Harm Reduction and Eco-defense in Appalachia

 

WASHINGTON, DC – February 7, 2024 – On February 7^th, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Biden Administration issued a new rule that sets tougher standards for soot pollution. Reducing fine particulate pollution (soot) from tailpipes, smokestacks and other industrial sources can improve America’s health. Soot inhalation is associated with many health problems including heart disease and lung cancer. Soot is the popular term for fine particulate matter up to 2.5 microns in diameter, much smaller than a human hair. When we inhale, these particles can travel to narrow passages in the lung.

EPA administrator Michael Regan said that the new restrictions can save $46 billion in health benefits and can prevent more than 4 thousand premature deaths and 800 thousand asthma attacks. Regan adds that vulnerable groups will benefit including children, seniors, persons with heart and lung disease, and persons suffering from environmental injustice from industrial pollution like low-resource and minority communities.

The rule sets an air quality level that states and counties must achieve to reduce pollution from motor vehicles, industrial sites, and wildfires. The most recent restrictions were set down 12 years ago by the Obama administration. The new rule sets maximum levels of 9 micrograms of fine particulate pollution per cubic meter of air, down from 12 micrograms. Technical improvements have allowed for soot restrictions to be lowered, so soot pollution has decreased by more than 40% since 2000.

The EPA will sample air quality to identify counties and regions that do not meet the new standard. Offending states will have 18 months to develop a compliance plan for those regions. Penalties will be imposed on states who do not meet the new standard by 2032. The EPA expects that almost every county in the U.S. will meet the standard. Each state EPA department will be able to develop local rules to target point-source polluters like power plants, specific motor vehicles, and other industrial sources.

According to the American Lung Association’s 2023 annual report, more than 60 million people live in counties that have polluted air from daily spikes of soot and almost 19 million persons live in counties whose air exceeds the annual limit for soot pollution. People of color were almost 4 times more likely than white people to live in a county with poor air quality.

Many industry groups feel that the stricter pollution restrictions can lead to loss of manufacturing jobs, threaten economic growth, and may result in the closure of power plants and refineries. However, President Biden disagrees. He told reporters on February 6^th that “healthy people equal a healthy economy. We do not have to sacrifice people to have a prosperous and booming economy.”

 

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Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

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ASHEVILLE, NC – The 10^th annual Women’s Health Awareness Conference is happening on Saturday April 13^th at the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) at 121 Henderson Road in Asheville. This is a great opportunity for free health screenings and to learn about women’s health, healthy living, and local health resources. There will be many exhibitors from around the state and locally who support women’s health. This event is free!

Topics covered in the conference include current healthcare issues that can impact women across the country and subjects that previous attendees wanted to know more about. All women from western North Carolina are encouraged to attend. The conference is trying to reach women from minority and vulnerable groups.

Free breast cancer screenings are available with 3D mammograms provided by UNC Health Pardee. In order to be considered for this service, registration and an eligibility questionnaire must be completed by March 15^th.

The lead sponsor is the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. This is a division within the National Institutes of Health. Local partners include Buncombe County Public Health Department, MAHEC, UNC Asheville, and Western North Carolina Health Policy Initiative.

The conference runs from 8 am to 5 pm. Although anyone can attend, registration is required. Interested persons can register at: www.niehs.nih.gov/womanshealthawareness. Early registration ends on March 15, but people may register on-site on the day of the event.

 

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Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

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 ASHEVILLE, NC –  February 14, 2024 – There was a surge of respiratory viral infections due to an increase in indoor gatherings and travel during the holidays; however, we are past the holiday season peak.

The COVID-19 metrics are on the CDC’s COVID Dashboard. For the week ending on February 3^rd   

• Hospital admission levels are low in 80% of the counties in North Carolina, including Buncombe County, and high in 0%. They are low in more than 90% of the counties in the U.S. and high in less than 1%. Admissions have decreased in the U.S. by more than 10%, are unchanged in North Carolina and increased in Buncombe County from the previous week.
• About 3% of the deaths in North Carolina were due to COVID, the 3^rd lowest level of 6 groups and less than last week.
• Emergency room visits for COVID-19 are low in North Carolina. This represents about 2% of all ER visits and less than the previous week.

Wastewater monitoring can be used to provide early warning for COVID outbreaks. The Buncombe & Henderson counties wastewater data for the week ending on January 31^st is on the North Carolina COVID Dashboard.

• The number of viral gene copies in each water sample is at a red level representing the highest level of 5 groups, currently between the 80^th and 100^th percentile relative to the past level measured at the same site.
• The 15-day rate of change of the number of viral gene copies in each water sample has decreased from the previous week, at -99% to -10%, the lowest level of 2 groups for a negative rate of change.

The CDC’s weekly flu surveillance report for the week ending on February 3^rd indicates that levels are either high or very high for most southern states from New Mexico to the East coast. North Carolina is at a high level.

The CDC reports that the 3-week average for the percent positivity for RSV PCR tests in North Carolina reached a peak of almost 15% around Thanksgiving. The most recent report for the week ending on February 3^rd shows that percent positivity continues to decrease to less than 3%.

The North Carolina Respiratory Virus Summary Dashboard for the week ending on February 3^rd shows that

• The percentage of emergency room visits for people with respiratory virus symptoms has decreased.
• Hospital admissions have decreased for COVID and the flu.
• There were more admissions for COVID than the flu.

Dr. Mandy Cohen, the CDC director, told Yahoo Life, if you are starting to feel sick with a cough, sore throat or fever: get tested, get treatment, and stay home.

 

Listen to the full report below:

 

 

Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour