In 2025, an e-waste dismantling site on the outskirts of Seoul was exposed to illegal dumping of e-waste containing lead and mercury, leading to a 50-fold exceedance of heavy metal standards in the surrounding soil. The average blood lead concentration of local residents reached 15 micrograms per deciliter, far exceeding safety standards, and environmental organizations…

In April 2025, Ministry of the Environment tests showed that Perfluorooctane Sulfonic Acid (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) exceeded the national standard in rivers and lakes at 242 locations in 22 prefectures, with a maximum of 520 times the national standard in Settsu City, Osaka Prefecture. The source of the contamination points to fire extinguishing…

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced in April that gamma ray and electron beam technologies can be used to transform mixed plastic waste into high-value materials without the use of harmful additives. A radiation-assisted pilot plant has been built in the Philippines to turn recycled plastics into building materials with a 30 percent increase…

According to the UK Met Office, the spring of 2025 will be 2.3°C warmer than the same period in previous years, with soil moisture dropping to its lowest level since 1980 and vegetation combustible loads increasing by 45%. These extreme weather conditions have raised the risk of wildfires to “red alert” levels. More critically, 80…

The Jones Road Fire, which broke out on April 22 in Lacey Township, New Jersey, has escalated into one of the worst natural disasters in recent years. The fire, which began on the Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area, spread rapidly under extremely dry weather conditions, and was initially exacerbated by strong winds (gusts up to…

A study by University College London found that older people who were chronically exposed to nitrogen dioxide and PM2.5 pollution scored 15 percent lower than average on language proficiency tests. Those living in the most polluted areas had a 22% increased risk of temporal lobe volume reduction. The researchers called for tighter air quality controls,…

Chinese company Guoke Haina unveiled its all-natural degradable plastics technology at the Shenzhen International Rubber and Plastics Exhibition, which can be completely decomposed into carbon dioxide and water in oceans, soil and other environments, and has already been applied to medical sutures and electronic packaging. The European Union plans to include such materials in the…

On April 17-19, 2025, U.S. forces launched 14 rounds of airstrikes on the Yemeni port of Ras al-Issa, destroying oil storage tanks and pipelines, disrupting the transport of 49 million barrels of crude oil and causing a massive oil slick in the Red Sea. Satellite monitoring showed that the oil spill threatened coral reefs and…

In April 2025, the Trump administration granted 66 coal-fired power plants across the United States exemptions from the Clean Air Act’s limits on emissions of mercury, arsenic, and other toxic pollutants, allowing them to continue emitting neurotoxins into the atmosphere. The move sparked an outcry from environmental groups, with critics pointing out that the exemption…

In 2025, The Guardian reported that 15% of the world’s arable land is contaminated with heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium and lead, affecting 1.4 billion people. Cadmium levels in rice in parts of South Asia and Africa are 10 times higher than the limit, leading to the spread of chronic diseases such as “painkillers”.…