Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Air Pollution Might Be To Blame For Worsening Eyesight In Kids, Study Says
The Washington Post: Air Pollution Could Be Worsening Children’s Vision, Study Says
It’s well established that air pollution causes a wide variety of harms to the human body, raising the risk of heart disease, respiratory diseases and strokes. But new research has highlighted yet another damaging impact: to our vision. The research found that extended exposure to air pollutants, specifically nitrogen dioxide and fine particulate matter, could be contributing to high rates of myopia, also known as short- or nearsightedness, in schoolchildren in China. (Ajasa, 9/24)
More on pollution and fossil fuels —
The Guardian: Fossil Fuel Burning Poses Threat To Health Of 1.6B People, Data Shows
A new interactive map from Climate Trace, a coalition of academics and analysts that tracks pollution and greenhouse gases, shows that PM2.5 and other toxins are being poured into the air near the homes of about 1.6 billion people. Of these, about 900 million are in the path of “super-emitting” industrial facilities – including power plants, refineries, ports and mines – that deliver outsize doses of toxic air. (Harvey, 9/24)
News-Medical.net: Study Shows Dementia Patients Exposed To Pollution Had Longer Telomeres
Associations between air pollution and subsequent risk of dementia are growing clinical concerns, but remain understudied. The biological underpinnings of these associations are especially unclear. In a recent study published in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers explored one hypothesized pathway involving telomeres (that shorten with age) by analyzing data from 473 older adults from Northern Sweden who had complete information on air pollution exposure, telomere length, and covariates. Study findings did not reveal an overall association between exposure to air pollution and telomere length. However, study analyses highlight a slight, statistically nonsignificant trend suggesting that individuals who later developed dementia had longer telomeres, despite higher exposure to pollution, a counterintuitive finding that warrants further investigation. (de Souza, 9/24)
AP: Al Gore's Climate TRACE Uses AI And Satellites To Track Soot Pollution
Soon people will be able to use satellite technology and artificial intelligence to track dangerous soot pollution in their neighborhoods — and where it comes from — in a way not so different from monitoring approaching storms under plans by a nonprofit coalition led by former Vice President Al Gore. Gore, who co-founded Climate TRACE, which uses satellites to monitor the location of heat-trapping methane sources, on Wednesday expanded his system to track the source and plume of pollution from tiny particles, often referred to as soot, on a neighborhood basis for 2,500 cities across the world. (Borenstein, 9/24)
The Guardian: World’s Oceans Fail Key Health Check As Acidity Crosses Critical Threshold For Marine Life
The world’s oceans have failed a key planetary health check for the first time, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels, a report has shown. In its latest annual assessment, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research said ocean acidity had crossed a critical threshold for marine life. This makes it the seventh of nine planetary boundaries to be transgressed, prompting scientists to call for a renewed global effort to curb fossil fuels, deforestation and other human-driven pressures that are tilting the Earth out of a habitable equilibrium. (Watts, 9/24)
On pesticides in food —
Inside Climate News: Pesticides In Your Produce? Probably.
If you eat a daily serving of fruits and vegetables, critical components of a healthy diet, you’re likely ingesting a hefty dose of pesticides too, new peer-reviewed research shows. People who ate strawberries, spinach, kale and other produce with high levels of pesticide residues, even after washing them, had significantly higher amounts of pesticides in their urine than those who ate less-contaminated produce, scientists with the Environmental Working Group reported Wednesday in the International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health. (Gross, 9/24)
