12 h. ago Frailty in ageing populations worsened by air pollution, global review finds

Coauthor of research says condition linked to heightened vulnerability and loss of independence – but is reversibleAir pollution increases the likelihood of people becoming frail in middle and old age, according to an international review of studies.People are living longer and, while this is often painted as a challenge to healthcare systems, it is also something to celebrate. There are many opportunities to increase the quality of life in old age, maximise independence and minimise the amount time spent being ill. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Interactive map shows how much pollution is blanketing your city

‘Facilities that burn fossil fuels are the overwhelmingly dominant source of heat-trapping pollution that is driving the climate crisis – by using the sky as if it were an open sewer,’ says Al Gore, whose climate group backed the tool

Politics

5 d. ago US Latinos mobilize to monitor – and improve – local air quality: ‘We have to fix it’

As Latino communities ramp up air quality monitoring, Trump’s EPA moves to weaken pollution regulationsOn a tree-lined street in a quiet suburb known by some as “Arbor City”, Eileen Miranda often watched her grandson race around the yard, trusting – like most – that the air they were breathing was clean. But data from an air quality sensor she recently installed outside her home showed otherwise. Now she wonders if it was the air that contributed to her eldest son’s childhood struggle with asthma.“It overwhelmed me,” Miranda said. “I thought the numbers would be low. This community is nice, but lo and behold”Eileen Miranda outside her home in La Mirada, California, in March. She is among many Latinos in the US who have installed monitors to stay informed about their neighborhoods’ air quality. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Eating this common food could protect your lungs from air pollution

The anti-oxidents in fresh fruit could combat harmful air pollution, scientists have suggested

Society

5 d. ago Eating fruit could slash effects of air pollution on the lungs, study finds

Eating more fruit could reduce the impact of air pollution on the lungs, a study has suggested.This could be down to the antioxidants naturally present in fruit, according to researchers.The effect was also more pronounced in women who consumed four portions of fruit or more a day.To explore the links between a healthy diet and better lung function, academics from the University of Leicester looked at UK Biobank data from 207,421 people.Researchers compared their diets, including intake of fruits, vegetables and wholegrains, with lung function – or FEV1, the amount of air exhaled in one second.Air pollution was measured as fine particulate matter (PM2.5), the concentration of tiny particles released into the air by the likes of cars and factories.The team found that for every exposure to PM2.5 of five micrograms per cubic metre of air, FEV1 reduced by 78.1ml in people who did not eat a lot of fruit.This compared with a 57.5ml reduction in women who consumed a lot of fruit.Researcher...

Politics

8 d. ago Transport for London upgrades internal systems cutting manual work by 2,000 hours

Transport for London upgrades internal systems cutting manual work by 2,000 hours  Global Railway Review

Politics

8 d. ago Starbucks to close ‘some’ UK stores as part of global restructure

Starbucks is to close "some" UK stores following a review of its global coffee shops.

Politics

8 d. ago Starbucks to close ‘some’ of its 520 UK stores putting jobs at risk

STARBUCKS is to close "some" of its 520 UK stores following a review of its global coffee shops. On Thursday, the company confirmed it has launched a consultation over the proposed closure of a number of company-owned UK stores, putting workers at the sites at risk. However, it did not disclose how many stores will...

Events

9 d. ago The Guardian view on the climate crisis: green energy is booming – but fossil fuels need to shrink too | Editorial

The planet is nearing dangerous limits. Yet progress on clean energy shows what’s possible. With political will, cooperation can still avert the worst of the climate crisisAll is not lost, Simon Stiell, the UN’s climate chief, told the Guardian last week. But the latest planetary health check from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research is a brutal reminder of how close the Earth is being pushed beyond repair. Seven of the nine planetary boundaries are now breached, with ocean acidification added to the danger list. Yet the world has proved that cooperation works: the ozone layer is healing, air pollution controls are working. A decisive test looms at the end of the month, when governments must file new climate pledges, known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs). This is no time to ease off: the fossil-fuel era must end, and the clean‑energy transition must accelerate.There is real concern that big emitters, including China and the EU, will fall short of what is n...

