A weekly roundup of public health news
Hotter temperatures increasing ED visits
Increasing temperatures are sending more people in the U.S. to hospital emergency departments, new research shows.
Published July 30 in Science Advances, the study found that as human-caused climate change raised daily temperatures from 2006 to 2017 in California, ED visits climbed as well.
Overall, ED visits in the state rose from about 1,940 per 100,000 people per month in 2006 to about 2,530 per 100,000 people per month in 2017, keeping pace with an increase in temperatures, researchers said.
Most of the increases in ED visits involved young children, who are at high risk of illness from hotter temperatures. ED visits by children under age 5 accounted for 40% of the extra visits on the hottest days, the study found. As their bodies are less able to regulate temperature, children are more vulnerable to heat stroke and death from increasing heat. They are also at high risk of becoming sick from poor air quality during heat waves.
Based on their findings, the researchers estimated costs for ED visits could be expected to increase by $52 billion in the U.S. by 2050 as the nation continues to warm.
Small microplastics common in indoor air
People are breathing a lot more microplastics deep into their lungs than previously thought, according to new science in PLOS One.
The study, published July 30, estimated that people inhale 68,000 lung-penetrating microplastics every day while in their homes and cars. That number is 100 times higher than estimated by previous research, which generally focused on airborne bits of plastic that were 20 micrometers in diameter or larger.
The new research focused on particles that are 10 micrometers across or less, which are more likely to penetrate the lungs. More than 90% of the microplastic particles researchers detected in the air inside homes and cars were smaller than that size. Microplastic concentration in apartment air samples averaged nearly 530 particles per cubic meter, while car concentrations averaged about 2,240 particles per cubic meter, due in part to enclosed, smaller space in cars.
Microplastics in indoor air come from the breakdown of textiles and building materials as well as contamination from outdoor air. As people in the U.S. spend most of their time indoors, the findings raise concerns about health impacts, researchers said.
Noise pollution a problem for people of color
People of color are more likely to be exposed to noise pollution at both work and home, a new study says.
Black and Hispanic Americans are at highest risk of noise pollution, particularly in urban areas, according to the research in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology.
Urban areas that experienced segregation and mortgage discrimination nearly 100 years ago — which are also more likely to be home to populations of color today — experience the highest levels of noise pollution, largely from transportation.
The study also found people of color also experience higher rates of noise in the workplace, such as through their work in construction, landscaping and transportation. Most people spend at least a third of their time at work.
About 100 million Americans are regularly exposed to noise pollution, with transportation-related noise linked to cardiovascular disease, hearing loss, and cognitive impairment.
Other recent public health news of note includes:
• Firefighters are exposed to a range of hazards while on the job. A new study says chemicals found in the foams they use to fight fires may be harming them at the genetic level. The research, published in Environmental Research, said that exposure to the chemicals, known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, can change the way genes linked to cancer work, potentially raising risks for disease.
The same group of chemicals, also known as PFAS, can also hinder immunity among children, says another recent study. Published in Environmental Health Perspectives, the research found that children who had been exposed to high levels of PFAS while in utero had fewer cells in infancy that produce strong, long‑lasting antibodies. PFAS chemicals, which are found in stain- and water-resistant cookware, textiles and other products, may cross the placenta and breast milk and damage growing fetuses, researchers said.
• Disadvantaged people who live along the U.S. Gulf Coast are at high risk of experiencing long power outages, says new research in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications. People residing in Texas counties bordering the Gulf, in southern and central Florida, near the Mississippi River and throughout Louisiana and Mississippi were at particularly high risk. The longest power outages were associated with hurricanes and heat waves, both of which are growing in intensity and frequency with human-caused climate change.
• Long-term exposure to outdoor air pollution is linked to increased risk of dementia, according to new research in The Lancet Planetary Health that looked at studies involving nearly 30 million people. The highest risks came from exposure to fine-particle pollution, also known as PM2.5. For every 10 micrograms per cubic meter of PM2.5, dementia risks increased by 17%, while exposure to soot increased risks 13%. The pollutants come from sources such as vehicle emissions, power plants, industrial processes and wildfires. As the world’s population ages, the number of people with dementia is expected to triple to more than 152 million by 2050.
• Global warming is making it harder for children to learn. A new study in PLOS Climate finds long-term exposure to high heat hurts thinking, particularly for complex subjects such as math. Previous research has found high heat hurts memory, information processing and knowledge retention.
• Research published Aug. 1 in Science Advances finds that when tropical cyclones hit, higher heart disease hospitalization rates soon follow. Researchers examined data on storms in six countries, finding hospitalizations for cardiovascular diseases such as stroke increased for up to six months after a cyclone occurred. Cyclones, which are becoming stronger and more frequent with climate change, can damage health care infrastructure, causing people to delay health care, researchers noted.
The Watch is written by Michele Late, who has more than two decades of experience as a public health journalist.