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"slug": "heres-what-happened-when-scientists-tested-the-air-with-my-gas-stove-on",
"title": "Here's What Happened When Scientists Tested the Air With My Gas Stove On",
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"content": "\u003cp>Gas stoves emit a host of pollution that is unhealthy for you, from gases that irritate your lungs to carcinogens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a climate reporter who covers indoor air quality, I’ve read \u003ca href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0013935117300750\">study\u003c/a> after \u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9819315/\">study\u003c/a> about the negative health impacts of cooking with gas. Not to mention their impact on the \u003ca href=\"https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2022/01/rethinking-cooking-gas\">planet\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And a majority of Californians, \u003ca href=\"https://www.eia.gov/consumption/residential/data/2020/state/pdf/State%20Appliances.pdf\">roughly 70% (PDF)\u003c/a>, use gas stoves. They’re one of the only gas appliances we use that vent inside our homes. National and state codes dictate that gas furnaces, water heaters and dryers all vent their exhaust outside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There was a lot of noise around the health of gas stoves last year after \u003ca href=\"https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/1/75\">research\u003c/a> came out, attributing roughly 13% of current childhood asthma cases in the U.S. to the appliances. Reports circled that a member of the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission said a \u003ca href=\"https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-01-09/us-safety-agency-to-consider-ban-on-gas-stoves-amid-health-fears?utm_source=website&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=twitter&sref=wINQCNXe\">ban\u003c/a> on gas stoves was on the table. Conservatives falsely claimed the Biden administration was out for the appliances, and a Republican Congressman \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/RonnyJacksonTX/status/1612839703018934274\">wrote on social media platform X\u003c/a> that his stove would need to be pried “from my cold dead hands.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So I wanted to see what really happened in my own home, a place I share with my husband and two kids, one of whom has asthma. Just how bad was our own gas stove?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I invited over two scientists from research nonprofit \u003ca href=\"https://www.psehealthyenergy.org/\">PSE Healthy Energy\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=PmfHsWEAAAAJ&hl=en\">Eric Lebel\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=J6lURzMAAAAJ&hl=en\">Yannai Kashtan\u003c/a>, who’ve also published extensive \u003ca href=\"https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=PmfHsWEAAAAJ&hl=en\">research\u003c/a> on the topic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They suggested we run our own experiments: to test the air in my home when cooking with a plug-in induction cooktop versus a gas stove, to cook with the hood on versus off, and to simulate preparing a bountiful holiday meal with multiple burners ablaze and the oven on high.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While I had some guesses about what would happen, the results still surprised me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995342\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995342\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/AlessandroCitterio_PSE_064.jpg\" alt=\"A person holds a machine near a gas stove.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1332\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/AlessandroCitterio_PSE_064.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/AlessandroCitterio_PSE_064-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/AlessandroCitterio_PSE_064-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/AlessandroCitterio_PSE_064-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/AlessandroCitterio_PSE_064-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/AlessandroCitterio_PSE_064-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/AlessandroCitterio_PSE_064-1920x1279.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">PSE researchers Nicole Lucha (left) and Jackson Goldman collect a sample of unburned gas from a stove for analysis. \u003ccite>(Courtesy: Alessandro Citterio/PSE Healthy Energy)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>A mobile lab\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Lebel and Kashtan rolled up on a rainy and cold November morning with what was essentially a mobile air testing lab in the back of a car.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They unlooped three long, clear tubes and wove them from the car, through our front doorway, and into three separate rooms: the kitchen, living room and kids’ room. The open ends of the tubes pulled air from inside the house to analyzers in the back of the car outside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To eliminate any false readings from other gas sources, we made sure to turn off the furnace and water heater. The car with the analyzers, while parked and off, was electric.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gas stoves can emit a whole bunch of pollutants, including carbon monoxide and methane.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While we measured those gases, we largely focused on nitrogen dioxide, which irritates your respiratory system, and benzene, a carcinogen. These are the two pollutants with demonstrative health effects that scientists at PSE Healthy Energy find most frequently.