Hacker News with Generative AI: Pollution

Burning Teslas Add to Toxic Mix of Pollution Delaying LA Return (bloomberg.com)
As the smoke clears from devastating Los Angeles wildfires, efforts to clean up the affected areas are being complicated by burnt-out electric and hybrid vehicles and home-battery storage systems.

Wildfires, California, Pollution, Electric Vehicles

14 points by petethomas 23 hours ago | 0 comments

The mighty Mekong River's growing plastic problem (japantimes.co.jp)
Flowing more than 4,300 kilometers from the Tibetan Plateau in China, through mainland Southeast Asia and then into Vietnam’s Mekong Delta before finally emptying into the South China Sea, the Mekong River is among the top 10 waterways in Asia most responsible for riverine plastic waste reaching the world’s oceans.

Environmental Issues, Pollution, Mekong River, Southeast Asia, Plastic Waste

5 points by PaulHoule 20 days ago | 0 comments

Microplastics in the Air May Be Leading to Lung and Colon Cancers (ucsf.edu)
Tires and degrading garbage shed tiny pieces of plastic into the air, creating a form of air pollution that UC San Francisco researchers suspect may be causing respiratory and other illnesses.

Health, Environment, Pollution, Cancer, Research

15 points by srameshc 29 days ago | 1 comments

Car tires shed a quarter of all microplastics in the environment (phys.org)
Every year, billions of vehicles worldwide shed an estimated 6 million tons of tire fragments. These tiny flakes of plastic, generated by the wear and tear of normal driving, eventually accumulate in the soil, in rivers and lakes, and even in our food. Researchers in South China recently found tire-derived chemicals in most human urine samples.

Microplastics, Environment, Pollution, Tires, Science

295 points by geox 50 days ago | 321 comments

Is a 'Green' Revolution Poisoning India's Capital? (nytimes.com)
India promised to burn its trash mountains and safely turn them into electricity. But a New York Times investigation found hazardous levels of toxic substances around homes, playgrounds and schools.

Environmental Issues, India, Pollution, Public Health, Journalism

9 points by bobthepanda 69 days ago | 3 comments

It's raining PFAS in South Florida – study (sciencedirect.com)
Atmospheric deposition plays a crucial role in the fate and transport of per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), especially in areas far from production sites.

Environmental Science, Pollution, Chemistry, South Florida, PFAS

85 points by Jimmc414 73 days ago | 40 comments

'Shocking' microplastic research prompts review (bbc.com)
A water company has said it is reviewing research by an undergraduate that found high levels of microplastics in an Isle of Wight estuary.

Environment, Science, Pollution, Water, Research

7 points by lsllc 76 days ago | 0 comments

Tesla spills chemicals into Palo Alto creek (paloaltoonline.com)
Tesla Motors last week dumped more than 500 gallons of water-treatment chemicals that it uses to cool its supercomputer into a storm drain near Matadero Creek, prompting a cleanup effort at the creek and in the nearby Ventura neighborhood, according to local and state officials.

Tesla, Environmental Issues, California, Pollution, Water Contamination

11 points by dsv3099i 86 days ago | 2 comments

Farm waste can filter microplastics in surface runoff, prevent pollution (phys.org)
Using treated plant waste as a filter reduced the presence of harmful microplastics in agricultural runoff by more than 92%, according to a new study authored by a University of Mississippi research team.

Environmental Science, Pollution, Agriculture, Sustainability, Water Treatment

8 points by PaulHoule 93 days ago | 0 comments

Migrating Seabirds Are Bringing Forever Chemicals into the Arctic (hakaimagazine.com)
Between March and May each year, 15 million black-legged kittiwakes gather from across the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans to nest and breed on rocky Arctic cliffs—some making the journey from as far as Florida or North Africa.

Environmental Science, Climate Change, Wildlife, Arctic, Pollution

20 points by pseudolus 106 days ago | 0 comments

Airborne plastic levels shock researchers (chronic DEHP/DiNP/DEHT exposure) (news.ucr.edu)
A new study documents how Southern Californians are chronically being exposed to toxic airborne chemicals called plasticizers, including one that’s been banned from children’s items and beauty products.

Environmental Science, Health, California, Pollution, Research

49 points by nabla9 108 days ago | 15 comments

Microplastics Seem to Be in Every Kind of Animal Except One (sciencealert.com)
Rocks crumble into the sea as sand. Similarly, the ocean is an inevitable destination of disintegrating human rubbish: microplastics.

Environmental Science, Marine Biology, Pollution, Microplastics

5 points by speckx 117 days ago | 1 comments

Nanoplastics put stress on trees and impair photosynthesis (phys.org)
It is well known that more and more plastic waste is ending up in soil and bodies of water. Researchers are particularly concerned about tiny micro- and nano-sized particles. It remains unclear how and to what extent they are able to enter living organisms—and what effect they may have on metabolism.

Nanoplastics, Environment, Science, Biology, Pollution

18 points by PaulHoule 124 days ago | 3 comments

AI Has Helped Shein Become Fast Fashion's Biggest Polluter (grist.org)
In 2023, the fast fashion giant Shein was everywhere. Crisscrossing the globe, airplanes ferried small packages of its ultra-cheap clothing from thousands of suppliers to tens of millions of customer mailboxes in 150 countries.

Artificial Intelligence, Fast Fashion, Environmental Impact, Pollution

19 points by Link_ke 126 days ago | 16 comments

UBC engineers develop all-in-one solution to catch and destroy forever chemicals (news.ubc.ca)

Environmental Engineering, Chemistry, Pollution, Water Treatment

24 points by givinguflac 140 days ago | 9 comments

Microplastics are infiltrating brain tissue, studies show (theguardian.com)

Science, Environment, Health, Pollution

6 points by flexagoon 149 days ago | 0 comments

Bioaccumulation of Microplastics in Decedent Human Brains (nlm.nih.gov)

Microplastics, Pollution, Human Health, Science

131 points by apsec112 149 days ago | 153 comments

Detailed Map of Cancer-Causing Industrial Air Pollution in the U.S. (propublica.org)