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Pollution has existed as long as humans have. Early hunters
and gatherers discharged bones and stones after a meal. In antiquity, the garbage of large cities was disposed of in landfills outside the city limits. With the industrial revolution, the invention of plastic in 1907 and mass production of goods,  today's piles of trash grow exponentially. Today, there is plastic in the oceans, landfills full of rubbish and even the Noon's surface is covered by litter, like golf balls (from the Apollo 14 mission in 1971) and disposable bags.

Humanity has a trash problem - and climate change could make things worse.

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I deal with the rocky road to our modern understanding of earth Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

Pollution exists since humans exist. Early hunters and gatherers discharged bones and stones after a meal. Already in antiquity, the garbage of large cities was disposed of in landfills outside the city limits. With the industrial revolution, the invention of plastic in 1907 and mass production of goods, the pile of trash grow exponentially. Today there is plastic in the oceans, landfills full of rubbish and even the moon's surface is covered by litter, like golf balls (from the Apollo 14 mission in 1971) and disposable bags. Humanity has a trash problem and climate change could make things worse.

Camp Century, "the city under the ice", was a research station and a strategic outpost in the Cold War located on the icecap of Greenland and build in 1959 by the U.S. Army. This camp, consisting of a system of tunnels excavated into the ice, was powered by the world's first mobile nuclear generator. In 1967 the camp was abandoned, including tanks full of diesel fuel, wastewater, organic pollutants and unknown amounts of radioactive waste produced by the generator. At the time it was believed that ice and snow would cover the entire site and bury all the toxic waste. In the next forty years, Camp Century was indeed slowly buried by 100 feet of snow and ice. However, anthropogenic climate warming is actually bringing the site back to the surface. Research published in 2016 shows that the snow covering the site is slowly melting in response to rising spring and summer temperatures. Between 2003 and 2010, the ice of Greenland melted twice as fast as during the whole of the 20th century. If this trend continues, the site and the waste could be exposed by the year 2090, polluting the meltwater flowing from the surface of the icecap.

Also in ice-free areas of the Arctic, the rising temperatures cause pollution. Even in the remote and seemingly pristine landscape of Alaska's Brooks Range, the rivers are poisoned by mercury, a toxic metal. Research published in 2017 shows that the mercury is released from the thawing soils. The mercury, a product of industrial pollution, was washed out from the atmosphere and deposited in the permafrost, underground ice common in cold environments. As the global temperatures rise, more and more of the permafrost is thawing. The rivers carry the mercury released from the thawing soils to the sea. Already high levels of mercury are found in beluga whales, polar bears, seals, fish, eagles and other birds. Research done in permafrost areas in the Austrian-Italian Alps and in the Colorado Front Range has shown that also there thawing permafrost contaminates the environment. In the Alps high concentrations of metals like zinc, aluminum and nickel were found in a spring used for drinking water. High concentrations of metals in drinking water are a potential health risk, especially nickel is known to cause allergic reactions in humans.

As the ice of the icecaps, glaciers and permafrost is melting, the sea levels will rise. This poses a problem for landfills near the coasts or waste buried near the sea. On Runit Island, one of forty islands of the Enewetak Atoll of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean, sits"the dome". Here a 328 feet wide crater was filled with 85,000 cubic meters of radioactive debris and waste, the legacy of early atomic weapons tests, and covered with two feet of concrete. The dome sits on permeable soil and a report published in 2013 found that radioactive water is leeching out from the vault.

Rising sea levels will inundate the entire site and cause widespread radioactive contamination, among other toxic elements also with plutonium-239, one of the most toxic substances on earth with a radioactive half-life of 24,100 years.

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Climate Change Will Worsen Humanity's Problem With Pollution

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Share to email Share to facebook Share to twitter Share to linkedin Share to google I deal with the rocky road to our modern understanding of earth Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Pollution exists since humans exist. Early hunters and gatherers discharged bones and stones after a meal.

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The Colorado River and its tributaries supply water to some 40 million people in seven U.S. states and Mexico. Warmer temperatures high up in the mountains -- where the river gets its start -- are already reducing its flow and melting snow earlier in the year.

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The effects of climate change are already being felt at the headwaters of the West's most important river system, according to a study released earlier this year.

The Rocky Mountain Climate Organization compiled the latest science on climate change in the Colorado River headwaters in a report titled Climate Change in the Headwater: Water and Snow Impacts (PDF), presented to the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments in February.

The Colorado River and its tributaries supply water to some 40 million people in seven U.S. states and Mexico. Warmer temperatures high up in the mountains -- where the river gets its start -- are already reducing its flow and melting snow earlier in the year.

"If we have less of it stored and it's coming down earlier in the year then we have a mismatch of when the precipitation falls and when we actually need it," says Stephen Saunders, the report's co-author and director of the nonprofit Rocky Mountain Climate Organization.

The report examined the possible climate change effects for six counties in Colorado's high country, which act as headwaters for the Colorado, Yampa, Gunnison, Roaring Fork and Eagle rivers.

The driver of most of this change is the increase in temperature, Saunders says. If greenhouse gas emissions continue to accelerate, by 2055 Colorado's average annual temperature could jump more than 7 degrees.

"If we keep going with high emissions our summers are projected to be as hot as Tucson's," he says. "That's not a crazy analogy. That's the reality of what we could face."

The report isn't all bad news. Saunders says while other parts of the West have recorded declines in mountain snowfall, the river's headwaters haven't. And, he says, if we reduce greenhouse gas emissions now, temperature increases could happen slower, easing some of the effects.
This story is part of a project covering the Colorado River, produced by KUNC and supported through a Walton Family Foundation grant. KUNC is solely responsible for its editorial content.

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Climate Change Means A Hotter, Drier Future In The Colorado River Headwaters, Study Says

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The effects of climate change are already being felt at the headwaters of the West's most important river system, according to a study released earlier this year. The Rocky Mountain Climate Organization compiled the latest science on climate change in the Colorado River headwaters in a report titled Climate Change in the Headwater: Water and Snow Impacts (PDF), presented to the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments in February.

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Australia’s economy is growing at an annual rate of 3.1%, up from 2.4% three months ago, largely thanks to mining commodities exports. It is a significant increase in the rate of growth, in seasonally adjusted terms, and marks a strong start to 2018.

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Australia's economy is growing at an annual rate of 3.1%, up from 2.4% three months ago, largely thanks to mining commodities exports.

It is a significant increase in the rate of growth, in seasonally adjusted terms, and marks a strong start to 2018.

Bureau of Statistics figures show the quickening pace of growth in the March quarter was mostly driven by exports of mining commodities. Export growth accounts for half the increase in gross domestic product (GDP), while government spending accounts for roughly a third.

The bureau said: "Production of coal, iron ore and liquefied natural gas showed strong increases."

Economists are not surprised by the increase in the growth rate. They say the result brings output growth more into line with jobs growth, which was an unsustainably-high 3.5% last year.

"This is against the backdrop of stronger global growth, which accelerated in 2017 to the fastest pace since 2011," Westpac economist Andrew Hanlan said.

