Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Cancer-Causing Formaldehyde Found In Houston Air
Reuters: High Levels Of Cancer-Causing Chemical Found In Parts Of Houston -Report
High levels of a cancer-causing chemical have been detected in air monitors in Houston neighborhoods near the busiest U.S. petrochemical port, according to a report issued on Thursday by Houston health officials and environmental groups. The report by the Houston Health Department and One Breath Partnership said concentrations of formaldehyde were found at levels 13 times the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s minimum level for health threats. (Seba, 7/1)
Houston Chronicle: Houston Urges TCEQ To Tighten Emissions Rules Following Study Of Formaldehyde In City's Air
Residents who live along the Houston Ship Channel are more likely to develop cancer and other health issues than the average population, according to city officials and a coalition of environmental groups that found heightened levels of formaldehyde during a recent year-long air monitoring study. The federally funded study measured formaldehyde levels from September 2019 through September 2020 at sites in Cloverleaf, Galena Park and just east of Channelview. All three sites registered concentrations of formaldehyde, a potent carcinogen, that exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency’s baseline of 0.17 parts per billion — the point at which air pollutants would generate one additional cancer case per million people. (Scherer, 7/1)
In news from California —
Los Angeles Times: L.A. Backs New Restrictions On Homeless Encampments
Over the objections of activists, advocacy groups and two of their colleagues, Los Angeles City Council members on Thursday approved a new package of restrictions on encampments near homeless shelters, day-care centers and an array of other public facilities. With some arguing the measure would further criminalize homelessness and others saying the city took too long to act, council members voted 13 to 2 to enact rules regulating sitting, sleeping and storing property near fire hydrants, building entrances, driveways, libraries, parks, elementary schools and several other locations. (Zahniser and Oreskes, 7/1)
Bay Area News Group: Federal Agency Demands Closure Of Massive San Jose Homeless Camp
Federal officials are demanding San Jose shut down one of the Bay Area’s largest homeless encampments, complicating an already tense situation as pandemic rules relax and local agencies take a more critical look at the region’s growing tent cities and shantytowns. The Federal Aviation Administration says the city needs to remove hundreds of people camped on vacant land near the Mineta San Jose International Airport or risk losing federal funding for future airport projects — a threat airport representatives worry could have “significant financial implications.” (Kendall, 7/1)
AP: California Homicides Jump 31% In 2020, Most In 13 Years
Homicides in California jumped 31% last year, making it the deadliest year since 2007, and Black people accounted for nearly one-third of all victims as the nation’s most populous state struggled with the coronavirus pandemic and concerns over racial injustice, according to reports released Thursday. The 2,202 homicides last year were 523 more than in 2019, while the rate increased by a similar margin — from 4.2 to 5.5 homicides per 100,000 people. (Thompson, 7/2)
KHN: Unprecedented Lobbying Effort Scores Big Win For California Public Health
After more than a decade of fruitless entreaties from public health advocates, Democratic lawmakers have secured a landmark agreement that promises $300 million a year in new state funding to fortify and reimagine California’s hollowed-out public health system, a complex network of services shouldered largely by the state’s 61 local health departments. The deal, outlined this week as the Democratic-controlled legislature approved a record $262.6 billion state budget for fiscal year 2021-22, marked a dramatic reversal for Gov. Gavin Newsom, who had rebuffed requests the past three years to bolster annual spending on public health, arguing that federal funding would suffice. At Newsom’s insistence, the infusion for public health won’t kick in until July 2022. (Hart, 7/2)
In news from Alaska —
Anchorage Daily News: Budget Politics Threaten Alaska’s Federally Funded Health Insurance Relief Program
The Alaska House of Representatives reversed course June 28 to make sure the whole state government won’t shut down July 1, but politics will still leave many longstanding and broadly popular programs unfunded for the foreseeable future, including one that has been successful in reducing private health insurance premiums. Legislators on the budget conference committee attempted to pressure their colleagues to vote for Permanent Fund dividends of about $1,100 per person by tying the larger amount to funding the Power Cost Equalization subsidy for rural residents, the state’s school bond debt payments to local governments and $114 million in oil and gas tax credits; paying the oil and gas tax credits has been supported by many of the Republican advocates for larger PFDs. (Brehmer, 7/1)
