Record Heat Wave Hits The West; Utility Suppliers Threaten Shut-Offs

The Washington Post:
Record-Setting Heat Blasts The West: ‘Your Skin Is Almost Sizzling’ 

Hundreds of thousands of blasting air conditioners strained electrical grids, prompting Texas and California utilities to threaten shut-offs. The Nationwide Climate Service in Las Vegas tweeted all-caps appeals for residents to remain hydrated and keep inside: “Lengthy period warmth waves are DEADLY.” Docs from Palm Springs to Phoenix warned about pavement so scorching it may give individuals third-degree burns. Fueled by local weather change, the primary main warmth wave of the summer time has seized the western United States, toppling data and threatening lives. The occasion is unprecedented in its timing, depth and scope, stated Washington State College local weather scientist Deepti Singh; by no means have such extreme circumstances been recorded over such a big space so early in the summertime. (Kaplan, 6/17)

In different information about environmental well being —

AP:
Foam Containing ‘Forever Chemicals’ Used Against Plant Fire

An organization employed to assist extinguish a hearth that gutted a northern Illinois chemical plant this week used foam containing poisonous compounds which have tainted floor waters and groundwater throughout the U.S., officers stated Thursday. The non-public contractor sprayed the froth for about three hours Tuesday on the Chemtool Inc. manufacturing unit close to Rockton, regardless of issues raised by authorities regulators the day before today, the U.S. Environmental Safety Company informed The Related Press. (Flesher, 6/18)

NBC News:
A Hacker Tried To Poison A Calif. Water Supply. It Was As Easy As Entering A Password.

On Jan. 15, a hacker tried to poison a water therapy plant that served components of the San Francisco Bay Space. It did not appear onerous. The hacker had the username and password for a former worker’s TeamViewer account, a well-liked program that lets customers remotely management their computer systems, based on a non-public report compiled by the Northern California Regional Intelligence Middle in February and seen by NBC Information. (Collier, 6/17)

NBC News:
‘All The Water’s Bad’: In McDowell County, You Have To Get Creative To Find Safe Drinking Water

Each week, Burlyn Cooper parks on the sting of a winding two-lane street, unloads a dozen plastic jugs from the trunk of his automotive, and makes use of a hose to fill them with the spring water that drips from a mountain’s uncovered rock face. For Cooper and lots of of his neighbors, the mountain’s runoff is their most dependable, and trusted, supply of ingesting water. “I’ve obtained so used to it, I would not know tips on how to act, to show the tap on and have good water,” he stated. “I can not think about it.” (Rappleye and Kaplan, 6/17)

In different public well being information —

Politico:
Child Tax Credit Checks Could Come As A Surprise To Some 

The Biden administration is getting ready to ship cash to tens of millions of Individuals — together with to some who might not need it. Its plan to have individuals declare a portion of their baby tax credit score every month, beginning in July, is primarily designed to supply a gentle stream of money to low-income Individuals. However the administration intends to mechanically enroll everybody who takes the credit score — some 50 million households, incomes as much as $400,000 — within the month-to-month fee program until they choose out. (Faler, 6/17)

Philadelphia Inquirer:
Poverty And Trauma Affect Kids Physically, Too, Including When Molars Emerge, Penn Study Shows

Poverty and trauma take greater than psychological tolls on kids. Childhood adversity impacts youngsters’ bodily improvement too, and new analysis suggests it leaves its mark in an surprising place: tooth. In a examine printed this month, College of Pennsylvania scientists discovered that youngsters who’re uncovered to vital stressors typically see their first molars emerge sooner than less-stressed kids. Molar development may very well be accelerated by months in some Black or Hispanic youngsters or these from decrease earnings households. Whereas the explanations are nonetheless unclear, the examine confirms years of analysis exhibiting that adversity and inequity have an effect on the physique — and it begins early. (Nathan, 6/18)

The Washington Post:
How To Take Better Care Of Your Teeth After Skipping Dental Checkups During Covid 

Past its psychological toll, the coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on our our bodies: Many individuals have placed on kilos, picked at their pores and skin, damaged their toes — and, based on dentists, broken their tooth. As extra Individuals return to dental places of work, practitioners say they’re seeing a big rise in tooth-grinding and jaw-clenching possible introduced on by pandemic-related stress and nervousness. They’re additionally seeing a rise in cavities and gum illness that could be as a result of a mixture of lapsed appointments, pandemic consuming and ingesting habits, and less-than-stellar brushing and flossing. (Chiu, 6/17)

Fox News:
Intermittent Fasting ‘No Magic Bullet’ For Weight Loss, Researchers Say

Whereas a most well-liked technique of many dieters, intermittent fasting will not be the simplest option to drop extra pounds. A examine printed in Science Translational Drugs is difficult the long-held perception that fasting gives higher outcomes than conventional calorie restriction diets based mostly on a three-week-long experiment. The examine, which was performed by a crew of physiologists on the College of Bathtub’s Centre for Vitamin, Train & Metabolism (CNEM), cut up 36 lean, wholesome adults into three teams. Group 1 fasted on alternate days with their quick day adopted by a day of consuming 50% greater than ordinary. Group 2 decreased energy throughout all meals every single day by 25%. Group 3 fasted on alternate days like Group 1, however adopted their quick day with in the future consuming 100% greater than ordinary. (Hein, 6/17)

In updates on the opioid trial in West Virginia —

Charleston Gazette-Mail:
Health Economist Puts Harm Of Prescription Opioids In Cabell, Huntington At More Than $3 Billion

The estimated price ticket on the hurt attributable to prescription opioids within the Cabell County-Huntington group is greater than $3 billion, based on a Harvard College well being economist who testified Thursday within the federal trial towards the prescription drug wholesalers accused of fueling the opioid epidemic. Thomas McGuire, professor of well being economics at Harvard Medical College, introduced an financial valuation of roughly $3.3 billion attributed to the hurt attributable to prescription opioids within the Cabell-Huntington group. Roughly $2.8 billion of that whole is attributed to lives misplaced, whereas the rest is tied to extra well being care prices in Cabell County. (Serre, 6/17)