particles such as dust, pollen and mould in the air they breathe.

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 - A new study by researchers in California and Colorado has suggested that the global market for rocket launches may require more stringent regulation in order to prevent significant damage to Earth's stratospheric ozone layer in the decades to come. The study, which includes the University of Colorado at Boulder and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, provides a market analysis for estimating future ozone layer depletion based on the expected growth of the space industry and known impacts of rocket launches.

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 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Long-term exposure to ground-level ozone, a component of smog, may result in increased risk of death from respiratory ailments, according to a new study throughout the US. Ozone, a gas made up of three oxygen atoms - forms a protective layer from the sun's ultraviolet radiation when located in the Earth's upper atmosphere.

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 26th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who is being treated for a chest infection at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here, is fine and likely to be discharged in the next few days, doctors said Thursday. 'Vajpayee is in the ICU (intensive care unit) and his breathing is normal.

February 19th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who is being treated for chest infection at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here, is showing signs of 'gradual improvement', doctors at AIIMS said here Friday. 'Vajpayee is in the ICU (intensive care unit).

February 19th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who is being treated for chest infection at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here, is showing signs of 'gradual improvement', doctors at AIIMS said here Friday. 'Vajpayee is in the ICU (intensive care unit).