Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biden Administration Issues Hazard Alert Due To Record Heat
NPR: Biden Announces New Actions To Help People Deal With Extreme Heat
President Biden on Thursday announced new actions aimed at protecting communities from extreme heat, and meeting with mayors from two cities grappling with high temperatures. Biden directed the Department of Labor to issue a hazard alert for dangerous conditions in industries like agriculture and construction, where workers face a greater risk of injury and death from extreme heat — and the department plans to boost inspections in those sectors, he said. (Sprunt, 7/27)
KFF Health News: Texan Activists Thirst For A National Heat Standard To Protect Outdoor Workers
Construction workers, airport baggage handlers, letter carriers, and other outdoor workers — many of whom traveled to Washington, D.C., from Texas — gathered at the steps of the Capitol on Tuesday. They were joined by labor organizers and lawmakers for what was billed as “a vigil and thirst strike” to protest a law Texas Gov. Greg Abbott recently signed, which, as a downstream consequence, eliminates mandated water breaks for construction workers. The Republican governor signed House Bill 2127 — known as the Texas Regulatory Consistency Act but dubbed the “Death Star” by critics — the same month the state saw at least 13 heat-related deaths amid a scorching heat wave that’s on track to break records. (DeGuzman, 7/28)
More on heat dangers —
Politico: Humans ‘Never Experienced A World So Hot In Modern History,’ Scientists Say
July is on track to become the world’s hottest month on record — with some scientists saying the planet may be experiencing its warmest period in about 120,000 years. The finding, announced by the World Meteorological Organization and the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service on Thursday, comes as G20 climate ministers travel to India for talks on how to curb planet-warming emissions. (Weise, 7/27)
The Washington Post: Extreme Heat And Pollution Can Double The Risk Of A Heart Attack
Exposure to extreme temperatures combined with suffocating air pollution can double the risk of dying from a heart attack, according to Chinese researchers who analyzed more than 200,000 cardiac deaths in China between 2015 and 2020. Experts, who already believe that prolonged heat waves, cold snaps and polluted air are bad for the heart, said the study, published Monday in the journal Circulation, further strengthens the relationship by connecting it to the risk of cardiac death. (Cimons, 7/27)
The New York Times: Millions In U.S. Under Heat Warnings As Temperatures Spike In The Northeast
New York City’s power company asked customers to cut back on electricity use Thursday afternoon, and Philadelphia declared a health emergency as the dangerous heat that has scorched other parts of the country for more than a month spread to the nation’s most populous region. Soaring temperatures and a blanket of oppressive humidity prompted widespread warnings in New England and the Mid-Atlantic States. The heat will probably peak in the region on Friday, forecasters said, before easing over the weekend — a respite not seen in other, longer-suffering parts of the country. (Russell, Nolan and Jones, 7/27)
Los Angeles Times: This California Heat Wave Is Relentless, Does Not Want To Ease Up
For nearly a month, millions of people across the American Southwest have sizzled, sweated and sweltered under a heat wave that refuses to let up. Day after day, residents from Fresno to Phoenix have endured triple-digit temperatures and hot, restless nights that have offered little relief. Forecasters say the heat wave is being driven by a ridge of high pressure that has parked itself over the region, creating a pressure cooker of slowly sinking warm air. (Smith, 7/27)
Philadelphia Inquirer: What It Really Means When They Say It Will Feel Like 105 In Philly. It’s Probably Not What You Think
Whether the “heat index” reaches 104 or hits 105 in Philly on a given day represents more than a degree of difference to the National Weather Service. But would your body know the difference between a “feels like” temperature of 104 vs. 105? And would your mind care? (Wood, 7/27)
Side Effects Public Media: Heat Waves Aren't Just An Inconvenience. They're A Threat To Public Health
The Midwest is experiencing rising temperatures this week, as heat waves become more frequent and deadly across the U.S. Experts studying the connection between climate change and health say that extreme heat is not just an inconvenience. “The biggest challenge in this country is making sure that people are aware that extreme heat is a life-or-death issue,” said Vijay Limaye, an epidemiologist at Natural Resources Defense Council. (Li, 7/27)
Also —
AP and Grist: In The US, A Hotter Climate Is Helping A Fungal Disease Spread Fast
In the years since the discovery, New York has become an epicenter for C. auris infections. Now, as the illness spreads across the U.S., a prominent theory for its sudden explosion has emerged: climate change. As temperatures rise, fungi can develop tolerance for warmer environments — including the bodies of humans and other mammals, whose naturally high temperatures typically keep most fungal pathogens at bay. Over time, humans may lose resistance to these climate-adapting fungi and become more vulnerable to infections. Some researchers think this is what is happening with C. auris. (Fassett, 7/27)
WUSF Public Media: Is Climate Change Leading To An Increase In Mosquito-Borne Illnesses?
While organizations like the World Health Organization have cautioned that climate change could lead to more global cases and deaths from malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases, experts say it's too soon to tell if the local transmission the past two months in Sarasota County has any connection to extreme heat or flooding. "We don't have any reason to think that climate change has contributed to these particular cases," said Ben Beard, deputy director of the CDC's division of vector-borne diseases and deputy incident manager for this year's local malaria response. (Colombini, 7/27)
