#air-pollution

#air-pollution

Only one prosecution for illegal wood burning has been made in the past year despite 15,195 complaints across England, data shows. Additionally, just 24 fines were issued by local authorities between September 2024 and August 2025, responses to freedom of information requests by the campaign group Mums for Lungs revealed. In smoke control areas alone, 9,274 complaints were made a 65% increase on the previous year.

For most New Yorkers, convenience is all we see when we shop online. Click, buy, delivered. But what feels so easy to us is hurting our neighborhoods and the workers in Amazon vests who make it happen. The culprit? Last mile delivery centers, the giant hubs where companies like Amazon sort packages and send them to your doorstep. More and more of these have been popping up in New York.

According to a September 2025 report issued by Comité Cívico del Valle and Earthworks, Controlled Thermal Resources' proposed lithium mining operation, the Hell's Kitchen Lithium and Power Project, will have significant environmental impacts on the surrounding area. The operation, which is still in the beginning stages, will divert at least 6,500 acre-feet of fresh water each year, straining natural resources in an arid region that's already struggling to combat drought.

Residents of Zurich decided Sunday to severely restrict the use of leaf blowers and leaf vacuums. More than 61% of voters supported the restrictive rules, which authorities said would limit noise and dust pollution. Gas-powered leaf blowers and leaf vacuums will be fully banned in Zurich, Switzerland's most populous city. Only electric devices will be used to blow away dirt and debris.

Experiments show that the bacterial component of fine particulate matter has a highly potent inflammatory effect.

As the river flows through Baja California, it takes in untreated sewage and industrial waste from Tijuana, then crosses the U.S.-Mexico border into San Diego County, where beaches are regularly closed because the surf is filled with bacteria from the river. Researchers have now gained new insights into how that water pollution is creating air pollution that besets nearby communities.

Researchers at the California-based non-profit science institute PSE Healthy Energy created a first-of-its-kind interactive map using data from more than 1,300 major methane leaks across the country to model the spread of dangerous air pollutants released during each event. Methane, the primary component of natural gas, is a potent greenhouse gas. When it leaks from oil and gas infrastructure due to equipment failure, malfunctions, or ruptures, the plume acts as a carrier for a wide array of hazardous co-pollutants,

'Those VOCs coming out of our system are about the equivalent to one passenger car driving down the road,' he said. Bauer also said the chance for an explosion at the facility is extremely low. 'At any one time, we have very little gases in our system,' he said. 'It would be equivalent to camping stove propane. That's your potential of ignition.'

Air pollution from oil and gas activities is responsible for an estimated 91,000 deaths and over 10,000 preterm births in the US each year, according to a new study that examined the impacts of the industry through its lifecycle from extraction to refining to burning fuel in power plants. The study, published August 22 in the journal Science Advances, also attributes an estimated 216,000 annual incidences of US childhood asthma to air pollutants from fossil fuels, as well as over 1,600 lifetime cancers.

Steelworkers and community activists say the Trump administration has put their health at risk by delaying and potentially scrapping pollution monitoring rules meant to protect nearby neighborhoods from dangerous toxins released into the air by the nation's steel and coke plants.

Pollution from the expanding shoreline of the Salton Sea may not be a significant contributor to the region's air problems. Researchers suggest focusing on internal air quality is crucial.

Nearly 114,000 children were admitted to hospital or taken to A&E in London with serious breathing problems last year due to toxic air pollution.

The appeals court ruling, authored by Judge James Richman, declares none of the arguments lodged by the city against allowing Tagami more time at the proposed terminal site have merit.

Our findings suggest that while lunar dust may cause some immediate irritation to the airways, it does not appear to pose a risk for chronic, long-term diseases like silicosis.

Recent studies show that brake dust accounts for up to 20% of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution at roadsides, especially during rush hours.

For instance, if all the 35 turbines operated by xAI were using add-on air pollution control technology to achieve a NOx emission rate of 2 ppm-as xAI's consultant agreed it would-they would emit about 177 tons of NOx per year, as opposed to the 1,200 to 2,100 tons per year they currently emit, the letter said.

Total estimated wage theft among rideshare drivers far surpasses that of other crimes, illustrating a pervasive problem that remains largely unaddressed by law enforcement.

The PSPO would allow enforcement officers to issue fixed penalty notices after two minutes of observation, improving enforcement against idling vehicle emissions.

Environmental advocates warn that the expansion of two compressor stations along Transco's pipeline in North Carolina will lead to significant increases in air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

It's a lot of black smoke, impacting the workers and nearby villagers, but also the overall air quality of the region," said Sameer Maithel, an engineer.