TagHealth(103)
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Airplane noise linked to next day heart health hospitalizations
The sound of airplanes flying overhead late at night is linked to a slight increase in hospital admissions for heart-related problems the following day, a study from Imperial College London suggests. Researchers from Imperial and the University of Leicester combined hospital admissions and mortality data with environmental modeling to assess short-term associations between aircraft noise -
Size comparison of PM2.5 and PM10
An educational diagram comparing the sizes of airborne particulate matter: PM2.5 (combustion particles, organic compounds, metals, less than 2.5 microns in diameter) and PM10 (dust, pollen, mold, less than 10 microns in diameter), shown relative to a human hair (50–70 microns in diameter) and fine beach sand (90 microns in diameter). -
Are Legally Acceptable Levels of Pollution Harming Children’s Brain Development?
Between 1955 and 1970, the United States passed five laws to monitor and regulate the country’s air pollution. Each act built upon the last and, in 1970, Congress passed the Clean Air Act, which established guidelines for “safe” levels of ambient air pollution, some of which are still used today. But a new study suggests those standards -
Noise could take years off your life. Here’s how.
We used a professional sound meter the din of daily life and talked to scientists about the health risks it can pose. Emily Baumgaertner, Jason Kao, Eleanor Lutz, Josephine Sedgwick, Rumsey Taylor, Noah Throop and Josh WilliamsJune 9, 2023 On a spring afternoon in Bankers Hill, San Diego, the soundscape is serene: Sea breeze rustles through the trees, and neighbors chat pleasantly -
How a little more silence in children’s lives helps them grow
NPR LA Johnson A group of small children sits cross-legged with their teacher, Steve Mejía-Menendez, on a round carpet. He’s a pre-K teacher at Lee Montessori Public Charter School’s campus in Southeast Washington, D.C., and although I’m here to meet him, I almost don’t spot him because he’s eye level with his students. Mr. Steve, -
Kris Johnson presentation on 1109 Community Health Report
A community presentation on the health effects of airport-related pollutants, held in a church sanctuary (decorated for the Easter/Alleluia season). Two screens flanking the altar display a slide titled "What pollutants result from airport operations and what are the health effects?" with a body-diagram graphic, while a speaker addresses the seated congregation/audience. -
2023-05-10Community health and airport operations-related noise and air pollution
A May 2023 presentation by Public Health Seattle and King County examines how noise and air pollution from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SeaTac) affect surrounding communities. The report covers community health profiles, the current strength of scientific evidence, a University of Washington study on ultrafine particles (UFP), and recommendations for addressing health impacts. Notably, the airport's neighboring communities are disproportionately home to people of color, with 75% of King County's Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander residents and 73% of Black/African American residents living in those areas. -
2023-05-08Long-term exposure to ultrafine particles and natural and cause-specific mortality
This study examined whether long-term exposure to ultrafine air particles (UFP) is linked to higher death rates among 10.8 million Dutch adults followed from 2013 to 2019. Researchers found that higher UFP exposure was significantly associated with increased risk of natural cause, lung cancer, and respiratory disease mortality, even after accounting for other air pollutants like nitrogen dioxide and fine particles. The findings suggest UFP pose health risks independent of other regulated air pollutants, though this research is unrelated to airport noise policy. -
2023-05-07Flight Pattern Kids: Sea-Tac Airport Environmental Health Research Flyer
The 'Flight Pattern Kids' group, a non-profit based near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, claims that residents living within a 3-mile radius of the airport experience significantly elevated rates of cancer, birth defects, and auto-immune diseases compared to the general population. Their self-reported study of 330+ families suggests these health issues stem from toxic environmental exposure linked to airport operations, which they argue causes gene mutations passed across generations. The group is calling for further environmental testing of air, water, and soil in the surrounding area. -
2023-04-26
An underestimated danger: Noise and air pollution are new and important cardiovascular risk factors
Environmental stressors such as traffic noise pose a threat to human health worldwide. A study by DZHK researcher Prof. Thomas Münzel, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, shows that noise has negative effects on blood vessels and the brain within a very short exposure time. Other recent review articles co-authored by him show