Early Death Has Become Fact Of Life For Sacramento’s Black Children
Between 2010 and 2015, African American children died at well above the rates of any other racial or ethnic group in Sacramento County. The Sacramento Bee investigates why.
Sacramento Bee:
Black Children Die At Alarming Rate In Sacramento County, And Here’s Why
Between 2010 and 2015, African American children died at well above the rates of any other racial or ethnic group in Sacramento County: Nearly one-quarter of the 873 children under age 18 who died in the county during that six-year time frame were black, even as black youths made up just 11 percent of the population in that age group. During that time period, the death rate among black children was more than twice the rate of white children and about three times the rate for Latino and Asian children, according to a Sacramento Bee review of state death certificates. (Caiola, 7/10)
In other public health news —
Los Angeles Times:
Those Pricey Alkaline Waters Aren't Doing Much For Your Health, Expert Says
Proponents claim that drinking high-pH water slows the aging process, increases energy, boosts immune function and decreases a person’s risk of cancer, osteoporosis and other chronic diseases. ... There is scant scientific evidence, however, that drinking alkaline water has any effect on health, other than to temporarily relieve heartburn. (Like the calcium carbonate in antacid tablets, mineral ions in alkaline water can neutralize stomach acid.) (Dayton, 7/9)
Modesto Bee:
What You Need To Know About Mosquitoes, Zika Virus And Repellents
To date, not a single person has been known to contract the disease from a mosquito within the United States. And when it does arrive in the U.S., your chances of getting it will still be slim. But that hasn’t stopped people from calling Phillip Howe, owner of Mosquito Squad of Greater Kansas City & Lawrence. ...Here’s a primer about mosquitoes and how best to keep them at bay. (Billhartz Gregorian, 7/9)
Los Angeles Daily News:
Gas Company, Pollution Agency At Odds Over Cost Of Porter Ranch Health Study
It took weeks of public testimony about being sickened or forced to move because of the nation’s largest natural gas leak near Porter Ranch for air regulators to issue a sweeping nuisance abatement order. But nearly seven months after the order against SoCalGas regarding its four-month leak in Aliso Canyon, a required health study of affected residents may be on hold, regulators said Saturday. The reason: a dispute between the gas company and the South Coast Air Quality Management District over cost. (Bartolomew, 7/9)