Air Pollution Archives

Researcher stands by lab equipment in white lab coat with DRI above the pocket.

Andrey Khlystov and Nathan Chellman Receive 2026 Board of Regents Awards

By Elyse DeFranco | Mar 11, 2026 | Awards and Honors, Elyse DeFranco

The Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) Board of Regents awards Andrey Khlystov, Ph.D., the 2026 Regents’ Distinguished Career Award in recognition of his significant accomplishments and contributions to the field of atmospheric science, and Nathan Chellman, Ph.D., the Jason Geddes Rising Researcher Award in recognition of his outstanding early-career accomplishments and potential to advance scientific knowledge in the field of hydrologic sciences.

Keep Tahoe Blue, The Tyre Collective, and DRI launch innovative pilot program to protect Lake Tahoe’s air and water

By DRI Communications | Sep 17, 2025 | Research findings, DRI Communications

Today, Keep Tahoe Blue, The Tyre Collective, and Desert Research Institute (DRI) announced a groundbreaking collaboration with the Emerald Bay Shuttle and its operator, Downtowner, that brings together science, technology, and alternative transportation to protect Lake Tahoe’s world-renowned water clarity.  The pilot program employs The Tyre Collective’s proprietary technology — discrete, compact devices affixed to a vehicle’s undercarriage — to capture harmful tire wear particles directly at the wheel.

Thick smog hovers over a highway during rush hour traffic.

Regional, Racial, and Economic Disparities in Cancer Risk from Air Pollution Exposure Persist, But Improving, New Research Suggests

By Elyse DeFranco | Dec 3, 2024 | Research findings, Elyse DeFranco

Researchers from DRI and UNR teamed up for this new study, published October in Environmental Science & Technology. Using sociodemographic data from the U.S. Census Bureau and public health and air pollution information from the EPA between 2011 and 2019, the study identified higher estimated cancer risk tied to air toxics in urban communities, those with lower incomes, and those with higher proportions of racial minorities.

Photo of Hans Moosmuller with two researchers in a tent in Antarctica.

DRI’s Hans Moosmuller on Antarctic Expedition to Investigate the Impacts of Pollution Near the South Pole

By Elyse DeFranco | Dec 20, 2023 | News releases, Elyse DeFranco

Hans Moosmuller, Ph.D., joins two Chilean scientists from the Center for Environmental Technologies (CETAM) of the Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria on an expedition to Antarctica’s Unión Glacier, located just a thousand kilometers from the South Pole.

Cars at rush hour on a highway seen through the smog.

New Study on Non-Tailpipe Emissions in Southern California

By Elyse DeFranco | Dec 5, 2022 | Blog, Featured researchers, Elyse DeFranco

In a new study, researchers take a closer look at some overlooked pollutants, known as non-tailpipe emissions.

DRI project contributes to an air quality win in Jakarta

By DRI Communications | Nov 8, 2021 | Blog, DRI Communications

This fall, DRI scientists received word that air quality monitoring guidelines and reports from a decade-old project in Indonesia had served a beneficial new purpose: providing key evidence in an important court decision that will require stricter air quality standards in the City of Jakarta.