Pollution
Site news
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In a new study comparing gas, propane, and all-electric commercial kitchens, researchers documented temperatures as high as 122 degrees Fahrenheit and nitrogen dioxide above the EPA’s one-hour outdoor air standard in 70% of gas and propane kitchens.
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California provides a case study for other states and governmental bodies looking for ways to stem the tide of microplastic pollution. Stanford experts in medicine and policy explain what can be learned from the state's decade-long regulatory experiment.
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Recent graduate Edward Apraku, PhD ’26, combined environmental engineering with a commitment to community impact during his time at Stanford.
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Some wildfire smoke plumes are more toxic than others, depending on the geology where a fire burns. Stanford scientist Scott Fendorf explains why.
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Stanford-led research shows how wildfire risks are changing, illuminates connections to climate and health, and offers promising solutions.
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A Stanford-led study based on two decades of satellite data finds California could cut deadly pollution from wildfire smoke by 20% in active fire years by expanding use of prescribed fire in conifer forests each year.
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Researchers discovered high levels of benzene in domestic gas in multiple Western European cities. Exposure through commonplace gas leaks reaches levels that breach safe limits for many residents, new measurement and modeling suggests.
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Gas and propane stoves emit substantial amounts of nitrogen dioxide, a pollutant linked to higher risks of asthma, heart and lung disease, and other conditions. A Stanford-led study finds switching from a gas to electric stove would cut nitrogen dioxide exposure across the U.S. by over one half, reducing the risk of asthma.
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How can air quality policies adapt to the new world of pollution trends shaped by wildfire smoke? Learn about the growing problem of air polluted by wildfire smoke, and what the data show about policies that can make a difference.
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A new Stanford-led study finds that controlled, low-intensity fires known as prescribed burns can slash wildfire intensity and dangerous smoke pollution across the western United States.
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Stanford-led sustainability research offers tangible benefits for human health. Scientists are developing new techniques to enhance air and water quality, improve disease monitoring, mitigate risks from extreme weather and severe storms, and more.
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Researchers tested a low-cost, low-tech intervention to reduce pollution from brick kilns in Bangladesh. Stanford co-authors discuss insights from the study about scaling clean technologies in informal and unregulated industries.
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An epidemiologist is on a mission to reduce pollution where past efforts have failed—and end an environmental health nightmare.
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Researchers found widespread deployment of technologies that pull carbon dioxide from industrial flues and ambient air would be much more expensive and damaging than a hypothetical worldwide switch to electricity and heat from renewable sources – if energy costs, emissions, and health impacts are all taken into account.
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New research shows grain yields critical to India’s food security are dragged down 10% or more in many parts of the country by nitrogen dioxide pollution from power stations that run on coal. Economic losses from crop damages exceed $800 million per year.
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Tiny fragments of plastic that fail to break down have pervaded our water, food, ecosystems, and the human body. Experts explain impacts on our long-term health and what can be done to address the problem on a broader scale.
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A new study reveals social factors that increase the risk of dying from air pollution and finds stark racial disparities.
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Residents of the wildfire-choked San Joaquin Valley desperately want something done about their air quality – but they want researchers to approach the work in a new way.
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Stanford scholars are exploring the connection between plastic and disease, rethinking how plastic could be reused, and uncovering new ways to break down waste.
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Two new reports could help decision-makers allocate resources to mitigate the health impacts of wildfire in public TK-12 schools in California.
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Stanford researchers examined how often Californians visit emergency departments and found that people tend to avoid the hospital on the smokiest days.
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Stanford research reveals the rapidly growing influence of wildfire smoke on air quality trends across most of the United States. Wildfire smoke in recent years has slowed or reversed progress toward cleaner air in 35 states, erasing a quarter of gains made since 2000.
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A new analysis of one of the world’s largest residential electrification programs suggests switching from gas to electric stoves can reduce climate emissions and hospitalization rates faster than previously thought if the power grid is green.
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Stanford researchers have developed an AI model for predicting dangerous particle pollution to help track the American West’s rapidly worsening wildfire smoke. The detailed results show millions of Americans are routinely exposed to pollution at levels rarely seen just a decade ago.
