Pollution

Scott Gottlieb, former U.S. Food and Drug Administration commissioner, said that some large retailers and restaurants stopped sourcing products from a central Mexican region linked to a growing cyclosporiasis epidemic in the United States because they were concerned about widespread contamination. A?FDA investigation? has linked the outbreak with iceberg lettuce served in Taco Bell restaurants that was sourced from Taylor Farms operations in central Mexico. Health officials are looking for other products that could be causing people to get sick, as the cases continue climbing. A widespread contamination of imported products could increase the risk for consumers to contract cyclosporiasis....

Scott Gottlieb, former U.S. Food and Drug Administration commissioner, said on Monday that'some large growers and retail outlets have stopped sourcing their produce from a region in Central?Mexico linked to a cyclosporiasis epidemic because they are concerned about widespread contamination. A?FDA investigation linked the outbreak to Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce, served at?Taco Bell owned by Yum Brands, in nine states. Health regulators are investigating other products. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 4,173 confirmed cases in laboratories, and more than 7,400 suspected cases. Michigan, where more than 9,000 cases have been recorded, said that...

Reporting on the latest research into the skin discoloration disorder Vitiligo, which may lead to new treatments in the future. EXPERIMENTAL GLP-1 COMBO ?DRUG PROMPTLY IMPROVES FATTY LIVER DAMAGE Researchers say that combining an experimental GLP-1 weight loss drug with another type was able to produce dramatic improvements in fatty hepatitis in a midstage study. Improvements were visible as soon as 12 weeks following treatment. The D&D Pharmatech once-weekly combination drug combines its experimental GLP-1 drug, zabopegdutide, with TLY012, designed to induce cell death. The participants in this trial had fatty liver disease, which was confirmed by biopsy. Researchers had...

Michigan health officials announced?on Thursday, 7,644 cases of cyclosporiasis (an intestinal infection) linked to a recent outbreak. This is an increase of 473 since the last state update, a day earlier. According to the Michigan Department of Health, this outbreak has resulted in 160 hospitalizations. There have been no reported deaths. Cyclosporiasis is caused by the Cyclospora worm and can cause diarrhea, nausea, and other gastrointestinal problems. This parasite can be spread by eating raw fruit and vegetables or drinking water that has been contaminated with feces. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cyclosporiasis cases have steadily...

On Tuesday, the Trump administration was sued by 18 'Democratic-led States, Washington D.C., and New York City, over a federal?rule? they say will harm climate change by giving companies a longer time to stop using hydrofluorocarbons as dangerous chemicals in commercial refrigeration equipment. The petition filed in the federal appeals courts of Washington, D.C., challenges a decision by the Environmental Protection Agency to delay deadlines for companies that want to replace hydrofluorocarbons, also known as HFCs, with climate-friendly refrigerants. The rule, according to opponents, would increase harmful greenhouse gas emission?and undo a part of the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act...

Wildfires in Ontario have grown from 650,000 to 735,000 acres (1.8 million hectares) since the weekend. Premier Doug Ford announced this on Monday. The air quality in Ontario has improved, but remains unhealthy in some parts of the U.S. Midwest. Ford stated at a Toronto press conference that the province was battling 190 active fires. Around 1,800 residents were evacuated from sparsely-populated communities in northwest?Ontario. Ford stated, "We won't spare a dime in fighting these fires or keeping the people safe." Wildfires in Canada, which mostly occur in areas that are difficult to access, have led to tensions between Canada,...

U.S. president Donald Trump said on Sunday that he had told Canadian prime minister Mark Carney that Canada must 'do better' at controlling Ontario wildfires, whose smoke has affected many U.S. state. Trump claimed that he had spoken to Carney on Sunday, at the FIFA World Cup Final they both attended. Trump said to reporters that he had a "good relationship" with Mark Carney but that they needed to put out the fires in New Jersey. "Maybe we should impose some tariffs or they could pay us some damages." The smoke from fires burning in Ontario has blanketed the United...

