A new study from the US suggests that poor air quality and diabetes are closely connected. Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis in collaboration with the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System in Missouri performed the study.
To achieve the set study goal, a team of researchers analyzed the influence of air pollution on a group of United States veterans with no previous history of diabetes. The followed the participants of the study for averagely 8.5 years.
Senior author of the study Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly says: “Our research shows a significant link between air pollution and diabetes globally. We found an increased risk, even at low levels of air pollution currently considered safe by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the WHO.”
A new study, conducted by the scientists from the University of Minnesota, USA, shows that more than 80% of the world’s tap water is contaminated with plastic. The US, followed by India and Lebanon, has the highest contamination level with 93%. France, Germany and the UK have 72%, and this is the lowest number.
For the study, a team of scientists tested 159 samples of water from across the world, including such countries as Uganda, Ecuador, and Indonesia.
Dr Anne Marie Mahon from the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, a lead author of the previous study confirming microplastic contamination in tap water in Ireland, says: “We don’t know what the [health] impact is and for that reason we should follow the precautionary principle and put enough effort into it now, immediately, so we can find out what the real risks are.”