Bentley<p>"The big thing in smoke that we know the most about medically is something called PM 2.5. or <a href="https://canada.masto.host/tags/ParticulateMatter" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ParticulateMatter</span></a> 2.5. Little, tiny, chemicals that are so small that they can be inhaled into your lungs and so small that they can even pass in your bloodstream and travel throughout your whole system."</p><p><a href="https://www.podcastics.com/episode/370425/link/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">podcastics.com/episode/370425/</span><span class="invisible">link/</span></a></p><p><a href="https://canada.masto.host/tags/MarkCarney" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>MarkCarney</span></a> <a href="https://canada.masto.host/tags/Wildfires" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Wildfires</span></a> <a href="https://canada.masto.host/tags/Smoke" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Smoke</span></a> <a href="https://canada.masto.host/tags/SmokeYYC" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>SmokeYYC</span></a> <a href="https://canada.masto.host/tags/Climate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Climate</span></a> <a href="https://canada.masto.host/tags/ClimateChange" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ClimateChange</span></a> <a href="https://canada.masto.host/tags/abpoli" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>abpoli</span></a> <a href="https://canada.masto.host/tags/cdnpoli" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>cdnpoli</span></a> <a href="https://canada.masto.host/tags/Pipelines" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Pipelines</span></a> <a href="https://canada.masto.host/tags/ElbowsUp" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ElbowsUp</span></a> <a href="https://canada.masto.host/tags/CostOfClimate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>CostOfClimate</span></a></p>
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#particulatematter
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DoomsdaysCW<p>The smoke from <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Canada" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Canada</span></a>’s <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/wildfires" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>wildfires</span></a> may be even more <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/toxic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>toxic</span></a> than usual</p><p>A legacy of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/mining" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>mining</span></a> means that <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ToxicMetals" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ToxicMetals</span></a> could be carried along plumes of smoke. </p><p>by Matt Simon, June 5, 2025</p><p>"More than 200 wildfires are blazing across central and western Canada, half of which are out of control because they’re so hard for crews to access, forcing 27,000 people to evacuate. Even those nowhere near the wildfires are suffering as smoke swirls around Canada and wafts south, creating hazardous air quality all over the midwestern and eastern parts of the United States. The smoke is even reaching Europe.</p><p>"As the climate changes, the far north is drying and warming, which means wildfires are getting bigger and more intense. The area burned in Canada is now the second largest on record for this time of year, trailing behind the brutal wildfire season of 2023. That year, the amount of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/carbon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>carbon</span></a> blazed into the atmosphere was about three times the country’s <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/FossilFuel" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>FossilFuel</span></a> emissions. And the more carbon that’s emitted from wildfires — in Canada and elsewhere — the faster the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PlanetaryWarming" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>PlanetaryWarming</span></a>, and the worse the fires. </p><p>" 'There’s obviously the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ClimateFeedback" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ClimateFeedback</span></a> concern,' said Mike Waddington, an environmental scientist at McMaster University in Ontario who studies Canada’s forests. 'But increasingly we’re also concerned about the smoke.'</p><p>"That’s because there’s much more to wildfire smoke than charred sticks and leaves, especially where these blazes are burning in Canada. The country’s <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/forests" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>forests</span></a> have long been <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/mined" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>mined</span></a>, operations that loaded <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/soils" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>soils</span></a> and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/waterways" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>waterways</span></a> with <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ToxicMetals" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ToxicMetals</span></a> like <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/lead" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>lead</span></a> and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/mercury" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>mercury</span></a>, especially before clean-air standards kicked in 50 years ago. Now everyone downwind of these wildfires may have to contend with that legacy and those pollutants, in addition to all the other nasties inherent in <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WildfireSmoke" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>WildfireSmoke</span></a>, which are known to exacerbate respiratory and cardiac problems. </p><p>" 'You have there the burning of these organic soils resulting in a lot of carbon and a lot of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ParticulateMatter" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ParticulateMatter</span></a>,' said Waddington. 'Now you have this triple whammy, where you have the metals <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/remobilized" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>remobilized</span></a> in addition to that.'