Premier Doug Ford announced at a Friday press conference that Ontario would spend C$650 million ($465million) to purchase 'five new helicopters' and six new water-bombers in order to fight wildfires spreading quickly. On Thursday, heavy smoke from Canadian fires covered a large area of the U.S., from the Midwest up to the Northeast. Officials warned residents to stay inside whenever possible. Ford has not said when the planes will arrive. He said: "We won't put a price on the safety of our communities... We will spare no cost." Ontario has so far deployed 150 fire crews to the ground, and...

In a small study, we also describe an experimental vaccine that prevented pancreatic carcinoma in people with high genetic risks. Higher levels of plastic in blood linked with heart attacks A small Italian study suggests that heart attack survivors have higher levels in their blood of tiny plastic particles compared to those who never had a heart attack and people whose blood vessels supply the 'heart' are normal. Researchers say that the study of 61 subjects adds to the growing evidence that environmental pollutants may affect cardiovascular health. According to a study published in the European Heart Journal, micro- and...

On Thursday, heavy smoke from hundreds of Canadian wildfires covered a large swath in the U.S., from the Midwest up to the Northeast. Officials warned residents to stay inside as much as possible, and avoid the unhealthy, acrid air. Detroit had the worst air pollution in the world according to IQAir. The company monitors the city's air quality. It registered a pollutionindex (or pollution index) of 600. This is twice the level that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers "hazardous". Data from the federal government showed that smoke levels were dangerous in Minnesota, Michigan and northern Illinois. They also reached...

On Thursday, heavy smoke from wildfires burning in Canada covered a large swath across the U.S., from the Midwest to the Northeast. Officials warned residents that they should avoid breathing the unhealthy, acrid air and stay inside as much as possible. Detroit, according to IQAir's monitoring, had the worst air quality in the world on 'Thursday. ', with a 600 reading, which is twice as high as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers "hazardous". Federal data revealed dangerous levels of smoke in Minnesota, Michigan and northern Illinois. The smoke also reached northern Ohio, and even into Ontario. Minneapolis, Milwaukee, and...

The?U.S. The?U.S. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, no deaths have been reported. However, 141 hospitalized people and 1,645 confirmed cases in 34 states have been reported. The agency reported that it is aware of over 5,100 reports which require further analysis and confirmation. According to the CDC, cyclosporiasis can be contracted through contaminated water or food (usually raw fruits and veggies). It can cause diarrhea, nausea and other gastrointestinal problems. Although the United States has seen outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness in the past, this year's outbreak is significantly larger and geographically spread, prompting health officials...

Some of the world's largest carmakers won the first stage of a mammoth court battle on Friday over whether their diesel vehicles had "defeat mechanisms" that limited emission control systems. In a summary of her decision, Judge Sara Cockerill stated that she "rejected the majority?of the main allegations advanced against the manufacturers?whose vehicles?were examined at trial". The decision was made after a trial that?focused on?20 sample vehicles produced by five manufacturers: Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Nissan and Renault, as well as the Stellantis-owned Peugeot and Citroen. Cockerill said that in her summary, she made some negative findings. She stated that the "split...

Geneva police fired tear gas at protesters on Sunday who had set a Tesla car alight and broken windows of an UN agency as they vented anger at the Group of Seven summit that was about to be held across the border in France. A peaceful march of 20,000 people was held, but later protesters targeted symbols they deemed to be emblematic of capitalism and multilateralism. These included the Tesla parked in the street and the UN Office. Witnesses reported that demonstrators ripped bricks out of the ground to throw at police while children cried when tear gas wafted across...

As EVs get cheaper and emissions targets are met, the market will be supported by a battery-electric vehicle share of 23% in 2026 in 'the European Union and Norway and a share of?28% in '2027. European 'campaign' groups say Europe is on the right track in its transition to electric vehicles and that it can be profitable for the carmakers. They pushed the European Commission last December to reverse the effective ban on the sale of new internal combustion engines cars starting 2035. T&E stated that 'battery-electric cars prices have fallen in average by 4 percent in 2025 due to...

According to documents released by the Chinese government on Thursday, China will reduce its carbon intensity - or carbon emissions per unit gross domestic product - by 17% in its current five year plan. This is an acceleration of the previous period between 2020 and '2025. China's new five-year plan released on Thursday called for the replacement of 30 million metric tonnes per year with renewables, and pushing towards peak coal. However, it did not set further limits on coal use. China's carbon intensity was reduced by 12% during the five-year plan which ended last year. According to a report...

