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Poor air quality, particularly high levels of harmful particulate matter, might also be bad for economic health—or more specifically, it might be connected to stock market declines, according to a recent study. Researchers from the University of Ottawa and Columbia University compared data from the S&P 500 index with hourly data from an air quality sensor at an Environmental Protection Agency monitoring station located close to Wall Street. The study found that every time air quality decreased by one standard deviation—a common statistical metric used to measure variation among data points—the stock market performed 12% worse. In addition, according to the study, the double whammy of depressed mood and reduced cognitive ability is associated with a lower appetite for risk, while reduced risk tolerance is connected to worse stock market returns.

If grass pollen is a source of allergies for you, you’re in good company. Around 400 million people world-wide have a grass pollen allergy

But recent research has also shined a spotlight on another problem: an increase in the risk of developing osteoporosis. A team of researchers from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Northwestern University, and other institutions conducted two studies looking at the relationship between components of air pollution, like elevated levels of particulate matter and osteoporosis, a condition that results in brittle and weak bones and a greater risk of fractures

This type of equipment — which includes furnaces, water heaters, ovens, and appliances that burn oil, gas or other fuels — can produce a variety of pollutants, including carbon monoxide and particles suspended in the air. A furnace, for example, pulls air into the combustion chamber, usually through a grill on the front, while a water heater induces air at the pilot light opening. But, with water heaters, problems can arise because of the flue, which draws air in to boost the natural draft of the water heater. To reduce carbon monoxide risk at the source, use a sealed combustion furnace and direct vent, power-vented, or sealed combustion water heater, or convert from a fuel source to electricity.