</p><p>"What exactly is lurking in the smoke from Canadian wildfires will require further testing by scientists. But an area of particular concern is around the mining city of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/FlinFlon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>FlinFlon</span></a>, in <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ManitobaCanada" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ManitobaCanada</span></a>, which is known to have elevated levels of toxic metals in the landscape, said Colin McCarter, an environmental scientist who studies pollutants at Ontario’s <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NipissingUniversity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>NipissingUniversity</span></a>. Flin Flon’s 5,000 residents have been evacuated as a wildfire approaches, though so far no structures have been destroyed. </p><p>"But a fire doesn’t need to directly burn mining operations to mobilize toxicants. For example, in <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Yellowknife" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Yellowknife</span></a>, in Canada’s <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NorthwestTerritories" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>NorthwestTerritories</span></a>, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/GoldMining" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>GoldMining</span></a> operations between 1934 and 2004 spread <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/arsenic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>arsenic</span></a> as far as 18 miles away, adding to a landscape with an already high concentration of naturally occurring arsenic. In a paper published last year, Waddington and McCarter estimated that between 1972 and 2023, wildfires around Yellowknife fired up to 840,000 pounds of arsenic into the atmosphere. Arsenic is a known carcinogen associated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and developmental problems, according to the World Health Organization. (After the 2023 <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/LahainaFire" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>LahainaFire</span></a> in Maui, officials reported elevated levels of arsenic, lead, and other toxic substances in ash samples. California officials also found lots of lead in smoke from 2018’s <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CampFire" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>CampFire</span></a>.)"</p><p>Source:<br><a href="https://grist.org/climate/canada-wildfire-smoke-toxic-arsenic/?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">grist.org/climate/canada-wildf</span><span class="invisible">ire-smoke-toxic-arsenic/?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us</span></a> </p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WaterIsLife" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>WaterIsLife</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SoilIsLife" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>SoilIsLife</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/AirIsLife" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>AirIsLife</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Mining" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Mining</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ToxicLegacy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ToxicLegacy</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/FirstNations" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>FirstNations</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Canada" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Canada</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Pollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Pollution</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Worldwide" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Worldwide</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/AQI" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>AQI</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ClimateChange" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ClimateChange</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ClimateCrisis" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ClimateCrisis</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ClimateCatastrophe" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ClimateCatastrophe</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/AirQualityIndex" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>AirQualityIndex</span></a></p>
GeologistsCat<p>Today our human used the rainy weather to build a <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/ParticulateMatter" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ParticulateMatter</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/pollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>pollution</span></a> device. It's an <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/worldwide" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>worldwide</span></a> project he found in @ctmagazin. It helps to see how healthy your <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Hedgewatch" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Hedgewatch</span></a> is going to be</p><p>sensor.community/en/</p><p><a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Electronic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Electronic</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/health" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>health</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/science" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>science</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/opendata" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>opendata</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/CatsofTwittter" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>CatsofTwittter</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/caturday" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>caturday</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/CatsOfMastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>CatsOfMastodon</span></a></p>
DoomsdaysCW<p>Not just human health! The <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Toxic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Toxic</span></a> Blend of LA’s Urban <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WildfireSmoke" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>WildfireSmoke</span></a> Will Have Lasting Health Consequences </p><p>Los Angeles residents are breathing bits of "cars, metal pipes, plastics."<br> <br>By Zoya Teirstein, January 22, 2025</p><p>“These fires are different from previous quote-unquote ‘wildfires,’ because there are so many structures that burned,” said Yifang Zhu, a professor of environmental health sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles. 'Everything in the households got burned — cars, metal pipes, plastics.'</p><p>"<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Wildfiresmoke" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Wildfiresmoke</span></a> is toxic. Burning trees and shrubs produce very fine <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/particulatematter" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>particulatematter</span></a>, known by the shorthand PM 2.5, which burrow deep into the lungs and can even infiltrate the bloodstream, causing cold- and flu-like symptoms in the short term, and heart disease, lung cancer, and other chronic issues over time. </p><p>"But the fires that raced through Los Angeles burned thousands of homes, schools, historic buildings, and even medical clinics, blanketing the city in thick smoke. For several days after the first fire started, the city’s air quality index, or <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/AQI" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>AQI</span></a>, exceeded 100, the threshold, typically seen during wildfires, at which air becomes unhealthy to breathe for children, the elderly, and those with asthma. In some parts of the city, the AQI reached 500, a number rarely seen and always hazardous for everyone. </p><p>"At the moment, air pollution experts know how much smoke fills the air. That’s shown improvement in recent days. But they don’t know what’s in it. 