Government Subsidies Are Making Americans Fat
The Los Angeles Times rounds up research following the holiday weekend examining how federal funding for crops is contributing to the obesity epidemic, how a tax could counter Americans' taste for junk foods and how eating at home can help cut the risk of diabetes.
Los Angeles Times:
How Government Subsidies, Taxes And Restaurants Affect Our Weight
American diets are shaped by federal agricultural subsidies that assure cheap and easy access to the highest-calorie foods. Restaurants add salt and saturated fats to lure us away from our kitchens at dinnertime. Tax initiatives that could reduce consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks are routinely beaten back by beverage producers. (Healy, 7/5)
In other public health news —
KPCC:
SoCal Trauma Centers: A Typical July 4th For Fireworks Injuries
At least three Southern Californians suffered severe hand injuries in fireworks accidents over the July Fourth weekend, but several regional trauma centers said their caseloads indicated it was a fairly typical Independence Day holiday. ... UC Irvine was the only one of nine regional trauma centers contacted by KPCC that reported a higher-than-usual number of fireworks-related injuries. Seven trauma centers said they saw the usual number, which ranged from zero to two. They said most of the injuries were mild to moderate. (Plevin and Glickman, 7/5)
KPCC:
Why PCBs Are Still A Problem
Across the country, tens of thousands of public schools could be contaminated with toxic polychlorinated biphenyls – compounds more commonly known as PCBs, which were used widely in building materials such as window caulk. The sleeper chemical was banned in 1979 but still poses a serious health risk to kids today, including in relatively affluent Malibu, California. Evidence that PCBs remain in the environment and can cause harmful health effects that range from skin conditions to cancer led Congress to ban it. So what’s the big catch? Schools aren’t required to test for it. (7/5)
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
El Cajon Police Form Homeless Outreach Team
The El Cajon Police Department is officially partnering with other public safety agencies in San Diego County in a homeless outreach program. El Cajon Police Chief Jeff Davis told the City Council last month that the department now has The East Region Homeless Outreach Team, or HOT. HOT, which began June 28, consists of the El Cajon Police, the Sheriff’s Department in Santee, the county’s Health and Human Services Agency and the Psychiatric Emergency Response Team. (Pearlman, 7/5)