Lots of lead in the water? Maybe manganese is to blame
In the right environment, a harmless mineral can do a lot to change the composition of the drinking water that flows through lead pipes. New research from the McKelvey School of Engineering discovers how.
Manganese speeds up honey bees
The industrial metal manganese, once scarce, is now ubiquitous in our environment. New work suggests that it addles honey bees, which often act as sentinel species for environmental contaminants, even at levels considered safe for humans.
Pollutants in some urban areas increase Parkinson’s disease risk
High levels of manganese and copper pollution in urban areas are linked to increased risk of Parkinson’s disease, according to a large-scale analysis of urban pollution and Parkinson’s incidence in the United States. Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that people living in areas with higher levels of manganese pollution had a 78 percent greater risk of Parkinson’s disease than those living in areas free of such pollution.