'What are the chemical mixtures in this smoke?' asked Kai Chen, an environmental scientist at the Yale School of Public Health. 'In addition to fine particulate matter, there are potentially other hazardous and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/carcinogenic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>carcinogenic</span></a> organic compounds — gas pollutants, trace metals, and microplastics.'</p><p>"Previous research shows that the spikes in unhealthy air quality seen during such events lead to higher rates of hospitalizations for issues like asthma, and even contribute to heart attacks among those with that chronic disease. A 2024 study on the long-term effects of smoke exposure in California showed that particulate matter from wildfires in the state from 2008 to 2018 contributed to anywhere from 52,000 to 56,000 premature deaths. A health assessment of 148 firefighters who worked the Tubbs Fire, which burned more than 36,000 acres in Northern California in 2017 and destroyed an unusually high number of structures, found elevated levels of the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PFAS" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>PFAS</span></a> known as forever chemicals, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/HeavyMetals" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>HeavyMetals</span></a>, and flame retardants in their blood and urine.</p><p>"The L.A. County Department of Public Health has formally urged people to stay inside and wear masks to protect themselves from windblown toxic dust and ash. Air quality measurements don’t take these particles into account, which means the air quality index doesn’t reveal the extent of contaminants in the air. </p><p>"Zhu and her colleagues have been collecting samples of wildfire smoke in neighborhoods near the fires. It’ll be months before that data is fully analyzed, but Zhu suspects she will find a dangerous mix of chemicals, including, potentially, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/asbestos" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>asbestos</span></a> and lead — materials used in many buildings constructed before the 1970s. </p><p>"The risk will linger even after the smoke clears. The plumes that wafted over the landscape will deposit chemicals into drinking <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/water" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>water</span></a> supplies and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/contaminate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>contaminate</span></a># soil. When rains do come, they’ll wash <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ToxicAsh" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ToxicAsh</span></a> into streams and across the land, said Fernando Rosario-Ortiz, an environmental engineer and interim dean of the University of Colorado Boulder environmental engineering program. 'There’s a lot of manmade materials that are now being combusted. The potential is there for contamination,' he said, noting that little research on how toxic ash and other byproducts of wildfires in urban areas currently exists. 'What we don’t have a lot of information on is what happens now.'</p><p>"After the Camp Fire razed Paradise, California, in 2018, water utilities found high levels of volatile organic compounds [<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/VOCs" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>VOCs</span></a>] in <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DrinkingWater" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>DrinkingWater</span></a>. Similar issues have arisen in places like Boulder County, Colorado, where the Marshall Fire destroyed nearly 1,000 structures in 2021, Rosario-Ortiz said, though the presence of a contaminant in a home doesn’t necessarily mean it will be present in high levels in the water. Still, several municipal water agencies in Los Angeles issued preemptive advisories urging residents not to drink tap water in neighborhoods near the Palisades and Eaton fires. It’ll be weeks before they know exactly what’s in the water. </p><p>"As wildfires grow ever more intense and encroach upon urban areas, cities and counties must be prepared to monitor the health impacts and respond to them. 'This is the first time I’ve ever even witnessed or heard anything like this,' said Zhu, who raised her daughter in Los Angeles and has lived there for decades, said. 'Even being in the field studying wildfires and air quality impacts, I never imagined that a whole neighborhood, a whole community in Palisades, would burn down.'"</p><p>Read more:<br><a href="https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/the-toxic-blend-of-las-urban-wildfire-smoke-will-have-lasting-health-consequences/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=flipboard_rss&utm_campaign=znetwork" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">znetwork.org/znetarticle/the-t</span><span class="invisible">oxic-blend-of-las-urban-wildfire-smoke-will-have-lasting-health-consequences/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=flipboard_rss&utm_campaign=znetwork</span></a><br><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/AirPollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>AirPollution</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WaterPollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>WaterPollution</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/AirIsLife" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>AirIsLife</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WaterIsLife" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>WaterIsLife</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ToxicMaterials" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ToxicMaterials</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/EnvironmentalDisaster" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>EnvironmentalDisaster</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/EnvironmentalDamage" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>EnvironmentalDamage</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Pyrocene" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Pyrocene</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PyroceneEra" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>PyroceneEra</span></a></p>
