Across the United States and Europe, particulate air pollution stealthily claims hundreds of thousands of lives each year. Reactions to the particles can impact every stage of life, from birth defects and impaired lung development in children, to asthma, heart attack and stroke in adults. The problem is even worse in the developing world, where lax emissions laws are common and people rely heavily on wood fires for heat and cooking. But traditional pollution monitoring stations are expensive to deploy and operate; Lancaster has just one, in the center of town. "If trees prove useful as biomarkers for pollution, this could result in a major breakthrough for pollution sensing," Michael Jerrett of the University of California, Berkeley said. Jerrett was cautious in his enthusiasm, pointing out that it's still early days for this science. The trees they may protect people from pollution, too. In the study, trees with front row seats to traffic screened 15 to 20 percent of particulates out of the air. Maher thinks that number can be increased by positioning plants to capture pollution in high-traffic areas, and by using evergreens, whose high number of needles and lack of seasonal foliage cycle make them perfect for the job. Related Links: |
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