In California and other U.S. western states, wildfires have become more frequent and intense, adversely impacting air quality and human health. Smoke from wildfires contains many toxins and irritants, including particles smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter, which, due to their size, penetrate deep into the lungs and contribute to cardiopulmonary and respiratory illness.
Eliminating exposure to asbestos and addressing the effect of climate change on mental health were two of the fourteen new policy statements adopted by the American Public Health Association’s (APHA) Governing Council at its 2019 Annual Meeting and Expo in Philadelphia this week. The ambitious agenda includes topics ranging from environmental justice to drinking water safety and attacks on health workers.
Environmental groups are reacting angrily to the EPA’s announcement this week of a proposed regulation that applies to the management of coal combustion residuals (CCR) from electric utilities, while coal-producing states are supporting the job protection they say will result.
If enacted, the regulation would amend a 2015 Obama-era rule establishing a set of solid waste requirements for the management of CCRs.
The CDC’s Climate and Health Program is celebrating 10 years of supporting state, tribal, local, and territorial public health agencies as they prepare for the continuing health impacts of a changing climate.
In 2019 the program provided communities with new resources, tools, and peer-reviewed publications addressing the impacts of climate hazards.
A blaze that broke out in the engine room of a towing vessel on the Lower Mississippi River was probably caused by an engine lube oil leak that ignited off a hot surface near the starboard main engine turbocharger. That’s according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which has completed its investigation into the September 12, 2018 incident.
Salt Lake County, Utah this week became the eighth community in the state to commit to achieving 100% renewable electricity by 2030. The county’s council passed a resolution on Tuesday establishing a goal of powering the county with 100% renewable electricity by that year – one which requires local utility Rocky Mountain Power (RMP) to replace fossil fuel generation with renewable energy resources to meet the new commitment.
Nearly two years ago, Jeremiah Mock heard a student in Marin County, California, complain that her school was littered with e-cigarette waste. A health anthropologist by training, Mock did some shoe-leather investigating in a student parking lot, where he found a significant amount of e-cigarette and tobacco trash.
Surprised, Mock went further.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released details about a deadly gas pipeline rupture that occurred in August in Lincoln County, Kentucky. The rupture in the 30-inch-diameter natural gas transmission pipeline, which was owned and operated by Enbridge Inc., released about 66 million cubic feet of natural gas - which ignited.
Training landscapers in water efficiency, using “edutainers” to teach water conservation tips to children and encouraging consumers to buy WaterSense products are among the strategies states are using to head off – or at least, minimize - water shortages expected in the years ahead.
“Forty states anticipate experiencing fresh water shortages in certain regions within their borders over the next decade,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler.
Oil and natural regulations change frequently so the Public Service Commission of West Virginia and the West Virginia Oil and Natural Gas Association want to make sure operators have the latest information.
The two organizations have jointly hosted a couple of seminars in West Virginia to focus on recent changes and developments of federal and state requirements in the past year.
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