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The World Health Organization sets guidelines for safe exposure to nitrogen dioxide and benzene:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Nitrogen dioxide, exposure for a short time of an hour: 100 parts per billion\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Nitrogen dioxide, chronic exposure: 5.3 parts per billion\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Benzene: “\u003ca href=\"https://www.who.int/teams/environment-climate-change-and-health/chemical-safety-and-health/health-impacts/chemicals/benzene#:~:text=Interventions%20to%20reduce%20both%20work,containing%20products%2C%20promoting%20building%20codes\">No safe level\u003c/a> can be recommended”\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>That means if I’m baking cookies and frying potato pancakes and spike the level of nitrogen dioxide in the air up past 100 ppb, WHO recommends I only breathe that in for an hour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if I’m always breathing in more than 5.3 ppb, I need to figure out some better form of ventilation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nitrogen dioxide “is one of the clearest things that negatively impacts our respiratory health,” said Carlos Gould, assistant professor at UC San Diego School of Public Health. “It makes your respiratory system, your throat, your lungs really angry.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Studies dating back \u003ca href=\"https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/full/10.1513/AnnalsATS.202306-533VP\">to the 1970s\u003c/a> have found an association between nitrogen dioxide and respiratory issues like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As we move through the world, we’ll inevitably be exposed to all kinds of pollutants. These guidelines can help us try to minimize our risks of exposure. You’re not doomed if you breathe in a high amount of nitrogen dioxide for over an hour, but it would be better if you didn’t.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Experiment #1: Induction cooktop, hood off\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1995354\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0872.jpg\" alt=\"Illustration of induction burner. Text saying: Induction burner, no hood. How long did it take to reach unhealthy levels? It didn't.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1240\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0872.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0872-800x517.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0872-1020x659.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0872-160x103.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0872-768x496.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0872-1536x992.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">We filled up a large pot with six cups of water. We turned a portable, plug-in induction cooktop on high and waited. No windows were open, and the hood was off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The charts tracking emissions were all flat: nitrogen dioxide, benzene and other pollutants remained the same. The only thing to nudge up slightly was carbon dioxide, and that was from us, three people and one dog, exhaling in the kitchen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Exceeds WHO’s chronic nitrogen dioxide guideline (5.3 ppb): did not exceed\u003cbr>\nExceeds WHO’s short-term nitrogen dioxide guideline (100 ppb): did not exceed\u003cbr>\nChanges in benzene level at 15 minutes: 0\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Experiment #2: One gas burner, hood off\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1995355\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0870.jpg\" alt=\"Hood off. One gas burner. How long did it take to reach unhealthy levels? 9 minutes.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1240\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0870.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0870-800x517.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0870-1020x659.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0870-160x103.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0870-768x496.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0870-1536x992.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">We set up the same pot with six cups of water, setting one burner on the gas stove on high to boil the liquid. No windows were open, and the hood was off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nitrogen dioxide levels shot up fast, surpassing chronic WHO guidelines for chronic exposure in minutes. Benzene remained low compared to numbers scientists have measured \u003ca href=\"https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.2c09289\">from other stoves\u003c/a> but still increased.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The gases quickly spread throughout the house, including our kids’ bedroom. “What we find pretty consistently is that the pollution spreads pretty evenly, pretty quickly,” said scientist Kashtan, who’s led several studies about the pollution created by gas stoves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Exceeds WHO’s chronic nitrogen dioxide guideline (5.3 ppb): 9 minutes\u003cbr>\nExceeds WHO’s short-term nitrogen dioxide guideline (100 ppb): 33 minutes\u003cbr>\nChanges in benzene level at 15 minutes: +0.15 ppb\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Experiment #3: One gas burner, hood on\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1995356\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0869.jpg\" alt=\"Hood on. One gas burner. How long did it take to reach unhealthy levels? 9 minutes. But hood kept higher levels of pollution down. \" width=\"1920\" height=\"1240\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0869.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0869-800x517.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0869-1020x659.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0869-160x103.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0869-768x496.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0869-1536x992.