Latest news with #airpollution
CBC
6 hours ago
- CBC
Tires on several SUVs and trucks deflated in Elmira, police investigating
Police are investigating after receiving several reports from people in Elmira who woke up to find the air let out of the tires on their vehicles Monday morning. Officers were in Elmira to investigate more than 30 reports of property damage to SUVs, trucks and crossover vehicles that had been parked in driveways and on roadways in the South Parkwood Boulevard and Timber Trail Road area, police said. It's believed the air was let out between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m.. Monday morning. "The tires on the vehicles were deflated using a device that made the tires slowly leak overnight," police said in a release. "The suspects then left notes on the vehicle's windshields that stated, 'We are defending ourselves against climate change, air pollution and unsafe drivers.'" Police say there was not permanent damage to the tires. The investigation is ongoing. A group called Tyre Extinguishers emailed CBC News to take responsibility, saying the group let the air out of tires and claimed they targetted approximately 100 SUVs and pick-up trucks, "disrupting their ability to be driven." "This was done to bring attention to the immense danger these gas guzzlers present to the environment, pedestrians, cyclists and other motorists," the group said in their email. The same group also took responsibility for letting the air out of tires in Waterloo region in 2022. Through their website, the group appears to be based in the United Kingdom.
Free Malaysia Today
8 hours ago
- Health
- Free Malaysia Today
9 areas record unhealthy air pollutant readings as of 3pm
The haze situation in Seremban today. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : Nine areas in Peninsular Malaysia recorded unhealthy air pollutant index levels as of 3pm today. According to the environment department's Air Pollutant Index Management System portal, Alor Gajah in Melaka recorded the highest API reading at 157, followed by Seremban in Negeri Sembilan (155) and Kemaman in Terengganu (153), Bernama reported. Johan Setia (Klang) in Selangor, Temerloh in Pahang and Balok Baru in Kuantan each recorded an API reading of 152. Nilai in Negeri Sembilan registered a reading of 138, Banting in Selangor recorded 135 and Cheras in Kuala Lumpur recorded 132. API readings of between 101 and 200 are categorised as unhealthy and may affect high-risk groups such as the elderly, children and those with respiratory conditions. In an earlier statement, the department advised the public to limit outdoor activities, wear face masks when outdoors and seek immediate treatment if they experience shortness of breath or respiratory issues. The latest API readings are available at
Medscape
12 hours ago
- Health
- Medscape
Air Pollution Linked to Increased CNS Tumor Risk
TOPLINE: Exposure to air pollution was linked to development of meningioma, a tumor that arises from membranes around the brain and spinal cord, in a study of nearly 4 million Danish adults. Consistent positive associations were observed between the development of meningioma and exposure to ultrafine particles (UFPs), fine particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, and elemental carbon. METHODOLOGY: The cohort study included nearly 4 million adults (mean age, 35 years; 50% women) identified from nationwide registries since 1991. Danish national registers were used to obtain address histories and covariates at individual and area levels. A validated model was used to evaluate residential air pollution, and a national emission inventory was used to quantify contributions to air pollution from local road traffic and other sources. The primary endpoint was occurrence of the first primary central nervous system (CNS) tumor, as reported in the Danish Cancer Registry. Cranial nerve tumors, meningiomas, gliomas, and 'other CNS tumors' were included. TAKEAWAY: More than 16,000 cases of CNS tumors were identified, which included gliomas (37%), meningiomas (28%), cranial nerve tumors (14%), and other CNS tumors (21%). 