US Lacks Protections As More Are Hurt, Killed From Extreme Heat At Work
The AP reports that state and federal agencies are "scrambling" to find ways to tackle the issue of heat-related injuries and deaths among U.S. workers. Shade deserts in many cities are a problem, another report explains. And many schools lack air conditioning.
AP:
Workers Exposed To Extreme Heat Have No Consistent Protection In The US
State and federal agencies are scrambling to find measures to combat what experts call one of the harshest and most neglected effects of climate change in the U.S.: rising heat deaths and injuries of people who work in triple-digit temperatures. (Stern, 8/28)
KFF Health News and Tampa Bay Times:
More Cities Address ‘Shade Deserts’ As Extreme Heat Triggers Health Issues
If it weren’t for the traffic along South MacDill Avenue, Javonne Mansfield swears you could hear the sizzle of a frying pan. The sun is scorching with such violent intensity that even weathered Floridians can’t help but take note. In a hard hat, Mansfield pushes a shovel into the earth. Heat radiates from the road, the concrete parking lots. It’s around 10:30 a.m., and his crew is starting a 10-hour shift fixing traffic lights in West Tampa. Cloud coverage is minimal — thin and wispy. There’s no greenery or trees to shield them, no refuge from the blistering sun. (Peace and Prator, 8/28)
NPR:
As Classes Resume In Sweltering Heat, Many Schools Lack Air Conditioning
Eric Hitchner teaches English on the fourth floor of a 111-year-old high school in Philadelphia. Come September, his classroom will be packed with a new crop of teenagers, but one thing will be the same: the lack of air conditioning. It can get so hot in his room, he says, "no one wants to even move, let alone do some strenuous thinking." (Carrillo, 8/28)
In other health and wellness news —
AP:
Grand Canyon Officials Warn E. Coli Has Been Found In Water Near Phantom Ranch At Bottom Of Canyon
Grand Canyon National Park officials are warning that E. coli bacteria has been detected in the water supply close to Phantom Ranch, the only lodging at the bottom of the canyon. Park authorities said visitors should not consume any water in that area without boiling it first. E. coli can lead to diarrhea, cramps, headaches and sometimes kidney failure and even death. Infants, younger children and immuno-compromised people are more at risk. (8/25)
Fox News:
Amid Ceiling Fan Injuries In Kids, Doctors Recommend Adding Warning Labels: ‘Largely Preventable’
Researchers from Dell Medical School in Austin, Texas, are warning parents and caregivers not to toss babies and young children into the air in rooms with ceiling fans. Some 2,300 children were treated in U.S. emergency rooms for head injuries between 2013 and 2021, according to a study published in the journal Pediatrics this month. (Rudy, 8/27)
Stat:
Study Finds New Variant For Parkinson’s In African Populations
A group of Nigerian, British, and U.S. doctors have discovered a genetic variant that increases the risk of Parkinson’s disease in people of African and mixed-African descent and is not seen in those with European ancestry, a finding that could improve treatment of the movement disorder in a vastly underserved population. (McFarling, 8/25)
AP:
A Broad Genetic Test Saved One Newborn's Life. Research Suggests It Could Help Millions Of Others
A recent study showed that tests for sick newborns that look at their full genetic blueprints are nearly twice as good at finding genetic problems as narrower, more commonly used tests. (Ungar, 8/26)
In celebrity news —
AP:
Bronny James Has A Congenital Heart Defect That Caused His Cardiac Arrest, A Spokesperson Says
Bronny James went into cardiac arrest during a basketball workout at the University of Southern California last month because of a congenital heart defect. ... “It is an anatomically and functionally significant Congenital Heart Defect which can and will be treated,” the statement said. “We are very confident in Bronny’s full recovery and return to basketball in the very near future.” (Harris, 8/25)
KFF Health News:
A Nanoengineer Teamed Up With Rihanna’s Tattoo Artist To Make Smarter Ink
Mad-scientist kind of moments happen fairly often for nanoengineer Carson Bruns. A few months ago in his lab at the University of Colorado-Boulder, he tested his latest invention on his own arm and asked a colleague for help. “We were like, ‘OK, we’re going to tattoo ourselves. Can you help us today?’” he said. (Bichell, 8/28)