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">We aired out the house and set up the same experiment again but with the hood on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Initially, nitrogen dioxide increased quickly but then slowed significantly. The hood seemed to hold the higher concentrations of nitrogen dioxide down by at least a half, and in some cases more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Exceeds WHO’s chronic nitrogen dioxide guideline (5.3 ppb): 9 minutes\u003cbr>\nExceeds WHO’s short-term nitrogen dioxide guideline (100 ppb): did not exceed\u003cbr>\nChanges in benzene level at 15 minutes: +0.05 ppb\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Experiment #4: Holiday cooking with oven and two gas burners, hood on\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1995357\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0871.jpg\" alt=\"Hood on. Two gas burners. Oven on 425. How long did it take to reach unhealthy levels? 4 minutes.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1240\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0871.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0871-800x517.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0871-1020x659.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0871-160x103.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0871-768x496.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0871-1536x992.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">With the oven on at 425 degrees Fahrenheit and two burners alight, the pollution levels bounced up within minutes despite the hood venting air outside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levels of nitrogen dioxide ballooned above what is healthy, even temporarily. In our particular home, the pollution continued to accumulate in our living room, where presumably people would be gathering before a holiday meal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Exceeds WHO’s chronic nitrogen dioxide guideline (5.3 ppb): 4 minutes\u003cbr>\nExceeds WHO’s short-term nitrogen dioxide guideline (100 ppb): did not exceed but hovered up in the 90s\u003cbr>\nChanges in benzene level at 15 minutes: +0.06 ppb\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The takeaways\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Overall, indoor air pollution was nearly zero when cooking with induction. The next best option was using just one burner with the hood on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A single burner without the hood on and two burners plus the oven with the hood on both spiked pollution quickly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our experiments showed me the value of limiting how often I use our gas stove and that I could reduce the risk of exposure to harmful gases by using a plug-in single burner cooktop or other electric appliances like a slow cooker more frequently than the gas range. It reiterated the importance of turning on the hood (though it is noisy) and ventilating the house, even when it’s cold.[aside tag=\"gas, electricity\" label=\"Related Stories\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the large increases in nitrogen dioxide and small increases in benzene did not surprise me, I was completely shocked at how quickly and evenly the pollution spread from the kitchen to other rooms in our home. One tube was taking readings from the side of my toddler’s crib, and seeing numbers of pollutants there move skyward was unsettling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While my house is just one example, measured over just one morning, it lines up with research.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is just one data point among a wide published body of literature that shares the scientific findings that we’ve come to,” senior scientist Eric Lebel said upon reviewing the results.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Put aside the culture wars. Put aside the planet-warming emissions. Gas stoves emit a host of pollution that is unhealthy for you, from gases that irritate your lungs to carcinogens. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Gas stoves emit a host of pollution that is unhealthy for you, from gases that irritate your lungs to carcinogens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a climate reporter who covers indoor air quality, I’ve read \u003ca href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0013935117300750\">study\u003c/a> after \u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9819315/\">study\u003c/a> about the negative health impacts of cooking with gas. Not to mention their impact on the \u003ca href=\"https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2022/01/rethinking-cooking-gas\">planet\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And a majority of Californians, \u003ca href=\"https://www.eia.gov/consumption/residential/data/2020/state/pdf/State%20Appliances.pdf\">roughly 70% (PDF)\u003c/a>, use gas stoves. They’re one of the only gas appliances we use that vent inside our homes. National and state codes dictate that gas furnaces, water heaters and dryers all vent their exhaust outside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There was a lot of noise around the health of gas stoves last year after \u003ca href=\"https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/1/75\">research\u003c/a> came out, attributing roughly 13% of current childhood asthma cases in the U.S. to the appliances. Reports circled that a member of the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission said a \u003ca href=\"https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-01-09/us-safety-agency-to-consider-ban-on-gas-stoves-amid-health-fears?utm_source=website&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=twitter&sref=wINQCNXe\">ban\u003c/a> on gas stoves was on the table. Conservatives falsely claimed the Biden administration was out for the appliances, and a Republican Congressman \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/RonnyJacksonTX/status/1612839703018934274\">wrote on social media platform X\u003c/a> that his stove would need to be pried “from my cold dead hands.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So I wanted to see what really happened in my own home, a place I share with my husband and two kids, one of whom has asthma. Just how bad was our own gas stove?