Toxic Forever Chemicals Found In Neighbors Of Delaware Air Base

AP: High Levels Of 'Forever Chemicals' Found In Those Near Base
Residents living near an Air National Guard base in northern Delaware have average blood levels of certain toxic manmade chemicals that are significantly higher than the national average, according to a report by federal researchers. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry tested 214 people from 134 households for exposure to fluorinated chemical compounds that are collectively known as PFAS. The study included analyzing blood and urine samples, as well as testing tap water and dust samples from a small subset of homes. (Chase, 2/17)

In other environmental news from Pennsylvania and Georgia —

ABC News: Lead Contamination Found In Philadelphia Schools' Water: Report 
An environmental group said Philadelphia's school system needs to re-examine and rework its water pipes after a study found major lead contamination in school buildings. The report, which was released by the PennPIRG Education Fund, the PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center and the Black Church Center for Justice and Equality, found that 61% of outlets tested across 65 schools were tainted with lead. (Pereira, 2/17)

ProPublica/Georgia Health News: How A Powerful Company Persuaded Georgia To Let It Bury Toxic Waste In Groundwater 
For the past several years, Georgia Power has gone to great lengths to skirt the federal rule requiring coal-fired power plants to safely dispose of massive amounts of toxic waste they produced. But previously unreported documents obtained by ProPublica show that the company’s efforts were more extensive than publicly known. Thousands of pages of internal government correspondence and corporate filings show how Georgia Power made an elaborate argument as to why it should be allowed to store waste produced before 2020 in a way that wouldn’t fully protect surrounding communities’ water supplies from contamination — and that would save the company potentially billions of dollars in cleanup costs. (Blau, 2/19)

In updates from Florida —

WUSF Public Media: Letter Signed By Hundreds Of Florida Health Care Workers Reflects Concern Over Abortion Bill 
To date, close to 700 Florida clinicians have signed an open letter opposing the abortion ban, calling it "bad medicine" and "bad policy.” Tampa OB-GYN and University of South Florida professor Dr. Shelly Holmstrom is one of the signees. She says the bill — which would ban abortion eight weeks earlier than the current standard — would harm patients. "This 15-week ban, it's nowhere near the threshold of viability during a pregnancy,” she said. “There are many patients of mine and throughout the state of Florida that don't even realize they're pregnant by 15 weeks. A few of my patients have two or three menstrual cycles a year and may not realize until well into the second trimester." (Carter, 2/17)

WUSF Public Media: Bills Would Guarantee Visitation At Florida’s Health Care Facilities, Even During A Pandemic 
Jean White has fond memories of her mother visiting her at the horse farm she lives on in Brooksville, before her mom's dementia worsened and she started living in a memory care facility. “Interestingly enough, she would remember one of my ponies' names, Teegan, long after she kind of didn't know my name,” White said as she prepared to feed her animals. White's mother moved into a facility in Brandon just as coronavirus lockdowns began in the spring of 2020. The family never even entered her room. White said window visits were too upsetting for her mom, and said even after families were finally allowed in months later there was no consistency. Sometimes she could visit; other times she couldn't because a resident or staff member had the virus. All the while her mom's health was deteriorating. (Colombini, 2/17)

Health News Florida: Has Florida's Surgeon General Role Become Too Politicized For The Job's Original Mission? 
Fewer than five states have a surgeon general. Arkansas has one. California's Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed the state's first surgeon general in 2019, but the doctor resigned this month. In Pennsylvania, the title is physician general. Michigan has the position, but it hasn't been filled in years. Since 2007, Florida governors have appointed a doctor for the role. The state Senate then votes to confirm that choice. The Senate is now in the process of confirming Gov. Ron DeSantis' latest pick. However, critics of the governor's administration say the role has gotten too politicized to fulfill the original mission of serving as the top advocate for wellness and disease prevention. (Zaragovia, 2/17)

In updates from Rhode Island and California —

The Boston Globe: R.I. Legislators Grill Human Services Over Long Wait Times
State legislators on Thursday grilled Department of Human Services officials about the long wait times and delays that Rhode Islanders face when they try to get food stamps and other public benefits. And members of the House Oversight Committee pressed for answers about why the department has not moved more quickly in filling 71 vacancies in front-line and support staff positions. Representative Edith H. Ajello, a Providence Democrat, said she is frustrated by reports that people had been waiting on the phone for more than two hours to apply for food stamps — officially known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. (Fitzpatrick, 2/17)

KHN: ‘I Just Want To Stay In One Spot’: From Homeless To Housed In Rugged Del Norte 
On a rainy winter morning, Jamie Hayden stopped in to visit with Diane Timothio. A case manager in Del Norte County on California’s remote northern coast, Hayden comes by often, sometimes staying for hours, to work with Timothio. Work can mean different things: going to doctor’s appointments, building her comfort level with eating at a restaurant, or listening to Timothio recount stories about the past. Right now, the pair are working on using the internet, so there’s a lot of time spent on web searches. (Barry-Jester, 2/18)