In the last four quarters, the economy has grown by 1.01% (March quarter), 0.54% (December quarter, 2017), 0.52% (September quarter, 2017), and 1.03% (June quarter, 2017), bringing the annual growth rate to 3.1%.

The treasurer, Scott Morrison, says the growth rate jumping above the long-run average again has validated the forecasts and economic outlook in his budget.

"In the budget this year I said everything we endeavour to do depends on a strong economy," he said. "Today's national accounts show the Turnbull government's plan for a stronger economy is working, and we need to stick to that plan."

Economists say the strong lift in net exports over the last three months is unlikely to be repeated.

Data shows exports of goods were up 2.9%, driven by non-rural exports, with mining commodities, liquified natural gas, coal, iron ore and non-monetary gold the main drivers, which helped net exports rebound from their poor showing in the December quarter.

"We doubt that the strength of net exports will be sustained as some of it was due to a catch-up after production problems in the middle of last year," Paul Dales, the chief economist of Capital Economics, said.

Another strong contributor to growth was total government final consumption expenditure.

It rose 1.6% in the March quarter, and 5.1% over the last 12 months, due to continued spending on health, aged care, and disability services, thanks to the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Household consumption was quite weak in the March quarter, growing by just 0.3% in the quarter. The household savings ratio also fell again, to just 2.1% - the lowest rate since December 2007. The savings ratio has declined over the past decade but the rate of decline has moderated in the past four quarters.

The weak consumer spending shows households are still struggling with anaemic wages growth, with economists predicting consumer spending will remain weak for the rest of the year.

"The significant headwinds faced by the household sector - weak wage growth, cooling house prices and high debt levels - continue, and are likely to weigh on consumption in 2018," NAB senior economist Gareth Spence said.
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Australia's GDP growth jumps to 3.1% on back of mining exports

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Australia's economy is growing at an annual rate of 3.1%, up from 2.4% three months ago, largely thanks to mining commodities exports. It is a significant increase in the rate of growth, in seasonally adjusted terms, and marks a strong start to 2018.

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But the River Cateté is dying, and with it the way of life of the Xikrin. In 2010 Mineração Onça Puma, a company owned by the mining company Vale, began extracting nickel in the nearby hills, which have tributaries flowing into the Cateté. Vale is one of the world’s largest producers of nickel.

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The Xikrin, who have lived alongside the Cateté river in the Amazon rainforest in northern Brazil for centuries, have a mantra: "The river is our life." Surrounded by an abundance of plant species, they swim and bathe here.

To fish, the tribe use timbó, a toxic vine that reduces the concentration of oxygen in the water, forcing the fish to come to the surface, where they are shot with arrows. "If we use hooks to fish, only one of our families will eat fish," explains former tribal chief Onkray Xikrin. "But with timbó the whole village can eat."

But the River Cateté is dying, and with it the way of life of the Xikrin. In 2010 Mineração Onça Puma, a company owned by the mining company Vale, began extracting nickel in the nearby hills, which have tributaries flowing into the Cateté. Vale is one of the world's largest producers of nickel.

Around this time, the Xikrin who were diving into the river say they began suffering itchy skin and burning eyes. The tribe also noticed a decline in the quantity and diversity of fish. In 2015, tests by a professor at the Federal University of Pará found traces of nickel in the sediment of the river at almost double the safe level downstream from the mines, but no trace upstream. The tests also found unsafe levels of iron, chromium and copper.

Now federal prosecutors are battling to have the operations of Mineração Onça Puma - which processes the ore at a plant less than four miles from the territory of the Xikrin - shut down. They are also seeking 50 million Brazilian reais (£10.4m) in compensation for each of the seven affected villages.

The Xikrin fought for 14 years for the demarcation of their territory, a Brazilian constitutional right that protects their land from exploitation. By the time the demarcation was ratified in 1991, loggers had felled much of the mahogany in the region. Miners were also active, with high-quality iron to be found to the east, the largest copper reserves in Brazil to the north, and exceptional nickel to the west. Nearby, in 1985, Vale established what is now S11D, the largest iron ore mine in the world.

Much of this took place on land that had been originally claimed by the Xikrin. But when the demarcation was ratified, 13,000 of those hectares (321,23 acres) were not included. The nickel mines in the Onça mountain range are permitted as they are not officially in the indigenous territory. But the area is home to the Xikrin cemetery, a place where the dead meet to sing and dance for eternity, according to their culture.

Anthropologist Lux Vidal, emeritus professor at the University of São Paulo and a pioneer in Xikrin studies, says it was known at that time that nickel might be extracted there. "Geologists, especially Canadian geologists I met, told me: 'This area to the west is an area designed for nickel. Nickel is the worst of things that can happen. It is the most polluting ore, the most lethal ore there can be.'"

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The Xikrin people rely on the river as a source of the fish that makes up a substantial part of their diet. Photograph: Taylor Weidman/ LightRocket/Getty Images

In those mountains, two streams begin that flow into the River Cateté. When it rains heavily during the Amazonian winter - between October and April - the water brings sediment and mud from the hillside, turning its waters an earthy red. One stream flows into the Cateté just 500m from the indigenous territory.

When the Xikrin began to suffer headaches, skin irritations and food poisoning in 2013, it was a doctor from the university of São Paulo who told them to avoid the river.

Dr João Paulo Botelho Vieira Filho first met the tribe when he went to vaccinate them to prevent their possible extinction: at that time, only 93 tribe members remained after the population had been decimated by epidemics contracted from outsiders.

The doctor believed the heavy metals had caused many health problems for the Xikrin, including an unprecedented wave of births defects. "The river is dead. If nothing is done, we are on the verge of a chemical ethnocide," he says. But many of the Xikrin continue to bathe in the river - abandoning it would mean severing ties with their history and culture.

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Xikrin girls pose for a portrait during a festival. Photograph: Taylor Weidman/Zuma/Alamy

Now the fate of the mines is in the hands of Brazil's notoriously bureaucratic court system. Federal courts have ordered the mine to cease activities on three occasions, but the enterprise continues to function after Vale obtained injunctions. The last time it was shut was in 2017, with Vale - for now - allowed to continue operating only the beneficiation part of the extraction process, which improves the economic value of the ore.

In a statement, the company said: "Vale complies with the law. The company does not use any of the elements identified by [prosecutors] as causing pollution in the Cateté river. All of the reports presented prove this and Vale will show this in court."

Vale does not dispute that pollution exists but says it might be from farming pesticides or illegal miners nearby. In a report for investors to Brazil's Securities and Exchange Commission, the firm admitted that losing the case could mean facing "a considerable financial impact" and "the cessation of operations at the Onça Puma mine".

This report was produced by Agência Pública, a non-profit investigative journalism agency based in Brazil. This is a translation of the original version, published in Portuguese here

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Naira Hofmeister and José Cícero da Silva

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'The river is dead': what is polluting the water of Brazil's Xikrin tribe? | Naira Hofmeister and José Cícero da Silva

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The Xikrin, who have lived alongside the Cateté river in the Amazon rainforest in northern Brazil for centuries, have a mantra: "The river is our life." Surrounded by an abundance of plant species, they swim and bathe here.

