Environmental Health Archives - Page 8 of 12

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: A Big Week for Biden

Congress is leaving for its annual summer break having accomplished far more than many expected, including, barring unforeseen snags, a bill to address the cost of prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries and extend the enhanced subsidies for insurance premiums under the Affordable Care Act. Meanwhile, the abortion issue continues to roil the nation as Indiana becomes the first state to ban the procedure in almost all cases since the Supreme Court overruled the constitutional right to abortion in June. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.

Aug. 11, 2022

A photo shows a water intake station on the edge of a river.

EPA Action Boosts Grassroots Momentum to Reduce Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’

Experts say the EPA’s recent declaration that some PFAS chemicals are unsafe at detectable levels in drinking water signals acceleration in efforts to curb exposure to compounds found in nearly every American’s blood.

By Andy Miller

Aug. 10, 2022

Two young boys that appear to be around 5 years old are draped over their father's lap, appearing exhausted. One of the boy's cheeks are flushed; he appears overheated. Sunlight comes in through a window, highlighting the family but casting the rest of the room in shadow.

‘Children Are Not Little Adults’ and Need Special Protection During Heat Waves

Public health experts say heat waves pose health risks for children, whose bodies may not be as effective at cooling and who rely on caretakers to prevent and notice the signs of heat-related illness.

By Emmarie Huetteman

Aug. 4, 2022

A photo shows Claire Vlases standing outside by a flowering shrub.

Kids Want to Put Montana on Trial for Unhealthy Climate Policies

Sixteen children and young adults are suing the state over energy policies they say are hurting their health and environment. The flooding that closed Yellowstone National Park may show they have a point.

By Nick Ehli

July 14, 2022

A photo of the Earth shows its atmosphere.

Colorado’s Efforts Are Not Enough to Solve Its Ozone Problem

Some health experts said measures underway by state and federal officials won’t lower ozone pollution to safe levels across nine counties of Colorado’s Front Range.

By Jim Robbins

July 11, 2022

LA’s First Heat Officer Says Helping Vulnerable Communities Is Key to Achieving Climate Goals

Los Angeles taps Marta Segura, director of the city’s climate emergency mobilization office, as its first heat officer. Segura, the first Hispanic person to hold such a position in the country, will work across city departments on an early warning system while developing cooling strategies.

By Heidi de Marco

July 1, 2022

A photo shows a roadway lined with trash and debris. Four RVs are seen parked on the side of the road.

Sobering Lessons in Untying the Knot of a Homeless Crisis

The homeless tragedy in Portland, Oregon, now spills well beyond the downtown core, creating a crisis of conscience for a fiercely liberal city that has generously invested in homeless support services.

By Angela Hart

June 21, 2022

A photo shows two children in bathing suits playing in a yard with a sprinkler on a sunny day.

It’s Hot Outside — And That’s Bad News for Children’s Health

An article in the New England Journal of Medicine takes a sweeping look at how heat — which can be a byproduct of air pollution and climate change — adversely affects people’s health, especially that of kids.

By Colleen DeGuzman

June 16, 2022

An illustration shows a dark green diagram of air flow highlighted with lines radiating out from it. A pale green classroom is shown faded in the background.

COVID-19

Covid Funding Pries Open a Door to Improving Air Quality in Schools

Researchers say the billions in pandemic funding available for ventilation upgrades in U.S. schools provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to combat covid-19, as well as making air more breathable for students living with allergies, asthma, and chronic wildfire smoke.

By Liz Szabo

June 13, 2022

A photograph of Steve McGrath in the town of Butte, Montana. He looks directly at the camera and has his hands behind his back. Behind him are scattered buildings and beige cliffs.

Some People in This Montana Mining Town Worry About the Dust Next Door

Residents of a Butte neighborhood are concerned about the dust from a nearby open-pit mine that can coat their homes and vehicles. In a city where past mining left a legacy of soil and water pollution, is the air unsafe, too?

