The search for autism’s causes is a daunting task — but researchers are investigating a variety of factors that might play a role.
Theresa May’s new environment plan sets ambitious goals for plastic waste reduction. But there’s lots of room for slippage. One goal is to eradicate all “avoidable” plastic waste, though it’s not clear how “avoidable” will be defined.
A common herbicide is ending up in our food, thanks to the growing practice of using it to dry crops in preparation for harvest. In addition to speeding crop drying, glyphosate can help synchronize ripening in plants at harvest time.
Humans have built high-rises since ancient Roman times, but it wasn’t until the 20th century that they became the default work space for a significant slice of the world’s workers. While these buildings are certainly efficient, they can cause real health issues.
Runoff from melting snow carries road salt into streams and lakes, and causes extraordinarily high salinity.
Antibiotics are losing their ability to kill bacteria. One of the main reasons for the rise in antibiotic resistance is the improper use of antibiotics, but our latest research shows that the ingredients in commonly-used weed killers like Round-up and Kamba can also cause bacteria to become less susceptible to antibiotics.
Infectious diseases are spreading faster due to warmer temperatures, hunger and malnourishment is worsening, allergy seasons are getting longer and sometimes it’s simply too hot for farmers to tend to their crops. But what would happen if we treated climate change as a health problem rather than an environmental one?
The higher the level of particulates in the air, a new study shows, the greater the indications of psychological distress. Where a person lives can make a big difference to health and quality of life. Every increase in pollution of 5 micrograms per cubic meter had the same effect as a 1.5-year loss in education.
What substances in wildfire smoke are most dangerous to human health? What kinds of impacts can they have? Is a brief exposure, say for a few hours, dangerous, or is smoke mainly a concern if it lingers for days?
New sales of petrol and diesel cars will be banned by 2040 in the UK; France. Sweden and Scotland by 2032; Norway by 2025. Coupled with increasing concern over the carcinogenic effects of diesel emissions, the Volkswagen defeat device scandal, and the link between diesel particulates and Alzheimer’s, focus has turned again to electric cars.
In the end, the military campaign was called Operation Ranch Hand, but it originally went by a more appropriately hellish appellation
People in northern China have a reduced life expectancy when compared with people living in the south due to higher concentrations of air pollution, a new study suggests.
Subways are vital for commuting in crowded cities, something that will become more and more important over time – according to a United Nations 2014 report, half of the world’s population is now urban. They can also play a part in reducing outdoor air pollution in large metropolises by helping to reduce motor-vehicle use.
Mice exposed to household fabrics contaminated with third-hand tobacco smoke showed changes in biological markers of health after only one month, a recent study found.
The most heavily used pesticide in California, elemental sulfur, may harm the respiratory health of children who live near farms that use it, new research suggests.
Scientists have developed a method for removing more than 99 percent of bisphenol A (also known as BPA) from water quickly and cheaply.
Toxicology’s founding father, Paracelsus, is famous for proclaiming that “the dose makes the poison.”
A new electronic sensor can monitor water quality in homes or cities, informing residents or officials of the presence of lead in water within nine days—all for around $20.
Researchers measuring the exposure to pollution inside cars during rush hour commutes have found that the levels of some harmful particulate matter are twice as high as previously believed.
Summer is the season for harmful algae blooms in many U.S. lakes and bays
The change in urban environments because of development, associated with a rapid increase in chronic disease, is a global phenomenon in developed countries. Getting further and further away from nature, it turns out, isn’t great for our health.
It’s hard to think back to what English pubs and clubs were like before the law about smoke-free public places came into force ten years ago.
We live in a dirty world. Wherever we go, we are among microbes. Bacteria, fungi and viruses live on our phones, bus seats, door handles and park benches.