California Bans ‘Forever Chemicals’ In Tampons, Other Menstrual Products
Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, on Monday signed the bill that outlaws the use of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl in feminine products. Other news from around the country is on dengue fever in California, inmate medical records in Arizona, and more.
Los Angeles Times:
Newsom Signs Bill To Ban 'Forever Chemicals' In Tampons
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law on Monday that will ban the sale of tampons and other menstrual products in California that contain certain levels of potentially toxic chemicals. The law would prohibit by 2025 the manufacture and sale of menstrual products that contain intentionally added perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS. If such products have PFAS added unintentionally, the law requires that by 2027 manufacturers must keep them below a level to be determined by the Department of Toxic Substances Control. (Fry, 9/30)
The Hill:
Dengue Fever Local Spread Rises In California, Possible Link To Climate Change
California last week clocked its fourth case of locally transmitted dengue fever this year — an alarming rise in a sometimes-deadly disease that experts fear could be fueled by climate change. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed the newest incidence of the mosquito-borne illness in a resident of Panorama City, a neighborhood in Los Angeles’s San Fernando Valley. The department noted that the individual had not traveled to areas where dengue is endemic, and that the case appeared unrelated to three others, also locally acquired, that were reported in the county earlier this month. (Udasin, 9/30)
Arizona Republic:
ACLU Says Arizona Inmates’ Medical Records Posted Online
Medical records of some Arizona inmates were posted publicly online by the company that provides medical services in state prisons, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. On Monday, the ACLU notified the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry and its director that NaphCare had been posting personal medical records that were visible to anyone with an internet browser. (Torres, 9/30)
The Washington Post:
No Hazardous Chlorine Levels Found In Atlanta After Fire At Nearby Plant, Authorities Say
A plume of chlorine gas loomed over the skyline Monday, causing authorities to shut down schools and government offices while ordering tens of thousands of people to evacuate or huddle inside their homes in Rockdale County in north-central Georgia. Meanwhile, officials said the plumes probably were not a threat to most people in the Atlanta metropolitan area of 6.3 million. (Bailey, Edwards, Ajasa and Paul, 9/30)
On the fentanyl crisis —
NPR:
Fentanyl's Pipeline Into The U.S. May Be Drying Up
This summer, Dan Ciccarone, a physician and street drug researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, sent a team to gather data on the city's streets in areas where illicit fentanyl has been a killer for years. They found something unexpected. "The fentanyl supply is drying up for some reason," Ciccarone said. "Hang out on the streets, talk to people — the drugs are hard to find and more expensive." (Mann, 10/1)
