Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Judge: EPA Must Reexamine Risk To Kids From Fluoride In Drinking Water
Reuters: EPA Must Address Fluoridated Water's Risk To Children's IQs, US Judge Rules
A federal judge in California has ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to strengthen regulations for fluoride in drinking water, saying the compound poses an unreasonable potential risk to children at levels that are currently typical nationwide. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen in San Francisco on Tuesday sided with several advocacy groups, finding the current practice of adding fluoride to drinking water supplies to fight cavities presented unreasonable risks for children’s developing brains. (Raymond, 9/25)
Military.com: VA Checking For Connection Between PFAS Chemicals And Kidney Cancer In Afflicted Veterans
The Department of Veterans Affairs will study whether kidney cancer is linked with exposure to chemicals used in military-grade firefighting foam and other products to determine whether veterans may be eligible for expedited benefits. The VA announced Wednesday that the process could decide whether kidney cancer should be designated a presumptive service-connected condition for former service members who were exposed to per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals, or PFAS, often called "forever chemicals" for their environmental persistence. (Kime, 9/25)
Other news about health and wellness —
Fox News: 55% Of Americans With STDs Got Infected By A Cheating Partner: Study
A new study has exposed the sexual health habits of some Americans. The research, conducted by DatingNews.com, analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau to determine how and where Americans have been contracting and spreading STIs (sexually transmitted infections), also known as STDs (sexually transmitted diseases). Among the findings was the fact that 55% of people with an STI contracted it from a cheating partner. (Stabile, 9/26)
CNN: LGBTQ+ Adults May Have Higher Risk Of Poor Brain Health, Study Finds
Those in the LGBTQ+ community may have a higher risk of adverse brain health outcomes compared with straight cisgender people — those who identify as the sex they were assigned at birth, a new study has found. The large study of more than 393,000 adult participants, published Wednesday in the journal Neurology, found a 15% higher risk of a composite brain health outcome — including dementia, stroke and late-life depression — defined as a depressive episode first diagnosed at or after age 60. (Rogers, 9/25)
CBS News: Number Of Children With Near-Sightedness Continues To Rise Worldwide
A new study finds a startling number of children worldwide are developing near-sightedness. About 36% of children and teens globally have myopia or near-sightedness, meaning they have trouble with distance vision. And according to a new study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, that number will rise to 40% by the year 2050 with more than 740 million cases around the world. (Marshall, 9/25)
Minnesota Public Radio: The Secret To A Long Life? Fraud And Shoddy Record Keeping, Says One Researcher
Many of us are trying to figure out the secret to a long life: why some people live longer and with less disease than the rest of us to 100 years old and beyond. But new research out of the U.K. appears to debunk most instances of super centenarians, or extra-long lives, as fraud and bad record-keeping. (Wurzer and Brown, 9/25)