DoomsdaysCW<p>How <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/AirPollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>AirPollution</span></a> is causing girls to get their first <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/periods" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>periods</span></a> earlier</p><p>New research shows that girls in the US are getting their first periods earlier. Exposure to toxic air is partly to blame.</p><p>By David Cox, June 4, 2024</p><p>"The same trend has also been noted around the world. South Korean scientists have described with some alarm how the number of girls displaying signs of precocious puberty – either breast development or <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/menstruation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>menstruation</span></a> before the age of eight - increased 16-fold between 2008 and 2020.</p><p>"We're also seeing that these decreasing ages at puberty are even more pronounced in lower socioeconomic status groups, and ethnic minority groups," says Audrey Gaskins, an associate professor at Emory University in Atlanta, the US. "This has important implications for long-term health."</p><p>Researchers like Gaskins are primarily concerned that beginning puberty earlier might trigger a cascade of events which have far-reaching consequences later in adulthood. Emerging data suggests that it may not only curtail the fertility window, particularly if these women then enter menopause sooner, but shorten their lives. Precocious puberty has been repeatedly associated with a higher risk of diseases ranging from breast and ovarian cancers, metabolic syndromes such as obesity and type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease."</p><p>By David Cox, June 4, 2024</p><p>"For several decades, scientists around the world have become increasingly concerned by signs that girls are entering puberty at a much younger age compared with previous generations.</p><p>From when girls experience their first period, something which scientists term the age of menarche, to commencing breast development, these seminal changes marking the onset of adolescence appear to be taking place progressively sooner.</p><p>"American girls today have been estimated to start menstruation up to four years earlier compared to girls living a century ago. In May, new data showed that while girls born between 1950 and 1969 typically began menstruating at 12.5 years, this decreased to an average of 11.9 years for the generation born in the early 2000s.</p><p>"The same trend has also been noted around the world. South Korean scientists have described with some alarm how the number of girls displaying signs of precocious puberty – either breast development or menstruation before the age of eight - increased 16-fold between 2008 and 2020.</p><p>"'We're also seeing that these decreasing ages at puberty are even more pronounced in lower socioeconomic status groups, and ethnic minority groups,' says Audrey Gaskins, an associate professor at Emory University in Atlanta, the US. 'This has important implications for long-term health.'</p><p>"Researchers like Gaskins are primarily concerned that beginning puberty earlier might trigger a cascade of events which have far-reaching consequences later in adulthood. Emerging data suggests that it may not only curtail the fertility window, particularly if these women then enter menopause sooner, but shorten their lives. Precocious puberty has been repeatedly associated with a higher risk of diseases ranging from breast and ovarian cancers, metabolic syndromes such as obesity and type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.</p><p>[...]</p><p>"Some of the major culprits appear to be <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ToxicGases" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ToxicGases</span></a> such as <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SulphurDioxide" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>SulphurDioxide</span></a>, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NitrogenDioxide" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>NitrogenDioxide</span></a>, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CarbonMonoxide" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>CarbonMonoxide</span></a> and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ozone" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ozone</span></a>, all of which are released into the air either through <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/VehicleEmissions" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>VehicleEmissions</span></a> or waste produced by <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Manufacturing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Manufacturing</span></a> Plants. In 2022, a study from scientists in Poland, a country known for its poor air quality due to the prevalence of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/coal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>coal</span></a>-burning factories, examined data from 1,257 women, and found a link between greater exposure to nitrogen gases and menstruation occurring before the age of 11."</p><p>Read more:<br><a href="https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240605-how-air-pollution-is-impacting-girls-puberty?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-us" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">bbc.com/future/article/2024060</span><span class="invisible">5-how-air-pollution-is-impacting-girls-puberty?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-us</span></a> </p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PM2" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>PM2</span></a>.5 <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PM10" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>PM10</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ParticulateMatter" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ParticulateMatter</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/MaskUp" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>MaskUp</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/IndustrialAge" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>IndustrialAge</span></a></p>
DoomsdaysCW<p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/FloorWaxing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>FloorWaxing</span></a> could be an important source of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PFAS" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>PFAS</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/contamination" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>contamination</span></a>, with increased <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/occupational" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>occupational</span></a> health risks for <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/workers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>workers</span></a></p><p>May 25, 2022</p><p>"There’s a special satisfaction that comes from walking on perfectly shined floors — but is it worth the potential risk to floor waxing workers?