Pollution (Page 5)

What you need to know about the gases, toxins, and garbage that make their way into water, air, and land.

Latest in Pollution

Car exhaust was a major source of lead exposure.

Leaded gas may have lowered the IQ of 170 million US adults

Lit wood stove emitting air pollution

An EPA fix for pollution-spewing wood stoves is backfiring

By Diana Kruzman / Undark

Street with trash, drink bottle, paper.

Most roadside litter comes from just down the street

By Carla Delgado

Dust cloud from the Great Salt Lake in studio light and on a black background

Dust clouds are killing people out West—and the dangers could spread

By Virginia Gewin

Tesla fremont factory

Tesla got fined for polluting (again)

By Colleen Hagerty

a bald eagle perched on a branch

Eagles face another major threat in the US: lead poisoning

By Kate Baggaley

Cemetary with large stone chapel and headstones.

COVID-19 is overcrowding cemeteries and causing heavy metal pollution

By Anuradha Varanasi

Person with black gloves pouring rock salt over a sidewalk despite environmental pollution

There’s a better way to use rock salt on snow

By Purbita Saha

the view from on a container ship

How floating power ports could help cargo ships cut their air pollution

Low hanging cloud layer over snowy ground

How a bewitching weather phenomenon took over a Maine town

Orange and black butterfly on yellow flower

Bees and butterflies have trouble smelling flowers in polluted air

By Maggie Galloway

Here’s exactly how wildfires are polluting our air

Here’s exactly how wildfires are polluting our air

By Kate Baggaley

Aging walls of an old Alcoa aluminum plant on concrete polluted ground

A North Carolina town struggles under the toxic shadow of the company that built it

By Emily Cataneo/Undark

Northern pike underwater

Fish can bounce back quickly from mercury pollution

By Kate Baggaley

Pesticides can hurt agricultural communities—so why do farmers fight back against bans?

By Angely Mercado

A million ‘super trees’ are coming to clean Houston’s air in the next decade

Dead puffer fish on Sri Lanka beach

Plastic nurdles are killing Sri Lanka’s sea creatures

By Ashley Stimpson/Field & Stream

Coast of Salton Sea in California

‘Lithium Valley’ could save one of the most polluted areas in California

By Angely Mercado

Ships and scenery on the Yangtze river in China

Our meat habit is causing pollution issues—by way of our poops

By Angely Mercado

A bird's eye view of white tanks containing gasoline at a refinery.

The new infrastructure bill will fund pollution cleanup. But will it hold polluters accountable?

By Philip Kiefer

Lenzig TENCEL fibers in jar

This luxurious fabric breaks down in the ocean without leaving a trace

By Angely Mercado

Colorful clothes hanging on a laundry line outside on a sunny day—one of the best ways to reduce microplastic pollution from laundry.

The secret to longer-lasting clothes will also reduce plastic pollution

By Alisha McDarris

PFAS are everywhere—and the EPA has a new plan to fight back

PFAS are everywhere—and the EPA has a new plan to fight back

By Angely Mercado

What we know—and don’t know—about the Huntington Beach oil spill

What we know—and don’t know—about the Huntington Beach oil spill

By Sara Kiley Watson

One way to cut down air pollutants: call an Uber

One way to cut down air pollutants: call an Uber

By Angely Mercado

butterflies emerging from cocoons

City lights could trigger a baby boom for some moths and butterflies

By Margo Milanowski

a statue of a firefighter sits with the One World Trade Center tower in the background

What 20 years of screening 9/11 first responders for health risks has taught us

By Betsy Ladyzhets

Is ‘vegan’ leather really better for the planet?

Is ‘vegan’ leather really better for the planet?

By Angely Mercado

Roundup herbicide bottle on lawn

Roundup is finally going to be made without glyphosate in the US

By Purbita Saha

What is ecocide, and why might it be criminalized worldwide?

What is ecocide, and why might it be criminalized worldwide?

By Angely Mercado

The Milky Way at night over mountains.

