Microplastics: Six surprising everyday things that contain and release them
Microplastics have become so widespread that they have been discovered in fresh Antarctic snow. They enter the environment in all kinds of ways, not...
New measures and research needed to tackle ecological impact of pharmaceuticals
A group of international researchers has issued a warning about the increase in pharmaceutical contamination in the environment, with suggestions about how it might...
Fracking vs local democracy: The struggle continues
The government’s lifting of the moratorium on fracking on 22 September was accompanied by assurances that it would only take place where there was...
Call for government to make swift decision on ban on plastic in wet wipes
The government needs to make an immediate decision on banning plastic in wet wipes in order to help tackle this sewage-based pollution ending up...
As winters warm, nutrient pollution threatens 40% of US
A first-of-its-kind national study appears to find that previously frozen winter nutrient pollution — unlocked by rising winter temperatures and rainfall — is putting...
Washing machine filter captures microplastic without the need for disposables
Bristol based microplastic technology company Matter is launching Gulp, "the first sustainable, long-lasting washing machine microfibre filter" on Kickstarter from 11 October.
The firm develops...
Defra’s Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan falls short, says conservation group
"We are appalled to see that Defra’s Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan has not taken into account the thousands of responses to the draft...
Rainwater is no longer drinkable thanks to PFAS, say researchers
A perspective article by researchers from Stockholm University and ETH Zurich, published in August in Environmental Science & Technology, suggests that environmental contamination by...
Study aims to better understand nitrogen pollution sources and solutions
Study traces the source of nitrogen pollution affecting the world’s second largest barrier reef
Agricultural operations are responsible for the vast majority of nitrogen...
Research seems to confirm the effectiveness of oil dispersants
One of the few tools available to mitigate the damage from marine oil spills are chemical dispersants that break down oil in the water....
New Antarctic study shows levels of ‘forever chemicals’ reaching the remote continent have been...
New evidence from Antarctica shows that toxic ‘fluorinated forever chemicals’ have increased markedly in the remote environment in recent decades and scientists believe CFC-replacements...
Microbes degrade toughest PFAS
Under anaerobic conditions, common microbial communities can break the ultra-strong carbon-fluorine bond characteristic of these compounds.
Tool to help understand the environmental effects of human medicines in Scotland
A new data visualisation tool aims to help researchers better understand the effects medicines have on Scotland’s environment. It has been launched by the...
Microbes can degrade the toughest PFAS, says new study
Under anaerobic conditions, common microbial communities can break the ultra-strong carbon-fluorine bond
Engineers at the University of California (Riverside) are the first to report...
Report pulls back the curtain on chemical pollution in the ocean
A new report attempts to provide a diagnostic of the scale of the ocean pollution challenge facing humanity.
The Invisible Wave: Getting to zero chemical...
Breaking the CSO cycle
Three steps to increased capacity, without capital expenditure: The use of combined sewer overflows (CSOs) has placed water companies in the firing line of regulators and ratepayers.
Contaminant cornucopia
Monitoring projects that collect and analyze urban runoff samples have just begun to characterize the dizzying array of contaminants, including tire- and vehicle-derived chemicals, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), phosphorous, metals and many others, according to the American Chemical Society.
Spotting problems
A report on river quality, published by the UK Environmental Audit Committee (EAC), in January, revealed damning evidence of river pollution in England, and called for improvements in the monitoring of waterways for contamination from sewage outflows and other pollution sources
Not-so-clear and present danger
The unfolding furore over sewage dumping seems to have mobilised political will in a way that observers suggest might be "game changing".
Proposal to ban ‘forever chemicals’ in firefighting foams in the EU
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) says it is bringing forward a proposal for an EU-wide restriction on all per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in...
