Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
EPA Proposes Tougher Truck Emission Standards To Combat Health Issues
Los Angeles Times: EPA Moves To Cut Smog From Trucks And Other Heavy Vehicles
The Biden administration is proposing new emission standards that would reduce smog-forming pollutants from tractor-trailer trucks, buses and other heavy-duty vehicles as part of a multiyear plan to improve air quality across the nation. The draft rule proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency, which would take effect in model year 2027, would reduce emissions of g nitrogen oxides from gasoline and diesel engines by as much as 60% in 2045, the agency said. It would also set updated greenhouse gas standards for certain commercial vehicle categories, including school buses, transit buses, commercial delivery trucks and short-haul tractors — subsectors in which electrification is advancing more rapidly, the EPA said. (Wigglesworth, Kaur and Curwen, 3/7)
The Wall Street Journal: EPA Aims To Cut Toxic Emissions From Commercial Trucks
EPA officials said the proposed rules are ambitious but feasible, and would benefit the public by reducing asthma and other health problems. “These new standards will drastically cut dangerous pollution by harnessing recent advancements in vehicle technologies from across the trucking industry as it advances toward a zero-emissions transportation future,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said. (Ferek, 3/7)
In other asthma news —
WUSF Public Media: USF Doctor's National Study Of Asthma Treatments For Black And Latino Patients Is A First Of Its Kind
In Florida, Black people are three times more likely to die from asthma than whites. And national data shows that Latinos also suffer disproportionately from the chronic disease that causes shortness of breath, coughing and tightness in the lungs. They get more severe cases of asthma than whites and are more often hospitalized for the disease. In the first study to look at asthma treatments for Black and Latino patients, researchers at the University of South Florida and around the nation spent more than three years developing solutions to the historic racial gaps. What they produced is a single treatment that, when combined with a patient’s normal asthma medications, significantly improves outcomes for Black and Latino patients. (Bruner, 3/7)
And more climate news —
Axios: Global Warming Could Increase Risk Of Extreme Temperature Deaths
The risk of deaths due to extreme temperatures could rise significantly under a warming scenario of more than 2°C, according to a study published Monday in the journal Environmental Research Letters. As Axios' Andrew Freedman reported recently, peer-reviewed research the world is already on course for at least 3°C (5.4°F) of warming above preindustrial levels — and running out of time to do something about it. The new study, led by researchers at University College of London and the University of Reading, looked specifically at the impact of rising temperatures in England during the hottest days of the year. (Reed, 3/7)
Fox News: NASA Study: Each State Has Own Climatic Threshold For Flu Outbreaks
NASA satellite data has highlighted a critical relationship between low humidity and the outbreak of flu in the U.S. according to researchers. In a new study published in the journal GeoHealth, scientists from the University of Southern California and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena correlated measurements of water vapor in the lower atmosphere from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite with flu case estimates for each week from 2003 to 2015 in the 48 contiguous U.S. states. (Musto, 3/5)
In news about drinking water —
The Washington Post: Pentagon To Shutter Pearl Harbor Fuel-Storage Facility That Contaminated Drinking Water
The Pentagon announced Monday it is shutting down a World War II-era underground fuel-storage facility that caused severe contamination last year of the drinking water used by thousands of military families stationed at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. “After close consultation with senior civilian and military leaders, I have decided to defuel and permanently close the Red Hill bulk fuel storage facility,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement. Doing so will force the Pentagon to dramatically alter how it conducts operations in the Indo-Pacific region, where China’s growing influence has become a top strategic challenge for successive administrations. Even so, Austin added, “It’s the right thing to do.” (Demirjian and Horton, 3/7)
Detroit Free Press: Prescription Drugs, Caffeine, Sweeteners Found In Great Lakes Water
Artificial sweeteners, pharmaceuticals, pesticides and nonstick compounds were found in multiple water samples in the corridor between Lake Huron and Lake Erie, including the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair, a new study found. Drugs detected in the water included nicotine, cocaine, antibiotics, acetaminophen pain reliever, the diabetes drug metformin, even contrast dye from CT scans, the study by Wayne State University's Healthy Urban Waters program and the University of Florida found. They're found in very minute concentrations, down to the parts per trillion. (Matheny, 3/7)
