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Air Pollution

Contaminated Snow: Study Reveals Mercury and Other Pollutants in Rocky Mountain Snowpacks

Mountain snowpacks accumulate snow throughout the winter, building up stores of water that will supply communities across the American West throughout the long dry season. Now, a new study shows that as storms carry snow to the Rocky Mountains, they are also bringing mercury and other contaminants from mines in the region. The research helps scientists understand how contaminants are spread by atmospheric circulation and has implications for snowpack preservation and illuminating the lasting environmental impact of mining activities.

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The Rocky Mountains are known for their pristine snow-covered peaks, but a new study has revealed that the region’s snowpacks are contaminated with mercury and other pollutants. The research, published in the Environmental Pollution journal, examined over 50 sites across the American West and found higher levels of metal contaminants in the northern Rockies.

Led by Monica Arienzo, Associate Research Professor of Hydrology at DRI, the study aimed to understand how atmospheric circulation spreads contaminants through the region. The team used a combination of snow samples, precipitation data, and historical mining records to identify likely sources of pollution.

“We were surprised by the amount of agreement we saw between all these different data sets,” Arienzo said. “The snow samples showed us that contamination is higher in the northern Rockies, and that was really interesting.”

The study found that dust from current and historical mining sites in the Pacific Northwest, Idaho, and Montana is likely responsible for the contamination. While levels were within guidelines set by the EPA, the data can provide critical information about how environmental contaminants and dust are distributed by the atmosphere.

“This study shows the importance of continued scientific monitoring efforts, like the long-term USGS datasets we used here,” Arienzo said, “as well as mitigation of current and historical mining sites.”

The research is part of a larger study using tree rings to examine historical mercury contamination. The findings have implications for snowpack preservation and illuminating the lasting environmental impact of mining activities in the region.

Air Pollution

The Hidden Dangers of Air Pollution: How It Quietly Damages Your Heart

Breathing polluted air—even at levels considered “safe”—may quietly damage your heart. A new study using advanced MRI scans found that people exposed to more air pollution showed early signs of scarring in their heart muscle, which can lead to heart failure over time. This damage showed up in both healthy individuals and people with heart conditions, and was especially noticeable in women, smokers, and those with high blood pressure.

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The Hidden Dangers of Air Pollution: How It Quietly Damages Your Heart

A recent study published in Radiology has made a groundbreaking discovery about the impact of air pollution on our cardiovascular system. Researchers using cardiac MRI have found that even low levels of fine particulate matter in the air can lead to early signs of heart damage, including diffuse myocardial fibrosis – a form of scarring in the heart muscle.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, and poor air quality has been linked to increased risk of cardiac disease. However, until now, the underlying changes in the heart resulting from air pollution exposure were unclear. This study sheds light on what drives this increased risk at the tissue level, providing valuable insights for healthcare providers and policymakers.

The researchers used cardiac MRI to quantify myocardial fibrosis and assess its association with long-term exposure to PM2.5 particles – small enough to enter the bloodstream through the lungs. They evaluated the effects of air pollution on both healthy individuals and those with heart disease, involving 201 healthy controls and 493 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.

The study revealed that higher long-term exposure to fine particulate air pollution was linked with higher levels of myocardial fibrosis in both groups, suggesting that myocardial fibrosis may be an underlying mechanism by which air pollution leads to cardiovascular complications. Notably, the largest effects were seen in women, smokers, and patients with hypertension.

This research adds to growing evidence that air pollution is a cardiovascular risk factor, contributing to residual risk not accounted for by conventional clinical predictors such as smoking or hypertension. The study’s findings have significant implications for public health measures to reduce long-term air pollution exposure.

“We know that if you’re exposed to air pollution, you’re at higher risk of cardiac disease,” said senior author Kate Hanneman, M.D., M.P.H., from the Department of Medical Imaging at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto and University Health Network in Toronto. “Our study suggests that air quality may play a significant role in changes to heart structure, potentially setting the stage for future cardiovascular disease.”

Knowing a patient’s long-term air pollution exposure history could help refine heart disease risk assessment and address the health inequities that air pollution contributes to both in level of exposure and effect. For instance, if an individual works outside in an area with poor air quality, healthcare providers could incorporate that exposure history into heart disease risk assessment.