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In 2014, a toxic invasive species—the Asian common toad—was spotted in Madagascar’s largest seaport. Conservation biologists quickly sounded an urgent alarm, warning that the invader could devastate the African island’s unique biodiversity, which includes lemurs and hundreds of other animals found nowhere else in the world. Now, scientists have confirmed that the toad’s toxic slime will likely kill nearly everything in Madagascar that tries to eat it, according to a study that surveyed the susceptibility of 88 species.

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In 2014, a toxic invasive species-the Asian common toad-was spotted in Madagascar's largest seaport. Conservation biologists quickly sounded an urgent alarm, warning that the invader could devastate the African island's unique biodiversity, which includes lemurs and hundreds of other animals found nowhere else in the world. Now, scientists have confirmed that the toad's toxic slime will likely kill nearly everything in Madagascar that tries to eat it, according to a study that surveyed the susceptibility of 88 species.

The findings "strengthen the idea that these [toads] are a major threat," says Guinevere Wogan, an evolutionary biologist at the University of California, Berkeley, who wasn't involved in the study. Knowing how many species are potentially vulnerable is "critical for thinking about how to approach this invasion and save the diversity," she says.

The toads ( Duttaphrynus melanostictus) ward off predators by secreting a deadly toxin, which can trigger cardiac arrest. But some snakes, rodents, and even hedgehogs can eat the toads and come out unscathed, thanks to genetic mutations that render the toxin harmless. But no one knew whether Madagascar's predators, which evolved on the relatively remote island, had developed similar mutations. "Madagascar has been isolated for 80 or 90 million years, and has never had toads," says Wolfgang Wüster, a herpetologist at Bangor University in the United Kingdom.

So Wüster and his colleagues decided to inspect the DNA of a diverse subset of Madagascar's snakes, lizards, frogs, mammals, and birds and see whether they carried the protective mutations. They discovered that only one native species-a rodent called the white-tailed antsangy-is genetically capable of eating toads, the team reports today in Current Biology. The rest of the predators lack the complete set of mutations that confers resistance, leaving lemurs, snakes, lizards, and other native species highly vulnerable should they start snacking on toads. "Small amphibians are very, very easy prey," Wüster says. "There's not that many things that wouldn't eat them."

The toads aren't within arm's reach of most native species just yet, as they've only been spotted along a roughly 350-kilometer strip of the island's northeastern coast. But "their range is rapidly expanding," says James Reardon, a conservation biologist with New Zealand's Department of Conservation in Te Anau. The toads are prolific breeders-one female can produce thousands of eggs-and there are plenty of rice paddies, waterways, and drainage systems in Madagascar that are helping them expand, he says. "It's toad heaven."

"This [is one of] the two most invasive toad species in the world," with the other being the infamous cane toad, says Fred Kraus, a herpetologist at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. "So I don't see anything stopping it. ... At this point, you'd need millions and millions of dollars."

To make matters worse, many of Madagascar's native species are already struggling to hang on in small pockets of habitat, as most of the island has been deforested, Wüster says. The toad, he adds, "is the kind of thing that could really knock them over the edge."

doi:10.1126/science.aau3581

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Toxic toads could devastate Madagascar's biodiversity

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In 2014, a toxic invasive species-the Asian common toad-was spotted in Madagascar's largest seaport. Conservation biologists quickly sounded an urgent alarm, warning that the invader could devastate the African island's unique biodiversity, which includes lemurs and hundreds of other animals found nowhere else in the world.

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There is a staggering variety of wildlife in the marshes and forests of Arunachal Pradesh, part of the eastern Himalayas. Sadly, many species are disappearing before they have even been identified.

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The Singchung Bugun Village Community Reserve, an NGO from the West Kameng district of India's northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, won the National Biodiversity Discovery Award on May 22, 2018, in Hyderabad for its unique endeavour to conserve rare local wildlife on the fringes of the Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary. The award highlighted the role of civil society organisations in preserving the unique biodiversity of the region.
A biodiversity hotspot
The jungles of Northeast India host some of the world's most interesting species - from the greater one horned rhino to the Hoolock gibbon, from the shy pygmy hog to the elusive white-winged wood duck, from the majestic golden langur to the playful river dolphins and mahseer. There is a staggering variety of wildlife in the marshes and forests of Arunachal Pradesh, part of the eastern Himalayas. Sadly, many species are disappearing before they have even been identified.

A great one horned rhino in Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary.

A large array of new species have been found in recent years. Researchers at the GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Studies recently recorded six new species of fish while researchers from the Rajiv Gandhi University recorded another. And researchers at the Jawaharlal Nehru College, Pasighat, recorded yet another discovery of a new ornamental fish - Microphis ignoratus - in a tributary of the Siang river. This was the first discovery of a freshwater pipefish in the sub-continent.

The recent discovery of a new family of legless amphibians highlighted that region's hidden biodiversity was in need of "improved inventories," as the researchers wrote in their paper. Another stunning discovery was made by wildlife researchers in the wetland area of Nagula, Tawang, 4,200 metres high in Arunachal Pradesh. Researchers and forest officials carrying out a baseline survey of Nagula wetland found nearly 70 birds, three species of mammals and an amphibian. The mammals include two mountain pikas and Himalayan marmot (ground squirrel).

In 2012, a new species of frog from the Dicroglossidae family was discovered at Mawphlang, near Shillong in Meghalaya. "More than 100 amphibians have been identified across the Northeast of which many are endemic to the region," said Jagadinda Roy Choudhury, who retired as the head of the Zoology department at B Barooah College, Guwahati. "Herpetofauna [reptiles and amphibians are] a key component of our natural ecosystem and as such the top priority of our conservation strategies should be on an improved inventory of these little-known amphibians," he added.

Studies suggest many of the amphibians are facing extinction due to habitat destruction combined with other factors like pollution and radiation, introduction of exotic species and large-scale illegal trading for human consumption.
Decreasing forest cover
Native forests are crucial for conserving biodiversity. However, local studies have shown that forests have decreased in some of India's most important biodiverse areas. Native forests are pooled with exotic tree plantations such as eucalyptus, acacia, rubber, and teak which have very limited value for endangered biodiversity.

The India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2017 showed a decrease in forest cover in six states of Northeast India, which include loss of 630 square kilometres in the eastern Himalayas.
The reasons for the decrease are said to be shifting cultivation, rotational tree felling, diversion of forest land for developmental activities, submergence of forest cover, agriculture expansion, natural disasters and other pressures. The Northeast also has a diverse tree population but many of the species are now facing threat from the same factors. The report showed a 567 square kilometre increase in Assam's forest cover, which is 35.83% of the state's geographical area. Unfortunately this does not offset the overall loss in the region, especially as these are often not the dense forests of the past, but newly planted trees often of non-native varieties.
Conservation strategies
Government led conservation efforts have failed to reach this corner of India. India's biodiversity legislation has three main objectives, conservation of biodiversity, its sustainable use and ensuring equitable sharing of the benefits from use of the country's biological resources or related traditional knowledge. To achieve this, the Biodiversity Act has a three-tier institutional structure-the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) in every state and Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) at local village/urban levels. Unfortunately, the SBBs or BMCs barely play a role in the biodiversity conservation in this part of the country. On the contrary, privately funded projects or work by NGOs has yielded better results.
Saving seeds, saving lives
One effective conservation strategy is "seed saving", or the practice of saving, exchanging, and reusing seeds that were handed down generation to generation through families or communities over centuries. In the past, farmers carefully selected crops for various traits adapted to many growing conditions and climates, creating a rich genetic plant heritage that formed the base of the global food supply. However, over the last century, this agricultural biodiversity has undergone a rapid decline, with many heritage and native plant species being replaced with commercial crop varieties.

