Study: US Life Expectancy Up Slightly, But Not If You Are Native American

Stat: Life Expectancy For Native Americans Has Stagnated — Long Before Covid
Native American and Alaska Native populations were the only Americans to see no increase whatsoever in life expectancy in the two decades preceding the Covid pandemic, living 73.1 years on average in 2019 — nearly six years less than white Americans. The figures were included in a new detailed analysis of life expectancy published Thursday that showed that overall life expectancy for Americans rose slightly over the period, to 79.1 years in 2019, but that persistent and widespread disparities remained between different racial and ethnic groups. (McFarling, 6/16)

In other public health news —

CIDRAP: CDC reports 16 more kids' unexplained hepatitis cases, 290 total
In a weekly update, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday reported 16 more unexplained hepatitis cases in kids, raising the national total to 290 cases under investigation. So far, 41 states or jurisdictions have reported cases, up from 39 the previous week. The CDC has said case increases don't necessarily signal a spike in new cases, given that investigations stretch back to October 2021. (6/16)

Fox News: Vitamin D Deficiency Linked To Dementia In Certain Populations When Levels Are Very Low: Study
With many Americans concerned about vitamin D deficiency, a new study finds a causal link between vitamin D deficiency and dementia, according to a paper published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition this April. "Vitamin D is a hormone precursor that is increasingly [recognized] for widespread effects, including on brain health, but until now it has been very difficult to examine what would happen if we were able to prevent vitamin D deficiency," said lead author Elina Hyppönen, senior investigator and director of University of South Australia’s Australian Centre for Precision Health. "Our study is the first to examine the effect of very low levels of vitamin D on the risks of dementia and stroke, using robust genetic analyses among a large population." (Sudhakar, 6/16)

The Washington Post: What You Need To Know About The Tampon Shortage
The average cost of tampons has risen nearly 10 percent in the past year, according to a Bloomberg News report citing data from NielsenIQ. Walgreens told The Post that it is dealing with “brand-specific shortages in certain geographies.” CVS Health said in a statement that there have been times in recent weeks when suppliers have been unable to fill orders for period products. (Somasundaram, 6/15)

In environmental health news —

KHN: It’s Hot Outside — And That’s Bad News For Children’s Health 
Heat waves are getting hotter and becoming more frequent because of rising rates of air pollution, putting children’s health at risk, a wide-ranging new report finds. A June 15 article in the New England Journal of Medicine reviews current research to take a sweeping inventory of how air pollution and climate change interact to adversely affect people’s health, especially that of kids. It examined the link between fossil fuel emissions and a variety of consequences of climate change — including extreme weather events; wildfires; vector-borne illnesses such as malaria, Zika, and Lyme disease; and heat waves, a topic at the forefront of many people’s minds. (DeGuzman, 6/16)

PBS NewsHour: California Has Some Of The Worst Air Quality In The Country. The Problem Is Rooted In The San Joaquin Valley
The ongoing effects of climate change have left much of the western United States to suffer from worsening air quality in recent years, with more than 40 percent of people in the country now living in places that earned failing grades for unhealthy levels of particle pollution or ozone, according to the American Lung Association. But in places like California’s San Joaquin Valley, home to large productions of oil, agriculture and warehouse distribution, this has been the case for years. The region has been out of compliance with Environmental Protection Agency standards for 25 years, earning the region the unwanted distinction of being among the most polluted regions in the country, and residents and air quality activists say there have been few significant solutions. As California heads into another wildfire season, environmentalists and lawmakers are trying to revive a decades-long push to strengthen air quality regulation to curb pollution and reduce the many consequences of daily life with dirty air, including rising health care costs. (Rodriguez-Delgado, 6/16)

San Francisco Chronicle: State Supreme Court Allows Customers To Sue Amazon Over Hazardous Products
The state Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed consumers to sue Amazon for failing to warn the public about potential harm from products sold on its website, such as mercury in skin-lightening creams. This is the first time a California court has allowed damage claims for online advertising of products manufactured and sold by others. A state appeals court ruling in March reinstating the lawsuit became final Wednesday when the state’s high court denied review of Amazon’s appeal and allowed the ruling to stand as a binding precedent for lower courts statewide. (Egelko, 6/15)

Bangor Daily News: Maine Looks At Tightening PFAS Standards After Feds Say Almost No Level Is Safe
Pioneering Maine restrictions on “forever chemicals” could be tightened further after the federal government said that virtually any level of exposure in drinking water is unsafe, policymakers said on Thursday. The Environmental Protection Agency issued a nonbinding health advisory on Thursday for four of the most common per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — known as PFAS — that would reduce drinking water standards from 70 parts per trillion to four parts per quadrillion, a level 17,500 times lower. Maine’s interim standard is 20 parts per trillion. (Andrews, 6/16)