LATEST

Squeezed plastic is recyclable and cheap
Using pressure instead of heat to make the novel plastic means it degrades far less and could be re-used many times
26 Nov 03

Study reveals chemical cocktail in every person
A mix of dozens of potentially harmful man-made chemicals is found in the blood of every person tested in a new UK study
25 Nov 03

Copper decimates coral reef spawning
The process by which coral reefs regenerate can be hard hit by even low levels of copper pollution, according to new research
18 Nov 03

Pollution blamed for cancer ravaging Quebec's whales
The cancer rate in Beluga whales is over 10 times that found in other cetacean populations
27 Feb 02

RECENT ARTICLES ON POLLUTION

Farm run-off linked to Barrier Reef damage
Inspired by the studies that linked smoking and cancer, scientists report that farming is harming the Great Barrier Reef
7 Jun 03

Pollution hazard closes neutrino lab
Leaking pipes at the Italian lab could contaminate groundwater - scientists fear losing crucial research
4 Jun 03

Economic growth threatens Europe's environment
The continent may see more pollution, more waste and less wildlife as countries expand their economies, says a new report
12 May 03

Seawater 'salt pump' threatens drinking water
Freshwater wells could be sucking more pollution from the ocean than preciously thought, a laboratory experiment has shown
8 May 03

Sex life of worms reveals Chernobyl effect
They have started mating with each other instead of on their own - it is rare direct evidence of the effect of radioactive pollution on wildlife
13 Apr 03

Iraq oil field fires could be devastating
Wells may already be alight near Basra - experts say the effects may be even worse than those in Kuwait in 1991
20 Mar 03

Composting toilets key to global sanitation, say scientists
Building large conventional sewer systems in poor countries could be disastrous, sanitation experts tell the World Water Forum
18 Mar 03

Future looks bleak for Iraq's fragile environment
The damage in Kuwait during the first Gulf War gives some indication of the possible effects of war in Iraq
15 Mar 03

Alaska damaged by past oil production
Opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to new exploration would inevitably affect the environment, concludes a new report
5 Mar 03

Sewage-laden Belgian water worst in world
A major new UN report labels Belgium, India, Jordan and nine African nations as the planet's hydrological dirty dozen
5 Mar 03

Shipping accidents mean Tricolor will be cut up
The stricken cargo vessel blocking a busy shipping lane and spewing oil, is to be dismantled with reinforced wires, but this may take five months
21 Feb 03

Wild coal fires are a 'global catastrophe'
The infernos burn millions of tonnes every year - the effects on global warming and human health are underestimated, scientists warn
14 Feb 03

Pollution triggers genetic defects
A study in Canada suggests pollution from coal fires can trigger genetic defects that are passed down the generations
14 Dec 02

Salvage plan for leaking oil tanker
A plan to retrieve the crude oil in the sunken Prestige using a remotely operated drill and pump is being considered by the European commission
11 Dec 02

Holes revealed in stern of sunken oil tanker
Submarine video footage shows two holes in the stern of the wreck of the Prestige, which is now nearly 4km from its bow
9 Dec 02

Submarine finds oil wreck not leaking
The first dive finds no evidence that oil is escaping from the Prestige, now lying 3500 metres beneath the Atlantic
3 Dec 02

Ecological disaster threatens as oil tanker sinks
Both broken sections of the Prestige sink off the Spanish coast - but it is unclear so far how much oil is being lost
19 Nov 02

'Wonky holes' blamed for coral death
Contaminated groundwater pumped out to sea by submarine springs could be poisoning inshore reefs, say Australian researchers
15 Nov 02

Flawed water tests put millions at risk
Throughout Bangladesh, people are drinking contaminated water from wells that international screening programmes have wrongly declared safe
13 Nov 02

Aircraft vapour trails are climate scourge
Lowering flight altitudes would produce more carbon dioxide but still halve aircraft's impact on global warming - by reducing their contrails
19 Oct 02

Australia declares world's largest marine reserve
The reserve will protect the pristine habitats of a group of sub-Antarctic islands described as the "wildest place on Earth"
9 Oct 02

Governments call for 'environmental justice'
Europe wants the World Summit's final text to champion the right to challenge polluters and policymakers - the developing world disagrees
29 Aug 02

Borneo fires may intensify 'Asian brown haze'
The UN says the near-permanent smog is a 'major environmental hazard', threatening food production and health
12 Aug 02

"Gender benders" cause sperm burn out
The first direct evidence that oestrogen-like chemicals affect sperm function is revealed - but they could boost or harm fertility
3 Jul 02

Devastating coral disease caused by faecal bacteria
White pox is devastating Caribbean reefs - new research shows it is caused by a common human gut bacterium
17 Jun 02

African droughts "triggered by Western pollution"
Emissions from power plants and factories in the US and Europe may have sparked severe droughts south of the Sahara
12 Jun 02

Flooding of Soviet uranium mines threatens millions
Heavy rain in Central Asia means huge dumps of toxic waste from old Soviet mines may contaminate water supplies
16 May 02

No defence
Small doses of pesticide may suppress a frog's immune system
4 May 02

Big catch
Fish farming is flourishing at the expense of other marine life
27 Apr 02

Alien species colonise on plastic rafts
A rising tide of plastic garbage in the oceans is allowing creatures to invade remote areas
24 Apr 02

New radiation detector is very cool
A novel chilling system makes the detector portable - better pollution monitoring and "dirty bomb" detection may result
17 Apr 02

Fungicide "irreversibly damages immune system"
Human killer T cells exposed to triphenyltin lose their ability to destroy cancerous cells
9 Apr 02