</p><p>"A study published earlier this year measured per- and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/polyfluoroalkyl" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>polyfluoroalkyl</span></a> substances (PFAS) in <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/dust" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>dust</span></a> and airborne <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ParticulateMatter" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ParticulateMatter</span></a> [which means it's going into the air that everyone breathes -- just not humans] during professional floor stripping and waxing. After estimating PFAS emission rates generated from the process, researchers concluded that significantly higher levels of PFAS were present during floor waxing.</p><p>"The study was led by Jiaqi Zhou, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at the UNC-Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health. Collaborators include Karsten Baumann; Naomi Chang; Glenn Morrison; Wanda Bodnar; Zhenfa Zhang; Jason Surratt; and Barbara J. Turpin — all with the Gillings School — and Joanna M. Atkin, with UNC’s Department of Chemistry.</p><p>"PFAS are human-produced chemicals commonly used in industry and consumer products. Most PFAS do not break down over time, so they remain in the environment and in the bodies of exposed human and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/animals" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>animals</span></a> long after initial use. Scientific studies have shown that exposure to PFAS may be linked to harmful health effects, which was the impetus for this study.</p><p>"Published in Atmospheric Environment, the paper reports that floor waxing floor waxing workers could have increased occupational health risks due to PFAS exposures.</p><p>“Assessment of occupational exposure due to floor maintenance is important because PFAS exposures can lead to increased risk of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/cancer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>cancer</span></a>, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/immunotoxicity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>immunotoxicity</span></a> and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/neurodevelopmental" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>neurodevelopmental</span></a> problems, the co-authors write."</p><p>Read more:<br><a href="https://sph.unc.edu/sph-news/floor-waxing-could-be-an-important-source-of-pfas-contamination-with-increased-occupational-health-risks-for-workers/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">sph.unc.edu/sph-news/floor-wax</span><span class="invisible">ing-could-be-an-important-source-of-pfas-contamination-with-increased-occupational-health-risks-for-workers/</span></a></p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PFASPollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>PFASPollution</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WaterIsLife" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>WaterIsLife</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/EnvironmentalPollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>EnvironmentalPollution</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CleaningProducts" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>CleaningProducts</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/FloorWax" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>FloorWax</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/EnvironmentalPollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>EnvironmentalPollution</span></a></p>
DoomsdaysCW<p>But <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ExxonLied" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ExxonLied</span></a> wants to get into the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/LithiumMining" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>LithiumMining</span></a> business using a secretive process. What could go wrong?!!</p><p>Insight: Three Exxon refineries top the list of U.S. polluters</p><p>By Tim Mclaughlin<br>June 1, 2021</p><p>BATON ROUGE, Louisiana (Reuters) - "<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ExxonMobil" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ExxonMobil</span></a>'s U.S. <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/OilRefineries" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>OilRefineries</span></a> refineries pump out far more <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/lung" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>lung</span></a>-damaging soot than similarly-sized facilities operated by rivals, according to regulatory documents and a Reuters analysis of pollution test results.</p><p>"The Texas-based firm's three largest <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/refineries" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>refineries</span></a> - two in <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Texas" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Texas</span></a> and one in <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Louisiana" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Louisiana</span></a> - are the nation's top three emitters of small <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/particulatematter" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>particulatematter</span></a> according to the analysis of the latest tests submitted to regulators by the nation's 10 largest refineries.</p><p>"The three Exxon refineries together averaged emissions of 80 pounds per hour, eight times the average rate of the seven other refineries on the top-ten list, some of which are larger than Exxon's plants, the analysis shows. The top polluter, Exxon's <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/BatonRouge" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>BatonRouge</span></a> refinery, averaged 138 pounds per hour. </p><p>"The performance reflects the firm's inadequate spending to cut emissions, said Wilma Subra, a Louisiana-based scientist who formerly served on the Environmental Protection Agency's National Environmental Justice Advisory Council.</p><p>"'Exxon has all the resources in the world to lower its pollution rates dramatically,' she said.</p><p>"The company has taken heat for years for its environmental performance. This week, Exxon lost at least two seats on its board of directors to an activist hedge fund seeking to force the firm to reckon with <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ClimateChange" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ClimateChange</span></a>.</p><p>"Exxon (XOM.N) said in a statement that it tries [not very hard, apparently] to comply with environmental laws and has invested billions of dollars to reduce emissions over the last two decades." [And buy congress members]</p><p><a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/three-exxon-refineries-top-list-us-polluters-2021-05-28/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">reuters.com/business/energy/th</span><span class="invisible">ree-exxon-refineries-top-list-us-polluters-2021-05-28/</span></a> </p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/AirPollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>AirPollution</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/BigOilAndGas" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>BigOilAndGas</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ExxonKnew" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ExxonKnew</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ExxonStillLies" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ExxonStillLies</span></a></p>
