Wednesday, October 17, 2018

envirobites

environmental science research for everyone

envirobites

Author: Laura Mast

Flume washer
Environmental Science Human Exposure and Public Health 

Please romaine calm- there might be cancer-causing compounds in your lettuce

Laura Mast 0 Comments , , ,

Washing fruits and vegetables before eating is standard practice- a good scrub removes dirt as well as bacteria that can make us sick. However, there’s more to this story- researchers at Georgia Tech found cancer-causing compounds inside the produce, as a result of industrial washing. In a recently published paper, they took the first step, looking at the leftover water used to wash the produce. Chlorinated wash water plays an important role in making sure produce is safe to eat, by eliminating harmful bacteria, but at what cost?

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Cities Climate Environmental Science Human Exposure and Public Health 

A Hazy Outlook over the North China Plain

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Beijing, the cultural and political capital of China, is home to a massive population of almost 25 million people has long been known for its air pollution. A team of scientists at Peking University in Beijing looked at the chemistry of the city’s haze and found something surprising: the inorganic mass fraction, normally dependent on only human activities, increased with increasing relative humidity. That’s right: how bad anthropogenic emissions actually are depends on the weather. Exploring this trend will help us to understand how haze forms, which could help Beijing and other major cities to manage their air pollution problems more effectively.

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Climate Human Exposure and Public Health Toxicology 

Putting the cart before the horse: the danger of oil sands before the pipeline

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The story of oil sands – one unconventional source of oil found in Canada – has a newly identified danger right in its backyard: the exhaust from the diesel trucks that carry the material across the site contains a toxin that may affect the health of people in communities downwind.

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Cities Climate Environmental Science 

Betcha won’t drink it! The natural chemicals hiding in water, and how a new technique hopes to remove them using an unlikely ally- bacteria

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The amount of natural organic matter, or NOM, in water has been increasing for the past 20 years and is expected to increase. Higher amounts of NOM mean more expensive clean water- a high priority especially when considering communities at risk for clean water shortages due to storms. Environmental engineers work on ways to reduce NOM effectively in drinking water treatment plants, and sometimes, this means making unusual allies: bacteria.

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