The study reinforces that there are no safe exposure limits, emphasizing the need for public health measures to further reduce long-term air pollution exposure. While improvements have been made over the past decade in Canada and the United States, there is still a long way to go.

In conclusion, this study highlights the importance of medical imaging in research and clinical developments going forward, particularly in identifying and quantifying health effects of environmental exposures.

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Air Pollution

Toxic Twin Found: MCCPs Spotted in U.S. Air for First Time

In a surprising twist during an air quality study in Oklahoma, researchers detected MCCPs an industrial pollutant never before measured in the Western Hemisphere’s atmosphere. The team suspects these toxic compounds are entering the air through biosolid fertilizers derived from sewage sludge. While these pollutants are not yet regulated like their SCCP cousins, their similarity to dangerous “forever chemicals” and unexpected presence raise red flags about how chemical substitutions and waste disposal may be silently contaminating rural air.

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The discovery of Medium Chain Chlorinated Paraffins (MCCPs) in the Western Hemisphere’s atmosphere has sent shockwaves through the scientific community. Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder stumbled upon this finding while conducting a field campaign in an agricultural region of Oklahoma, using a high-tech instrument to measure aerosol particles and their growth in the atmosphere.

“We’re starting to learn more about this toxic, organic pollutant that we know is out there, and which we need to understand better,” said Daniel Katz, CU Boulder chemistry PhD student and lead author of the study. MCCPs are currently under consideration for regulation by the Stockholm Convention, a global treaty to protect human health from long-standing and widespread chemicals.

While SCCPs, their “little cousins,” have been regulated since 2009 in the United States, researchers hypothesize that this may have led to an increase in MCCP levels in the environment. This discovery highlights the unintended consequences of regulation, where one chemical is replaced by another with similar properties.

Using a nitrate chemical ionization mass spectrometer, the team measured air at the agricultural site 24 hours a day for one month. They cataloged the data and identified distinct isotopic patterns in the compounds. The chlorinated paraffins found in MCCPs showed new patterns that were different from known chemical compounds.

The makeup of MCCPs is similar to PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” which have been shown to break down slowly over time and are toxic to human health. Now that researchers know how to measure MCCPs, the next step might be to study their environmental impacts and seasonal changes in levels.

“We identified them, but we still don’t know exactly what they do when they are in the atmosphere, and they need to be investigated further,” Katz said. “I think it’s essential that we continue to have governmental agencies capable of evaluating the science and regulating these chemicals as necessary for public health and safety.”

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Air Pollution

The Persistent Pollutant: Uncovering the Mystery of Atmospheric Nitrates

A new study details processes that keep pollutants aloft despite a drop in emissions.

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The persistent presence of nitrates in the atmosphere has long been a concern for environmental scientists. Despite efforts to reduce emissions over the past few decades, nitrate levels remain stubbornly high. A recent study published in Nature Communications sheds light on this enigma, revealing that chemical processes within the atmosphere are responsible for the persistence of these pollutants.

The research team led by Hokkaido University’s Professor Yoshinori Iizuka examined nitrate deposition history from 1800 to 2020 in an ice core taken from southeastern Greenland. The results showed a gradual increase in nitrates up to the 1970s, followed by a slower decline after the 1990s. This trend mirrors the changes in emissions of nitrate precursors over the same period.

The study’s findings suggest that factors other than emission reductions are driving the persistence of atmospheric nitrates. The researchers used a global chemical transport model to investigate these factors and discovered that atmospheric acidity is the key culprit. As acidity levels rise, more nitrates become trapped in particulate form, enabling them to persist longer and travel farther.

The implications of this study are significant. Accurate measurements of particulate nitrates in ice cores provide valuable data for refining climate modeling predictions. Moreover, the findings suggest that atmospheric nitrates will soon replace sulfates as the primary aerosol in the Arctic, further amplifying warming in the region.

As Professor Iizuka notes, “Ours is the first study to present accurate information for records of particulate nitrates in ice cores.” The persistence of these pollutants highlights the importance of continued research into atmospheric chemistry and climate modeling. By understanding the complex interactions within our atmosphere, we can better predict and prepare for the challenges that lie ahead.

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