The best ways to reduce light pollution and improve your quality of life

By Alisha McDarris

Videos show a surreal ‘eye of fire’ in the Gulf of Mexico after gas pipeline ruptures at sea

Videos show a surreal ‘eye of fire’ in the Gulf of Mexico after gas pipeline ruptures at sea

By Rachel Feltman

Night sky and stars above the Cherry Springs National Park.

The world needs dark skies more than ever. Here’s why.

‘Forever chemicals’ could be lurking in your lipstick

‘Forever chemicals’ could be lurking in your lipstick

By Angely Mercado

Salt marshes keep score on humanity’s plastic problem

Salt marshes keep score on humanity’s plastic problem

By Ellie Shechet

coal covered man in Linfen China

The World’s 10 Worst Cities

By Popular Science Team

Chinese man shrimp fishing from his boat at Lake Hong

“Water Stories” Is A Haunting Document Of Global Water Issues

By Meaghan Lee Callaghan

Why The Paris Climate Agreement Can’t Save The Planet

By Jen Schwartz

Where does your paper come from? The good and the bad news.

Where does your paper come from? The good and the bad news.

By Shaena Montanari

It’s not just methane—meat production fills the air with noxious particulate matter too

It’s not just methane—meat production fills the air with noxious particulate matter too

By Shaena Montanari

Pollution from power plant.

Car, factory, and power plant pollution can be damaging to kids’ mental health

By Shaena Montanari

Tiny air pollutants may come from different sources, but they all show a similar biased trend

Tiny air pollutants may come from different sources, but they all show a similar biased trend

By Ellie Shechet

Loud industrial noise hurts neighboring trees

Loud industrial noise hurts neighboring trees

By Ellie Shechet

Corroded munitions with sea life grown over.

The ocean is a giant dump for chemical weapons. Can we clean it up before it’s too late?

By María Paula Rubiano A.

san francisco bay area golden gate bridge

Living in the same city doesn’t mean breathing the same air

By Ellie Shechet

Almost half of all air pollution deaths are caused by out-of-state emitters

Living in a walkable neighborhood has a downside

Living in a walkable neighborhood has a downside

By Marlene Cimons/The Nexus

Specialized Cosmetics Protect Skin From Air Pollution

By Alexandra Ossola

cranes building a skyscraper

Making buildings energy efficient just got harder

A gas pipeline under construction in a clear-cut strip of forest

Oil and gas companies are making old pipelines the landowner’s problem

By Kate Wheeling/Nexus Media

Plastic water bottles and aluminum soda cans in a bin

Will we ever be able to recycle all our plastic?

By Candice Wang

a boat captain tries to pull a plastic barrel from a debris island

A trip down the Ohio River reveals the oil and gas industry’s next big move

By Teake Zuidema/Nexus Media News

White yacht with four stories in the Netherlands

Are billionaires bad for the environment?

By Wilk & Barros/The Conversation

plastic bottles bound together

Microplastics are everywhere. Here’s what that means for our health.

a woman getting ready to get on a mass transit subway

Air pollution in US subway stations is disturbingly high

By Kate Baggaley

Person filling up water bottle at kitchen sink with tap water.

Simple, at-home tests can check your air and water for contaminants

By Kendra Pierre-Louis

Nation's largest public housing project next to a power plant

At New York City’s biggest power plant, a switch to clean energy will help a neighborhood breathe easier

Flooding in Oklahoma

Oklahoma floods are poisoning tribal lands

By Jeremy Deaton/Nexus Media News

smoke rising from smokestack

Cracking down on soot pollution could save thousands of lives—but the EPA won’t do it

Salmon are dying off and your car tires might be to blame

By Kate Baggaley

Researchers found signs of human pollution in animals living six miles beneath the sea

By Kate Baggaley

smoke stacks from energy plant

Prosecutions under the Clean Air and Water acts dropped in half after Trump took office

NYC climate protest

It’s about time adults start rising up against climate change

By Alexandria Villaseñor

intersection in a city with people crossing

City pavement is a big source of air pollution