May 8, 2012, 12:05 AM
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is not protecting public health and has violated federal law by failing to review air quality standards, according to a lawsuit filed by the American Lung Association, the state air board and a consortium of states. A brief filed late last week by...
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April 20, 2012, 12:05 AM
California air pollution reached unhealthy levels less often in 2011 than a decade ago, according to a report released this week by a state association of regional air district officers. Compared with 2000, there were about 74 percent fewer days of “unhealthy air” statewide...
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April 2, 2012, 12:05 AM
You are a big bag of germs. And just by walking into a room, you add 37 million bacteria to the air for every hour you remain there. At least, that’s what researchers at UC Berkeley and Yale University have discovered about the presence of a person in a room. “We live in...
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February 13, 2012, 12:05 AM
Southern Californians are among those at highest risk of death due to air pollution, according to recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency research published in the journal Risk Analysis. The study, published last month, was conducted to “provide insight to the size and...
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February 3, 2012, 12:05 AM
Poor, urban and minority residents are most at risk for health problems linked to climate change, according to a new California Department of Public Health analysis of Los Angeles and Fresno counties. The department examined social and environmental factors ranging from the rising sea level to...
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January 11, 2012, 12:05 AM
For nearly four years, Cassandra Martin lived in West Oakland, a few blocks from two freeways and the city’s port. This has made her an accidental expert on air pollution. “I used to wonder what that black stuff was on the windowsill,” said Martin, who was diagnosed...
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October 9, 2011, 9:49 AM
High-speed rail could help cut air pollution in California – if the system succeeds in getting enough people out of their cars. Planners with the state’s High-Speed Rail Authority expect that the electric trains could reduce traffic on the state’s roadways by 2.5...
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September 22, 2011, 12:05 AM
Air pollution in national parks is at a three-year high, and two California parks have recorded the worst readings, according to a report by the National Parks Conservation Association. Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks, located next to each other, exceeded the Environmental...
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January 25, 2011, 12:06 AM
HEPA filters may be good for the heart. According to a new study, the use of high-efficiency portable air (HEPA) filters were associated with improved vascular function in healthy adults. The research appears in the Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. “I think...
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September 24, 2010, 12:20 AM
Less than the width of a human hair, fine particulate matter from smoke, dust, coal and diesel exhaust are so small they slip through the lungs and into the bloodstream, killing a surprisingly large number of Californians. A recent Air Resources Board report estimates that 9,200 Californians...
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September 7, 2010, 12:05 AM
A UCLA environmental health sciences researcher whose appointment was not renewed this year has filed a whistle-blower retaliation complaint against the university, saying he's being punished for publishing politically incorrect research findings and for previous whistle-blowing against...
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May 24, 2010, 12:08 AM
In its 11th annual report on the nation's air quality, the American Lung Association found that "despite progress in many places ... some cities, mostly in California, had air that was more polluted than in the previous report." The analysis focused on Environmental Protection...
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