The Meteorological Department of China announced on Thursday that the average temperature in China for the year was 10.9 degrees Celsius (51,6 degrees Fahrenheit). This is the highest ever recorded high-temperature day. At a press event, the administration announced its climate bulletin for 2025. The World?Meteorological Organisation stated in January that last year was?amongst the three warmest years on record. The administration stated that China's annual average temperature has risen in recent decades. 2025 will be the hottest year since 1961 when the first nationwide records began. The intensity of heavy rainfall and extreme heat has increased, increasing the risk...

Researchers studying satellite data for California discovered that the?more electric vehicles in a neighbourhood, the lower air pollution caused by burning fossil fuels. Satellite data confirmed, on the other hand, that areas that increased their number of gas-powered cars saw an increase in pollution. In a press release, Sandrah Eckel from the Keck Medical School at USC stated that California's move to electric vehicles has already made measurable changes in the air quality. Researchers reported in The Lancet Planetary Health that for every 200 zero emission vehicles added to Californian neighborhoods between 2019-2023, nitrogen dioxide concentrations dropped by 1.1%. Pollutants...

eBay, the e-commerce giant, unveiled on Wednesday its first climate change plan and said it would increase efforts to decarbonize?its operations?and supply chain?as part of a plan?to reach?net-zero emission levels by 2045. The plan was validated by Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), a standard-setting organization. It builds on achieving an earlier goal to power all of its facilities with 100% renewable electricity by 2020, which had been achieved in 2024. Renee Morin, Chief Sustainability Officer at eBay, said the company aims to align with the goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius over the pre-industrial level. This...

Nestle has expanded its recall of certain batches of infant nutrition products beyond Europe. It now includes Africa, Americas, and Asia. Nestle recalled batches of SMA formula, BEBA formula, NAN formula, and Alfamino formulation because they may have been contaminated with cereulide. This toxin can cause nausea and vomiting. Health warnings have been issued in 37 countries including the majority of European states, Australia, Brazil and China. The recall puts more pressure on KitKat, Nescafe and its new CEO Philipp Navratil who is trying to restore growth with a portfolio review following management changes. Nestle shares are down 5.7% this...

It was not clear what the 190+ countries attending the COP30 would be discussing during the two week U.N. Summit in Brazil's Amazonian city of Belem. It's also unclear how they will handle controversial issues such as the 2023 pledge to stop using polluting sources of energy and their demand for funding to achieve this. The biggest question was whether or not countries would want to reach a final deal, which is difficult to do in an era of global politics that has been fractious and the U.S.'s efforts to block a move away from fossil-fuels. After years of COP...

After a spill in the south of this resource-rich nation, the Democratic Republic of Congo suspended operations at a Chinese operated mining site. Mines Minister Louis Watum Kabamba announced late Thursday. Congo Dongfang International Mining, which sources mainly copper and cobalt in Central Africa, is an arm of China's Zhejiang Cobalt. Watum told X he had come to Lubumbashi, Congo's second largest city, after learning about a spill that had affected many neighborhoods. He claimed that the company did not meet the environmental standards and was causing serious water pollution, which exposed the public to health risks. He added that...

HSBC released a new set of climate targets on Thursday that are softer and more flexible for near-term sectors like oil and gas. This is in response to the slow rate of change in real economy. The targets for the end of the decade follow a review that was announced by British bank earlier this year, when it dropped its goal to reach net-zero emissions in all of its operations by 2030. HSBC is still aiming for its operations, funded by the loan book, to produce zero emissions by 2050. It and other banks who have set similar climate goals...

Automakers formed alliances with electric vehicle companies to avoid heavy fines from the European Union for carbon emissions. Several legacy automakers could face fines, as the transition from ICEs to EVs has been slower than expected. As of Tuesday, here are the details on the regulations and alliances that will be in place by 2025. Initial EU fines were based on carbon emissions levels in 2025. The European Commission, under pressure from the automakers, allowed compliance in March based on average emissions between 2025 and 2027. All alliance agreements currently in existence, as identified by their pool managers, will expire...