Big city killer
If the cigarettes don't get you the traffic pollution will
9 Mar 02

Red tide wipes out Kenyan fish
The discovery of thousands of dead fish could be a signal of an emerging pollution problem in the western Indian Ocean
5 Feb 02

Yangtze River pollution at dangerous levels
Stretches of river are too polluted for human use, the Chinese government admits, fueling further concerns about the Three Gorges Dam
17 Jan 02

Plot to undermine global pollution controls revealed
Developed nations conspired to limit the effectiveness of the UN's first conference on the environment in 1972
2 Jan 02

Kitchen air pollution risk revealed
Safety guidelines for nitrogen dioxide are breached in most homes that cook with gas - children's health may be at risk
17 Dec 01

Should we worry?
Report into birth defects near nuclear plant falls short of an all-clear
17 Nov 01

Dirty dealing
Careless emissions trading may make pollution worse
10 Nov 01

Shipping pollutant banned at long last
After years of pressure, the world's ship-owners are told to stop painting the hulls of their vessels with the anti-fouling agent tributyl tin
5 Oct 01

Crabs clean up
Next time you chew on a crab stick you could be doing your bit for the environment
29 Sep 01

UK aims for halving of particle pollution
But reaching the target for traffic and industry emissions needs a greater understanding of how particulates damage health
17 Sep 01

Rage against rat runs
Building environmental considerations into electronic route finders
8 Sep 01

Our planet, our selves
Curbing greenhouse gases will improve people's health as well as slow global warming
25 Aug 01

Blinded by the light
Astronomers defend the right of city dwellers to look at the stars
18 Aug 01

Going up in smoke
Does growing 'fuel crops' create more pollution than burning petrol?
18 Aug 01

Holy smoke
If you're hooked on meditation, hold the incense
4 Aug 01

Massive Hudson River clean-up gets go-ahead
After 20 years of wrangling, the largest environmental dredging operation in US history is ordered by the EPA
2 Aug 01

A little of what they fancy...
Smart fertiliser granules could soon be helping farmers cut pollution in nearby streams and water supplies
14 Jul 01

Do brilliant pyrotechnics leave you breathess?
Fireworks may generate ozone in the air we breathe
30 Jun 01

Darkness at noon
Are fossil fuels blotting out a major renewable energy source?
30 Jun 01

Happy ending for stale beer and heavy metal
Beer that's past its sell-by date could help clean up pollution from old mine workings
14 Apr 01

Scraping the bottom
Danisco of Copenhagen is patenting a paint and enzyme mixture that prevents boat fouling without causing pollution
31 Mar 01

Traces of war
Fears grow that radiation will contaminate Kosovan water supplies
24 Mar 01

It's time to scrap the gas guzzlers
But engines that burn hydrogen would make pollution worse
17 Mar 01

When a new house is positively sickening
Sick of your new home? You could have good reason. Studies in Australia and Britain have found high levels of toxic chemicals leaking from furniture, floors and paints in newly built house
10 Mar 01

Clean getaway
Cut pollution, kid an engine it's warm when it's not
3 Feb 01

Drying bogs may release years of pollution
Global warming could release thousands of tonnes of toxic pollution trapped in Britain's peat bogs, poisoning rivers and threatening wildlife, say government scientist
27 Jan 01

Spirit of the road
With the US about to ban the fuel additive MTBE, battle has commenced over its successor. Could this be the chance the ethanol industry has been waiting for?
20 Jan 01

Pollution purgatory, fact or fiction?
Free trade is not a one-way ticket to pollution purgatory, claims a World Bank report
20 Jan 01

Dirty business
Radioactive waste will continue to pour into the Irish Sea
9 Dec 00

Sound gives pollution a hiding
Ultrasound could help reduce chemical pollution in India's leather processing plants, say researchers in Madras
2 Dec 00

Tails of woe
A series of environmental disasters have highlighted the vexed question of whether toxic slag or should be stored on land or dumped at sea. Fred Pearce investigates
11 Nov 00

Tainted wilderness
Humans have left their radioactive mark on the Antarctic
14 Oct 00

Chemical soup
America's factories are spewing out a poisonous brew
23 Sep 00

How sewage can clean up rivers
Mopping up river pollution might not always be a good idea. A little sewage may protect wildlife by locking up toxic metals
26 Aug 00

Hold your breath
Tiny particles of dirt in the air of cities really can kill you
5 Aug 00

Surviving Great Smoky
How does air pollution affect wild plants? This summer a team of scientists hopes to find an answer in the notoriously smoggy mountain range
1 Jul 00

Airborne devastation
Air pollution can wreck trees by culling the predators that normally keep leaf-munching insects in check, say ecologists in Finland
27 May 00

Slick disaster of the biggest supertankers
When the biggest supertankers run aground, they are likely to cause even worse oil spills than experts expected, according to Danish researchers
6 May 00

Tainted rain
Even Europe's remotest mountain lakes are chronically polluted, say researchers in Spain and Britain
22 Apr 00

Dry clouds
Air pollution may help to form clouds but it inhibits rain, according to Daniel Rosenfeld of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
18 Mar 00

No way out
You won't lose track of bugs that glow while they get to work on pollution
11 Mar 00

Riding on air
Low friction trains could save energy and cut pollution
11 Mar 00

Carpets, curtains and carcinogens
The creature comforts that keep you cosy could be a magnet for benzene pollution from car exhausts
11 Mar 00

Hold your breath
Will the harsh winds of the free market blow away pollution from the world's biggest coal-fired economy?
22 Jan 00