Lead Water Crisis In Jackson, Miss., Impacting Pregnancies, Parents, Kids
The 19th reminds us that Jackson’s water treatment facility failed in late August, with 150,000 people left without water and subsequent failures and water flow restoration has left certain people unable to rely on the water due to lead contamination. Other public health news is from Connecticut, Texas, and elsewhere.
The 19th:
Jackson Water Crisis Leaves Pregnant People, Parents Struggling To Find Safe Water
Sequaya Coleman, 36, has struggled to get water for herself and for her two-month-old baby in Jackson, Mississippi. “You need water for everything. You need water to brush your teeth, you need water to cook. Now that the baby is born, there’s water for formula,” Coleman told The 19th. (Luterman and Kutz, 3/13)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
The CT Mirror:
CT Legislators Question Lamont's Approach To Cutting Health Costs
Health officials in the administration of Gov. Ned Lamont faced sharp questioning Monday over the governor’s proposal to control prescription drug and hospital costs, a measure that would cost hospitals hundreds of millions in lost revenue. (Pazniokas, 3/13)
Houston Chronicle:
Female Athletes Call For Texas College Transgender Sports Ban
A Texas Senate committee on Monday heard testimony from about a dozen people on a bill that would block transgender athletes at the college level from playing on the sports teams that match their gender identity, which the state’s top Republicans have thrown their support behind. (Goldenstein, 3/13)
The CT Mirror:
Survey: CT's Non-White Residents Are Less Happy And Healthy
Non-white residents and those living in urban areas continue to be less happy, less healthy, have less access to basic necessities and are less satisfied with their communities, according to results of a new statewide survey of residents. (Martinez, 3/13)
KHN:
Black Lung Resurgence Drives Push To Protect Coal Miners Against Silica Dust
Like most coal miners’ loved ones, Liz Williams has endured many days and nights of worry. Throughout the four decades her husband, Michael, worked in underground Appalachian mines, Liz was aware of the risks: collapse, explosions, asphyxiation. But black lung — a chronic condition caused by breathing in coal dust — wasn’t on her mind. That’s because the number of miners diagnosed with the often-deadly disease declined for decades, after federal officials introduced regulations more than 50 years ago. (Sisk, 3/14)
On delta-8 THC —
Axios:
Growing Political Backlash Against THC-Containing Products
States around the nation are eyeing measures to curb the availability of products derived from hemp known as delta-8 THC due to concerns about consumption by kids. There are proposed measures in Kentucky, Louisiana, Texas, Arizona and Virginia aimed at closing a loophole in hemp sales that allows the sale of products with the THC-containing compound. (Reed, 3/13)
Houston Chronicle:
How The Effects Of Delta-8 Compare To Marijuana
As Texas continues to grapple over whether the recreational use of marijuana should be legalized and whether its medical marijuana program should be expanded, many state residents have turned to other options. Those alternatives include delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a hemp derivative that provides a soothing effect similar to marijuana and is typically sold in the form of edibles, vape cartridges, tinctures and other products. (MacDonald, 3/13)
