‘Whiplash’ of weather extremes growing with climate change
Rapid shifts between dangerously dry and extremely wet weather are increasing worldwide, putting human lives at risk, a new study says.
The weather volatility — also referred to as hydroclimate whiplash — has grown as much as 66% since the mid-20th century, intensifying droughts, floods, wildfires and landslides, according to the study, which was published Jan. 8 in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment.
Researchers pointed to this month’s fires in Los Angeles as an example: Record-breaking precipitation fell in parts of California in recent winters, allowing grass and brush to flourish. But that dried-up vegetation became a tinder box after a hot summer and weak rainy season. As of Jan. 16, more than 40,000 acres had burned in the L.A. fires, destroying more than 12,300 structures and killing at least two dozen people, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Climate change is at the heart of hydroclimate whiplash: For every degree Celsius the planet warms, the atmosphere can evaporate, absorb and release 7% more water, the researchers said. If global temperatures rise 3 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, hydroclimate whiplash is expected to double.
While most of the Earth’s regions are expected to be affected by the rapid shift in weather extremes, the worst impacts are predicted in northern Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, northern Eurasia, the tropical Pacific and tropical Atlantic.
PFAS in drinking water linked to numerous cancers
People exposed to “forever chemicals” in their drinking water may be at heightened risk for a long list of cancers, new research published Jan. 9 finds.
U.S. communities that have per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, in their drinking water experience up to a 33% higher incidence of certain cancers, according to the study in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology.
Researchers linked PFAS-contaminated water consumption to higher rates of lung, esophageal, liver, thyroid, kidney, bladder, brain, oral and colorectal cancers, among others. Based on their findings, they estimated that as many as 6,900 cases of cancer annually are linked to PFAS in drinking water.
PFAS, which have been used in a range of consumer and industrial products, are known as forever chemicals because of their inability to break down in the environment or human body. Previous research has detected the chemicals in nearly half of U.S. drinking water supplies.
PFAS are not the only chemicals showing up in U.S. drinking water, other research released this month shows. A Jan. 15 study in Environmental Health Perspectives estimates that about 97 million people in the U.S. are regularly exposed to unregulated contaminants in their drinking water.
Researchers examined data from a federal monitoring program, finding 27% of public water systems have detectable levels of potentially hazardous chemicals that are not covered by federal regulations. While the U.S. Safe Drinking Water Act sets standards for about 100 contaminants, there are thousands of chemicals that are not regulated, the study noted.
Communities with a higher proportion of Black and Hispanic residents — which were more likely to be situated close to industrial sites, airports and other sources of pollution — are at higher risk of exposure to contaminants in their drinking water.
HEPA filters can reduce classroom air pollution
Using portable HEPA air cleaners in classrooms can reduce indoor air pollution exposure for children, according to a new study.
Published Jan. 11 in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, the research found that classrooms with HEPA filtration had significantly lower levels of potentially harmful airborne particulate matter than those that did not use the filters.
HEPA filters — also known as high-efficiency particulate air filters — are pleated devices used to screen particles such as dust, pollen, smoke and other pollution from the air. To measure their impact on school air, researchers placed HEPA air cleaners in about 100 classrooms in south Los Angeles for an entire school year, supplementing existing HVAC systems in the buildings.
They found that classrooms with HEPA-filtered air had lower levels of fine-particle pollution, also known as PM2.5. The pollution — emitted by cars, wildfires, power plants and more — can enter classrooms through open windows and doorways, but also through leaks in poorly sealed buildings or HVAC systems. Over an average school year, the classrooms with HEPA filters had as much as 82% lower infiltration from outdoor PM2.5 than rooms without the filters, the study found.
Previous research has found higher levels of PM2.5 pollution in schools that are close to major roadways and industries. Because such schools are more likely to be in areas with higher proportions of people of color and families with low household incomes, students from those groups are at elevated risk for indoor air pollution exposure.
Poor-quality air in classrooms has been linked to asthma, rhinitis, headaches, drowsiness and other health concerns in students.
Other recent public health news of note includes:
• Patient care declines after private equity firms buy hospitals, a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association says. Staff responsiveness declined more at private equity–acquired hospitals than other facilities, researchers found.
• Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among American Indian and Alaska Native people. But the populations are on average five times farther away from lung cancer screening sites than white populations, says new research in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
• Access to dental, vision and hearing benefits is often touted as a perk of Medicare Advantage plans. But a Jan. 14 study in JAMA Network Open finds users do not typically receive more of the services than traditional Medicare beneficiaries and have similar out-of-pocket costs.
• Raynaud’s disease is more common among workers in certain occupations, according to new findings in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine. People working in truck driving, mining, waitressing and food preparation are among those at higher risk for the disease, which limits blood flow to the fingers and toes.
• New research in PLOS Climate suggests fossil fuel industries such as oil, gas, plastics and agrichemicals may be coordinating their climate change messaging on social media.
• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Jan. 14 finalized worker protections for cancer-causing ethylene oxide, a pesticide used on sterilized medical devices and dried herbs and spices.
• Even at recommended detection limits, most microplastics in French bottled and tap water are still small enough to pass into bodily organs, a study in PLOS Water finds.
The Watch is written by Michele Late, who has more than two decades of experience as a public health journalist.
