Data From Camp Fire Deaths Paint Grim Picture Of Age, Sickness And, In Some Instances, Stubbornness
Sixty percent of the Camp Fire victims who have been identified were in their 70s, 80s or 90s.
Los Angeles Times:
Many Victims Of California’s Worst Wildfire Were Elderly And Died In Or Near Their Homes, New Data Show
Rose Farrell is the oldest victim of the devastating Camp fire to be identified so far. She was 99, and she died inside her home on Herman Road in Paradise. Evva Holt, 85, died inside a pickup truck after she was evacuated from Feather Canyon Gracious Retirement Living. She made it only a mile. (Ganga, Newberry, St. John and Lin, 12/13)
In other public health news —
The California Health Report:
Carpets Cited As A Health Hazard, Especially For Children And Poor Communities
Many popular carpet brands, including those widely used in affordable housing projects, contain toxic chemicals that put people’s health at risk while in use and when the carpets are disposed of, according to a new report by three environmental advocacy groups. The findings are particularly worrisome given that babies and children often spend considerable time crawling and playing on carpets, and they are most sensitive to the potential health consequences from the toxins detected, said Monica Wilson, associate director of the Berkeley-based Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, which contributed to the report. Additionally, most carpets in the United States – including in California – are not recycled. That means many carpets end up in landfills and also incinerators, allowing toxins to be released into the air, she said. (Boyd-Barrett, 12/13)