Pollution

Filter-feeding mollusks respond to water pollution in a very detectable and measurable manner. With that fact in mind, scientists have created a water-quality-monitoring system that uses electronically augmented live mollusks as its sensors.

Toxic “forever chemicals” are a major environmental problem, and a growing body of research shows they’re also a major health problem. A new study has found people with higher levels of PFAS in their blood have poorer sleep.

While people are becoming concerned about microplastic pollution in their drinking water, it's one of those things that the average person can't check for themselves. That could soon change, however, if a new prototype device reaches production.

The law of unintended consequences gained new appreciation today when a five-year study was published in the Journal of Animal Ecology detailing how long-term exposure to pharmaceutical pollutants can have dramatic consequences for marine wildlife.

Researchers from the University of Missouri have developed a relatively simple and safe method that allows over 98% of nanoplastic particles in water to easily be scraped off the top.

Scientists have developed a new method for removing toxic “forever chemicals” from wastewater. 3D-printed ceramic lattices can remove up to 75% of PFAS from polluted water in three hours – and the structures get better at their job as they’re reused.

Scientists in Japan have developed a new method for breaking down toxic “forever chemicals” quickly and at room temperature. The technique broke down 100% of certain types of these pollutants overnight, recovering some useful components for reuse.

That we have a huge plastic waste problem is clear, but there are numerous efforts to stem the tide while also cleaning up the mess. Nature is also joining the battle, and scientists have now identified a marine fungus at the plastic-devouring front line.

In 2016 researchers found unusually high levels of magnetite in a number of human brain samples. The tiny toxic particle can be found in modern urban air pollution and is now suspected to be one environmental contributor to Alzheimer's disease.

While stormwater runoff pollutants in general aren't great for aquatic animals, chemicals from tire particles are particularly harmful to salmon. A study now shows that permeable pavements could keep most of those toxins from ever reaching the fish.

Though efforts to clean up plastic waste from our oceans are well underway, it's also vital to stem the tide at a major source of pollution: rivers. Researchers in South Korea are looking to doing just that at a "living lab" facility in Gongju.

No-one enjoys idling in peak-hour traffic, yet scientists have identified that a blood pressure spike during it doesn't come from frustration but from ultrafine particles flowing into the car. And the average 4.5 mm Hg spike lasts for an entire day.