Padma Kanta Nath, a farmer from Kaliabor, in the Nagaon district of Assam, has worked to collect more 110 traditional rice varieties. The growing dependence on a dwindling number of crops worldwide has raised big concerns about global food security. This means revitalising the practice of seed saving is vital.

Akhil Gogoi, the leader of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samitee (KMSS or Farmer's Freedom Movement Organisation) who is spearheading the movement against mega dams in Assam, is also leading another movement to gain back control of seeds from industry. Gogoi's repository has a collection of more than 200 indigenous varieties of rice in the Kaziranga National Orchid and Biodiversity Park. "Saving the seeds will not only guarantee our future food security but will keep alive our culture, diversity and our identity," said Gogoi.

The KMSS is a people's movement committed to upholding the rights of farmers and protect local heritage and resources. Protection of indigenous plants, fish and crops is one of the key agenda items of KMSS. As part of this, KMSS has created a sprawling 30,000 square metre Kaziranga National Orchid and Biodiversity Park, the first of its kind in the region. "The basic purpose of this park is to conserve the local varieties of orchids, flowers, fruits, fish as well as our colourful ethnic culture and to spread knowledge about them," Gogoi said.

The park, inaugurated in 2015, hosts more than 600 varieties of wild orchids, a medicinal plant garden, a fishery for indigenous fishes, an extensive forest of native trees, a garden for native flowers and fruits and a rice museum.

Some 150 kilometres away from the park, Rahmat Ali Laskar, a school dropout from the little known town of Udali in Hojai district in Assam, received an honorary degree from a French University for the conservation of orchids. He has collected some 1,200 species and sub species of orchids and another 270 varieties of bamboo under one roof. Laskar aspires to use his collection to contribute to the knowledge of orchids, particularly the threatened and highly valued species.

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Community-led strategies offer hope for east Himalayan biodiversity

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The Singchung Bugun Village Community Reserve, an NGO from the West Kameng district of India's northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, won the National Biodiversity Discovery Award on May 22, 2018, in Hyderabad for its unique endeavour to conserve rare local wildlife on the fringes of the Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary.

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A new tropical depression has emerged in the western Pacific Ocean, and areas from the Philippines to Japan are at risk.

The Philippine government declared that the tropical disturbance had become Tropical Depression Domeng on Tuesday; however, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has yet to officially name the system.

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A new project is being developed by local organizations and professors at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette to help predict future floods. Students and faculty members believe its outcome will help current and future residents of Louisiana. UL Lafayette, the Teche-Vermilion Fresh Water District and the Acadiana Planning Commission teamed up to create a project plan which is designed to see the outcome of coulees affected by the main rivers such as the Vermilion, Teche and Mermentau using sensors that will deploy in those areas, according to an article by KADN.com.

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A new project is being developed by local organizations and professors at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette to help predict future floods. Students and faculty members believe its outcome will help current and future residents of Louisiana.

UL Lafayette, the Teche-Vermilion Fresh Water District and the Acadiana Planning Commission teamed up to create a project plan which is designed to see the outcome of coulees affected by the main rivers such as the Vermilion, Teche and Mermentau using sensors that will deploy in those areas, according to an article by KADN.com.

"Basically this stems from the 2016 floods," said Deidra Druilhet, communication manager for the Acadiana Planning Commission. "I think we had a few in March and of course the big one back in August of 2016. A lot of those issues and concerns were expressed by the communities, so it prompted a need to develop the Regional Gauge Network System."

Druilhet said the project, which is one of nine projects being developed by both UL Lafayette with conjunction with the Acadiana Planning Commission, is a $3.8 million grant submitted to the Louisiana Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

"The Regional Gauge Network System will develop and implement a regional water gauge network to monitor three aspects of rain being monitored by those sensors: water levels, flow and rainfall, as well as develop a web-based interface," Druilhet said.

Druilhet said this network will be composed of streamflow, rain and non-contact sensors as well as including approximately 230 gauges.

With Druilhet and the Acadiana Planning Commission's help, UL Lafayette professors like civil engineering professor Imad Habib, Ph.D., say this project is being developed to help predict floods.

"We are working to develop a device for flood monitoring," Habib said. "We deployed them in Moncus Park to measure water level elevations in canals. We run it to learn different sensors."

Habib said they're hoping this will help provide information for people to prevent future devastations like the flood that hit southern Louisiana back in 2016.

"It is important to develop more coverage to help those citizens in communities impacted," Habib said.

For those like Habib and Druilhet, its vital to provide correct information for coulees and rivers like the Vermillion.

Back in the summer of 2016, cities like Lafayette were hit with historical rainfall, resulting in flooding that had not been seen in almost a century.

In the 2016 flood, the Vermillion River in Lafayette crested at its highest level since the 1940s. The flood waters reached about 7.5 feet above flood stage and about 6 feet above the 1940 flood, according to an article by The Weather Channel.

The rainfall accumulated in south Louisiana was so great, according to The Weather Channel, it was considered a tropical depression.

"The rainfall it produced was indeed very similar to what one would expect from a slow-moving tropical depression or storm since rainfall potential is related to the forward speed of those types of systems," the article said.

The flooding impacted students and their families at UL Lafayette like Tayler Barbay, a junior psychology major who recalled watching her mom, who is a high school teacher in in St. Amant, Louisiana, lose her classroom possessions in the 2016 flood. Barbay and her mother, Shelly Barbay, said the flooding was one of the hardest things they've been through.

"It was really heartbreaking because I saw all the work she put into her students and classroom and to see it go away was tough," Tayler Barbay said.

Her mother, who has been a chemistry teacher for more than 20 years, said the loss of her classroom changed the way she looks at things now.

"It's kind of a hopeless feeling and scary at first," Shelly Barbay said. "I felt that sense of loss and felt bad for the students."

But according to both of the Barbays, the feeling of loss can still bring hope for future residents.

Both believe the program being developed by UL Lafayette professor Habib and organizations like the Acadiana Planning Commission will give them a better chance to do something in the event another flood should arise.

Shelly Barbay said the good thing about floods is, compared to other natural disasters like fires, is that you can elevate your home to prevent a catastrophe, so it's important to be warned in the future. Her daughter agreed.

"I think it's great because we didn't have much warning the last time," Tayler Barbay said.