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I invited over two scientists from research nonprofit \u003ca href=\"https://www.psehealthyenergy.org/\">PSE Healthy Energy\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=PmfHsWEAAAAJ&hl=en\">Eric Lebel\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=J6lURzMAAAAJ&hl=en\">Yannai Kashtan\u003c/a>, who’ve also published extensive \u003ca href=\"https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=PmfHsWEAAAAJ&hl=en\">research\u003c/a> on the topic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They suggested we run our own experiments: to test the air in my home when cooking with a plug-in induction cooktop versus a gas stove, to cook with the hood on versus off, and to simulate preparing a bountiful holiday meal with multiple burners ablaze and the oven on high.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While I had some guesses about what would happen, the results still surprised me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995342\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995342\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/AlessandroCitterio_PSE_064.jpg\" alt=\"A person holds a machine near a gas stove.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1332\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/AlessandroCitterio_PSE_064.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/AlessandroCitterio_PSE_064-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/AlessandroCitterio_PSE_064-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/AlessandroCitterio_PSE_064-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/AlessandroCitterio_PSE_064-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/AlessandroCitterio_PSE_064-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/AlessandroCitterio_PSE_064-1920x1279.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">PSE researchers Nicole Lucha (left) and Jackson Goldman collect a sample of unburned gas from a stove for analysis. \u003ccite>(Courtesy: Alessandro Citterio/PSE Healthy Energy)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>A mobile lab\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Lebel and Kashtan rolled up on a rainy and cold November morning with what was essentially a mobile air testing lab in the back of a car.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They unlooped three long, clear tubes and wove them from the car, through our front doorway, and into three separate rooms: the kitchen, living room and kids’ room. The open ends of the tubes pulled air from inside the house to analyzers in the back of the car outside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To eliminate any false readings from other gas sources, we made sure to turn off the furnace and water heater. The car with the analyzers, while parked and off, was electric.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gas stoves can emit a whole bunch of pollutants, including carbon monoxide and methane.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While we measured those gases, we largely focused on nitrogen dioxide, which irritates your respiratory system, and benzene, a carcinogen. These are the two pollutants with demonstrative health effects that scientists at PSE Healthy Energy find most frequently.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The World Health Organization sets guidelines for safe exposure to nitrogen dioxide and benzene:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Nitrogen dioxide, exposure for a short time of an hour: 100 parts per billion\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Nitrogen dioxide, chronic exposure: 5.3 parts per billion\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Benzene: “\u003ca href=\"https://www.who.int/teams/environment-climate-change-and-health/chemical-safety-and-health/health-impacts/chemicals/benzene#:~:text=Interventions%20to%20reduce%20both%20work,containing%20products%2C%20promoting%20building%20codes\">No safe level\u003c/a> can be recommended”\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>That means if I’m baking cookies and frying potato pancakes and spike the level of nitrogen dioxide in the air up past 100 ppb, WHO recommends I only breathe that in for an hour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if I’m always breathing in more than 5.3 ppb, I need to figure out some better form of ventilation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nitrogen dioxide “is one of the clearest things that negatively impacts our respiratory health,” said Carlos Gould, assistant professor at UC San Diego School of Public Health. “It makes your respiratory system, your throat, your lungs really angry.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Studies dating back \u003ca href=\"https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/full/10.1513/AnnalsATS.202306-533VP\">to the 1970s\u003c/a> have found an association between nitrogen dioxide and respiratory issues like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As we move through the world, we’ll inevitably be exposed to all kinds of pollutants. These guidelines can help us try to minimize our risks of exposure. You’re not doomed if you breathe in a high amount of nitrogen dioxide for over an hour, but it would be better if you didn’t.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Experiment #1: Induction cooktop, hood off\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1995354\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0872.jpg\" alt=\"Illustration of induction burner. Text saying: Induction burner, no hood. How long did it take to reach unhealthy levels? It didn't.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1240\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0872.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0872-800x517.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0872-1020x659.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0872-160x103.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0872-768x496.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0872-1536x992.