DAVIS -- As more reports come out about people being hospitalized with vaping-related illnesses, researchers across the country are trying to get to the bottom of why this is happening.

Inside a lab at the Center for Health and the Environment just off the University of California, Davis campus, work is being done that could save lives. There Professor Kent Pinkerton is leading the effort to find out what is in vaping products that has been making people so sick.

In Paradise, many families are still combing through the wreckage of the 2018 Camp Fire that burned over 150,000 acres. Camille Von Kaenel of the Chico Enterprise-Record in her article "Residents still trying to understand Camp Fire contamination at standing homes" writes,

Director Tony Wexler was interviewed by Beond.tv recently about how climate change is causing an increased presence of wildfires in California and across the US. Watch the full interview that aired on KDOC here. 

A new school next to a concrete plant in Silicon Valley poses a serious health risk to the children and adults there. 

The National Institutes of Health and several other federal agencies, including OSHA, CDC and the EPA have reported on the health hazards of dust from concrete manufacturing facilities. Ultra-fine particles in the dust can lodge into the lungs, ultimately traveling to the heart. As a result, exposure can cause respiratory problems and even lead to cardiac arrest.

"Thomas Cahill, professor emeritus of physics and atmospheric sciences, died from complications of cancer on April 30, 2019, in Davis. He was 82.

"During his five decades in research, Cahill delighted in applying his physics expertise to problems in the public sphere, especially those in environmental science. He engaged in battles to save Mono Lake, remove lead from gasoline, protect air quality in national parks, and safeguard first responders following the 2001 World Trade Center disaster."

In March, Valero's Benicial refinery spit out pollution which caused city officials to warn residents to stay indoors. The Bay Area Air Quality Monitoring District sent a van to monitor the situation because currently there is no stationary air quality monitoring device in the residential areas despite the fact that it's home to one of the largest refineries in California. 

As explained in the article "Valer's March Pollution Release Exposes Weaknesses in Benicia's Air Monitoring System" by Ted Goldberg: 

An article by Ted Goldberg of KQED News has looked into the release of a large unexpected plume of petroleum coke dust by Valero's Benicia refinery. The release had local fire officials encouraging people with respiratory problems to avoid activity outdoors. 

A partial shutdown of the facility resulted from this incident. This is considered the worst breakdown since a 2017 power outage.

As Davis rolls into spring we all start to get a little restless working inside at the Air Quality Research Center while staring out windows to the beautiful weather developing. So what better way to come out of hibernation and stretch the legs than to chase a Frisbee and chat with colleagues?

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