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New programs leave flooding victims with a sense of hope for future

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A new project is being developed by local organizations and professors at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette to help predict future floods. Students and faculty members believe its outcome will help current and future residents of Louisiana.

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This is the second big sustainability project that Waste Management has announced in Louisville. The company also invested $30 million converting its entire fleet of local diesel collection trucks to a compressed natural gas fueled fleet.

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New energy infrastructure recently completed at the Louisville landfill can capture enough natural gas to power the equivalent of 14,000 homes or 800 garbage collection trucks.

Houston-based Waste Management Inc. showed off some of that infrastructure during a news conference today. Methane gas is produced at the landfill, called the Outer Loop Recycling and Disposal Facility, through the natural breakdown of waste there.

The methane is captured with a series of wells drilled into the landfill, which form an interconnected collection system. The methane is sent to a renewable natural gas facility on the property, which can convert it to pipeline-quality natural gas. In that process, carbon dioxide, nitrogen and oxygen are removed from the gas. The facility can process up to 5,000 standard cubic feet per minute of incoming landfill gas.

The landfill is the collection point for 1 million tons of waste per year from homes and businesses across the area, said Waste Management area vice president Tim Wells.

"We are proud to play an important role in making Louisville more sustainable for today's residents and for generations to come," he said.

Charles Snavely, secretary of the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet, also spoke at the news conference. He said this is one of two similar projects in Kentucky and that eight other facilities in the state create electricity from natural gas.

"It's a great example of what we're doing with sustainability in Kentucky," Snavely said.

Emily Carpenter, executive director of the Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition, said she was grateful to the company for showing leadership in this area. Waste Management has more than 130 projects like this at its landfills across the country and has generated the equivalent of more than 650 megawatts of capacity - enough to power 490,000 homes.

This is the second big sustainability project that Waste Management has announced in Louisville. The company also invested $30 million converting its entire fleet of local diesel collection trucks to a compressed natural gas fueled fleet.

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Waste Management finishes $30 million energy project - Louisville - Louisville Business First

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New energy infrastructure recently completed at the Louisville landfill can capture enough natural gas to power the equivalent of 14,000 homes or 800 garbage collection trucks. Houston-based Waste Management Inc. showed off some of that infrastructure during a news conference today.

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According to Waste Management, the rates will increase by 3 percent. The company said it is the first hike in rates in three years. Kettering’s contract with Waste Management, which has been handling trash and recycling services for the city for the past 15 years, permits fee adjustments every few years, according to city officials.

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Kettering residents will see a rate increase for trash and recycling services according to city officials, and Waste Management said the new rates will be effective July 1.

MORE: 5 multi-million dollar projects transforming Kettering

According to Waste Management, the rates will increase by 3 percent. The company said it is the first hike in rates in three years.

Kettering's contract with Waste Management, which has been handling trash and recycling services for the city for the past 15 years, permits fee adjustments every few years, according to city officials.

TRENDING: Medical cannabis stores are coming to Ohio: 5 questions answered for you

The contract does offer a reduced rate for income eligible and age qualified seniors. To be eligible for the Qualified Senior Citizen Service, participants must be 65 years or older and have an adjusted gross income of less than $30,000 based on previous year's tax returns.

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Kettering trash, recycling rates to increase for first time in 3 years

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Kettering residents will see a rate increase for trash and recycling services according to city officials, and Waste Management said the new rates will be effective July 1. MORE: 5 multi-million dollar projects transforming Kettering According to Waste Management, the rates will increase by 3 percent.

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The state Department of Environmental Quality will take over the regulation of pollutant discharge into Idaho's lakes and rivers starting July 1. Idaho is currently one of only four states that must deal with the federal government when getting a permit to dump water pollutants into waterways.

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BOISE -- Idaho will take over the regulation of pollutants dumped into the state's waterways, a process formerly controlled by the Environmental Protection Agency.

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt appeared at the Idaho Statehouse alongside Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter to sign the agreement Tuesday afternoon.

"This truly is at the heart of cooperative federalism," Pruitt said. "Those in Congress who drafted the Clean Water Act, who drafted environmental statutes like the Clean Air Act, is that a one-size-fits-all issue, a one-size-fits-all approach, is not the proper way to address environmental issues."

The state Department of Environmental Quality will take over the regulation of pollutant discharge into Idaho's lakes and rivers starting July 1. DEQ head John Tippets said that the change will not result in Idaho's standards becoming more lax.

"We're required by law to be at least as stringent in our rules and regulations as the federal government is, as the EPA is," he said.

The Idaho Legislature would have to approve any attempts from the DEQ to make Idaho pollutant regulations tougher than those imposed federally. The EPA will still have oversight of the permit program.

Tippets did not give any specific examples of changes the DEQ will make after gaining primacy but said local officials are better prepared to handle the issues within their own state.

"The biggest change that we think Idahoans will see initially isjust a cooperative attitude and DEQ employees that are out looking to help them comply with the law and understand, rather than the enforcement approach that is typical of the EPA," he said.

Idaho is currently one of only four states that must deal with the federal government when getting a permit to dump water pollutants into waterways.

Pruitt, who has been under scrutiny amid allegations of misuse of his authority and taxpayer money, left directly after his prepared statements without taking any questions. He did not respond to shouted questions from reporters.

Protesters gathered outside the governor's office, loudly chanting their opposition to Pruitt.

Idaho's chapter of the Sierra Club also announced it's opposition tot he move in the form of a statement from Chapter Director Zack Waterman.

"It's important to remember today that while corporate polluters are causing harm to the health of Idaho's families and our clean air and water, Scott Pruitt is letting them off the hook while abusing taxpayer dollars and facing numerous corruption scandals," Waterman wrote. "Idaho deserves an EPA administrator who will support our clean energy and outdoor economy, but Scott Pruitt is putting himself and corporate polluters ahead of our health and our wild places."

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Idaho to take over water pollution regulation from EPA

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BOISE -- Idaho will take over the regulation of pollutants dumped into the state's waterways, a process formerly controlled by the Environmental Protection Agency. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt appeared at the Idaho Statehouse alongside Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter to sign the agreement Tuesday afternoon. "This truly is at the heart of cooperative federalism," Pruitt said.

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When California’s rivers leave the mountain snow melt behind, they embark on a difficult journey. Many are diverted, drained and pumped dry before they reach the Pacific Ocean. Those that keep flowing are often polluted with heavy metals, pesticides, bacteria, plastic bottles and runoff from industrial operations. In fact, the number of California rivers that failed to meet basic water quality standards for swimming, fishing, and drinking shot up 170 percent from 2006 to 2010 (the last time our state undertook this legally required biannual task).

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California's water pollution laws languishing without enforcement

There is nothing more Californian than our ability to swim, surf and fish in clean water. And yet, we have fallen behind Kentucky and Texas when it comes to clean water enforcement. With industry advocates in the federal driver's seat, we need state leaders in California to hold polluters accountable for harming our precious water resources.

Two years ago, I hiked the length of California and waded the Kern, Feather and San Joaquin rivers. At their beginnings, these waters are crystal clear, cold, flowing strong and clean. More than 40 years ago, Congress passed the Clean Water Act to protect these national treasures from pollution.

