Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Mistrial Declared In Flint Civil Case Over Lead Water Cleanup
The Wall Street Journal: Judge Declares Mistrial In Flint Water Crisis Civil Case
A judge declared a mistrial Thursday after jurors were unable to reach a verdict in a case involving companies that had been hired to help Flint, Mich., fix its water system—but were alleged to have instead contributed to the city’s lead-tainted water crisis. Multiple Flint residents had sued Veolia North America and Texas-based Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam Inc., an engineering consulting firm also known as LAN, accusing them of being partially responsible for the water crisis that began in 2014. The civil case, which involved just a few plaintiffs, was seen as a bellwether for possible further litigation, according to legal experts. (Ansari, 8/11)
Detroit Free Press: Flint Water Crisis: Jury Hung In Civil Trial, Mistrial Declared
Federal Magistrate Judge David Grand declared the mistrial after jurors presented a note saying “For the physical and emotional health of the jurors, we don’t believe we can continue with further deliberations … further deliberations will only result in stress and anxiety.” (Lobo, 8/11)
In other environmental health news —
Detroit Free Press: FBI, Wixom Police Question Company About Huron River Chemical Release
As state environmental regulators and public health officials investigate an unauthorized release of carcinogenic hexavalent chromium into the Huron River from a Wixom automotive supplier, the incident also has drawn the attention of law enforcement. (Matheny, 8/11)
Los Angeles Times: Water Board Approves Agreement With Boeing Over Toxic Site
The field lab grounds are laced with heavy metals and radioactive contaminants after industrial activities from Boeing, rocket manufacturer Rocketdyne, NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy, which used the site as a proving ground for rocket engines for space exploration and nuclear reactors for power after World War II. These contaminants — including brain-damaging lead and potent carcinogens — have migrated off site and have been observed in the local creeks that feed into the Los Angeles River. (Briscoe, 8/11)
AP: Landfill Odor: Health Problems, But No Elevated Cancer Risk
Missouri’s health department on Thursday announced findings of a lengthy examination of the troubled Bridgeton Landfill in suburban St. Louis, determining that the foul odor emitting from the landfill created health problems but did not increase the risk of cancer. The finding of the yearslong investigation by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services was validation for people who live near the landfill in northwestern St. Louis County, said Dawn Chapman, co-founder of the activist group Just Moms STL. (Salter, 8/12)
Dallas Morning News: UNT Anthropologist Explores How Heat Affects North Texans’ Physical, Mental Health
When Courtney Cecale moved into her North Texas house in the summer of 2020, she was in for a heat shock. The plants in her car wilted and died before she could move them into the house. Her two black Labradors, Carl and Tony, got sick. “There were just very small, minor things that, when you start to look at them all together, were a bit worrying,” Cecale recalled. (Ramakrishnan, 8/10)
