Air Pollution In Northeast Threatens Lives Of Subway Riders, Workers

CBS News: Millions Of U.S. Subway Riders And Workers At Risk For Severe Side Effects From Air Pollution, Study Warns 
Millions of people in the northeast U.S. ride or work on subway systems every day. But while they're doing so, they are breathing in dangerously high levels of particles that may cause heart attacks, aggravate asthma or even lead to premature death, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. (Cohen, 2/10)

In other public health news —

CBS News: A Year Into The Coronavirus Pandemic, Many U.S. Workers Are Anxious Or Depressed 
Nearly a year since COVID-19 crippled the U.S. economy, Americans are not alright. Almost half of full-time workers say they are experiencing mental health issues, including a majority of millennials and Gen Z employees, a recent survey shows. (Picchi, 2/10)

North Carolina Health News: The COVID-19 Learning Gap
Every day when Oscar Barrett picked up his three young children from his mother’s house, his first question was “how was school today?” Most times he received shrugs or non-committal and disinterested responses like “fine” and “OK.” Anything beyond that came from 10-year-old Hallie, who had excelled at school since pre-K and tested into the gifted classes. (Newsome, 2/11)

The Washington Post: Facebook And YouTube Ban 'Planet Lockdown' Video Filled With False Coronavirus Claims
While thousands of families grieved the loss of loved ones and the United States’ coronavirus death toll surpassed 350,000 in early January and continued to rise, a film parroting false claims about the pandemic began to spread to millions of social media users. The video, called “Planet Lockdown,” racked up more than 20 million views and engagements, according to the social media monitoring tool CrowdTangle, in late December and January. It went largely unnoticed by the social media platforms playing host to the misinformation until the liberal media watchdog group Media Matters for America published a detailed accounting of the film’s spread on Monday. (Shepherd, 2/10)

The Wall Street Journal: Instagram Bans Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Over Covid-19 Vaccine Misinformation 
Instagram removed the account of prominent vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr., one of the highest-profile steps in parent company Facebook Inc.’s intensifying effort to combat false and misleading information about Covid-19. ... Mr. Kennedy, the nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy, is a longtime environmental activist who has criticized vaccines for years, including raising doubts about thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative used in some vaccines. (Herrera, 2/11)

Also —

Stat: Drop In Cancer Screening May Aid Research On Overdiagnosis 
It’s counterintuitive, but catching cancer early isn’t always for the best. And the coronavirus pandemic might leave lessons for future cancer screening in its wake. (Cooney, 2/11)

Stat: Will Breast Cancer AI Worsen Disparities? Spotty FDA Filings Raise Questions
The great hope of artificial intelligence in breast cancer is that it can distinguish harmless lesions from those likely to become malignant. By scanning millions of pixels, AI promises to help physicians find an answer for every patient far sooner, offering them freedom from anxiety or a better chance against a deadly disease. (Ross, 2/11)

KHN: Flurry Of Bills Aim To Set Limits On Transgender Kids – And Their Doctors
Sam Edelman felt like a girl for as long as he could remember, his dad said. As Sam’s 18th birthday approached, and after years of researching hormone treatments, the high school senior scheduled an appointment with a doctor who treats transgender people. It was a big step for Sam, a musician, a runner, a snowboarder and a taekwondo black belt who still identified as a boy at that point and had shared his secret only with his family and closest confidants. (Loose, 2/11)