The air we breathe is absolutely crucial for our health, helping us stay strong and live vibrant lives. Clean air doesn’t just benefit our lungs—it supports the overall health of ecosystems and affects the quality of the soil and water Continue reading
How well do you believe the air quality is on your campus? Our study set out to investigate the pollution produced by on campus restaurants at USD and whether this pollution is spreading to adjacent classroom spaces. Two key air Continue reading
Did you ever think that cooking could produce air pollution? I certainly didn’t at first, but it in fact does! Two specific types of air pollution are a concern here: PM2.5, which are super tiny particles within the air, and Continue reading
Welcome, San Diego Pollution Trackers, to your fall 2024 blog. This weblog is the public face of the University of San Diego‘s fall 2024 environmental chemistry class (Chem 355). It will keep you in the know about our experimental results, Continue reading
Welcome, University of San Diego Sustainability students, to your course blog! This group weblog is the public face of the University of San Diego’s Intersession 2023 Urban Sustainability class (Chem 112) in Auckland. It will keep you in the know about our experimental Continue reading
Background: Per-Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are known as “forever chemicals” because of their persistence in the environment. The C-F bonds in the compound result in very long breakdown times because of low reactivity, and thus have very high bioaccumulation. PFAS are Continue reading
As Americans we drive in cars. We use electricity for our houses and cell phones. And we burn fossil fuels to power these processes. The average American releases more carbon into the atmosphere per capita than any other country in Continue reading
The stuff in our trash is taken and thrown in landfills. In those landfills our trash is sitting around and breaking apart into different little pieces. In these tiny pieces are a special group of chemicals made up of carbon, Continue reading
What are PFAS? Per-fluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, are commonly referred to as “forever chemicals” (Hersher). PFAS acquired this term due to their ability to remain in the environment for decades. PFAS pose a threat to the environment due Continue reading
Introduction The small organisms that live at the bottom of the marine life food chain, phytoplankton, are more important than we think. Their main purpose involves absorbing CO2 from our atmosphere and using it as a nutrient to promote growth Continue reading
