workplace
Workplace Amputations Are on the Rise
Over a decade, an average of seven U.S. workers a day suffered workplace accidents that caused or led to amputations. Those numbers are expected to go up with reduced federal oversight under the Trump administration.
fumed
Town-Hall Event in Texas Draws Residents and Advocates Seeking Missing Cancer Data
Attendees gathered February 19 in the Houston-area Highlands community, home to a notorious toxic waste site. They wanted to know why a state agency refused to provide details on high cancer rates in the area — and what they could do in response.
climate change
Massive Galveston Bay Barrier System Gets One Step Closer to Construction
A January vote to begin preliminary engineering and design work jump-started the controversial “Ike Dike” project, meant to protect against increasingly fierce hurricanes. But not everyone is celebrating.
environment
Do you live near a refinery that uses hydrogen fluoride?
Use Public Health Watch’s interactive map to learn about the 40 refineries that use the potentially lethal chemical, their accident histories and their worst-case accident scenarios.
PHW News
Two New Top Officers Elected to Public Health Watch Board
Retired NPR correspondent Howard Berkes and political strategist Cliff Walker become board chair and vice chair, respectively.
Impact
PHW Executive Director Appears on ‘Hello Houston’ to Discuss Petrochemical Investigation
Jim Morris was interviewed on the Houston Public Media talk show February 12 about health threats associated with an infrastructure boom in Texas
special report
Texas Clears the Way for Petrochemical Expansion as Experts Warn of Health Risks
Public Health Watch chronicles, in 13 scenes, a fossil-fuel infrastructure boom that could worsen air pollution in some areas and exacerbate climate change.
impact
‘Fumed’ Found Problems With Houston’s Industrial Permitting Process. The City Changed Its Policies.
Public Health Watch’s podcast highlighted residents’ lack of protection from industrial facilities moving into their neighborhoods — even when deed restrictions were in place. Three months later, the Houston Planning Department addressed the underlying problem.
fumed
The Loosely Regulated Petrochemical Barge Industry Is Commandeering a Texas River
People who live on the San Jacinto fear chemical releases and explosions from the vessels. It’s unclear who’s policing the buildup.
mental health
San Antonio Area Sees a Boom in Mental Health Providers. But Not Where Scarcity Is Severe.
The number of mental health providers in Bexar County has soared over the past five years, but the growth was heaviest in more affluent northern areas.
A Weekly Roundup of Public Health News
Poll: Most Americans Believe U.S. Government Should Do More to Regulate Chemicals
Worries mount about chemicals in food, drink, consumer goods … Cancer death rates higher in counties near nuclear plants … Preventable deaths rise for less-educated adults … and more.
Read more editions of The Watch
Climate Change
A Fumed Bonus Episode:
‘The Scientist Who Refused to be Intimidated’
The latest episode of our podcast, Fumed, tells how a high-profile epidemiologist withstood political pressure and intimidation throughout his career in a quest to protect public health.
Listen to all Fumed episodes here or wherever you get your podcasts.
stories
A Community Burdened by Chemical Waste Is Demanding Cancer Data. Texas Health Officials Won’t Give It to Them.
Last year, state epidemiologists studied an industrialized region east of Houston. They reported finding high rates of cancer, but refused to release key geographic details — a decision some experts say is irresponsible.
uninsured in america
climate change
What Extreme Heat Is Doing to Your Body
As climate change intensifies, heat health risks from accelerated aging to bad decision-making grow worldwide. Here’s what you need to know.
mental health
For People With Mental Illness, the Path to Disability Benefits Can Be Long and Difficult
A shortage of mental-health providers and other barriers to proving a disabling condition can make qualifying for benefits especially challenging. Federal funding cuts could worsen the picture.
commentary
Insurance Coverage for Obesity Treatment Is Long Overdue
Legislation pending in Congress would eliminate discriminatory rules that bar anti-obesity medications from the same coverage afforded treatments of other chronic diseases. But its fate is uncertain.
Uninsured in America
Having Epilepsy and No Health Insurance Can Exact a Heavy Toll. The Plight Is Likely More Common in Texas.
Nearly 300,000 people in Texas have the life-threatening, life-altering disease. It’s expensive to treat, so health insurance is crucial, though often out of reach.
ENVIRONMENT
Trump Exempts Biggest Emitters of Two Carcinogens from Pollution Rule
Last week, the White House exempted 49 chemical plants from a 2024 rule that would have required them to monitor and control air emissions to reduce cancer risks. One-third of these plants release either ethylene oxide or chloroprene.
Trump Pollution Exemptions Would Shield Lawbreakers, Endanger Millions
Analysis shows EPA rollbacks of the HON rule would put overburdened communities at risk and benefit chemical plants that frequently violate their permits.
commentary
We’ve been here all along
Public Health Watch rarely covers breaking news, but its investigative reporting often foreshadows it. Consider the push to slash Medicaid coverage for the poor.
uninsured in america
Medicaid Cuts Could Be Devastating for the Delta and the Rest of Rural America
The “big, beautiful bill” would cause 11.8 million more Americans to become uninsured by 2034.
commentary
Uninsured in America
uninsured in america
In the Deep South, Health Care Fights Echo Civil Rights Battles
Sixty years after Medicaid was created, grassroots groups demand accessible, affordable health care in a system that continues to deny it.
uninsured in america
Silicosis Epidemic
environment
California Lead Battery Recycler Admits Violating Permit, State Law in Consent Order
The agreement resolves tank-related violations reported by Public Health Watch last fall.
Commentary
climate change
climate change
Children
‘We Give Manufactured Chemicals More Rights Than We Give Criminal Defendants’
A new paper blames rampant chemical production for a host of illnesses among children.
toxic texas air
New Analysis Shows Channelview Cancer Risk Is Likely Far Higher Than EPA Estimates
The cancer risk from benzene emissions could be up to 2,000 times higher than the Environmental Protection Agency’s current estimate.
‘sweat and blood … and even death’
by Public Health Watch
Two years ago, Public Health Watch’s editor-in-chief got a tip about an unpublicized silicosis epidemic among immigrant workers in the LA area. He quickly grasped what a huge story this was.
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medicaid expansion: ‘the holdouts’
The Deadly Toll of Fine-Particle Pollution in Texas
This interactive map shows how fine-particle pollution impacts the health of communities across Texas.