https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. "House burping" is the latest thing cluttering people's feeds: short clips of people flinging open every window and door, announcing they're "burping" their home to get rid of stale, germ-filled air. Behind the playful name is a serious question: does this actually make a home healthier, or are people just swapping indoor germs for outdoor pollution? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-house-burping-german-habit-good.html Sun, 08 Feb 2026 11:30:02 EST news689597474 Nearly four out of every 10 cancer cases could be prevented if people avoided a range of risk factors including smoking, drinking, air pollution and certain infections, the World Health Organization said Tuesday. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-cancer-cases.html Tue, 03 Feb 2026 17:40:03 EST news689355440 The prenatal period is a critical window for brain development, yet few studies have examined the impact of air pollution exposure during pregnancy on child cognition. A new study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), in collaboration with the University of Barcelona (UB), shows that prenatal exposure to pollution is associated with lower cognitive performance in newborns. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-prenatal-exposure-air-pollution-cognitive.html Tue, 27 Jan 2026 17:30:01 EST news688751538 People exposed to wildfire smoke have a higher risk of suffering a stroke, according to research published in the European Heart Journal. The researchers estimate that in the US alone, smoke from wildfires may be responsible for around 17,000 strokes each year. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-wildfires-linked.html Mon, 26 Jan 2026 19:10:05 EST news688294780 Whether heart failure develops and how it progresses depends not only on physical factors, but also on external influences and the duration of exposure, according to scientists at University Medical Center Mainz in collaboration with an international research group. Their systematic review, published in Nature Reviews Cardiology, revealed that both individual risk factors, such as high blood pressure and lack of exercise, and stressful environmental factors, such as poor air quality, noise, and heat, are important starting points for preventing the disease and more effectively reducing the number of people affected. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-environmental-exposures-heart-failure-previously.html Mon, 26 Jan 2026 19:10:02 EST news688655440 Throwing another log into a crackling fireplace on a cold winter's night might seem like a cozy, harmless tradition. But Northwestern University scientists have found residential wood burning is a major—yet often overlooked—contributor to winter air pollution across the United States. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-wood-homes-dangerous-air-pollution.html Fri, 23 Jan 2026 14:00:01 EST news688309621 A recent study has analyzed the relationship between different air pollutants and the main subtypes of lung cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-distinct-air-pollutants-varying-links.html Wed, 21 Jan 2026 19:10:01 EST news688230464 Exposure to wildfire smoke during the final months of pregnancy may raise the risk that a child is later diagnosed with autism, according to a new study led by Tulane University researchers. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-exposure-wildfire-late-pregnancy-autism.html Tue, 20 Jan 2026 16:00:01 EST news688055401 The scientist Stephen Hawking lived with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the most common type of motor neuron disease, for 55 years. He was one of the longest-surviving people with the condition. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-air-pollution-linked-motor-neuron.html Tue, 20 Jan 2026 13:05:21 EST news688136702 Prolonged exposure to air pollution can be linked to an elevated risk for serious neurodegenerative diseases like ALS and seems to speed up the pathological process, report researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. The study is published in the journal JAMA Neurology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-air-pollution-neurodegenerative-disease-als.html Tue, 20 Jan 2026 11:00:02 EST news688064222 Researchers at the University of Seville have carried out a study to determine the relationship between prenatal and early childhood exposure to environmental pollutants with the neurodevelopment of children born in the province of Seville. Their results highlight the presence of a mixture of metals in 100% of the subjects analyzed. Each hair sample contained between 2 and 10 metals simultaneously, with an average of 8.37 elements per child. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-environmental-pollutants-children-aged-years.html Thu, 15 Jan 2026 14:53:40 EST news687711181 Environmental factors driven by climate change are already shaping what ends up on Americans' plates and how nutritious it is, according to a new perspective paper by researchers at the University of California, Irvine's Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-health-experts-highlight-climate-driven.html Thu, 15 Jan 2026 12:51:50 EST news687703862 A child's blood pressure may be influenced by exposure to air pollution before and shortly after birth, according to a study from the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program. The study focused on fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), common pollutants from vehicles, power plants, and other industrial sources. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-prenatal-early-life-pollution-exposures.html Wed, 14 Jan 2026 16:20:44 EST news687630001 People across the globe, especially in low-income countries, continue to use solid fuels like coal, wood and plant waste for cooking and heating. The resulting indoor air pollution exposes children to smoke and particles at key stages of brain development. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-childhood-exposure-air-pollution-linked.html Mon, 12 Jan 2026 12:52:46 EST news687444721 Where someone lives can affect their health. For breast cancer survivors, their neighborhood can influence their recovery from treatment. