Kilis—a Turkish border city whose population doubled with the arrival of Syrian refugees—is giving away thousands of bicycles to children. Recipients must maintain good grades, pledge to cycle for at least 1 hour a day and convince a relative to quit smoking. The bikes are…
The flames may be extinguished, but for firefighters, the real damage could be exposure to harmful toxins released in a blaze. Amid a debate over the link between firefighting and cancer, more fire departments are following cancer prevention protocols, like keeping air…
Former EPA administrator Gina McCarthy has an unambiguous message on climate change and its impact: “Climate change is really the greatest public health threat of our time.” During a Bloomberg American Health Summit discussion on Nov. 30 with her former EPA colleague, Tom…
WASHINGTON – Today’s shocking CDC announcement that US life expectancy has declined for 3 years has added extra urgency to a summit of policymakers, experts, innovators and others gathered in the nation’s capital to discussion public health solutions.
Opioid overdoses claimed 42,000 lives in the US in 2016. Air pollution causes 200,000 Americans to die too soon each year. About 1 million violent crimes are committed in the US annually.
Perchloroethylene—the “dry” component in dry cleaning—is a classified carcinogen with toxic environmental effects. The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration declared it a neurotoxin connected with memory loss and blurred vision. Why, then, is it an industry…
The deadliest form of air pollution, microscopic particulate matter penetrates “deep into the lungs, bypassing the body’s natural defenses.” Its effects range from lung disease to cancer to cognitive impairment, yet the public knows relatively little about its toll on their…
In 2016, shocking lead levels were found in 5-year-old Mikaila’s blood. In keeping with the agency’s decades-old pattern of neglect, her landlord—the New York City Housing Authority—doubled down to deny the findings. For decades Nycha, landlord to 400,000, has challenged…
Exposure to vehicle pollution in the first year of life ups the risk of childhood obesity, found a new study tracking over 2,000 children in Southern California. The findings add to research linking toxic air to low birth weight, birth defects and crib deaths.
Germany’s widespread drought is causing chaos for the country’s shipping and agricultural industries. This year, some areas saw their warmest-ever summer and lowest-ever rainfall this year, and the country's grain harvest is expected to plummet by over 10 million tons below…
