Via Data is Plural: “Through the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, the Environmental Protection Agency “collect[s] data for contaminants that are suspected to be present in drinking water and do not have health-based standards set under the Safe Drinking Water Act.” The current version of the rule requires public water systems to test for lithium and 29 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, better known as PFAS. (Prior iterations, which go back to the early 2000s, have tested for other contaminants.) The EPA publishes the data collected, with the most detailed files listing each sample, its public water system, facility, sampling point, sample date, contaminant tested, concentration detected, and more. Related: Last week, the EPA finalized its first-ever limits for PFAS in drinking water. [h/t Lisa Sorg]
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Category Archives: Health Care
Child Opportunity Score for 100 largest US metros
Axios: “Metro areas across the South and Southwest, with few exceptions, offer worse conditions for children to grow up healthy and become successful adults, according to data from researchers at Brandeis University. Why it matters: The Child Opportunity Index seeks to quantify childhood opportunity based on education, health care and the environment, Axios’ Alex Fitzpatrick,… Continue Reading
US drug shortages reach record high with 323 meds now in short supply
Ars Technica: “Drug shortages in the US have reached an all-time high, with 323 active and ongoing shortages already tallied this year, according to data collected by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). The current drug shortage total surpasses the previous record of 320, set in 2014, and is the highest recorded since ASHP… Continue Reading
Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, April 13, 2024
Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, April 13, 2024 – Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, finance, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly complex… Continue Reading
The Global State of Social Connections
“Social needs are universal, and the degree to which they are fulfilled — or not — impacts the health, well-being and resilience of people everywhere. With increasing global interest in understanding how social connections support or hinder health, policymakers worldwide may benefit from reliable data on the current state of social connectedness. Despite the critical… Continue Reading
Report – Legal treatment of embryos created through IVF
In Custodia Legis: “In vitro fertilization (IVF) is an assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedure that involves the “joining of a woman’s egg and a man’s sperm in a laboratory dish.” The MedicinePlus website explains that “[i]n vitro means outside the body. Fertilization means the sperm has attached to and entered the egg.” The procedure can… Continue Reading
96% of US hospital websites share visitor info with Meta, Google, data brokers
The Register: “Hospitals – despite being places where people implicitly expect to have their personal details kept private – frequently use tracking technologies on their websites to share user information with Google, Meta, data brokers, and other third parties, according to research published today. Academics at the University of Pennsylvania analyzed a nationally representative sample… Continue Reading
What you need to know about the plastic crisis
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): “Global annual production of plastic has increased exponentially over the past 65 years, growing from 2 million metric tons in 1950 to 460 million metric tons in 2019. Much of this plastic quickly becomes waste, and plastic waste is found everywhere, including the farthest reaches of the Arctic, the deep seabed, and even… Continue Reading
Supreme Court will decide if states can ban lifesaving abortions
Vox: “Moyle v. United States should have been a very easy case. A federal law, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), requires nearly all hospitals to provide “such treatment as may be required to stabilize the medical condition” of “any individual” who arrives at the hospital’s ER with an “emergency medical condition.” Though… Continue Reading
2024 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week Resource Guide
“The 2024 theme asks all of us—friends, family members, neighbors, colleagues, community leaders, victim service providers, criminal justice practitioners, and health professionals—how we can help crime victims. Are you prepared if someone confides in you about a victimization? Is your organization victim-centered and trauma-informed? Are you familiar with the services available in your community? The… Continue Reading
Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, April 6, 2024
Via LLRX – Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, April 6, 202 – Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, finance, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on… Continue Reading
Illegal Gun Cases Tracked by ATF Were Involved in Black Market Sales
The New York Times [unpaywalled]: “Four in 10 illegal gun cases tracked by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were involved in black market sales, including from shadow dealers who used a legal loophole to evade background checks, according to an analysis of firearms trafficking released on Thursday. About another 40 percent of… Continue Reading
