Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
High Lead Levels In Water Has Plagued Newark Neighborhood For Years
The New York Times: ‘Tasting Funny For Years’: Lead In The Water And A City In Crisis
Donnette Goodluck tried all day to pick up the free bottled water the city was distributing as officials addressed a growing lead contamination crisis. When she first arrived at Boylan Street Recreation Center last Tuesday at 10:30 a.m., the line wrapped around the block; Ms. Goodluck and others were told to come back at 1 p.m. At 1 p.m., she was instructed to come back two hours later. Uncertain she could find a neighbor to watch the six children she babysits, she gave up. (Goldbaum, 8/20)
New Hampshire Union Leader: New Hampshire Getting $5M Public Health Grant
New Hampshire health officials announced Monday the state has been awarded a $5 million federal grant to analyze efforts to reduce blood-lead levels in children and identify impacts from flooding on people’s health, as well as other projects. The $5,162,497 million grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grant will allow New Hampshire's Public Health Laboratories (PHL) to enhance the state’s biomonitoring program. Biomonitoring is the direct measurement of environmental chemicals in people's blood and urine, indicating the amount of chemicals that actually enters the body from all environmental sources. (Freely, 8/19)
New Hampshire Public Radio: N.H. Gets $5 Million To Test For Chemicals In Residents
In one project, the lab will determine if people living near a Superfund site and other industrial sites in Berlin have higher levels of toxins including mercury, dioxins, and the chemical PFAS. “There’s a lot of exposures going on, and we want to track the people there and see how they compare to the rest of New Hampshire and the rest of the United States” explains James V. Chithalen, Chemistry Program Manager at the Public Health Lab. (Gibson, 8/19)
The Associated Press: SC Elementary Reopening Despite Toxic 'Trash Mountain' Fire
A South Carolina elementary is reopening for the first day of school despite a smoldering, toxic fire in a 50-foot trash pile at a nearby recycling center. News outlets report Beaufort County School District decided to open Okatie Elementary as scheduled on Monday. It says a sensor at the school shows the air is safe, despite the ongoing blaze less than a mile away at the site known locally as Trash Mountain. (8/19)
Georgia Health News: State, Federal Regulators Hear Questions, Concerns On Ethylene Oxide
“Why didn’t you tell us?”It was the first question from the public to state and federal environmental regulators addressing hundreds of Cobb and Fulton County residents Monday night about the dangers of ethylene oxide. It’s a cancer-causing gas that has leaked into the air over the years from a Smyrna-area facility run by Sterigenics that sterilizes medical supplies. (Goodman and Miller, 8/19)
NPR: Study: Fluoride Consumption During Pregnancy May Affect Child's IQ
A study published Monday suggests that fluoride consumed by pregnant women can decrease the IQ of their children. No single study provides definitive answers, but the latest research on this controversial topic will no doubt stir debate. Fluoride protects teeth from decay, so public health officials celebrate what has been accomplished by putting it in many water supplies. But Christine Till, an associate professor of psychology at York University in Toronto, also wondered about potential downsides. (Harris, 8/19)
