Latest News Roundup
As January and February got underway, we were following closely the sad news of the wildfires in LA and the subsequent effects longer term of the wildfire smoke.
We have been inundated with news about the use of log burners during the winter months, and the dangers to our health inside the home.
A study revealed that poor air quality is exacerbating health inequalities, with socially and economically disadvantaged communities suffering the most. Portsmouth City Council estimated that 6.2% of the city's deaths in 2022 were 'attributable to long-term exposure to particulate air pollution'.
Schools in Southend are doing their best to improve air quality by fining vehicles for idling outside, and have started to display signs reading “Cough! Cough! Engine Off! to help encourage motorists to turn off.
In the rest of the world, South East Asia entered its burning season, with unsafe air recorded in 58 of Thailand's 77 provinces. Schools were also closed in Bankok.
New research has found that a new class of antiviral compounds specifically target the viral replication process, preventing viruses from multiplying within host cells, paving the way for more targeted and safer treatments for a wide range of viral diseases.
On International Day of Women and Girls in Science we celebrated the hard work of our MD, Dr Chunli Cao!
In March, we look forward to WHO’s Second Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health, taking place in Cartagena, Colombia, 25th–27th March 2025, will bring together global leaders, experts and advocates to discuss and advance solutions to the air pollution crisis.
Read the full links:
LA Wildfires - https://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/air-quality-after-the-fires-understanding-where-and-when-the-air-is-safe
Health inequalities - https://www.southampton.ac.uk/news/2025/01/air-pollution-is-driving-health-inequalities-in-the-south-says-new-report.page
Pollution outside schools - https://www.yellowad.co.uk/fines-for-idling-outside-southend-school-in-council-air-quality-plan/
Southeast Asia - https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2946665/bangkok-air-pollution-forces-352-schools-to-close
Women and girls in science - https://www.un.org/en/observances/women-and-girls-in-science-day
WHO conference - https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2025/03/25/default-calendar/second-global-conference-on-air-pollution-and-health