10-year mean exposure to UFPs (hazard ratio [HR] per interquartile range [IQR], 1.1), fine particulate matter (HR per IQR, 1.2), nitrogen dioxide (HR per IQR, 1.1), and elemental carbon (HR per IQR, 1.0) was associated with increased risk for meningioma. Sensitivity analyses showed that the HRs for meningioma were stronger for traffic-related vs nontraffic UFPs, while traffic and nontraffic fine particulate matter had similar HRs. No consistent associations were observed between air pollutants and risk for glioma, but a negative association was observed between cranial nerve tumors and nitrogen dioxide. IN PRACTICE: 'Our study suggests that long-term exposure to air pollution from traffic and other sources may play a role in the development of meningioma and adds to the growing body of evidence that air pollution can affect the brain — not just the heart and lungs,' lead study author Ulla A. Hvidtfeldt, PhD, Danish Cancer Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark, said in a press release. SOURCE: The study was published online on July 9 in Neurology. LIMITATIONS: The study was limited by a strong intercorrelation and modeling uncertainty of pollutant estimates, which may have hindered the attribution of effects and led to misclassification of true personal exposure. Unmeasured factors such as genetic predisposition, ionizing radiation, and occupational or lifestyle exposures may have led to residual confounding. Additional limitations were potential ascertainment bias from differential tumor detection and reliance on emission inventories of variable quality to distinguish traffic from nontraffic sources. DISCLOSURES: The study was funded by the Danish Cancer Society. The investigators reported having no relevant conflicts of interest. This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
CTV News
a day ago
- CTV News
Iceland engulfed by volcanic cloud
A group of visitors gather on a hill a few kilometers away to watch the two active craters, after a volcanic eruption around 6km north of Grindavik on the Reykjanes Peninsula, in Iceland, Saturday, July 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco di Marco) Reykjavik, Iceland -- Iceland experts on Monday blamed a lack of wind for a volcanic cloud that has lingered over much of the island since an eruption last week. Two craters of a volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula spewed out the sulphur-packed cloud on Wednesday. The thick haze has left the capital Reykjavik and the southwest of the country in a pollution red alert, the highest level in Iceland's monitoring system. Hylnur Arnason of the Icelandic Energy and Environment Agency said that volcanic eruptions normally cause air pollution, mainly from the sulphur dioxide that is emitted. The gas becomes sulfate in the atmosphere, creating a volcanic fog. 'It's completely misty in large parts of the country,' said Arnason. 'Usually in Iceland we have lots of wind, which would carry the pollution away, but right now we don't,' the expert added. 'Now it's kind of just sitting over the whole country.' Arnason said the gas was not toxic but could be an 'irritant.' The environment agency has recommended that vulnerable people should remain at home and take precautions against the pollution. The wind was expected to start strengthening again late Monday.
CBS News
a day ago
- Business
- CBS News
Operations at Baltimore coal terminal caused air pollution in Curtis Bay community, report says
Bulldozer operations at a coal facility at the Port of Baltimore are directly connected to increased air pollution in the nearby Curtis Bay neighborhood, according to a Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health study. According to the study, levels of air pollutants, including particulate matter and black carbon, were highest when there was both bulldozer activity and wind blowing from the coal terminal. Researchers monitored air quality for a full year, from July 2022 to July 2023, using 10 monitoring sites around Curtis Bay and a camera that tracked bulldozer activity at CSX Corporation's Curtis Bay Piers terminal. "Curtis Bay residents have reported for years that they observe black dust that accumulates at their homes and in the community and they attribute this to coal dust," Christopher D. Heaney, associate professor in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at the Bloomberg School, said. The coal terminal was originally built in 1882 and serves as a storage facility for coal brought by rail, mainly from coal mines in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The coal is transported to India and several Northern European countries. The terminal contributes roughly one-third of U.S. annual coal exports, according to the report. The Curtis Bay neighborhood sits directly west of the coal terminal, surrounded by heavy industrial activity and diesel truck, train, and ship traffic. Residents have complained about coal dust pollution for years. In Nov. 2024, Curtis Bay residents urged the Maryland Department of the Environment to reject the operating permit for the CSX terminal when it was up for renewal. The residents said they wanted to live without constant coal dust from the nearby terminal. An MDE spokesperson said that while the department can enforce operational restrictions, it does not have the authority to halt operations. In September 2024, CSX settled a class action lawsuit for $1.75 million after a coal dust explosion.
