Herbicide linked to poorer newborn health
A new study links glyphosate — one of the nation’s most widely used herbicides — to lower birthweights among babies in agricultural areas.
Researchers at the University of Oregon looked at data on births and herbicide application in areas of the U.S. where glyphosate is likely to be used on crops. The results, published Jan. 14 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, showed glyphosate exposure reduced average birthweight by an ounce and cut gestation length by a day.
Glyphosate, which was the active ingredient in Roundup for decades, is applied to crops such as corn, soybeans and cotton that have been genetically modified to withstand the weed-killer. Annual glyphosate use in the U.S. has increased about 750% since genetically modified crops were approved for use in 1996.
Before that year, rates of both birthweight and gestation were similar in U.S. counties, the study said. But after 1996, infant health deteriorated sharply in counties more suitable for genetically modified crops, which researchers attributed to increased glyphosate use with the plants.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency first approved glyphosate for use as an herbicide in 1974. A 2020 review by the agency, conducted during the first Trump administration, determined that glyphosate did not pose a risk to human health if used according to directions. But that conclusion was overturned by a 2022 federal court of appeals, which ruled that EPA failed to consider whether the chemical causes cancer or endangers wildlife.
Emergency helicopter transport used less for Asian, Black patients
People of color are significantly less likely to be airlifted to hospitals during medical emergencies, new research finds.
Published Jan. 22 in JAMA Surgery, the study looked at data on severely injured patients from more thaen 450 U.S. trauma centers, finding consistent racial and ethnic disparities.
While white people who experienced a traumatic injury were transported via helicopter in about 22% of incidents, Asian people were airlifted only about 7% of the time and Black people about 9%. Disparities were also seen for Hispanic people compared to whites, but the difference was less pronounced, the researchers said.
The differences by race and ethnicity were widest at Level 1 trauma centers, which provide the highest level of trauma care, and teaching hospitals, which provide training and education to medical students.
Patients transported by helicopter were less likely to die than patients transported by ambulance.
Overall, trauma victims were likely to be male and have an average age of 47. Patients of color were generally younger than white patients, with a higher proportion of Black and Hispanic people ages 22 to 34. Black patients were more likely to have experienced penetrating injuries and assaults.
The researchers called for better reporting of major incidents, updated triage guidelines and more training for emergency medical staff.
Heavier rains polluting water in minority communities with E. coli
Extreme rain is putting communities of color in Texas at higher risk of exposure to E. coli via water, a recent study finds.
As climate change makes heavy rains more common in the state, E. coli is increasingly contaminating lakes, rivers and other recreational water bodies, said the study, which was published in Science of The Total Environment. Recreational waters with high levels of contamination are more likely to be located near communities of color, 20 years of monitoring data showed.
E. coli pollution varied by the time of year, with the greatest impact during the dry seasons. In late summer, predominantly Hispanic communities in the southern and western parts of Texas experienced disproportionately higher E. coli increases following intense storms. But in the winter, predominantly Black communities in the north and east part of the state had the highest levels of rain-fueled E. coli pollution.
High bacteria levels cause 44% of all water impairment in Texas, according to the state’s Commission on Environmental Quality. E. coli and other bacteria reach recreational waters during rainstorms from agricultural runoff, sewage overflows, wastewater treatment plant discharges and other sources. About a third of streams in Texas are estimated to be polluted by bacteria.
Another study by the same research team, published in the fall in the Journal of Environmental Management, found economically disadvantaged communities were more likely to be located near recreational water with high concentrations of E. coli.
As the climate continues to change, greater rainfall intensity could worsen inequalities in exposure to the bacteria, the researchers said.
Other recent public health news of note includes:
• Primary care doctors who are affiliated with hospitals or private equity firms have higher prices for health care services than physicians in independent settings, new research in JAMA Health Forum reports. Compared to independent primary care physicians, office visit prices were 11% higher for doctors affiliated with hospitals and 8% higher for those affiliated with private equity firms. Nearly half of all U.S. primary care physicians are affiliated with hospitals, and numbers of private equity-affiliated doctors are increasing as practices are acquired by for-profit companies.
• New findings in Occupational & Environmental Medicine show exposure to moderately high noise at work during pregnancy raises risks for gestational diabetes. Occupational noise at 80 decibels, such as from vacuum cleaners, washing machines or garbage disposals, is considered moderately high. Federal guidance recommends workers not be exposed to noise at or above 85 decibels averaged over an eight-hour shift.
• Animal and insect behavior is in the Arctic is changing with climate change, introducing new and unrecognized health risks to humans who live in the region, reports a review in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
• Exposure to volatile organic compounds is associated with liver damage, a study published Jan. 16 in Frontiers in Public Health finds. VOCs, which are chemicals released by sources such as cigarette smoke, car exhaust and industrial emissions, can raise risks for fatty liver disease and liver scarring known as fibrosis, researchers found.
• Severe droughts are becoming hotter, longer and increasingly devastating as climate change worsens, according to a Jan. 16 study in Science. The “megadroughts” are depleting soil moisture and reducing streamflow, which harms crops and depletes water supplies, researchers said.
The Watch is written by Michele Late, who has more than two decades of experience as a public health journalist.