Pollution

Environmental exposures, from air and ocean pollution to climate change and urbanization, have profound and far-reaching effects on human health and well-being. This hub brings together authoritative, evidence-based articles that examine the health risks associated with pollution, microplastics, toxicants, and environmental changes, alongside practical strategies for risk reduction and public health protection. Explore how environmental hazards influence conditions such as asthma, neurological health, pregnancy outcomes, and skin health, and discover the vital connections between planetary health and individual well-being. These resources support informed decision-making for clinicians, policymakers, and the public alike.

Bacterial Risks at Beaches and Evidence-Based Safety Strategies

Beaches face escalating risks from microbial contamination due to climate change and human activity, increasing the burden of waterborne illnesses for swimmers. Integrating advanced monitoring technologies, improved public education, and policy reforms is essential for protecting beachgoers’ health.

How Air Pollution Impacts Brain Health

What are the Health Effects of Exhaust Emissions?

What is Planetary Health?

How Composting Protects Public Health and Our Planet

Environmental Health Hazards: An Overview

AAM - Air pollution and Alzheimer's

5 Easy Ways to Reduce Your Microplastic Intake

Air Pollution and Eye Health

What are the Health Effects of Exhaust Emissions?

Pollution and Mental Health

Healthcare During The Climate Crisis

See more featured articles »

Air Pollution and Lung Health

Health Effects of Artificial Light

How PFAS Are Impacting Human Health

Ocean Pollution and Human Health

What Impact does Climate Change have on Our Health?

How do Microplastics Affect Our Health?

Autism and Particulate Air Matter

Can Weather or Air Pollution Trigger Migraine?

Urbanization and Human Health

The Role of Toxicology in Wildlife Conservation

Environmental Hazards in Pregnancy

The Effect of Climate Change on Asthma

Anti-Pollution Skincare: Protecting Skin in Urban Environments

Pollution and Mental Health

How has COVID-19 Influenced Pollution?

How Does the Health of Our Planet Affect Our Own Health?

Pollution and Alzheimer's

Latest Pollution News and Research

Research shows racial-ethnic differences in the risk of pregnancy-related high blood pressure

The risk of pregnancy-related high blood pressure varied markedly among subgroups of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander people, highlighting the need for tailored prevention and treatment, according to research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

14 Jan 2026

Exposure to micro- and nanoplastics linked to rising number of people with chronic IBD

A research team led by the Medical University of Vienna and the University of Vienna has investigated a possible link between the rising number of people with chronic inflammatory bowel disease and the increasing exposure to micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs).

8 Jan 2026

Airport tire wear emerges as a major source of hidden air pollutants

New findings reveal Milan's airport operations release industrial chemicals, reshaping our understanding of aviation-related air pollution and benzothiazoles.

2 Jan 2026

Viruses on plastic waste pose new antibiotic resistance risks

Plastic pollution does more than litter landscapes and oceans. According to a new perspective article published in Biocontaminant, viruses living on plastic surfaces may play an underrecognized role in spreading antibiotic resistance, raising concerns for environmental and public health worldwide.

31 Dec 2025

Paternal microplastic exposure alters metabolic health in offspring

A study led by biomedical scientists at the University of California, Riverside, has shown for the first time that a father's exposure to microplastics (MPs) can trigger metabolic dysfunctions in his offspring.

23 Dec 2025

Prenatal exposure to hot and humid conditions worsens child growth outcomes

The dangers of heat and humidity are so well known it's become cliche to mention them. But the impacts can extend farther than even scientists and doctors realized.

19 Dec 2025

Multicolor fluorescent tagging enables real-time visualization of RNA in living cells

An innovative three-color method for capturing images of mRNA inside live mammalian cells has been developed by UMass Amherst chemists.

17 Dec 2025

Global leaders adopt political declaration to combat NCDs and mental health challenges

Leaders from across the world at the Eightieth United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) have adopted the political declaration to combat noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health challenges through a fully integrated approach.

16 Dec 2025

Air pollution and immune changes could trigger autoimmune conditions

A new study has linked air pollution exposure and immune-system changes that often precede the onset of autoimmune diseases.

15 Dec 2025

Researchers develop powerful tools for microbiome research advancement

The microscopic organisms that fill our bodies, soils, oceans and atmosphere play essential roles in human health and the planet's ecosystems. Yet even with modern DNA sequencing, figuring out what these microbes are and how they are related to one another remains extremely difficult.

13 Dec 2025

Indoor environments expose people to a growing mix of new contaminants

Indoor dust, air and everyday products are exposing people to a growing mix of "new contaminants" inside homes, schools and workplaces, according to a new perspective published in the journal New Contaminants.

13 Dec 2025

Smoke from Canadian wildfires linked to worse asthma symptoms in children

New research from the University of Vermont reveals exposure to smoke from Canadian wildfires in the summer of 2023 led to worsening asthma symptoms in children in Vermont and upstate New York.

11 Dec 2025

Study offers a unified biological model to explain the causes of autism

A new University of California San Diego School of Medicine study offers a unified biological model to explain how genetic predispositions and environmental exposures converge to cause autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

10 Dec 2025

Industrial and farm chemicals quietly alter the balance of gut microbes

This study systematically screened over 1,000 agricultural and industrial chemicals and found that many can inhibit human gut bacteria in vitro. Beyond antimicrobial effects, these chemicals act as selective pressures that can reshape microbial competition, tolerance mechanisms, and metabolic pathways.

8 Dec 2025

Long-term air pollution exposure linked to more advanced coronary artery disease

Long-term exposure to common air pollutants is associated with more advanced coronary artery disease-with notable differences between women and men-according to a large-scale study of more than 11,000 adults being presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

4 Dec 2025

Air pollution weakens the life-extending benefits of exercise

A study reveals that high PM2.5 levels reduce the health benefits of exercise, highlighting the need for air quality considerations in activity guidelines.

3 Dec 2025

Long-term exposure to polluted air weakens the health benefits of exercise

Long-term exposure to toxic air can substantially weaken the health benefits of regular exercise, suggests a new study by an international team including UCL (University College London) researchers.

28 Nov 2025

How the gut microbiome links obesity to colorectal cancer

The gut microbiome serves as both a biomarker and therapeutic target in diseases like obesity, metabolic syndrome, and colorectal cancer.

28 Nov 2025

Diesel exhaust particles can impair microglial functions

Diesel exhaust particles can disturb the function of human brain immune cells, known as microglia, according to a recent study led by the University of Eastern Finland.

25 Nov 2025

CRISPR-edited fungus boosts protein production and cuts environmental impact

In a new study publishing November 19 in the Cell Press journal Trends in Biotechnology, researchers used a gene-editing technology called CRISPR to increase a fungus's production efficiency and cut its production-related environmental impact by as much as 61%-all without adding any foreign DNA.

21 Nov 2025