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#airpollution — Public Fediverse posts

Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #airpollution, aggregated by home.social.

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  1. I'm half way through 2026… and been catching the bus a lot more due to the fuel prices.

    The nearest I can get on the bus to my workplace is Paddington, just near the start of Caxton Street and Lang Park stadium. From there, it's a couple of kilometres walk to Park Road alongside Milton Road. Since I want to catch the bus, and none of the lurgies that passengers might be unwittingly sharing on said bus, I've been masking up. My modus operandi is I put it on before I leave home, and it comes off when I sit down at my desk at work.

    The other day I was talking with a colleague and he mentioned a recent study about particulate matter from traffic landing on balconies, he specifically was dubious about the findings.

    news.uq.edu.au/2026-07-micropl

    I thought… hang on… I'm walking near a busy road, and I'm wearing a filter… what does it look like? I pulled the pre-filter out and had a look. Where the retainer clamps the pre-filter to the actual filter, it is *filthy*!

    I've put the pre-filter back in for now since the P3 filter in behind seems clean, meaning that pre-filter is doing its job catching the bigger particles… but it does make me wonder if I should get in touch with UQ and see if they want to do some tests on this?

    #AirPollution #Microplastics

  2. I'm half way through 2026… and been catching the bus a lot more due to the fuel prices.

    The nearest I can get on the bus to my workplace is Paddington, just near the start of Caxton Street and Lang Park stadium. From there, it's a couple of kilometres walk to Park Road alongside Milton Road. Since I want to catch the bus, and none of the lurgies that passengers might be unwittingly sharing on said bus, I've been masking up. My modus operandi is I put it on before I leave home, and it comes off when I sit down at my desk at work.

    The other day I was talking with a colleague and he mentioned a recent study about particulate matter from traffic landing on balconies, he specifically was dubious about the findings.

    news.uq.edu.au/2026-07-micropl

    I thought… hang on… I'm walking near a busy road, and I'm wearing a filter… what does it look like? I pulled the pre-filter out and had a look. Where the retainer clamps the pre-filter to the actual filter, it is *filthy*!

    I've put the pre-filter back in for now since the P3 filter in behind seems clean, meaning that pre-filter is doing its job catching the bigger particles… but it does make me wonder if I should get in touch with UQ and see if they want to do some tests on this?

    #AirPollution #Microplastics

  3. EPA says power for data centers can sidestep pollution laws

    By Tim McLaughlin
    July 27, 2026

    "Power sources providing electricity only to data centers and not the public grid may not be subject to ​federal pollution laws, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on ‌Monday.

    "The EPA said if the power plants are not supplying electricity to the grid then they would not be subject to the federal #CleanAirAct's #AcidRain Program, which has been key to the ​dramatic reduction of #smog and #soot pollution from industrial ⁠facilities."

    Read more:
    reuters.com/legal/litigation/e

    #EPAFail #USPol #Datacenters #AISucks #AirPollution
    #PollutionLaws #TechBros #Oligarchy #TechOligarchy #CorporatePolluters #TrumpSucks

  4. EPA says power for data centers can sidestep pollution laws

    By Tim McLaughlin
    July 27, 2026

    "Power sources providing electricity only to data centers and not the public grid may not be subject to ​federal pollution laws, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on ‌Monday.

    "The EPA said if the power plants are not supplying electricity to the grid then they would not be subject to the federal #CleanAirAct's #AcidRain Program, which has been key to the ​dramatic reduction of #smog and #soot pollution from industrial ⁠facilities."

