New York City and much of the Northeast were breathing “unhealthy” air Tuesday as the region was blanketed in smoke from Canadian wildfires. As a red sun rose over the boroughs and basked the city in an orange haze, officials advised New Yorkers to limit strenuous outdoor activity and urged groups who have trouble breathing … Read more
Houseplants are a classic decorating tool, but leafy indoor greenery might also be good for you. The health benefits of plants, some scientists say, can include removing toxins such as benzene — a volatile organic compound in gasoline that’s known to cause cancer — from indoor air. And with air quality — especially in the … Read more
Breathing in the Big Apple has never been so pleasant — but the bar is really low. According to a new survey, opening your window at home within the boroughs currently brings in the freshest it has in a decade. And yet, despite the improvement, the New York metro area still ranks 12th worst of … Read more
A county in northern New Jersey that borders New York City has earned a failing grade for its poor air quality. An annual reported released Wednesday by the American Lung Association found that Bergen County — which is across the Hudson River from New York City — logged the highest number of smog-choked days in the state … Read more
This isn’t exactly a breath of fresh air. Air pollution can cause lung cancer without mutating cells, a new study found. Published Wednesday in the journal Nature, the study analyzed the presence of lung cancer in non-smokers, using mice as their test subjects. The researchers found that, instead of causing mutations, the exposure to pollution … Read more
State environmental officials waited nearly two years to alert the public that cancer-causing vapors over 20 times the amount considered safe escaped from polluted soil along the Gowanus Canal — and into a nearby shuffleboard club. The Department of Environmental Conservation learned of the alarming levels of toxic vapors in March 2021 while conducting air-quality … Read more
Air pollution detected at some of the lowest levels in the US can prompt fatal heart attacks and strokes, according to alarming new findings published in the JAMA Open Network on Friday. Authors of the study — one of the largest of its kind with data collected from 3.7 million Californians — blasted current federal … Read more
These findings are a breath of fresh air. A new study from the University of Southern California shows a potential link between electric cars and improved lung health. Researchers from the Keck School of Medicine at USC analyzed the number of asthma-related hospital visits compared to electric car ownership in the Golden State. They discovered … Read more
The Issue: The Post’s report on the prevalence of marijuana odor in New York City since its legalization. Thank you for the article on the foul odor in the city caused by marijuana smoke (“City that always reeks,” Jan. 18). It’s just as bad at lunchtime as it is in the morning. You can’t walk … Read more
SEATTLE — The air quality west of the Cascades from Vancouver, British Columbia, south to Eugene, Oregon, has deteriorated again as wildfires continue to burn. The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency sent out an alert Tuesday afternoon saying the smoke around Seattle was causing unhealthy air and that people should close windows and limit time … Read more