We got rid of acid rain. Now something scarier is falling from the sky.
In the 1970s, acid rain was one of the most serious environmental threats in North America and Europe. The air was so laden with pollution from coal power plants and cars at the time that it turned the rain toxic. Downpours killed fish, destroyed forests, eroded statues, and damaged buildings, sparking public outcry.
“Acid rain is a particularly alarming demonstration of the simple adage that what goes up must come down,” former Colorado Senator Gary Hart said in 1979. “With acid rain,” he said, “what comes down is much worse than what went up — worse in its potential damage to trees and crops, worse in its potential damage to fresh‐water lakes and fish and tourism.”
A few decades later, acid rain had largely disappeared.
Beginning around 1990, the US and Europe passed legislation that limited the amount of acid-forming pollutants — such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides — that power plants could emit. Laws requiring car manufacturers to put catalytic converters into new vehicles, which reduced harmful emissions, were also taking effect. That brings us to today: While precipitation in some regions is still unnaturally acidic, on the whole, acid rain is largely a problem of the past and a major environmental success story.
Now, however, there’s another problem with our rain — and it’s even more alarming.
While precipitation has become less acidic, a growing body of evidence suggests that it’s now full of many other pollutants that pose a risk to public health, including microplastics. And unlike the compounds that cause acid rain, these pollutants are almost impossible to get rid of.
The new pollutants in our rain
As government regulators focused on reigning in air pollution, companies were busy generating new sources of pollution, including plastics and PFAS, the so-called forever chemicals. PFAS, which stands for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a large group of compounds used, among other things, to make fabric stain-resistant and pans nonstick.
Over time, these modern-era substances — which famously take decades to millennia to degrade — have leached into the environment, reaching every corner of the planet, no matter how tall or deep. Microplastics, PFAS, and some other compounds, such as pesticides, are now so widespread that they’ve essentially become part of our biome, not unlike bacteria or fungi.
They’re so common, in fact, that they’re even found in the rain.
Click on the link for the full article
The Pollution Thread
Millions in Texas Told to Avoid Drive Thru-Lanes as Houston Warning Issued
Millions of Texans were urged to reduce emissions on Tuesday after officials issued an air quality alert for the Houston area.
The alert came from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), which advised residents to avoid drive-thru lanes and limit vehicle use.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notes that even short-term exposure to elevated ozone can lead to breathing difficulties, lung inflammation, and worsening of conditions such as asthma.
Long-term exposure to ozone is associated with permanent lung damage and increased risk of respiratory infections.
The alert applies to a region with more than 2 million residents.
According to the official alert published by the National Weather Service (NWS), "atmospheric conditions are expected to be favorable for producing high levels of ozone air pollution" on Tuesday.
Residents were advised to limit driving and reduce emissions-generating activities like idling in drive-thru lanes.
Sharing a ride, walking, taking lunch to work, and keeping vehicles properly tuned were other ways the alert suggested residents in the affected area could help prevent ozone pollution.
Click on the link for the full article
Millions of Texans were urged to reduce emissions on Tuesday after officials issued an air quality alert for the Houston area.
The alert came from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), which advised residents to avoid drive-thru lanes and limit vehicle use.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notes that even short-term exposure to elevated ozone can lead to breathing difficulties, lung inflammation, and worsening of conditions such as asthma.
Long-term exposure to ozone is associated with permanent lung damage and increased risk of respiratory infections.
The alert applies to a region with more than 2 million residents.
According to the official alert published by the National Weather Service (NWS), "atmospheric conditions are expected to be favorable for producing high levels of ozone air pollution" on Tuesday.
Residents were advised to limit driving and reduce emissions-generating activities like idling in drive-thru lanes.
Sharing a ride, walking, taking lunch to work, and keeping vehicles properly tuned were other ways the alert suggested residents in the affected area could help prevent ozone pollution.
Click on the link for the full article
New study finds link between plastic and heart disease
Doctors at NYU Langone Health recently studied a type of phthalate, called di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), which is used to make many of the food containers you use, along with medical equipment and other plastic goods.
The study was released April 29th in the Journal of eBiomedicine, by lead researchers Sara Hyman, and Jonathan Acevedo. They found that 356,238 global deaths, caused by cardiovascular disease, could be attributed to DEHP exposure for men and women ages 55 through 64. A prior study in 2021 found that 50,000 premature deaths in older Americans could be tied to phthalates.
Per Dr. Leonardo Trasande, MD, “There is a clear disparity in which parts of the world bear the brunt of heightened heart risks from phthalates. Our results underscore the urgent need for global regulations to reduce exposure to these toxins, especially in areas most affected by rapid industrialization and plastic consumption.”
Click on the link for the full article
Doctors at NYU Langone Health recently studied a type of phthalate, called di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), which is used to make many of the food containers you use, along with medical equipment and other plastic goods.
The study was released April 29th in the Journal of eBiomedicine, by lead researchers Sara Hyman, and Jonathan Acevedo. They found that 356,238 global deaths, caused by cardiovascular disease, could be attributed to DEHP exposure for men and women ages 55 through 64. A prior study in 2021 found that 50,000 premature deaths in older Americans could be tied to phthalates.
Per Dr. Leonardo Trasande, MD, “There is a clear disparity in which parts of the world bear the brunt of heightened heart risks from phthalates. Our results underscore the urgent need for global regulations to reduce exposure to these toxins, especially in areas most affected by rapid industrialization and plastic consumption.”
Click on the link for the full article
Australian Island Birds Are So Full of Plastic They Crackle and Crunch
Australian scientists have discovered that mutton birds on Lord Howe Island have so much plastic in their stomachs that they clackle and crunch under slight pressure.
Lord Howe, a tiny volcanic island on Australia’s east coast, is home to around 500 humans and over 44,000 shearwaters, aka mutton birds, a species of long-winged seabirds. It’s one of the last places you would expect to be affected by plastic waste, but Australian scientists have made a startling discovery – the birds on Lord Howe Island are so full of plastic that the little stomachs crackle and crunch when pressed. Last month, a team directed a mutton bird and found that almost a fifth of its entire body weight was plastic. Until then, the most plastic they had ever found in one bird was 403 pieces in 2024, but that record was blown away on their most recent visit to the island.
Click on the link for the full article
Oh, if you want to know how much plastic is in your system:
The First At-Home Blood Test for Microplastics
Australian scientists have discovered that mutton birds on Lord Howe Island have so much plastic in their stomachs that they clackle and crunch under slight pressure.
Lord Howe, a tiny volcanic island on Australia’s east coast, is home to around 500 humans and over 44,000 shearwaters, aka mutton birds, a species of long-winged seabirds. It’s one of the last places you would expect to be affected by plastic waste, but Australian scientists have made a startling discovery – the birds on Lord Howe Island are so full of plastic that the little stomachs crackle and crunch when pressed. Last month, a team directed a mutton bird and found that almost a fifth of its entire body weight was plastic. Until then, the most plastic they had ever found in one bird was 403 pieces in 2024, but that record was blown away on their most recent visit to the island.
Click on the link for the full article
Oh, if you want to know how much plastic is in your system:
The First At-Home Blood Test for Microplastics