Sensitive to air pollution? Take care today and tomorrow. (The Tennessean) Tiny particles in the air that can be inhaled and lodge deep in the lungs have risen today in Middle Tennessee and much of the state. [News Source]

Dirty air, heat, cold may all trigger heart attacks (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Extreme temperatures and heavy air pollution boost heart attack risk, according to a major new study. [News Source]

No-burn days protect Mono residents from dangers of air pollution (The Mammoth Times) Twenty years ago, Mammoth was a much smokier, dustier place than it is today. In the winter smoke from wood stoves and fireplaces filled the air. Cars driving back and forth over anti-skid, volcanic cinders on the snowy roads created a haze over the town. [News Source]

Study: Illegal dumping rarely leads to punishment or fines. A new study shows that environmental crime in Israel is not only widespread - it pays, as illegal dumping saves violators money. The chances that someone who dumps illegal construction waste will be caught by the Environmental Protection Ministry's Green Police are only one in a thousand, it found. [News Source]

Temperature rise guaranteed, thanks to brown clouds. Regardless of success at the upcoming climate talks at Copenhagen this December, there will still be a 2.5 degree rise in temperatures. [News Source]

MSU study finds added benefit of green roofs. Planting the rooftops in Detroit would have the same environmental benefit as removing 10,000 SUVs from the road, a new study shows. [News Source]

Wood: Not the renewable some had in mind. At the Reid Gardner coal plant near Las Vegas, the utility is mixing wood chips with the coal burned to produce electricity at the plant. If it works the way the company hopes, the wood-coal mix could qualify the power plant for a bit of renewable energy credit. [News Source]

Pollution tax to be enacted soon. The Finance Ministry will submit a draft law on pollution taxes to the Cabinet in an effort to tackle irresponsible industrial development. The law puts controls on wastewater and air pollution, and would tax manufacturers for emitting sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and dust. [News Source]

Unchecked stubble-burning trigger health problems. Despite administrative orders banning the burning of paddy straw in the district, farmers continue to burn paddy stubble in fields causing health problems to the people residing in adjoining areas. [News Source]

Jacksonville ranking on Forbes’ toxic list rankles City Hall. City and state officials laced into Forbes Magazine for a list released last week that ranked Jacksonville as America’s eighth most toxic large city. [News Source]

Fines for burning on winter Spare the Air days. Using the same rationale that prompts it to address ozone pollution on hot and still summer days, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District is expecting to issue 15 to 20 winter Spare the Air alerts between now and Feb. 28. [News Source]