When California's rivers leave the mountain snowmelt behind, they embark on a difficult journey. Many are diverted, drained and pumped dry before they reach the Pacific Ocean. Those that keep flowing are often polluted with heavy metals, pesticides, bacteria, plastic bottles and runoff from industrial operations. In fact, the number of California rivers that failed to meet basic water quality standards for swimming, fishing and drinking shot up 170 percent from 2006 to 2010, (the last time our state undertook this legally required biannual task).

Photo: San Francisco Baykeeper

Like rules designed to prevent drunk driving, environmental laws are only as good as their enforcement. If police in some areas decided that being over the .08 percent blood alcohol level was not a big deal and didn't issue penalties, we would see an increase in traffic deaths and the officers involved could lose their jobs. Unfortunately, this same scenario is playing out when it comes to actions against those polluting California's waterways.

It used to be that the federal government was a cop on the beat enforcing the Clean Water Act. With the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency being subjected to a hostile takeover from polluting industries, the number of environmental enforcement cases and the amount of penalties levied has been cut in half.

At least under the Trump administration, California is going to have to go it alone. We are known internationally as a state that cares deeply about environmental protection, so you'd think we'd have this covered. California is suing the Trump administration to prevent rollbacks to vehicle emission standards. Frustratingly, this same vigor has not been applied to taking action against those polluting California's beaches, bays and rivers.

The State Water Resources Control Board in Sacramento and the Regional Water Quality Control Boards are charged with protecting our increasingly scarce and precious water resources. These agencies helped us survive a devastating drought, but are falling short when it comes to levying fines against polluters. In 2016, only 1 percent of the illegal industrial and construction storm water pollution cases brought to the state water board resulted in penalties. Six of the nine regional water boards did not issue a single fine in 2016. In 2017, just 2 percent of industrial and construction storm water pollution cases brought to the state water board resulted in penalties.

This means that of the thousands of refineries, trash dumps, auto dismantlers and cement factories from San Jose to the Oregon border, not a single facility was fined by the state for storm water pollution. In California, the polluter doesn't pay. Even repeat offenders and those who are responsible for "serious" violations face no economic consequences. This puts the majority of companies - which are complying with the Clean Water Act - at a significant competitive disadvantage.

Photo: Russian Riverkeeper

The same state agencies that don't seem willing to issue penalties for polluted industrial runoff have a good track record when it comes to issuing fines for sewage pollution, so it can be done. Let's start enforcing clean water laws by taking these three steps:

1 Have the state set clear enforcement goals for all regional water boards that describe the types of pollution to be targeted, the areas of the state that need the most attention, and how many cases each region shall bring, with specific goals for penalties collected;

2 Require all state and regional water permits and policies go through a review to make sure the language is clear enough to actually be enforced; and

3 If the individual regional water boards aren't willing or able to enforce pollution laws, then the state should take back the program and run the water enforcement work from Sacramento, where there is less room for interference from polluting industries.

For too long, we have been campaigning for clean water with one hand tied behind our back. By using the state's authority to fine serious polluters, we will be giving our rivers, lakes and coast a fighting chance.

Jared Blumenfeld is a member of the Clean Water Accountability Project Blue Ribbon Panel, host of Podship Earth, and the former administrator of U.S. EPA Region 9. To comment, submit your letter to the editor at SFChronicle.com/letters.

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California's water pollution laws languishing without enforcement

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There is nothing more Californian than our ability to swim, surf and fish in clean water. And yet, we have fallen behind Kentucky and Texas when it comes to clean water enforcement. With industry advocates in the federal driver's seat, we need state leaders in California to hold polluters accountable for harming our precious water resources.

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Forecasters at the National Interagency Fire Center are predicting that warmer and drier-than-normal conditions have put large portions of the Western United States at above-average risk for significant wildfires between now and September. This year’s wildfire season could rival last year’s, which was one of the most devastating on record, said Vicki Christiansen, interim chief of the U.S. Forest Service.

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CLOSE

WASHINGTON - Get ready for another summer of destructive wildfires across much of the country.

Forecasters at the National Interagency Fire Center are predicting that warmer and drier-than-normal conditions have put large portions of the Western United States at above-average risk for significant wildfires between now and September.

This year's wildfire season could rival last year's, which was one of the most devastating on record, said Vicki Christiansen, interim chief of the U.S. Forest Service.

Last year's fires killed 53 people, including 14 firefighters, and burned more than 10 million acres, an area larger than Maryland. More than 12,300 homes and other structures were destroyed.

The government spent a record $2.9 billion to suppress last year's fires, Christiansen told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday.

"Early predictions indicate that 2018 will likely be another challenging wildfire year," she said.

Already this year, nearly 24,000 wildfires have burned 1.7 million acres across the country, said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, chairwoman of the committee.

Massive wildfires that started last week in New Mexico and Colorado are burning through thousands of acres.

Other states that are likely to experience forest fires this year include Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington.

The Forest Service and its partners have more than 10,000 firefighters, 900 engines and hundreds of aircraft available to manage the fires, Christiansen told senators.

"At this time, we believe these to be adequate resources to address wildfire activity, but will continue to evaluate our needs as the year progresses," she said.

The Interior Department also plans to deploy more than 4,000 firefighters this year and will have access to 89 air tankers and other equipment to battle forest fires, said Jeffery Rupert, director of the Office of Wildland Fire.

A wildfire package included in a massive spending bill that Congress passed in March also will be key to helping the Forest Service fight this year's fires, Christiansen said.

The bill created a wildfire disaster fund to help fight increasingly severe fires and set aside more than $20 billion over 10 years to enable the Forest Service and other federal agencies to stop borrowing from non-fire-related accounts to pay for wildfire costs.

Federal agencies have sought the changes for years, Murkowski said, and lawmakers expect them to be put to good use. "So, no excuses there," she said.

Christiansen said the changes will enable the Forest Service to act more swiftly and do more to improve the conditions of forests and grasslands to help reduce the risk of catastrophic fires.

More: Hours after veto threat, Trump signs spending bill, avoiding government shutdown

More: Wildfire risk rises with 43 million U.S. homes near land susceptible to blazes

Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2M47nDE

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Forest Service preps for another summer of devastating wildfires across much of the country

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CLOSE WASHINGTON - Get ready for another summer of destructive wildfires across much of the country. Forecasters at the National Interagency Fire Center are predicting that warmer and drier-than-normal conditions have put large portions of the Western United States at above-average risk for significant wildfires between now and September.

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Four helicopters have carried out water bombing in an attempt to extinguish the blaze, and 150 members of the emergency services and armed forces were fighting the fire on Tuesday, as well as volunteers. This example adds to the idea the forest fires are becoming more and more of an issue.

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Images from the scene on Monday. Photo: Henrik Montgomery/TT

A large forest fire in central-eastern Sweden is still not under control after more than a day of efforts to fight it both on the ground and from the air.

Four helicopters have carried out water bombing in an attempt to extinguish the blaze, and 150 members of the emergency services and armed forces were fighting the fire on Tuesday, as well as volunteers.

