Latest News On Environmental Health

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Temperaturas extremas aumentan los riesgos de salud de los trabajadores agrícolas

KFF Health News Original

El calor es la principal causa de muerte relacionada con el clima en los Estados Unidos. Entre 1992 y 2017, el estrés por calor mató a 815 trabajadores estadounidenses y lesionó gravemente a más de 70,000, según la Oficina de Estadísticas Laborales.

As Temperatures Rise, So Do the Health Risks for California’s Farmworkers

KFF Health News Original

Workers who harvest crops ranging from grapes to cauliflower in the Coachella Valley are accustomed to temperatures well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. This summer the thermometer has already hit 122, and heatstroke is becoming more common.

From Racial Justice to Dirty Air, California’s New AG Plots a Progressive Health Care Agenda

KFF Health News Original

In a candid interview, California’s newly appointed attorney general, Rob Bonta, reflects on his progressive roots and says he will pursue a health care agenda centered on the principle that quality medical care is a right, not a privilege.

At Risk of Extinction, Black-Footed Ferrets Get Experimental COVID Vaccine

KFF Health News Original

Months before federal officials authorized experimental vaccines to ward off the coronavirus in humans, scientists tried a veterinary vaccine in endangered ferrets. Drugmakers are researching similar efforts for other animals proving vulnerable to the virus, such as farmed minks, in part to guard against virus mutations that could pose new risks to people.

California Law Banning Toxic Chemicals in Cosmetics Will Transform Industry

KFF Health News Original

The law will ban the manufacture and sale in California of personal care products that contain 24 toxics, including asbestos, formaldehyde and lead, and is expected to fill a gap in federal regulation as companies sell the new formulations nationwide.

Tough to Tell COVID From Smoke Inhalation Symptoms — And Flu Season’s Coming

KFF Health News Original

Respiratory symptoms stemming from coronavirus infection and smoke inhalation are too similar to distinguish without a full workup. This is complicating the jobs of health care workers as wildfires rage up and down the West Coast.

How to Weigh Evacuation Options With Both Wildfires and COVID at Your Door

KFF Health News Original

As the twin disasters of COVID-19 and fire season sweep through California, thousands of residents are weighing difficult options, pitting risk against risk as they decide where to evacuate. Amid a virulent pandemic, where can you safely relocate?

Wildfires Provide Another Reason to Mask Up

KFF Health News Original

As the long U.S. fire season gets underway, it’s even more important for Western residents to have a good face mask. Unfortunately, most of the masks we’re wearing for COVID-19 aren’t great for smoke.

Millions Stuck At Home With No Plumbing, Kitchen Or Space To Stay Safe

KFF Health News Original

In 470,000 American homes spread across every state, washing hands to prevent COVID-19 may not be as easy as turning on a faucet. They don’t have showers or toilets or, in some cases, even water piped into their homes. Nearly a million U.S. homes don’t have complete kitchens and millions more are overcrowded, making it much tougher for people to shelter in place and avoid infection.