Air Pollution and Atmospheric Chemistry

By   Liam Stack A marine biologist specializing in microplastics examined a water sample from the Mediterranean Sea. A new study suggests that the tiny particles also travel by air — and in extraordinary numbers. Credit Credit Eric Gaillard/Reuters Researchers in France said this week that they found thousands and thousands of microplastic particles raining down on a secluded spot in the Pyrenees, 75 miles from the nearest city. Their study, published in the journal  Nature Geoscience , suggests that microplastics — long known as a source of water pollution — may also travel by air, spreading their ill effects far from dense population centers. Deonie Allen, one of the lead researchers, said the five-month study was “the first step toward looking at microplastics as an airborne pollutant.” Steve Allen, another researcher, called their findings “scary.” “We kind of expected to find plastics there, but we certainly were not prepared for the numbers we foun

By Ifham Nizam  From tomorrow onwards, air quality will drop to unhealthy levels for sensitive persons, such as those with asthma, especially living in the Colombo city and experts warned that air quality was gradually deteriorating to worse levels in the metropolis from present moderate level. Experts stressed that the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) should act fast to activate the existing air quality monitoring machines. "We experienced worse conditions in August and December, last year, however, the matter went unnoticed," an official said. Experts said that there were five methods to monitor air levels; however, Sri Lanka was yet to go all out to gauge air pollution levels using all parameters. Going by the present index, Air Quality Index Colombo, with few parameters, the present moderate level trend between 70-100 would jump to 75 and 105 from Sunday. When contacted, CEA Director General Hemantha Jayasinghe told The Island that they would be

Millions die each year from dirty air. The trauma of a 9-year-old London girl may bring the dangers home. By  Beth Gardiner                                                                                                        Ms. Gardiner is the author of the forthcoming “Choked: Life and Breath in the Age of Air Pollution.”                                Ella Kissi-Debrah‘s school photo. The Ella Roberta Family Foundation Credit Credi The Ella Roberta Family Foundation LONDON — Dirty air kills millions of people around the world every year, but it can be hard to put a face on a danger so vast. Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah is fighting to do just that. The face she has in mind is her daughter’s. Ella Kissi-Debrah   was 9 when she died in 2013, after three years of asthma attacks so bad, they sometimes triggered seizures. In photos, her smile is broad and bright, her hair braided. She loved music and swimming, and dreamed of becoming a pilot. Ella lived