Events

9 d. ago Fossil fuel burning poses threat to health of 1.6bn people, data shows

New interactive map tracking PM2.5 air pollution reveals 900m people in path of ‘super-emitting’ industrial facilitiesFossil fuel burning is not just damaging the world’s climate; it is also threatening the health of at least 1.6 billion people through the toxic pollutants it produces, data shows.Carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas from fossil fuel burning, does not directly damage health, but leads to global heating. However, coal and oil burning for power generation, and the burning of fossil fuels in industrial facilities, pollute the air with particulate matter called PM2.5, which has serious health impacts when breathed in. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Air pollution could be harming children’s eyesight, study finds

Polluted air can cause inflammation and stress in the eyes, the researchers found

Society

2 w. ago Delhi’s toxic air is turning iconic Red Fort black, scientists warn

Black crusts up to half a millimetre thick found on walls exposed to heavy traffic

Events

2 w. ago ‘I was told I had two weeks to live’ – why are so many young, fit, non

For decades, lung cancer has been viewed as a disease of older men who smoked. Now, cases among young women are on the rise and doctors are baffled. Could air pollution be behind it?Towards the end of 2019, Becca Smith’s life was full and hectic. At 28, she had taken on a unit in Chester to convert into a yoga studio, poured in all her savings and hired teachers, while at the same time working as a personal trainer. Her days started at 5am; she was driven, stressed, excited, and had no time for the back pain that just would not subside.“It kept moving around,” she says. “Every day it would be in a different part of my back. I was strapping on heat packs and ice packs just to get to work.” Smith saw her GP, her physiotherapist and a chiropractor, all of whom suspected a torn muscle. “What really worried me,” she says, “the worst-case scenario, was a slipped disc.” One day in March 2020, the pain was so intense that Smith took to her bed, fell asleep and woke with a crashing migraine ...

Politics

2 w. ago ‘I kept asking: “Why? What did I do?”’ How come so many young, fit, non

For decades, lung cancer has been viewed as a disease of older men who smoked. Now, cases among young women are on the rise and doctors are baffled. Could air pollution be behind it?Towards the end of 2019, Becca Smith’s life was full and hectic. At 28, she had taken on a unit in Chester to convert into a yoga studio, poured in all her savings and hired teachers, while at the same time working as a personal trainer. Her days started at 5am; she was driven, stressed, excited, and had no time for the back pain that just would not subside.“It kept moving around,” she says. “Every day it would be in a different part of my back. I was strapping on heat packs and ice packs just to get to work.” Smith saw her GP, her physiotherapist and a chiropractor, all of whom suspected a torn muscle. “What really worried me,” she says, “the worst-case scenario, was a slipped disc.” One day in March 2020, the pain was so intense that Smith took to her bed, fell asleep and woke with a crashing migraine ...

Politics

3 w. ago Plane to purgatory: how Trump’s deportation program shuttles immigrants into lawless limbo

44,000 immigrants, 1,700 flights, 100 days: a Guardian investigation of leaked flight data and government detention data reveals the inhumane journey of immigrants shuttled around and outside the USThe Trump administration is shuttling immigrants around the US in irregular and unprecedented ways, according to the findings of a Guardian investigation, effectively vanishing people into a “purgatory” that denies them constitutionally-protected rights.A review of leaked flight records and passenger manifests from Global Crossing Airlines (GlobalX), the charter company that operates the majority of deportation flights for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice), has provided a rare look at the winding journeys of more than 44,000 immigrants detained or deported by the Trump administration. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Air pollution has been tied to Alzheimer’s disease. Here’s what you need to know

‘Air pollution doesn’t just increase the risk of dementia — it actually makes Alzheimer’s disease worse,’ Dr. Edward Lee says

Politics

3 w. ago Millions of Britons face higher risk of heart failure due to dirty air, study suggests

Exclusive: stroke risk is 7% higher and heart failure risk increases by 27% in areas with worst level of pollution, research showsMillions of Britons face a higher risk of stroke or heart failure because of dirty air where they live.People living in areas of the UK with the worst levels of air pollution are 27% more likely to develop heart failure, compared with people in areas with the cleanest air, a study suggests. Continue reading...

Events

4 w. ago Experts reveal air pollution is linked to devastating form of dementia

Researchers are calling for air pollution to be tackled in light of their findings

Politics

4 w. ago How cutting US air pollution could save 6,000 lives a year by 2030

Shift from fossil fuels could lower deaths from particle pollution in some states by 19% in five years, study findsEfforts to improve the climate could reduce the number of deaths caused by air pollution in the US by about 6,000 people a year by 2030, according to a study. If action is not taken, the situation is predicted to worsen. This is because of a growing and ageing population who are more vulnerable to the impacts of air pollution, resulting in nearly 13,000 increased air pollution deaths in 2030 compared with 2015.The research, led by Princeton University, looked at pollution sources and population. These revealed health gains from climate actions across every US state and, more locally, in nearly every US county. Continue reading...

Society

4 w. ago Air pollution can drive devastating forms of dementia, research suggests

Airborne particles cause toxic clumps of proteins in brain that are hallmarks of Lewy body dementia, study indicatesFine-particulate air pollution can drive devastating forms of dementia by triggering the formation of toxic clumps of protein that destroy nerve cells as they spread through the brain, research suggests.Exposure to the airborne particles causes proteins in the brain to misfold into the clumps, which are hallmarks of Lewy body dementia, the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease. Continue reading...

Politics