By Katheryn Houghton

June 8, 2022

Podcast

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Washington’s Slow Churn

Stemming gun violence is back on the legislative agenda following three mass shootings in less than a month, but it’s hard to predict success when so many previous efforts have failed. Meanwhile, lawmakers must soon decide if they will extend current premium subsidies for those buying health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, and the Biden administration acts, belatedly, on Medicare premiums. Margot Sanger-Katz of the New York Times, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat News join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KHN’s Michelle Andrews, who reported and wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” episode about a too-common problem: denial of no-cost preventive care for a colonoscopy under the Affordable Care Act.

June 2, 2022

Rural California Hatches Plan for Engineered Mosquitoes to Battle Stealthy Predator

Tulare County officials hope the region will soon be a testing ground for a new generation of technology in a centuries-old war: Human vs. Mosquito.

By Anna Maria Barry-Jester

May 10, 2022

A digital illustration in watercolor and pencil. Two hands are seen holding a right-facing water tank truck. Bright blue water drops radiate outward from it. A golden yellow fades to black in the background, symbolic of the hope the water truck brings.

Podcast

‘American Diagnosis’ Episode 6: ‘Water Warriors’ Tap Diné Resilience to Increase Access on Navajo Land

Over decades, federal and state policies have left many tribal communities without access to clean, running water. This episode explores what separates some Diné and other Native people in the western United States from this critical resource.

March 29, 2022

Digital illustration of a large white mosquito in front of a colorful globe with a glitch effect and a golden band around the middle.

Climate Change May Push the US Toward the ‘Goldilocks Zone’ for West Nile Virus

Colorado recently recorded the most West Nile virus deaths and cases of neuroinvasive infections in nearly two decades. Scientists warn that climate change will make conditions ripe for more West Nile transmission.

By Melissa Bailey

March 28, 2022

KHN On Air

Journalists Recap Coverage of the Ongoing Pandemic and Lead Risks in Schools’ Drinking Water

KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.

March 26, 2022

A digital illustration drawn in pencil and colored in a watercolor style. A pair of hands holding a radiation meter surrounded by wilted flowers are in the center of the image. They glow a mustard yellow color against an ominous black background.

Podcast

‘American Diagnosis’ Episode 4: From Church Rock to Congress, Uranium Workers Are Still Fighting for Compensation

This episode is the second half of a two-part series about uranium mining on the Navajo Nation. A coalition of Indigenous leaders and non-Native locals are lobbying Congress and fielding research to force the cleanup of abandoned uranium mining sites and expand federal compensation for workers harmed by the uranium industry.

March 1, 2022

A digital illustration in a watercolor style shows old blue jeans hanging over a folding chair. There is a dusty yellow handprint on the back of the jeans, in the center of the image. At the base of the chair sits an old pair of boots, also covered in yellow dust, implying uranium exposure. The background is ominously dark, while the pants and boots stand out in contrast.

Podcast

‘American Diagnosis’ Episode 3: Uranium Mining Left Navajo Land and People in Need of Healing

Episode 3 is an exploration of the forces that brought uranium mining to the Navajo Nation, the harmful consequences, and the fight for compensation that continues today.

Feb. 15, 2022

Montana Mice May Hold the Secret to Virus Spillover

Researchers in Montana are working to figure out how climate change and biodiversity affect viruses’ jump from animals to people.

By Jim Robbins

Feb. 10, 2022

Wildfires and Omicron Prompt a Special Health Insurance Enrollment Period in Colorado

Disasters have previously prompted special enrollment periods in California, Maine, and the South. Now, Colorado is extending the state insurance marketplace sign-up period by two months.

By Markian Hawryluk

Jan. 20, 2022

Fire Closes Hospital and Displaces Staff as Colorado Battles Omicron

The most destructive fire in state history has knocked a hospital out of service and left health care workers homeless with omicron driving new covid hospitalizations.

By Kate Ruder

Jan. 11, 2022

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