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-underscores-role-toll-social-adversity.html Tue, 06 Jan 2026 11:23:11 EST news686920802 Long-term exposure to fine particulate matter like PM2.5 components in polluted air can not only cause respiratory diseases, but also increase the risk of depression in older people, especially in those living with preexisting heart, metabolic and neurological conditions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-sulfate-carbon-fine-air-pollution.html Tue, 30 Dec 2025 08:40:03 EST news686302564 Swimming is one of the best parts of summer. But long after you've cooled down and dried off, you might be left with a niggling feeling—there is still water in your ear. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-ear.html Mon, 29 Dec 2025 16:00:01 EST news686226903 In the journal JAMA Network Open, ECHO Cohort Consortium researchers reported a negative association between weekly prenatal exposure to fine particulate air pollution and birth weight. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-air-pollution-pregnancy-varying-effects.html Mon, 29 Dec 2025 07:40:01 EST news686205163 Physician-scientists at Oregon Health & Science University warn that exposure to air pollution may have serious implications for a child's developing brain. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-exposure-common-air-pollutants-adolescent.html Fri, 19 Dec 2025 12:10:03 EST news685368467 Energy insecurity—the inability to adequately meet basic household energy needs—affects more than a quarter of New York City families, putting them at risk for worse health outcomes. A new policy brief, "Powering Up for Health: Policy Options to Address Energy Insecurity in New York City," authored by public health experts from academia, government, and the nonprofit sector, outlines policy options for local and state governments to address energy insecurity and its related health risks. While federal support is critical, ongoing threats to the limited federal infrastructure to support energy affordability and social benefits make state and local leadership even more important. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-health-experts-policy-roadmap-alleviate.html Wed, 17 Dec 2025 18:30:01 EST news685197029 A new study has linked air pollution exposure and immune-system changes that often precede the onset of autoimmune diseases. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-fine-particles-pollution-early-autoimmune.html Mon, 15 Dec 2025 09:46:23 EST news685014361 Growing mistrust of tap water has helped turn bottled water into a global staple, even in countries where public supplies are among the most rigorously tested. Marketing has positioned bottled water as purer, healthier and more convenient, but the scientific evidence tells a different story. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-hidden-health-bottled.html Wed, 10 Dec 2025 17:30:01 EST news684602617 New research led by the California Department of Public Health and partners has found that replacing foam-containing furniture made before 2014 would cut in half levels of certain harmful flame retardants in people's bodies in just over a year. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-swapping-sofas-chairs-body-flame.html Tue, 09 Dec 2025 15:57:26 EST news684518222 After joining the GBD 2021 Household Air Pollution team, an international effort to quantify the global health burden of household air pollution from 1990 to 2021, I expected familiar work: analyzing how indoor smoke harms the body. Instead, what first looked like household data revealed a far deeper picture of global inequity. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-toxic-air-home-global-health.html Tue, 09 Dec 2025 12:51:24 EST news684507061 When I worked on the latest Global Burden of Disease cancer study, a global project that tracks cancer patterns and deaths across countries, I found myself pausing as the numbers loaded on the screen. Even as a scientist used to large datasets, the scale was hard to process. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-world-cancer-crisis-vulnerable-hardest.html Mon, 08 Dec 2025 17:00:01 EST news684414659 Long-term exposure to common air pollutants is associated with more advanced coronary artery disease—with notable differences between women and men—according to a large-scale study of more than 11,000 adults presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-air-pollution-linked-severe-heart.html Thu, 04 Dec 2025 05:00:16 EST news683970841 New Delhi recorded more than 200,000 cases of acute respiratory illnesses at six state-run hospitals between 2022 and 2024, government numbers showed, highlighting the adverse effects of toxic air on health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-delhi-respiratory-illness-cases-due.html Wed, 03 Dec 2025 10:20:03 EST news683979436 Vitamin C may have the potential to protect people against lung disease caused by traffic-related air pollution, bushfires and dust storms, new research finds. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-vitamin-air-pollution.html Wed, 03 Dec 2025 09:15:31 EST news683975701 In Punjab, India, paddy stubble burning is a widespread agricultural practice that contributes to seasonal air pollution in the region and beyond. However, the extent to which residents recognize its impact on their own environment and health or in the highly populated areas of Delhi National Capital Region (NCR) has remained unclear. To address this gap, the Aakash Project (led by researchers from Hokkaido University in collaboration with Indian research partners) conducted interviews with 2,202 households across 22 districts in Punjab. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-health-air-pollution-stubble-poorly.html Mon, 01 Dec 2025 15:04:27 EST news683823841 Diabetes mellitus (DM) continues to be one of the most prevalent and complex metabolic diseases globally, affecting approximately 500 million people. Characterized by elevated blood glucose levels, diabetes results either from insufficient insulin production (type 1 diabetes) or the body's inability to effectively use insulin (type 2 diabetes). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-environmental-pollutants-epigenetics-uncovering-hidden.html Fri, 28 Nov 2025 10:40:01 EST news683548646