Environmental Science · Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
In laboratory experiments, yoghurt, tomatoes and several other Mediterranean foods reduced DNA damage caused by extracts of very fine air-pollution particles. The findings come from bacteria and human cell lines, so they do not yet show that eating these foods protects people from air pollution.
A study of 102 developing countries found that greater access to clean cooking fuels was associated with better health and nutrition, with larger gains in urban areas. In scenarios for sub-Saharan Africa, universal urban access could avert up to 377,000 infant deaths and save more than 11 million disability-adjusted life years.
Measurements in Missoula, Montana, found that aged wildfire smoke contained substantially more fine particles, carbon monoxide and chemical pollutants than a widely used atmospheric model predicted. The researchers estimated that an annually recurring 2020-style fire season would raise excess lifetime cancer risk to about 100 in 1 million, while the model understated that risk by about 40 percent.
A study using passive air samplers found that outdoor air across five East African countries shares a broadly similar set of bacteria. Fungal communities varied more by country, and nearby sites did not always match closely.
