19 January 2017 (United Nations) – Obesity and overweight are on the rise throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, and are prevalent particularly among women and children, according to a new United Nations-backed report. Nearly 360 million people, or 58 per cent of the inhabitants of the region, are overweight with the highest rates observed […]
By Matthew Carney7 January 2017 (ABC News) – For weeks northern China has been covered in a thick toxic smog. It is one of the worst episodes of air pollution the country has seen, affecting 460 million people. Coal is the major cause, and will continue to be the country’s biggest source of energy and […]
By Pam Wright4 January 2017 (weather.com) – China issued its first-ever national red alert for severe fog Tuesday after two dozen cities reported persistent air pollution issues. The red alert was issued by China’s national observatory for parts of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, as well as in the provinces of Henan, Shandong, Anhui and Jiangsu, according […]
14 March 2016 (CDC) – CDC looks at four categories of opioids: Natural opioid analgesics, including morphine and codeine, and semi-synthetic opioid analgesics, including drugs such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, and oxymorphone; Methadone, a synthetic opioid; Synthetic opioid analgesics other than methadone, including drugs such as tramadol and fentanyl; and Heroin, an illicit (illegally-made) opioid […]
By Christopher Ingraham 8 December 2016 (Washington Post) – Opioid deaths continued to surge in 2015, surpassing 30,000 for the first time in recent history, according to CDC data released Thursday. That marks an increase of nearly 5,000 deaths from 2014. Deaths involving powerful synthetic opiates, like fentanyl, rose by nearly 75 percent from 2014 […]
Recent estimates indicate that urban outdoor air pollution has risen by 8 per cent globally between 2008 and 2013.6 Urbanization, which is often associated with rising air pollution, is increasing too – by 2050, up to two thirds of the global population is expected to live in urban areas. Unless action is taken to control […]
By Travis M. Andrews 4 October 2016 (Washington Post) – Residents of Flint, Mich., are still afraid of the city’s water. That fear, caused by the 2015 findings of elevated lead levels in the town’s water supply, had led many of the town’s residents to forego some basic hygiene, such as washing their hands or […]
By Joseph Eid28 September 2016 Beirut (AFP) – “Good morning! I’m an AFP photographer. Would it be alright to use your roof to take pictures of the garbage mountain in front of your building?” “Welcome, welcome my dear, come in. Would you like some coffee? I can give you a full interview if you want. […]
GENEVA , 27 September 2016 (WHO) – A new WHO air quality model confirms that 92% of the world’s population lives in places where air quality levels exceed WHO limits*. Information is presented via interactive maps, highlighting areas within countries that exceed WHO limits. “The new WHO model shows countries where the air pollution danger […]
21 September 2016 (Climate Central) – Record rainstorms across the U.S. in the past year have continued to make national news, causing billions of dollars of flood damage and killing dozens. But what has barely made headlines are that these floods often cause massive overflows of untreated sewage into streams, rivers, bays, canals, and even […]