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">We filled up a large pot with six cups of water. We turned a portable, plug-in induction cooktop on high and waited. No windows were open, and the hood was off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The charts tracking emissions were all flat: nitrogen dioxide, benzene and other pollutants remained the same. The only thing to nudge up slightly was carbon dioxide, and that was from us, three people and one dog, exhaling in the kitchen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Exceeds WHO’s chronic nitrogen dioxide guideline (5.3 ppb): did not exceed\u003cbr>\nExceeds WHO’s short-term nitrogen dioxide guideline (100 ppb): did not exceed\u003cbr>\nChanges in benzene level at 15 minutes: 0\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Experiment #2: One gas burner, hood off\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1995355\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0870.jpg\" alt=\"Hood off. One gas burner. How long did it take to reach unhealthy levels? 9 minutes.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1240\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0870.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0870-800x517.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0870-1020x659.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0870-160x103.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0870-768x496.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0870-1536x992.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">We set up the same pot with six cups of water, setting one burner on the gas stove on high to boil the liquid. No windows were open, and the hood was off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nitrogen dioxide levels shot up fast, surpassing chronic WHO guidelines for chronic exposure in minutes. Benzene remained low compared to numbers scientists have measured \u003ca href=\"https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.2c09289\">from other stoves\u003c/a> but still increased.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The gases quickly spread throughout the house, including our kids’ bedroom. “What we find pretty consistently is that the pollution spreads pretty evenly, pretty quickly,” said scientist Kashtan, who’s led several studies about the pollution created by gas stoves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Exceeds WHO’s chronic nitrogen dioxide guideline (5.3 ppb): 9 minutes\u003cbr>\nExceeds WHO’s short-term nitrogen dioxide guideline (100 ppb): 33 minutes\u003cbr>\nChanges in benzene level at 15 minutes: +0.15 ppb\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Experiment #3: One gas burner, hood on\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1995356\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0869.jpg\" alt=\"Hood on. One gas burner. How long did it take to reach unhealthy levels? 9 minutes. But hood kept higher levels of pollution down. \" width=\"1920\" height=\"1240\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0869.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0869-800x517.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0869-1020x659.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0869-160x103.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0869-768x496.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0869-1536x992.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">We aired out the house and set up the same experiment again but with the hood on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Initially, nitrogen dioxide increased quickly but then slowed significantly. The hood seemed to hold the higher concentrations of nitrogen dioxide down by at least a half, and in some cases more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Exceeds WHO’s chronic nitrogen dioxide guideline (5.3 ppb): 9 minutes\u003cbr>\nExceeds WHO’s short-term nitrogen dioxide guideline (100 ppb): did not exceed\u003cbr>\nChanges in benzene level at 15 minutes: +0.05 ppb\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Experiment #4: Holiday cooking with oven and two gas burners, hood on\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1995357\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0871.jpg\" alt=\"Hood on. Two gas burners. Oven on 425. How long did it take to reach unhealthy levels? 4 minutes.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1240\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0871.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0871-800x517.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0871-1020x659.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0871-160x103.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0871-768x496.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/IMG_0871-1536x992.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">With the oven on at 425 degrees Fahrenheit and two burners alight, the pollution levels bounced up within minutes despite the hood venting air outside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levels of nitrogen dioxide ballooned above what is healthy, even temporarily. In our particular home, the pollution continued to accumulate in our living room, where presumably people would be gathering before a holiday meal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Exceeds WHO’s chronic nitrogen dioxide guideline (5.3 ppb): 4 minutes\u003cbr>\nExceeds WHO’s short-term nitrogen dioxide guideline (100 ppb): did not exceed but hovered up in the 90s\u003cbr>\nChanges in benzene level at 15 minutes: +0.06 ppb\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The takeaways\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Overall, indoor air pollution was nearly zero when cooking with induction. The next best option was using just one burner with the hood on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A single burner without the hood on and two burners plus the oven with the hood on both spiked pollution quickly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our experiments showed me the value of limiting how often I use our gas stove and that I could reduce the risk of exposure to harmful gases by using a plug-in single burner cooktop or other electric appliances like a slow cooker more frequently than the gas range. It reiterated the importance of turning on the hood (though it is noisy) and ventilating the house, even when it’s cold.