Norobiik @Norobiik@noc.social<p><a href="https://noc.social/tags/ParticulateMatter" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ParticulateMatter</span></a>, known as PM2.5 - particles so small they can be ingested deep into the <a href="https://noc.social/tags/lungs" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>lungs</span></a> - and a cocktail of gases hang heavy over land-locked <a href="https://noc.social/tags/Delhi" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Delhi</span></a>, among the world's most polluted cities. Low wind speeds trap pollutants in the lower atmosphere, worsening air quality. <a href="https://noc.social/tags/India" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>India</span></a> <a href="https://noc.social/tags/China" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>China</span></a> <a href="https://noc.social/tags/AirPollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>AirPollution</span></a></p><p>Delhi AQI: Why Indian capital lags behind <a href="https://noc.social/tags/Beijing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Beijing</span></a> in the battle to breathe - BBC News<br><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-67355267" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-</span><span class="invisible">67355267</span></a></p>
CelloMom On Cars<p>"Lawmakers on Thursday voted to keep the commission's proposal for limits on <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/pollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>pollution</span></a> from cars, including nitrous oxides (NOx), <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/ParticulateMatter" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ParticulateMatter</span></a> and carbon monoxide. That proposal, released in November 2022, essentially retains the limits from Euro 6, but also includes for the first time limits on particulate emissions from <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/brakes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>brakes</span></a> and <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/tires" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>tires</span></a>.</p><p>But they weakened <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/NOx" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>NOx</span></a> limits for trucks, and delayed when the rules will apply."<br> <br><a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/EURO7" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>EURO7</span></a> <br><a href="https://europe.autonews.com/environmentemissions/european-parliament-backs-weaker-euro-7-emissions-rules" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">europe.autonews.com/environmen</span><span class="invisible">temissions/european-parliament-backs-weaker-euro-7-emissions-rules</span></a></p>
CelloMom On Cars<p>Europeans live in <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/FossilFuelAusterity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>FossilFuelAusterity</span></a> today:</p><p>"The new analysis found only 2% of the population of Europe live in areas within [the <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/WHO" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>WHO</span></a> guidelines for <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/ParticulateMatter" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ParticulateMatter</span></a> pollution]. Experts say PM2.5 pollution causes about 400,000 deaths a year across the continent.</p><p>Traffic, industry, domestic heating and agriculture are the main sources of PM2.5 and the impact is often felt disproportionately by the poorest communities."</p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/20/revealed-almost-everyone-in-europe-breathing-toxic-air" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">theguardian.com/environment/20</span><span class="invisible">23/sep/20/revealed-almost-everyone-in-europe-breathing-toxic-air</span></a></p>
CelloMom On Cars<p>Another reason to get rid of <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/FossilFuels" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>FossilFuels</span></a>: </p><p>"The main drivers [of <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/AntibioticResistance" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>AntibioticResistance</span></a>] are still the misuse and overuse of <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/antibiotics" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>antibiotics</span></a>. But the study suggests the problem is being worsened by rising levels of <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/AirPollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>AirPollution</span></a>.</p><p>Evidence suggests that <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/ParticulateMatter" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ParticulateMatter</span></a> PM2.5 can contain antibiotic-resistant bacteria and resistance genes, which may be transferred between environments and inhaled directly by humans"</p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/aug/07/air-pollution-linked-rise-antibiotic-resistance-imperils-human-health" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">theguardian.com/society/2023/a</span><span class="invisible">ug/07/air-pollution-linked-rise-antibiotic-resistance-imperils-human-health</span></a></p>
CelloMom On Cars<p>"The <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/EURO7" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>EURO7</span></a> proposal [aims] to force the industry to deploy tech that will reduce everything from <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/nitrogen" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>nitrogen</span></a> oxides to <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/ParticulateMatter" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ParticulateMatter</span></a>, fine dust that gets trapped in human tissue and is associated with everything from <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/LungDisease" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>LungDisease</span></a> to dementia and premature <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/mortality" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>mortality</span></a>.</p><p>But the <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/auto" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>auto</span></a> industry, along with big <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/car" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>car</span></a> countries, argue the standards are unnecessary given that the EU has already agreed to essentially end the sale of new combustion engine cars by 2035."<br> <br><a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/car-pollution-rules-emissions-health-congestion-euro-7-eu/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">politico.eu/article/car-pollut</span><span class="invisible">ion-rules-emissions-health-congestion-euro-7-eu/</span></a></p>
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