Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
California Wildfires Caused Dangerous Levels Of Chlorine And Lead In The Air
At the height of the Los Angeles County wildfires, atmospheric concentrations of lead, a neurotoxin, reached 100 times average levels even miles from the flames, according to early detailed measurements obtained by The New York Times. Levels of chlorine, which is also toxic at low concentrations, reached 40 times the average. The spiking levels underscore the added danger from wildfires when cars, homes, and other structures burn, researchers said. (Tabuchi and Rojanasakul, 1/20)
Â鶹ŮÓÅ Health News: Amid Wildfire Trauma, L.A. County Dispatches Mental Health Workers To Evacuees
As Fernando Ramirez drove to work the day after the Eaton Fire erupted, smoke darkened the sky, ash and embers rained onto his windshield, and the air smelled of melting rubber and plastic. He pulled to the side of the road and cried at the sight of residents trying to save their homes. (Castle Work, 1/21)
A fire at the world’s largest battery storage plant in Northern California smoldered Friday after sending plumes of toxic smoke into the atmosphere, leading to the evacuation of up to 1,500 people. The blaze also shook up the young battery storage industry. The fire at the Vistra Energy lithium battery plant in Moss Landing generated huge flames and significant amounts of smoke Thursday but had diminished significantly by Friday, Fire Chief Joel Mendoza of the North County Fire Protection District of Monterey County said. Vistra is based in Texas. (Rodriguez and O’Malley, 1/18)
More health news from across the U.S. —
The walls of Devdutta Sangvai’s office were mostly bare on his third day as North Carolina’s top health official. A physician, professor and former president of Duke Regional Hospital, Sangvai had been far too busy settling into his new role as secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services to decorate. (Baxley, 1/21)
On Sunday, the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) released a report on the financial health of Colorado's hospitals. While some are showing financial strength, others appear to be struggling. The department's annual report measures hospital profits, reserves, costs, expenses and the level of community benefit that tax-exempt hospitals offer their communities in place of paying taxes. (Swanson, 1/20)
You might've seen video of a large wall keeping Hurricane Helene's 7-foot-tall waves away from Tampa General Hospital. After having to shut down multiple sewage treatment plants after damages from Helene's storm surge, the city of St. Petersburg wants a wall of its own. (Kukday, 1/20)