They were forced to take a break during the night due to darkness, after the first alarm came at 2.30 pm Monday, but resumed work around sunrise.

"Work is ongoing and the fire is spreading all the time, moving northwest with the wind. It's pushing that way. The fire is still not under control, and we're continuing to water-bomb it. But when one part is put out, new embers are caught by the wind," Mats Kero from the fire service told news agency TT.

Around 25 people were evacuated on Monday as a precaution in Sala, Västmanland, but so far no injuries have been reported. Robin Haglund from Greater Stockholm's fire department predicted that the fire will continue to burn for several days.

No further evacuations were planned for Tuesday, though some roads in the area remained blocked.

The fire is located the same area that was affected by severe forest fires in 2014. An estimated million kronor of damage was caused by those blazes, but Haglund said that this time emergency services were able to get resources to the site faster.

The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) issued an official warning of an "extreme risk" of forest fires in many parts of the country in late May, due to recent dry weather.

READ MORE: Swedes endure hottest May on record

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Large forest fire blazes in central Sweden

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Images from the scene on Monday. Photo: Henrik Montgomery/TT A large forest fire in central-eastern Sweden is still not under control after more than a day of efforts to fight it both on the ground and from the air.

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The human population rate is “not going anywhere fast,” Bradshaw noted. He explained how accumulating the deaths counted in both World Wars, a fictional 5-year third World War, the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, an amalgamation of other public health crises, and a global nuclear exchange would still leave estimates for a population of approximately 5 billion people at the end of the century. Greater population density results in greater use of natural resources — natural forest loss, habitat conversion, marine captures, fertilizer use, water pollution, carbon emissions — and threat to the land’s biodiversity.

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How Population and Global Resources Are Reaching a Boiling Point

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Corey Bradshaw, PhD Corey Bradshaw, PhD, opens his presentation with a graphic designed by climate scientist Ed Hawkins: the steady rise of monthly global temperature changes, depicted as a 12-angle circle that reaches outward more and more, year over year.

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The world’s 7.6 billion people represent just 0.01% of all living things, according to the study. Yet since the dawn of civilization, humanity has caused the loss of 83% of all wild mammals and half of plants, while livestock kept by humans abounds. The new work reveals that farmed poultry today makes up 70% of all birds on the planet, with just 30% being wild. The picture is even more stark for mammals – 60% of all mammals on Earth are livestock, mostly cattle and pigs, 36% are human and just 4% are wild animals.

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Humankind is revealed as simultaneously insignificant and utterly dominant in the grand scheme of life on Earth by a groundbreaking new assessment of all life on the planet.

The world's 7.6 billion people represent just 0.01% of all living things, according to the study. Yet since the dawn of civilisation, humanity has caused the loss of 83% of all wild mammals and half of plants, while livestock kept by humans abounds.

The new work is the first comprehensive estimate of the weight of every class of living creature and overturns some long-held assumptions. Bacteria are indeed a major life form - 13% of everything - but plants overshadow everything, representing 82% of all living matter. All other creatures, from insects to fungi, to fish and animals, make up just 5% of the world's biomass.

Another surprise is that the teeming life revealed in the oceans by the recent BBC television series Blue Planet II turns out to represent just 1% of all biomass. The vast majority of life is land-based and a large chunk - an eighth - is bacteria buried deep below the surface.

"I was shocked to find there wasn't already a comprehensive, holistic estimate of all the different components of biomass," said Prof Ron Milo, at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, who led the work, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"I would hope this gives people a perspective on the very dominant role that humanity now plays on Earth," he said, adding that he now chooses to eat less meat due to the huge environmental impact of livestock.

All life graphic

The transformation of the planet by human activity has led scientists to the brink of declaring a new geological era - the Anthropocene. One suggested marker for this change are the bones of the domestic chicken, now ubiquitous across the globe.

The new work reveals that farmed poultry today makes up 70% of all birds on the planet, with just 30% being wild. The picture is even more stark for mammals - 60% of all mammals on Earth are livestock, mostly cattle and pigs, 36% are human and just 4% are wild animals.

"It is pretty staggering," said Milo. "In wildlife films, we see flocks of birds, of every kind, in vast amounts, and then when we did the analysis we found there are [far] more domesticated birds."

Livestock graphic

The destruction of wild habitat for farming, logging and development has resulted in the start of what many scientists consider the sixth mass extinction of life to occur in the Earth's four billion year history. About half the Earth's animals are thought to have been lost in the last 50 years.

But comparison of the new estimates with those for the time before humans became farmers and the industrial revolution began reveal the full extent of the huge decline. Just one-sixth of wild mammals, from mice to elephants, remain, surprising even the scientists. In the oceans, three centuries of whaling has left just a fifth of marine mammals in the oceans.

Wildlife losses graphic

"It is definitely striking, our disproportionate place on Earth," said Milo. "When I do a puzzle with my daughters, there is usually an elephant next to a giraffe next to a rhino. But if I was trying to give them a more realistic sense of the world, it would be a cow next to a cow next to a cow and then a chicken."

Despite humanity's supremacy, in weight terms Homo sapiens is puny. Viruses alone have a combined weight three times that of humans, as do worms. Fish are 12 times greater than people and fungi 200 times as large.

Humans v other life comparison graphic

But our impact on the natural world remains immense, said Milo, particularly in what we choose to eat: "Our dietary choices have a vast effect on the habitats of animals, plants and other organisms."

"I would hope people would take this [work] as part of their world view of how they consume," he said. "I have not become vegetarian, but I do take the environmental impact into my decision making, so it helps me think, do I want to choose beef or poultry or use tofu instead?"

The researchers calculated the biomass estimates using data from hundreds of studies, which often used modern techniques, such as satellite remote sensing that can scan great areas, and gene sequencing that can unravel the myriad organisms in the microscopic world.

They started by assessing the biomass of a class of organisms and then they determined which environments such life could live in across the world to create a global total. They used carbon as the key measure and found all life contains 550bn tonnes of the element. The researchers acknowledge that substantial uncertainties remain in particular estimates, especially for bacteria deep underground, but say the work presents a useful overview.

Paul Falkowski, at Rutgers University in the US and not part of the research team, said: "The study is, to my knowledge, the first comprehensive analysis of the biomass distribution of all organisms - including viruses - on Earth."

"There are two major takeaways from this paper," he said. "First, humans are extremely efficient in exploiting natural resources. Humans have culled, and in some cases eradicated, wild mammals for food or pleasure in virtually all continents. Second, the biomass of terrestrial plants overwhelmingly dominates on a global scale - and most of that biomass is in the form of wood."
Topics

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Humans just 0.01% of all life but have destroyed 83% of wild mammals - study

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Humankind is revealed as simultaneously insignificant and utterly dominant in the grand scheme of life on Earth by a groundbreaking new assessment of all life on the planet. The world's 7.6 billion people represent just 0.01% of all living things, according to the study.

