Tagpollution(85)
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Toxic fumes on board airplanes? Airlines may have to do something about it
Masked passengers fill a Southwest Airlines flight from Burbank to Las Vegas on June 3, with middle seats left open. (Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times/TNS) By Kiera Feldman Los Angeles Times The airline industry would be forced to adopt new measures to protect passengers and crew members from toxic fumes on airplanes under a bill introduced -
Emitting greenhouse gases in WA? Here’s who will need to pay up to pollute
Emitting greenhouse gases in WA? Here’s who will need to pay up to pollute Feb. 26, 2023 at 6:00 am Updated Feb. 26, 2023 at 6:07 am 1 of 10 | The University of Washington burns natural gas to create steam, seen here, that heats the campus. (Daniel Kim / The Seattle Times) By Isabella -
Sea-Tac’s legacy of PFAS chemicals: ‘foam showers,’ sick firefighters and contaminated water
Feb. 12, 2023 at 6:00 am Updated Feb. 12, 2023 at 2:04 pm 1 of 15 | Jason Schnase, a battalion chief of training and safety with the Port of Seattle Fire Department, shows where firefighting foam is stored on an aircraft rescue firefighting vehicle at Sea-Tac Airport. A 3% PFAS/97% water… (Ellen M. Banner / -
2023-01-01Impact of roadside conifers vegetation growth on air pollution mitigation
This study examines how the growth of conifer trees planted alongside roads affects their ability to reduce traffic-related air pollution over time. Researchers found that as conifers grow taller, they become less dense, and the ideal tree height for maximum pollution reduction is between 4 and 6 meters. The findings suggest that regular pruning is essential to maintain roadside vegetation barriers at their most effective size for improving air quality in nearby communities. -
2022-11-23Commercial aviation, built on pollution, is getting a tiny bit greener
An Airbus SE A380-800 Emirates commercial airliner prepares to land at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Canada. (Brent Lewin / Bloomberg) By William Ralston Bloomberg The amount of time between planes landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport might seem prosaic to the untrained eye, but there’s a lot more going on than a pilot negotiating -
Identifying Overburdened Communities
Introduction The Climate Commitment Act requires Ecology to create a Cap & Invest program to lower greenhouse gas emissions across the state. Additionally, the Climate Commitment Act requires us to identify “ overburdened communities highly impacted by air pollution,” and make sure that this program reduces a class of pollutants called “criteria” air pollutants , as well -
Why Seattle needs to start taking wildfire smoke more seriously
1 of 2 | Feven Breuner, 14, was taken to Seattle Children’s hospital several times since September due to asthma and respiratory issues exacerbated by wildfire smoke. (Greg Gilbert / The Seattle Times) Skip Ad By Naomi Ishisaka Seattle Times columnist Feven Breuner just wants to breathe. That’s not been easy the past couple of months for the -
It’s not your imagination, ‘smoke season’ has become real in Seattle
Almost all of the summer and fall “bad air” days since monitoring began were in the last six years, showing that wildfire smoke events in Seattle really are a recent phenomenon. (Kylie Cooper / The Seattle Times) By Danny Westneat Seattle Times columnist When the Spanish flu was pronounced over back in 1918, Seattleites -
2022-09-22Air pollution, white matter microstructure, and brain volumes: Periods of susceptibility from pregnancy to preadolescence
A study of over 3,500 children found that exposure to air pollution — including nitrogen dioxide and fine particulate matter — during pregnancy and early childhood is linked to differences in brain development measurable by MRI scans at ages 9–12. The research identified conception through age 5 as particularly sensitive periods, during which higher pollution levels were associated with less organized white matter and changes in certain brain region volumes. These findings suggest that reducing air pollution exposure during pregnancy and early childhood may be important for healthy brain development. -
2022-09-12Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMR’s) and water pollution historical documents
This archive documents a long history of water pollution discharged from Seattle-Tacoma (Sea-Tac) Airport into nearby waterways, dating back to 1948. It includes Discharge Monitoring Reports filed by the Port of Seattle showing high concentrations of glycol and other chemicals flowing into local stormwater systems and ultimately Puget Sound, as well as historical letters from the 1950s describing fish kills in Miller Creek and Des Moines Creek caused by airport runoff. The records reveal decades of regulatory correspondence between the Port of Seattle and Washington State pollution authorities over inadequate waste disposal practices.