Environmental Health Archives - Page 11 of 12

Modern Wildfires Pose New Health Risks For Firefighters

Studies long have linked urban firefighters’ on-the-job exposure to toxins with an increased risk of cancer. More recently, as urban-style development reaches into once remote stretches of California’s mountains and forests, wildfire crews are exposed to fuels and carcinogens more typical of urban fires. We talk with Tony Stefani of the San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation about the health risks that poses for firefighters.

By Barbara Feder Ostrov

Aug. 6, 2019

Podcast

KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Cue The Drug Price Debate

Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee unveiled their long-awaited proposal to try to rein in prescription drug costs, even as bipartisan leaders of the other Senate committee that oversees health announced it would not bring its drug price bill to the Senate floor until fall. Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post, Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this, plus court actions on health issues.

July 25, 2019

Why It’s So Hard To Predict How Much Funding 9/11 First Responders Need

Eighteen years ago, most first responders were not thinking about their future health when they spent hours searching “The Pile” for the remains of terror victims. Today, their illnesses are a slow-moving epidemiological nightmare that has been as difficult for scientists to study as it has been easy for politicians to overlook.

By Michael McAuliff

July 23, 2019

Has Your Doctor Asked You About Climate Change?

Some physicians say connecting the consequences of climate change — heat waves, more pollen and longer allergy seasons — to health helps them better care for patients.

By Martha Bebinger, WBUR

July 19, 2019

‘Climate Grief’: Fears About The Planet’s Future Weigh On Americans’ Mental Health

Although there’s no official clinical diagnosis, the psychiatric and psychological communities have names for the phenomenon of worrying about the Earth’s fate: “climate distress,” “climate grief,” “climate anxiety” or “eco-anxiety.” The concept also is gradually making its way into the public consciousness in television shows and movies.

By Victoria Knight

July 18, 2019

As Temperatures Climb, A New Push To Keep Workers Safe

Over the past decade, more than 350 workers nationwide have died from heat-related illness, and tens of thousands have had heat-related problems serious enough that they missed at least one day of work. Proposed federal legislation, modeled on California regulations, would create the first national standards for protecting workers from heat-related stress.

By Anna Maria Barry-Jester

July 16, 2019

Picture Of Health

A Million Californians Don’t Have Clean Drinking Water. Where Do They Live?

More than 10% of residents in 12 California counties don’t have safe drinking water, according to a California Healthline analysis of state water data. State lawmakers have pledged $130 million a year to help bring clean drinking water to Californians who need it.

By Harriet Blair Rowan

June 28, 2019

Heat And Violence Pose Twin Threats For Asylum-Seekers Waiting At Border

For Central American migrants who follow U.S. government rules for pursuing asylum, conditions on the Mexican side of the border are sweltering, filled with anxiety and illness. Few people have a clear timetable for when it will get any better.

By Anna Maria Barry-Jester

May 23, 2019

State Bans Pesticide Linked To Developmental Problems

California officials announced a ban on chlorpyrifos, a widely used pesticide that has been linked to lower IQs, lower birth weights and other developmental issues in children, even as the federal government fights to protect it.

By Ana B. Ibarra

May 9, 2019

KHN & PolitiFact HealthCheck

Booker’s Argument For Environmental Justice Stays Within The Lines

He didn’t overstate the relationship between hazardous waste sites and birth defects and autism.

By Shefali Luthra

May 2, 2019

States Weigh Banning A Widely Used Pesticide Even Though EPA Won’t

The pesticide chlorpyrifos has been linked to developmental problems in children. Some state and federal lawmakers want the chemical banned, but federal regulators are fighting to keep it on the market.

By Ana B. Ibarra

April 25, 2019

Picture Of Health

Heavy Rains, End Of Drought Could Help Keep West Nile Virus Subdued — For Now

Scientists say drought can spur transmission of the disease and that wetter winters since 2015 have helped reduce the number of infections in California. In the long term, however, climate change could mean more drought — and more infections.

By Harriet Blair Rowan

April 12, 2019

Popular Weed Killer’s Alleged Link To Cancer Spreads Concern

The main ingredient in numerous popular herbicides has been implicated by two juries in the cancers of frequent users, but major public health agencies disagree over whether it is a carcinogen. Can you use it safely in your garden? Here are some answers to questions you may have about the weed killer glyphosate.

By Marla Cone

April 4, 2019

Letters To The Editor

Readers And Tweeters Demand Action On Gun Violence, Mental Health Care Options

Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.

Dec. 3, 2018

Smoke-Filled Snapshot: California Wildfire Generates Dangerous Air Quality For Millions

Smoke from the deadly and destructive Camp Fire has caused air quality readings to spike into “hazardous” and “unhealthy” levels for millions of people far outside of the burn zones. Is smoky air the new normal for California?

By Harriet Blair Rowan

Nov. 21, 2018

Bad Air And Inadequate Data Prove An Unhealthy Mix

San Joaquin Valley residents breathe some of the dirtiest air in the country, but it can be a challenge for them to find accurate and timely information on the air quality in their neighborhoods. This summer, nonprofit organizations began distributing 20 small air monitors to hard-hit families, and next year, the state is expected to install monitoring systems in some communities.

By Ana B. Ibarra

Sept. 21, 2018

Low-Income Californians Feel Twice The Burn From Wildfires

People living near highways and agricultural and industrial zones get hit with a “double whammy” when smoke blows into their neighborhoods, where the air is often polluted already.

By Ana B. Ibarra

Sept. 4, 2018

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Opioids, EpiPens And Health Funding

In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Alice Ollstein of Talking Points Memo, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Joanne Kenen of Politico discuss Senate action on health funding and opioid legislation, the state of the individual insurance market and consternation over expiration dates on EpiPens, the self-injected allergy remedy. Also, could an otter with asthma signal a potential public health crisis?

Aug. 23, 2018

AFTER THE HURRICANE, ENDURING PAIN

Time’s Running Out: The Frail In Puerto Rico Face End Of Hurricane Relief Programs

Some of the safety-net programs set up after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico are being disbanded.

By Sarah Varney

March 30, 2018

When Wildfire Smoke Invades, Who Should Pay To Clean Indoor Air?

Public health agencies are set up to regulate easily controlled sources of air pollution. Wildfire smoke presents a different set of expensive challenges.

By Nora Saks, Montana Public Radio

March 8, 2018

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