Elevated Cardiovascular Risks Follow In Wake Of Wildfires, Study Finds
The study found that exposure to wildfire smoke correlates with more hospital visits for coronary heart disease, irregular heart rhythm, heart failure, pulmonary embolism and stroke.
San Francisco Chronicle:
California Wildfires Linked To Heart Problems, Study Shows
One of the most comprehensive studies yet on the impacts of wildfire smoke in California, published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association, suggests that heart problems are as much a concern as respiratory problems, perhaps even more so. The finding of elevated cardiovascular risk, as much as 40 percent higher when dense smoke is present, provides not only one more reason to steer clear of ash-filled air but another thing for health care providers to consider when responding to wildfires. (Alexander, 4/10)
Capital Public Radio:
Did California Wildfires Contaminate Backyard Chicken Eggs? UC Researchers Aim To Find Out.
As fires blazed through Sonoma and Ventura counties, all kinds of materials went up in flames, notes Pitesky, like computers, office furniture, chemicals, transformer fluids and roofing materials. Did harmful chemicals end up in backyard chicken eggs? (Mitric, 4/10)
In other public health news —
KPCC:
LAUSD Just Decided To Use Shooting, Asthma Rates To Help Decide Which Schools Get More Money
Starting next year, Los Angeles Unified School District officials will consider asthma rates and injuries from gun violence in neighborhoods near its campuses to help decide which district schools are most in need of extra funding. And those are among nearly a dozen new factors L.A. Unified officials will use to rank schools by their level of student need. (Stokes, 4/10)
Los Angeles Times:
What Ails America? The Answer Varies From State To State
The state of the union's health is improving. But it is doing so very unequally, and recent signs of progress are in danger of being reversed by diseases of excess and despair, including obesity, depression, suicide and substance abuse. Those are the broad conclusions of a new roundup of Americans' vital signs published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. (Healy, 4/10)