Western Boom Cities See Spike in Harmful Ozone
Vehicle emissions, oil and gas drilling and climate change have combined to create more days with unhealthy levels of the colorless, odorless gas from Denver to Phoenix.
Environmental Health
161 - 180 of 221 Results
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Hospitals Confront Climate Change as Patients Sick From Floods and Fires Crowd ERs
Patients sickened in heat waves, flooding and wildfire have raised awareness of climate change鈥檚 impact on health. Now, some hospitals are building solar panels and cutting waste to reduce their own carbon footprints, with support from a new office at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. But the industry is moving slowly.
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The ‘Burn Scars’ of Wildfires Threaten the West鈥檚 Drinking Water
Sediment from massive blazes chokes rivers and reservoirs, contaminating water supplies. The problem is only getting worse as climate change intensifies wildfires and lengthens the fire season.
By Sara Reardon -
Wildfire Smoke Is Here to Stay. Here鈥檚 How to Clean the Air Inside Your Home.
There are many ways to cleanse indoor air of dangerous smoke particles, which are particularly harmful to people with chronic respiratory and cardiac conditions. Some are expensive, but cheap alternatives exist.
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KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: The Future of Public Health
The covid pandemic has spotlighted the often-unseen role of public health in Americans鈥 daily lives. And the picture has not all been pretty. What is public health and why is it so important 鈥 and controversial? Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, explains the basics. Then, Joanne Kenen of Politico and Lauren Weber of KHN join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss what could happen next.
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As Temperatures Rise, So Do the Health Risks for California鈥檚 Farmworkers
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.
By Miranda Green and Heidi de Marco -
A Chilling Cure: Facing Killer Heat, ERs Use Body Bags to Save Lives
Doctors in Washington state used human body bags filled with ice and water to rapidly cool the sickest patients affected by record heat last month.
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Wildfire Smoke Drives People in Low-Vaccinated Areas Indoors, Raising Outbreak Fears
Unvaccinated Westerners are flocking to movie theaters, malls and other indoor spaces to beat the smoke and heat. Health officials worry that may fuel covid outbreaks.
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Can Biden鈥檚 Plan to Remove Urban Highways Improve the Health of American Cities?
Pollution and noise from urban highways intersect with illness for neighbors. But 鈥済reen鈥 developments that replace them can displace the very families harmed in the first place.
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Q&A
From Racial Justice to Dirty Air, California鈥檚 New AG Plots a Progressive Health Care Agenda
In a candid interview, California鈥檚 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.
By Angela Hart -
Lady Gaga and J.Lo Sell 鈥榃ell鈥 Building Seal, But It鈥檚 a Payday, Not a PSA
A company sees the pandemic as an opportunity to push its 鈥榃ell鈥 seal. It would like the indoor wellness logo to become as ubiquitous as the LEED green building halo 鈥 and make a profit, too.
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As Schools Spend Millions on Air Purifiers, Experts Warn of Overblown Claims and Harm to Children
A KHN investigation found that more than 2,000 schools have spent millions of dollars for systems, lured by air purifier companies鈥 claims that experts say mislead or obscure the potential for harm from toxic ozone.
By Lauren Weber and Christina Jewett -
Bay Area Cities Go to War Over Gas Stoves in Homes and Restaurants
Environmentalists say gas appliances spew greenhouse gases and exacerbate asthma. Restaurant owners and chefs say you can鈥檛 cook food properly with electricity.
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At Risk of Extinction, Black-Footed Ferrets Get Experimental COVID Vaccine
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.
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California Law Banning Toxic Chemicals in Cosmetics Will Transform Industry
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 51视频tions nationwide.
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As Fires and Floods Wreak Havoc on Health, New Climate Center Seeks Solutions
The climate change center at UCLA鈥檚 Fielding School of Public Health plans to study and help implement policies for slowing climate change and adapting to it.
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Tough to Tell COVID From Smoke Inhalation Symptoms 鈥 And Flu Season’s Coming
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.
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How to Weigh Evacuation Options With Both Wildfires and COVID at Your Door
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?
By Jenny Gold -
Wildfires Provide Another Reason to Mask Up
As the long U.S. fire season gets underway, it鈥檚 even more important for Western residents to have a good face mask. Unfortunately, most of the masks we鈥檙e wearing for COVID-19 aren鈥檛 great for smoke.
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Cities Brace For 鈥楥ollision Course鈥 Of Heat Waves And COVID-19
Rochester, New York, and other cities have already weathered the first blasts of excessive heat, and they have done it while cooling centers and spray parks have been closed due to the pandemic.