    Read more:
    reuters.com/legal/litigation/e

    #EPAFail #USPol #Datacenters #AISucks #AirPollution
    #PollutionLaws #TechBros #Oligarchy #TechOligarchy #CorporatePolluters #TrumpSucks

  5. Politico: Emails show how Virginia regulators downplayed data center health concerns. “When Virginia’s top environmental regulator received an analysis warning of data center pollution, it took him less than five minutes to forward it to seven people on his staff. The Piedmont Environmental Council had sent the report to Michael Rolband as a courtesy two days before publicizing it in March. […]

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/07/26/politico-emails-show-how-virginia-regulators-downplayed-data-center-health-concerns/
  6. Politico: Emails show how Virginia regulators downplayed data center health concerns. “When Virginia’s top environmental regulator received an analysis warning of data center pollution, it took him less than five minutes to forward it to seven people on his staff. The Piedmont Environmental Council had sent the report to Michael Rolband as a courtesy two days before publicizing it in March. […]

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/07/26/politico-emails-show-how-virginia-regulators-downplayed-data-center-health-concerns/
  7. Engadget: Meta has pulled out of a renewable energy initiative as it relies more on natural gas for data centers . “A decade ago, Meta joined RE100, a major renewable energy initiative aimed at helping large corporations transition to renewable electricity. Now, the company has pulled out of the group as it increasingly relies on natural gas for its AI data centers.”

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/07/25/engadget-meta-has-pulled-out-of-a-renewable-energy-initiative-as-it-relies-more-on-natural-gas-for-data-centers/
  8. Engadget: Meta has pulled out of a renewable energy initiative as it relies more on natural gas for data centers . “A decade ago, Meta joined RE100, a major renewable energy initiative aimed at helping large corporations transition to renewable electricity. Now, the company has pulled out of the group as it increasingly relies on natural gas for its AI data centers.”

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/07/25/engadget-meta-has-pulled-out-of-a-renewable-energy-initiative-as-it-relies-more-on-natural-gas-for-data-centers/
  9. Finally, an article in the general news media: Why the term “Canadian wildfires” - with an accusatory undertone - is not helpful and we need to act globally to reduce emissions (with Canada contributing its share!): theguardian.com/us-news/2026/j #airpollution #airquality #cdnpoli

  10. Finally, an article in the general news media: Why the term “Canadian wildfires” - with an accusatory undertone - is not helpful and we need to act globally to reduce emissions (with Canada contributing its share!): theguardian.com/us-news/2026/j #airpollution #airquality #cdnpoli

  11. Study finds air pollution might affect kids' impulse control, which could lead to childhood obesity. #airpollution

    theguardian.com/us-news/2026/j

  12. LimaOhio.com: Ohio EPA will not finalize general permit for data centers. “After carefully reviewing a large volume of public comments on the draft National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System general permit for data centers, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency will not move forward with finalizing the general permit, according to a Tuesday press release from the agency.”

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/07/24/limaohio-ohio-epa-will-not-finalize-general-permit-for-data-centers/
  13. LimaOhio.com: Ohio EPA will not finalize general permit for data centers. “After carefully reviewing a large volume of public comments on the draft National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System general permit for data centers, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency will not move forward with finalizing the general permit, according to a Tuesday press release from the agency.”

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/07/24/limaohio-ohio-epa-will-not-finalize-general-permit-for-data-centers/
  14. Replacing gas stove can help asthmatics as much as some drugs, US experts find
    By Gary Fuller

    Team in Ohio finds swapping to electric has ‘very large’ impact, despite study being scaled back by Trump cuts

    theguardian.com/environment/20

    #Asthma #Airpollution #Health #Ohio #Pollution #UKnews #USnews #Environment #TheGuardian #GaryFuller

  15. Signal Cleveland: How data centers could affect Northeast Ohio’s power grid, water use and air quality. “Debate over Cleveland data center rules have highlighted concerns about power demand, water use and air quality. The answers depends on the facility, but the largest centers can consume enough electricity as hundreds of thousands of homes and millions of gallons of water each day.”

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/07/22/signal-cleveland-how-data-centers-could-affect-northeast-ohios-power-grid-water-use-and-air-quality/
  16. Signal Cleveland: How data centers could affect Northeast Ohio’s power grid, water use and air quality. “Debate over Cleveland data center rules have highlighted concerns about power demand, water use and air quality. The answers depends on the facility, but the largest centers can consume enough electricity as hundreds of thousands of homes and millions of gallons of water each day.”