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The coarse particulate material gets in through the lungs, which absorb the pollution particles into the bloodstream and may somehow beat the blood brain barrier, which can weaken due to high blood pressure, inflammation and other stresses. Particulates inhaled through the nose have a more direct route into the brain through the olfactory system and may accumulate through that pathway. Once in the brain, the metals cause inflammation, switching on certain genes including those that cause both benign and malignant tumors, and others that are suspected of causing neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson's, ALS, Alzheimer's, and other types of dementia

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By Jason Daley

There's little question that air pollution is toxic for the human body. Studies have shown that particulate matter in the air can lead to lung disease, heart disease, strokes, and lung cancer. But researchers thought the brain might be protected due to the blood brain barrier-a natural system that filters out foreign substances and certain neurotransmitters before they circulate in the brain. A new study from researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles shows that many heavy metals found in the air may make it into brain tissue, and those pollutants are activating genes that may lead to cancers or neurodegenerative disorders.

To understand how air pollution impacts the brain, doctor Julia Ljubimova, director of the Nanomedicine Research Center at Cedars-Sinai, produced air with the same chemical makeup as that found in Riverside, California, in the Los Angeles Basin. She and her team then subjected rats to the air, with different groups of rats breathing the polluted air for two weeks, one to three months, and 12 months. After examining the rodent brains, the researchers found higher than normal concentrations of heavy metals including cadmium, cobalt, lead, nickel, vanadium and zinc accumulated in the rats exposed to the pollution for a month or more. Even more disturbing, coarse particles of the pollutants had switched on certain genes. The research appears in the journal Scientific Reports.

"Initially I was even skeptical we could find anything. For example, a smoker has to smoke 20 years to develop lung cancer," Ljubimova said, "so I was not sure that in three, six, or 12 months of exposure we would detect changes in these animals' brains at the genomic level. I was very, very surprised when we found so many changes."

So how are these heavy metals making it into the brain despite the blood brain barrier? The coarse particulate material gets in through the lungs, which absorb the pollution particles into the bloodstream and may somehow beat the blood brain barrier, which can weaken due to high blood pressure, inflammation and other stresses. Particulates inhaled through the nose have a more direct route into the brain through the olfactory system and may accumulate through that pathway. Once in the brain, the metals cause inflammation, switching on certain genes including those that cause both benign and malignant tumors, and others that are suspected of causing neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson's, ALS, Alzheimer's, and other types of dementia- something that other recent studies have also found.

There are still many questions the study can't answer. For instance, do these heavy metals accumulate throughout a lifetime, or can the body flush them out? And most importantly, can a study on rats translate to humans? While Ljubimova said it's likely that the same systems are at work in humans and rodents, her team is also studying Cedars-Sinai's archive of human brain tissue to see if there's evidence of these coarse particles accumulating in the brains of people who lived in areas with air pollution.

Ljubimova said that while the pollutants in her study were based on Los Angeles, she guesses many of the same effects are happening in cities across the world with similar loads of coarse pollutants. The hope, she said, is that the study and future follow-ups will galvanize policymakers to take a closer look at the health impacts of industry, auto emissions, agriculture and military activities in L.A. and other areas with pollution problems. She pointed out that more and more people are being exposed to questionable air as urbanization expands, and scientists don't know all the possible organs and ill effects exposure can cause.

"We thought that nature protected the brain through the blood brain barrier," she said. "But now we see that no, air pollution affects even isolated and protected organs such as the brain. This is important information for thinking about new developments and ways to protect the public."
Reposted with permission from our media associate SIERRA magazine.

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Air Pollution Linked to Genetic Changes in the Brain

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A new study from researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles shows that many heavy metals found in the air may make it into brain tissue, and those pollutants are activating genes that may lead to cancers or neurodegenerative disorders.

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Fashion isn’t usually known for its positive environmental impact but an independent loungewear brand in Italy is hoping to change that with the world’s first pollution-absorbing t-shirt. The Breath has been developed by Anemotech – who specialize in tech solutions to combat air pollution – and up until now, it has been successfully used on signs, posters and outdoor advertising facilities. Now, thanks to Kloters, it fits snuggly in a zip-close pocket, cleaning the air wherever the wearer takes it, activated solely by air flow through the fabric. A lab test conducted by Università delle Marche in Ancona found that one t-shirt is capable of off-setting the emissions of two cars. When you consider that there are approximately 1 billion cars in the world, and two billion t-shirts sold every year, it’s possible to imagine the major impact it could have.

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I write about fashion, often with a focus on sustainability Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

Fashion isn't usually known for its positive environmental impact but an independent loungewear brand in Italy is hoping to change that with the world's first pollution-absorbing t-shirt.

45. The t-shirt's unique property comes from the patented chest pocket insert made of a special fabric known as Kloters will launch their RepAir t-shirt through a crowd-funding campaign this month at the special price of €29 before being launched officially on their website at the full retail price of around € The Breath which absorbs and lowers pollutant molecules such as nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides and Benzene C6H6 (a highly toxic carcinogen). It can also neutralize odors.

"We have worked intensively (and keep working for the next phases) to make the t-shirt as affordable as possible because we believe the real impact of this idea is if it is something that can be used on a wide scale. Therefore, we chose, as a first step, to distribute it only directly, through our shops and e-commerce, to reduce the end price," says Federico Suria, Co-Founder of Kloters.

The Breath has been developed by Anemotech - who specialize in tech solutions to combat air pollution - and up until now, it has been successfully used on signs, posters and outdoor advertising facilities. Now, thanks to Kloters, it fits snuggly in a zip-close pocket, cleaning the air wherever the wearer takes it, activated solely by air flow through the fabric. A lab test conducted by Università delle Marche in Ancona found that one t-shirt is capable of off-setting the emissions of two cars. When you consider that there are approximately 1 billion cars in the world, and two billion t-shirts sold every year, it's possible to imagine the major impact it could have.

The t-shirt itself is made in Italy from 100% cotton and while its made to last, the insert will eventually reach peek absorption and a replacement is recommended once a year. Due to its nature, The Breath must be disposed of responsibly under the special waste guidelines for the wearer's region, but Kloters can also assist with this if old inserts are sent to them or dropped in store. Wearers also need to remember to remove the insert before washing and ironing. Kloters assures that RepAir is completely safe for wearers, or at least no more dangerous than the contact we have from these pollutants on a daily basis, as molecules are trapped and encased in antibacterial mesh.

"We have thought of RepAir as a full apparel line and we are planning to introduce, in the next few months, other products, starting from jumpers or trousers," Federico says of future plans. "We are also working with Anemotech to evolve this material into a fully recyclable version."

Beyond their ambition to make our cities cleaner and safer, Federico and his team hope that Rep-Air will inspire the big fashion players to rethink the way they look at sustainable fashion from reducing their impact on it, to becoming an active contributor in improving the planet.

Thanks for reading. If you liked it, why not share it for others to enjoy or follow me on Twitter @OliviaPinnock?

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Share to email Share to facebook Share to twitter Share to linkedin Share to google I write about fashion, often with a focus on sustainability Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Fashion isn't usually known for its positive environmental impact but an independent loungewear brand in Italy is hoping to change that with the world's first pollution-absorbing t-shirt.