Flood insurance discounts greater in high-income communities
A federal initiative that allows Americans to save on flood insurance is used more often in communities where people have greater means to protect themselves from the threat, a new study says.
Published Sept. 30 in Nature Communications, the research found that people living in communities with high populations, incomes and education save more through the initiative, which is administered through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
For example, residents of high-population communities, which have more resources to prepare for flooding, saved $4,000 more on insurance than people in small communities. People in communities with low education levels saved $2,000 less than residents in highly educated areas.
Launched in 1990, the Community Rating System initiative is part of FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program. To take part in the voluntary initiative, communities are required to take action to address flooding through activities such as floodplain mapping, open space preservation or stormwater management. In exchange, residents are eligible for a discount on their flood insurance premium rates, at a savings of up to $15,000 per policy.
The study also found differences by race and ethnicity, with savings for predominantly white communities as much as $6,000 higher per policy than for communities where a majority of residents are people of color. While poorer communities of color are at higher risk of flood losses, higher-income white communities are better able to put protective measures against flooding in place and receive higher discounts.
Previous research has shown the Community Rating System initiative has reduced overall flood damage in participating communities, with a 40% decrease in losses at the county level. About 1,500 U.S. communities are part of the initiative.
Because of human-caused climate change, flooding is becoming more severe in areas that historically did not experience frequent floods, while also becoming more common in regions already prone to flooding.
Pollution a driving factor in cardiovascular disease deaths
Soil and water pollution are contributing to cardiovascular disease deaths around the world, a new study finds.
Pollution from heavy metals, pesticides and microplastics can cause cardiovascular damage in humans through inflammation and impaired circadian rhythms, according to the research review, which was published Sept. 25 in Nature Reviews Cardiology. The pollution also can cause oxidative stress, a condition that can damage myocardial tissue damage and contribute to heart failure.
About 9 million people die prematurely each year from illnesses related to chemical pollution of soil, water and air. Soil degradation threatens the health of about 40% of the global population, while water pollution impacts 25%.
Factors such as deforestation, climate change, airborne dust, over-fertilization and unhealthy community design are contributing to soil and water pollution, the team of international researchers said. About 777,000 deaths a year are linked solely to dust pollution, which is growing with human-caused global warming.
Latin Indigenous farmworkers at higher risk for pain
Indigenous people who migrate from Latin America to work on U.S. farms can experience greater job-related pain than their peers, a new study finds.
The research, published in Social Science & Medicine, examined data on the health of farmworkers, including people who were Indigenous immigrants from Latin America. While previous research has shown that farmworkers who are in the U.S. without legal permission are often at higher risk for mistreatment or exploitation, those workers reported better physical health than their Indigenous counterparts. In fact, the Indigenous workers reported the highest pain of all workers in the study, regardless of immigration status.
Workers who arrive in the U.S. without legal permission tend to be younger and in good health, which could account for some of the disparity, according to the researchers, most of whom were affiliated with Rice University. Indigenous people from Latin America may also have faced discrimination in their native countries and in the U.S., translating to physical and mental stress, and have unique language barriers.
After steady decrease, excess deaths climb for Black Americans
Reductions in cancer and cardiovascular disease deaths have helped reduce premature death rates among Black Americans over the past two decades. But recent periods of increases, particularly for violent deaths, are undercutting those gains, says new research in JAMA Network Open.
From 1999 to 2015, excess annual deaths fell 5.7% for Black women, with decreases in heart disease, diabetes, cancer, unintentional injuries and cerebrovascular diseases playing a role. For Black men, excess annual deaths fell 5.2% from 1999 to 2011, with decreases in cancer, heart disease, unintentional injuries and HIV the main contributors.
Unfortunately, that overall progress has not been sustained. From 2016 to 2019, deaths from unintentional injuries, car crashes and assault have increased significantly for Black men, while deaths from unintentional injuries and car crashes increased significantly for Black women. Both genders saw an uptick in deaths from cerebrovascular diseases, such as stroke.
In 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, excess annual deaths soared to levels last seen in 1999 for Black men and 2004 for Black women. COVID-19, which has disproportionately harmed Black Americans, was responsible for more than 40% of the excess deaths.
The researchers, who were affiliated with Yale and Northwestern universities, called for interventions to gain progress and promote equity.
Other recent public health news of note includes:
• People exposed to higher concentrations of particle air pollution are at greater risk of being unable to perform routine tasks related to care — such as eating, bathing, dressing and using the toilet, otherwise known as “activities of daily living”— late in life, finds a study in The Lancet Health Longevity.
• Black infants with heart abnormalities are more likely to die in the first year of life than white infants, according to a study presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics’ 2024 National Conference and Exhibition.
• Hurricanes increase populations of disease-spreading mosquitoes, a Florida study published in Scientific Reports confirms.
• A new final rule from the Environmental Protection Agency is aimed at protecting waterways from pollution discharges from boats and other vessels.
• Research in JAMA Internal Medicine finds people exposed to discriminatory redlining in 1940 have lower life expectancy. Each lower tier of redlining classification was associated with an 8% increased risk of death.
The Watch is written by Michele Late, who has more than two decades of experience as a public health journalist.