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/07/22/signal-cleveland-how-data-centers-could-affect-northeast-ohios-power-grid-water-use-and-air-quality/
  17. CW: lung-esophagus axis? sauerkraut is magic?

    I've been having symptoms consistent with eosinophilic esophagitis FIRE syndrome for some time. There are foods that seem to trigger a reaction only sometimes; the threshold for reactivity seems to move up and down. Exposure to lung irritants seems to be a key factor in moving the threshold downwards.

    I worked outside in a public garden today for a couple of hours without a mask, not realizing the air quality was poor. I recently had success eating foods that I sometimes react to with sauerkraut (I have no idea what's going on there), including rice - a food I had 'lost' and then regained, then lost again. I tried the rice with sauerkraut thing and was disappointed to find that today I had to eat *a lot* of sauerkraut to swallow it without too much pain.

    I decided to sit outside on the patio after, but only for a few minutes as I looked over at our air monitor and found it was yellow-orange - then I realized I had been breathing bad air for a while today. It only just now started to smell like smoke.

    "About 10 years ago, Virchow defined EoE as “asthma of the esophagus” "
    mdpi.com/1999-4923/15/9/2359

    Th sauerkraut thing is weird since it is acidic and the thing that helps me quell an acute reaction is baking soda water. I thought it had to do with the alkalinity calming mast cells. 🤷‍♂️

    #MCAS #EosinophilicEsophagitis #AirPollution #Asthma #sauerkraut

  18. CW: lung-esophagus axis? sauerkraut is magic?

    I've been having symptoms consistent with eosinophilic esophagitis FIRE syndrome for some time. There are foods that seem to trigger a reaction only sometimes; the threshold for reactivity seems to move up and down. Exposure to lung irritants seems to be a key factor in moving the threshold downwards.

    I worked outside in a public garden today for a couple of hours without a mask, not realizing the air quality was poor. I recently had success eating foods that I sometimes react to with sauerkraut (I have no idea what's going on there), including rice - a food I had 'lost' and then regained, then lost again. I tried the rice with sauerkraut thing and was disappointed to find that today I had to eat *a lot* of sauerkraut to swallow it without too much pain.

    I decided to sit outside on the patio after, but only for a few minutes as I looked over at our air monitor and found it was yellow-orange - then I realized I had been breathing bad air for a while today. It only just now started to smell like smoke.

    "About 10 years ago, Virchow defined EoE as “asthma of the esophagus” "
    mdpi.com/1999-4923/15/9/2359

    Th sauerkraut thing is weird since it is acidic and the thing that helps me quell an acute reaction is baking soda water. I thought it had to do with the alkalinity calming mast cells. 🤷‍♂️

    #MCAS #EosinophilicEsophagitis #AirPollution #Asthma #sauerkraut

  19. theconversation.com/do-patient; academic.oup.com/eurheartj/adv (open access). "Researchers found that people who smoke were 6 times more likely to have detectable micro- & nanoplastics in the #blood supplying their #hearts than non-smokers. Even more notable, every smoker who was also exposed to higher levels of #airpollution had #plastics detected in their blood, compared with just 12.5% of people who neither smoked nor experienced high #pollution exposure."

  20. theconversation.com/do-patient; academic.oup.com/eurheartj/adv (open access). "Researchers found that people who smoke were 6 times more likely to have detectable micro- & nanoplastics in the #blood supplying their #hearts than non-smokers. Even more notable, every smoker who was also exposed to higher levels of #airpollution had #plastics detected in their blood, compared with just 12.5% of people who neither smoked nor experienced high #pollution exposure."

