pollution

A team from Canada analyzed nearly one million emergency room visits for migraines or headaches that occurred between 2010 and 2023 in two Canadian provinces during the peak wildfire season. Their analysis shows that the presence of small particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter (PM2.5) from wildfire smoke was associated with an increase in emergency room visits for migraines and headaches. The study is published in JAMA Network Open. In Spain, the Ministry of Health has published health recommendations for action in the event of wildfires. The Community of Madrid, with several active fire fronts, has shared this video with safety and protection tips.

A Danish study published in JAMA Neurology found an association between long-term exposure to residential road traffic noise and an increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease. The study followed more than three million Danish adults aged 40 years and older for 18 years using data from Denmark's national administrative and health registries. The researchers assessed residential road traffic noise exposure at both the most exposed and the least exposed façades of participants' homes. The study also found that individuals with a quiet façade had a lower risk of developing Parkinson's disease than those whose homes were exposed to high levels of noise on all sides.

Concentrations of desert dust rose steadily across much of Europe between 2012 and 2021, according to a study published today in the journal Nature. This was despite the fact that particulate matter pollution from emissions had fallen as a result of regulations. The trend could be linked to changes in atmospheric circulation and desertification in North Africa. Some of the largest increases were recorded in southern Europe and the Mediterranean region, where levels are more than double those in the north of the continent. The authors warn that dust pollution could have an increasing impact on air quality and public health.

A study involving a small group of people, published in the European Heart Journal, has measured the levels of plastic in the blood supplying the heart in 61 patients with myocardial infarction, chronic ischaemic heart disease or normal coronary arteries. According to the data, microplastics and nanoplastics were detected in 84 per cent of patients who had suffered a heart attack, compared with 40 per cent of patients with chronic ischaemic heart disease and 32 per cent of those with normal coronary arteries. Those exposed to higher levels of air pollution and smokers were more likely to have microplastics in their blood.

A team from the UK and the Netherlands has estimated the environmental cost attributed to the actions of the top 10% of spenders—generally the wealthiest—both globally and in the richest country on each continent. Globally, they are responsible for damages worth between US$1.7 trillion and US$5.7 trillion. These figures exceed the funding needed to meet the 2035 climate finance target agreed upon at COP30—US$993 billion—and to cover the funding needed to halt biodiversity loss by 2030—US$657 billion. The study is published in Communications Sustainability, a journal of the Nature group. 

A new United Nations (UN) report assesses the annual environmental costs of artificial intelligence (AI). According to the report, by 2030, if data centers were a country, their electricity consumption would be on par with that of France. As for carbon dioxide emissions, these could reach 400 million tons of CO₂ equivalent, comparable to the total emissions of the United Kingdom. The 9.3 trillion liters of water they use would cover the drinking water needs of the planet’s 8.1 billion people for 1.6 years. The report notes that the generation of high-resolution videos is at the top of AI’s energy consumption. Furthermore, it highlights the growing digital divide and environmental injustice between the nations that control AI systems and those that bear their environmental costs, particularly in the Global South.

A team has proposed an indicator known as the plastic particle footprint (PPF) to measure the environmental impact of microplastics and nanoplastics in products. In an article published in Science Advances, the authors apply this calculation to four everyday items and claim that calculating this footprint could “radically change the best material option”. For example, a polyester T-shirt and a cotton one have a similar carbon footprint, but the PPF of the former is higher than that of the cotton garment.

A study conducted by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), in collaboration with the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS), has analyzed short-term mortality associated with the combined effects of multiple air pollutants in 31 European countries. According to their estimates, this exposure is associated with 146,500 premature deaths per year and affects people differently depending on age, sex, and cause of death: young men are more vulnerable than young women, but the pattern reverses with age. The authors, who published the study in Nature Health, propose creating a new generation of impact-based early warning systems specifically targeting vulnerable groups.

More than 60,000 ships cross the Strait of Gibraltar each year, making it one of the busiest shipping lanes on the planet and generating noise pollution that can affect communication between animals. An international team, including Spanish researchers, has studied more than a thousand calls between 18 long-finned pilot whales, an endangered cetacean, and observed that these animals increase the volume of their calls as ambient noise increases, comparable to "that of a noisy restaurant or being next to a vacuum cleaner," as noted in a press release. However, this attempt at compensation is not always enough, which could hinder the reunion of members of the same group. The results are published in Journal of Experimental Biology.