Blog 27: Ozone Pollution Linked to Higher Risk for Cardiac Arrest

Currently, national ozone standards are set at 75 parts per billion, but the EPA is thinking of further lowering the level to somewhere in the 60-70 ppb range because of the impacts ozone pollution can have on the environment and human health. In a study conducted at Rice University in Houston, eight years worth of data was analyzed, and results proved a positive correlation between people experiencing cardiac arrest and exposure to ozone and fine particulate matter. Researchers concluded that with an average increase of 6 micrograms in particulate matter over the course of two days, the risk for cardiac arrest, especially among those with a pre-existing condition, raised by 4.6%.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130217134200.htm

Blog 26: World's City With Worst Air Pollution

The city of Ahvaz in southwestern Iran has surpassed all other cities in the world and has the number one rank for worst air pollution. The PM 10 level in Ahvaz is about 372, more than triple that of Beijing, China, which is roughly 121. Annually, close to 80,000 people in Iran due to environmental pollution. This number amounts to 21% of Iran's overall annual deaths. Ahvaz is so dangerously polluted as a result of oil, steel, and iron industries in the area being poorly regulated and pumping tons of hazardous materials into the air. These emissions, mixed with massive sandstorms in the area, provide for a terrible combination and toxic conditions.

http://www.ibtimes.com/inside-worlds-most-polluted-city-ahvaz-iran-video-1115920

http://www.ncr-iran.org/en/news/society/13027-iranian-city-of-ahwaz-has-the-world-s-worst-air-pollution.html

Video-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15109116

Blog 25: Carnitine in Red Meat Increases Heart Disease Risk

In a study conducted, men and women were asked to eat 8 oz. steaks, then had their blood drawn after as a way to further study how red meat contributes to heart disease. The results showed that a chemical called carnitine that is found in red meat is actually more dangerous than the meat's saturated fat and cholesterol. Carnitine by itself is not dangerous, but once ingested, it is metabolized by intestinal bacterial and turned into another chemical called TMAO, which then enters the bloodstream. TMAO allows cholesterol to get into artery walls, blocking them, and prevents the excretion of excess cholesterol. It is a major contributor to heart attacks and heart disease. In tests done, people who had high levels of carnitine or TMAO in their blood were found to be at higher risks for heart disease. In the test conducted, the subjects showed spikes of TMAO levels in their blood hours after eating the red meat. However, the researchers administered antibiotics to the subjects in order to wipe out the bacteria in their intestines, and TMAO no longer showed up in their blood after consuming red meat or any type of carnitine since they had almost no bacteria. Researchers are hoping to pinpoint which particular bacteria are the culprits of metabolizing carnitine into TMAO so that they can develop antibiotics to only wipe out that type as a new method of treating heart disease and lowering the risk for it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/08/health/study-points-to-new-culprit-in-heart-disease.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Blog 24: Recyclable Solar Cells Created From Trees

Researchers have successfully been able to develop solar cells from natural substrates from trees by manufacturing the cell on cellulose nanocrystal material, which is derived from plants. Organic solar cells were usually created on either glass or plastic, both of which are recyclable, but not nearly as much as this new invention made from raw materials. Other cells built on petroleum-based substrates are not good for the environment and hard to dispose of at the end of their life. These new cells, however, created on the cellulose material are very easily recycled, green, renewable, and durable. At the end of its lifecycle, the solar cell can be placed in water, and after only a few minutes, the substrate dissolves and the rest of the cell can be separated. This has been a major development in the solar technology industry, and now the next step is to hopefully increase the power conversion efficiency of the cells from 2.7% to about 10%.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130326111958.htm

Blog 23: Health Impacts of the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster

The March 2011 meltdown of the Fukushima nuclear power plant was the worst since Chernobyl in 1986. Despite the severity of the meltdown, Japan quickly handled evacuations in a 20 kilometer radius of the plant, possibly decreasing the cancer risk to some extent. However, about 600 deaths resulted from the evacuation process itself. Experts have estimated that radiation from the disaster will result in approximately 130 deaths, along with 180 cases of cancer. The United Nations Science Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation predicted that there would be no serious resulting health consequences for the public, mostly because the majority of radioactive material was deposited in the ocean; only 19% of the material settled on land, but it still created a "dead zone" of several hundred kilometers.

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2012/july/fukushima-health-impacts-071712.html

Blog 22: Algae an Effective Source for Biofuel

Scientists have extensively been researching the usefulness of algae as a biofuel, and results have proven it to be capable of being turned into one. It is necessary to edge away from our dependence  on nonrenewable energy sources, such as coal and oil, in favor of greener, renewable fuel sources. Algae is ideal for this because mass amounts of it can be produced in small spaces in order to satisfy high fuel demands. Unlike other biofuels, like ethanol made from corn and biodiesel made from soybeans, great amounts of algae based biofuel can be produced efficiently in a small area since algae is very versatile and can be grown in various types of water ranging from wastewater to brackish water in small plots. Additionally, a biofuel made from algae would burn far cleaner than traditional fossil fuel based sources because it produces much less carbon emissions when burned, as well as the fact that the algae consumes CO2 when growing and living for use in photosynthesis. Currently, researchers are considering a strain of algae called Nannochloropis gaditana as a potentially viable fuel source since it can be produced at an industrial scale and contains the necessary lipid levels to function as a  biofuel.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120403153602.htm

Blog 21: Downsides to Nuclear Energy

Many people believe that nuclear energy is the direction the US should take. They think it is far more efficient and cleaner than other nonrenewable sources of energy we are currently using; however, they fail to realize that there are major drawbacks to the use of nuclear energy that make it just as harmful as other energy sources. The significant harmful factors associated with it that many neglect are:

• It is extremely expensive to build nuclear power plants, ranging between $12 and $18 million to establish a new facility, not to mention the costly expenses of maintaining and upgrading existing plants.
• We will still be just as dependent on oil from the Middle East since it is predominantly used in cars, while nuclear energy produces electrical energy.
• Nuclear power plants run on minerals, such as uranium, that are high in radons, and the mining of which produces radioactive substances that easily contaminate the environment.
• These facilities produce large quantities of radioactive materials, which are impossible to store or dispose of safely without contaminating the environment or posing harm to people. Radioactivity is proven to result in disorders and disease in people, particularly cancer, and those exposed to it will suffer the harmful effects. 
• The actual process of refinement and use of the minerals these plants run on cause carbon emissions in at least equal if not greater amounts as coal plants, so it really isn't a cleaner form of energy. 

http://www.examiner.com/article/7-reasons-why-nuclear-power-is-bad-for-the-environment-and-the-nation