  21. A warehouse fire in Boyle Heights left L.A. with heavy soot pollution, exceeding the levels seen during the 2025 fires. #airpollution

    latimes.com/environment/story/

  22. Plastic waste burning trial at cement factory prompts backlash
    By George Yankovich and Daniel Keane

    A major cement manufacturer has been allowed to burn more plastic waste for fuel at its Adelaide site in a decision a local council is seeking to challenge in court.

    abc.net.au/news/2026-07-20/adb

    #EnvironmentalImpacts #AirPollution #LocalGovernment #RecyclingandWasteManagement #GeorgeYankovich #DanielKeane

  23. Plastic waste burning trial at cement factory prompts backlash
    By George Yankovich and Daniel Keane

    A major cement manufacturer has been allowed to burn more plastic waste for fuel at its Adelaide site in a decision a local council is seeking to challenge in court.

    abc.net.au/news/2026-07-20/adb

    #EnvironmentalImpacts #AirPollution #LocalGovernment #RecyclingandWasteManagement #GeorgeYankovich #DanielKeane

  24. CNBC: Elon Musk’s Memphis AI empire is the epicenter of the data center backlash. “Google, Anthropic and Reflection AI have all inked agreements with SpaceX to rent excess computing capacity at Colossus and Colossus II, deals worth up to $2.32 billion per month. Residents don’t feel the same benefits. Several told CNBC that SpaceXAI never consulted with them about their plans before they […]

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/07/19/cnbc-elon-musks-memphis-ai-empire-is-the-epicenter-of-the-data-center-backlash/
  25. CNBC: Elon Musk’s Memphis AI empire is the epicenter of the data center backlash. “Google, Anthropic and Reflection AI have all inked agreements with SpaceX to rent excess computing capacity at Colossus and Colossus II, deals worth up to $2.32 billion per month. Residents don’t feel the same benefits. Several told CNBC that SpaceXAI never consulted with them about their plans before they […]

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/07/19/cnbc-elon-musks-memphis-ai-empire-is-the-epicenter-of-the-data-center-backlash/
  26. Source NM: Energy expert tells NM lawmakers Project Jupiter could roll back air quality progress by 20 years. “Environmental advocates on Monday told New Mexico lawmakers that power plants built specifically for large data centers such as Project Jupiter could undo more than 20 years of progress on air quality.”

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/07/19/source-nm-energy-expert-tells-nm-lawmakers-project-jupiter-could-roll-back-air-quality-progress-by-20-years/
  27. Source NM: Energy expert tells NM lawmakers Project Jupiter could roll back air quality progress by 20 years. “Environmental advocates on Monday told New Mexico lawmakers that power plants built specifically for large data centers such as Project Jupiter could undo more than 20 years of progress on air quality.”

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/07/19/source-nm-energy-expert-tells-nm-lawmakers-project-jupiter-could-roll-back-air-quality-progress-by-20-years/
  28. Now, all of a sudden, #Trump is concerned about #airquality ? No, he's only concerned about looking like The Biggest Bully on the Block. Also, the biggest idiot.

    #fires #climatechange #airpollution #smoke

  29. Now, all of a sudden, #Trump is concerned about #airquality ? No, he's only concerned about looking like The Biggest Bully on the Block. Also, the biggest idiot.

    #fires #climatechange #airpollution #smoke

  30. ‘Profound, resigned hopelessness’: people across US and Canada share effects of wildfire smoke
    By Marina Dunbar

    Air quality in North America has plummeted, affecting the health of millions of people across the continent

    theguardian.com/world/2026/jul

    #Wildfires #Airpollution #Canada #Minnesota #Chicago #Illinois #Detroit #Michigan #Minneapolis #NewYork #Baltimore #Maryland #USnews #Americas #TheGuardian #MarinaDunbar

  31. ‘Profound, resigned hopelessness’: people across US and Canada share effects of wildfire smoke
    By Marina Dunbar

    Air quality in North America has plummeted, affecting the health of millions of people across the continent

    theguardian.com/world/2026/jul

    #Wildfires #Airpollution #Canada #Minnesota #Chicago #Illinois #Detroit #Michigan #Minneapolis #NewYork #Baltimore #Maryland #USnews #Americas #TheGuardian #MarinaDunbar