pollution

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>

Massive Fatberg Yanked From London Sewer

Blockage made of wipes and grease took a month to clear

(Newser) - A massive, foul fatberg weighing 110 tons—roughly the heft of eight double-decker buses—has been excavated from a sewer beneath west London. Thames Water engineers spent a month chiseling, blasting, and ultimately sucking out the greasy, wipe-laden clog that had settled 32 feet below Feltham, the Guardian reports....

Tiny Plastic Pollution Might Be Creeping Into Your Bones

New study links plastic particles to bone loss

(Newser) - Tiny plastic fragments floating through our environment may be doing more than polluting oceans, they could also be quietly undermining your bones. Wired reports that researchers are now warning that microplastics could be a hidden culprit behind rising rates of osteoporosis because these particles appear to interfere with the...

Al Gore Turns His Focus to Soot
Al Gore Turns
His Focus to Soot
Sep 28, 2025 5:30 AM CDT

Al Gore Turns His Focus to Soot

His satellite and AI system is now tracking sources of deadly soot pollution

(Newser) - Particle pollution kills millions of people worldwide each year—and tens of thousands in the United States—according to scientific studies and reports. Soon people will be able to use satellite technology and artificial intelligence to track these tiny particles, often referred to as soot, in their neighborhoods—as well...

600M Rely on River Facing Unprecedented Drying
600M Rely on River Facing
Unprecedented Drying
NEW STUDY
Sep 24, 2025 3:20 PM CDT

600M Rely on River Facing Unprecedented Drying

Researchers link Ganges crisis to weakened monsoon and human-caused pollution

(Newser) - Once mighty and life-giving, India's Ganges River is facing its worst crisis in over a millennium, with human activity at the heart of the problem. A new study finds the river, relied on by about 600 million people, is drying up faster than at any point in the...

The River Was 'Untouchable.' Now Hundreds Dive In

After cleanup, Chicago hosts first group swim since 1927

(Newser) - For the first time in nearly a century, hundreds of swimmers dove into the Chicago River for an organized swim Sunday, marking a striking reversal for a waterway long synonymous with pollution. Around 300 participants, some in wetsuits, braved the cold for a mile-long swim, a feat organizers say...

Wildfire Smoke Poised to Be Top Climate Health Threat

Study notes tens of thousands of annual deaths from smoke exposure, with more harm expected

(Newser) - A new study forecasts that wildfire smoke will become the leading climate-related health hazard in the United States, eclipsing risks like extreme heat by midcentury. The analysis estimates that smoke is already responsible for upward of 41,000 excess deaths annually—a figure more than double previous estimates. Researchers...

How Pandemic Face Masks Are Polluting Land and Water
All Those COVID Masks
Are Leaching Chemicals
in case you missed it
Sep 13, 2025 6:00 AM CDT

All Those COVID Masks Are Leaching Chemicals

Microplastics and hormone disruptors included, research finds

(Newser) - Millions of discarded face masks from the COVID-19 pandemic are now breaking down, creating an environmental hazard that could linger for generations, a study warns. Researchers from Coventry University found that the billions of plastic-based masks used globally, which were meant to protect people from the virus, are now...

Will 6th Time Be the Charm to Tackle Plastic Pollution?

Global summit in Geneva aims to tackle waste, chemicals, recycling costs

(Newser) - As the world drowns in hundreds of trillions of pieces of plastic, representatives from more than 170 countries converge in Geneva this week, aiming to finally strike a deal to tackle the escalating crisis that threatens both the planet and human health. Despite a 2022 agreement to create a...

Tiny Plastics in North Atlantic Outweigh All Land Mammals

Study finds 27M metric tons of nanoplastics, a 'shocking' amount

(Newser) - Trillions of invisible plastic fragments—each smaller than a single bacterium—are polluting one section of ocean in volumes greater than all wild land mammals combined, according to a new study. Researchers estimate at least 27 million metric tons of nanoplastics, plastic fragments tinier than one micrometer, linger in...

New Mexico Sues Air Force Over 'Forever Chemicals'

State says toxic firefighting foam has contaminated water, farmland

(Newser) - For years, toxic "forever chemicals" from a US Air Force base in New Mexico have contaminated local water and farmland—now, the state is taking the US military to court for refusing to clean up the mess. The state is suing over continued PFAS pollution stemming from Cannon...