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the large increases in nitrogen dioxide and small increases in benzene did not surprise me, I was completely shocked at how quickly and evenly the pollution spread from the kitchen to other rooms in our home. One tube was taking readings from the side of my toddler’s crib, and seeing numbers of pollutants there move skyward was unsettling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While my house is just one example, measured over just one morning, it lines up with research.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is just one data point among a wide published body of literature that shares the scientific findings that we’ve come to,” senior scientist Eric Lebel said upon reviewing the results.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "what-is-fluoride-and-why-is-it-in-tap-water-fact-checking-rfk-jr-s-claims",
"title": "What Is Fluoride and Why Is It in Tap Water? Fact-Checking RFK Jr.’s Claims",
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"headTitle": "What Is Fluoride and Why Is It in Tap Water? Fact-Checking RFK Jr.’s Claims | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration could try to remove fluoride from drinking water, according to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kennedy, who was tapped last week by Trump to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, called fluoride an “industrial waste” and linked it to cancer and other diseases and disorders while campaigning for Trump.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water. Fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease,” Kennedy \u003ca href=\"https://archive.is/qQKgT\">wrote on Nov. 2 on the social media platform X.\u003c/a> Kennedy linked to a video from an attorney who recently \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/epa-fluoride-drinking-water-federal-court-ruling/\">successfully sued\u003c/a> the Environmental Protection Agency to take additional measures to regulate fluoride in drinking water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kennedy, who \u003ca href=\"https://www.biospace.com/the-children-s-health-defense-team-fluoridation-must-end\">has long advocated\u003c/a> ending water fluoridation, \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/NPRinskeep/status/1854190865763405861\">persisted with his pledge\u003c/a> following Trump’s election win. When asked before the election whether his administration would remove fluoride from drinking water, \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/DashaBurns/status/1853102116899860590\">Trump said\u003c/a>, “Well, I haven’t talked to him about it yet, but it sounds OK to me. You know it’s possible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kennedy is an influential vaccine skeptic whose campaign of conspiracy theories earned PolitiFact’s 2023 “\u003ca href=\"https://www.politifact.com/article/2023/dec/21/robert-f-kennedy-jrs-campaign-of-conspiracy-theori/\">Lie of the Year\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Longtime research has found that adding fluoride to U.S. drinking water is a safe way to boost children’s oral health. Since 2015, the recommended level in the U.S. has been 0.7 milligrams per liter. Public health organizations, including the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ada.org/resources/community-initiatives/fluoride-in-water\">American Dental Association\u003c/a>, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/oral-health/fluoridation/\">American Academy of Pediatrics\u003c/a> and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00056796.htm\">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention\u003c/a>, support the practice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recent studies, however, have shown possible links between fluoride and bone problems and children’s IQs, particularly when fluoride is above the U.S. recommended levels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There is evidence that fluoride exposure has been associated with the diseases [and] disorders that RFK listed but with caveats,” said Ashley Malin, who is an assistant professor in the University of Florida’s Epidemiology Department and has studied fluoride’s effects in pregnant women.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Malin referred to studies showing that higher fluoride exposure, particularly during pregnancy, is associated with reduced child IQ and that prenatal exposure is also linked to decreased intellectual functioning and executive function. For high exposure in pregnancy, the studies showed symptoms associated with other neurobehavioral issues, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, many of these studies took place in countries other than the U.S. and looked at fluoride in drinking water at sometimes twice the United States’ recommended level. Also, some of the other ailments that Kennedy listed, such as an association with bone cancer, have less robust evidence and need more study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Aside from fluoride’s impacts on neurodevelopment, I think that there is more that we don’t know about health effects of low-level fluoride exposure than what we do know, particularly for adult health outcomes,” Malin said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>David Bellinger, a Harvard Medical School neurology professor and professor in Harvard School of Public Health’s Environmental Health Department, said the risk-benefit calculation of added fluoride differs depending on whether typical fluoride exposure levels cause health problems or if problems occur only when recommended levels are exceeded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In toxicology, ‘the dose makes the poison’ is a long-standing principle,” he said. “So a general statement that fluoride is associated with diseases X, Y and Z is not very helpful unless the dose that might be responsible is specified.