Cannes Makes 'Drastic' Move on Visiting Cruise Ships

Resort town to ban vessels with more than 1K people starting Jan. 1, in effort to fight overtourism

(Newser) - The French Riviera resort of Cannes is imposing what its city council calls "drastic regulation" on cruise ships, banning any vessels carrying more than 1,000 people from its harbor starting next year. The home of the world's premier film festival is joining a growing global backlash against...

Appalachian Fish Can't Escape Microplastics Either
Appalachian Fish Can't
Escape Microplastics Either
new study
Jun 23, 2025 8:50 AM CDT

Appalachian Fish Can't Escape Microplastics Either

West Virginia University study finds dozens of particles in each fish sampled

(Newser) - A West Virginia University student sampling fish in Appalachian streams made an unwanted discovery: Every one had microplastics. It's the first such study out of Appalachia to confirm that fish in the region are ingesting microplastics, according to a news release at Phys.org .
  • WVU student Isabella Tuzzio
...

Biggest Firms on Earth Leave $28T Climate Tab in Their Wake

Dartmouth scientists point to 10 fossil fuel firms as being on the hook for more than half that damage

(Newser) - The world's biggest corporations have caused $28 trillion in climate damage over the years, estimates a new study, part of an effort to make it easier for people and governments to hold companies financially accountable, as the tobacco giants have been. A Dartmouth College research team came up with...

Man, 19, Faces Arson Charges Over New Jersey Wildfire

Blaze has burned more than 23 square miles, impacted air quality in surrounding area

(Newser) - A spark from burning pallets in New Jersey's Pine Barrens has unleashed a wildfire, with smoke drifting as far as New York City and Long Island, prompting evacuations and raising air quality alarms. The blaze was sparked when a 19-year-old man from Waretown set fire to wooden pallets...

Paris Got Serious, and Cleaned Up Its Air

Over past 20 years, French capital has seen PM2.5 levels drop 55%, nitrogen dioxide levels by 50%

(Newser) - Paris just got some good news: Those roaming its streets are breathing in much cleaner air than a couple of decades ago. A new report from the independent air-quality monitoring group Airparif reveals that the City of Light has seen a 50% drop in nitrogen dioxide levels since 2005, as...

EPA Chief Announces Historic 'Day of Deregulation'

Climate scientists object as Zeldin says changes will cut the cost of living and help business

(Newser) - The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday announced the repeal of dozens of protections—including rules concerning air and water pollution and wetlands—in what Administrator Lee Zeldin called "the most consequential day of deregulation in American history." Zeldin revealed the actions in a series of news releases and...

US Shuts Downs Air Monitoring at Embassies, Consulates

Critics say move not only stymies pollution research—it also threatens health of US staffers

(Newser) - For more than 10 years, 80 US embassies and consulates have collected and reported data on air pollution in countries around the world, in some areas serving as the only reliable disseminator of such information. Now, the Trump administration has put the kibosh on that global monitoring program, with the...

That Pretty Starship Explosion? A Lot of Pollution

Experts say atmosphere, ocean likely to have suffered

(Newser) - The explosion of SpaceX's Starship didn't just cause damage to islands hit by falling debris. It also likely damaged the ocean and atmosphere, Space.com reports. The rocket's stainless-steel upper stage, which weighed 85 tons without propellant, broke up at an altitude of around 90 miles, according...

Earliest Lead Pollution Found in Ancient Greece

Evidence of lead pollution dates back 5.2K years

(Newser) - Ancient Greece produced the earliest records of democracy, western philosophy—and, it turns out, lead pollution. Researchers studying sediment cores recovered from mainland Greece and the Aegean Sea have found the oldest known evidence of lead pollution in the environment dating to around 5,200 years ago, the AP reports....

Coca-Cola Drops Goals on Reusing, Reducing Plastics

Company is the world's biggest single source of the problem

(Newser) - One of the world's top contributors to plastic pollution has backed away from its reduction and reuse goals, saying it's complicated—a move that has sparked criticism from environment organizations. Days before the global summit on reducing plastic use began, the Coca-Cola Co. took down the pledge it...

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>
Most Read on Newser