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PolitiFact contacted Kennedy through his Children’s Health Defense organization but received no reply. The organization sued PolitiFact and Meta related to a 2020 fact check. \u003cspan style=\"margin: 0px;padding: 0px\">A federal court \u003ca href=\"https://www.politifact.com/article/2024/aug/13/federal-appeals-court-rules-in-favor-of-politifact/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dismissed that lawsuit\u003c/a>\u003c/span>. The dismissal was upheld on appeal, and the case is pending a possible appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What is fluoride, and what are its benefits?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/11195-fluoride\">Fluoride\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/faq/index.html\">is a mineral\u003c/a> naturally occurring in soil, water and some foods that helps prevent tooth decay and cavities. It strengthens tooth enamel that acid from bacteria, plaque and sugar can wear away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Water fluoridation has been happening in the U.S. since 1945.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The federal Public Health Service first recommended fluoridation of tap water in 1962, but the decision still lies with states and municipalities. Around 72% of the U.S. population \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/about/statement-on-the-evidence-supporting-the-safety-and-effectiveness-of-community-water-fluoridation.html#:~:text=1%20In%202022%2C%20more%20than,25%25%20in%20children%20and%20adults.\">or about 209 million people\u003c/a>, had access to fluoridated water in 2022, the CDC reported. Fluoride also has been added to oral care products such as toothpaste and mouth rinse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2015, U.S. health officials \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2015/04/27/u-s-updates-water-fluoridation-guideline-for-the-first-time-in-53-years/?itid=lk_inline_manual_24\">lowered the recommended amount\u003c/a> of fluoride in drinking water to 0.7 milligrams per liter, saying a higher level was less necessary given other sources of fluoride and that the lowered amount would still help protect teeth without \u003ca href=\"https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2020/february/fluorosis.html#:~:text=reducing%20tooth%20decay.-,While%20low%20levels%20of%20fluoride%20help%20strengthen%20and%20protect%20tooth,mottled%20enamel%20and%20poor%20mineralization.\">staining them\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pediatric \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/fluoride-safe-drinking-water-cities-ban-rcna143605\">dentists note\u003c/a> that applying fluoride with toothpaste and rinses is beneficial, but small amounts circulating in the body via water consumption help younger children who still have their baby teeth because it can benefit the development of permanent teeth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.ada.org/resources/community-initiatives/fluoride-in-water\">American Dental Association\u003c/a> said studies have shown that fluoride in community water systems prevents at least 25% of tooth decay in children and adults and that “for more than 75 years, the best scientific evidence has consistently shown that fluoridation is safe and effective.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The association said \u003ca href=\"https://www.ada.org/resources/community-initiatives/fluoride-in-water\">on its website\u003c/a>: “It’s similar to fortifying other foods and beverages — for example, fortifying salt with iodine, milk with vitamin D, orange juice with calcium, and bread with folic acid.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/about/statement-on-the-evidence-supporting-the-safety-and-effectiveness-of-community-water-fluoridation.html#:~:text=Expert%20panels%20consisting%20of%20scientists,in%20fluoride%20from%20any%20source\">According to the CDC\u003c/a>, health experts and scientists from the U.S. and other countries have so far “not found convincing scientific evidence linking community water fluoridation with any potential adverse health effect or systemic disorder such as an increased risk for cancer, Down syndrome, heart disease, osteoporosis and bone fracture, immune disorders, low intelligence, renal disorders, Alzheimer’s disease, or allergic reactions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency said risks of water fluoridation are limited to \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/oral-health/about/about-dental-fluorosis.html\">dental fluorosis\u003c/a>, which can alter dental enamel and cause white flecks, spots, lines or brown stains on the teeth when too much fluoride is consumed.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Do Studies Show Fluoride Posing Any Other Risks?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Some studies have said that excess fluoride exposure, often at higher levels than the recommended U.S. limit, can harm infants and young children’s developing brains and that \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/19/health/fluoride-neurotoxin-canada-study/index.html\">higher levels of fluoride exposure\u003c/a> during pregnancy were associated with declines in children’s IQs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2818858\">study published in May\u003c/a> that Malin led with the University of Southern California and Indiana University researchers suggested that fluoride exposure during pregnancy was linked to an increased risk of childhood neurobehavioral problems and \u003ca href=\"https://keck.usc.edu/news/fluoride-exposure-during-pregnancy-linked-to-increased-risk-of-childhood-neurobehavioral-problems-study-finds/\">said more studies\u003c/a> were “urgently needed to understand and mitigate the impacts in the entire U.S. population.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Experts noted prenatal fluoride exposure is most strongly linked to children’s IQ loss and said the timing of fluoride consumption might need to be considered when making recommendations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/whatwestudy/assessments/noncancer/completed/fluoride\">federal review\u003c/a> of dozens of studies published in August by the Department of Health and Human Services’ National Toxicology Program concluded that higher levels of fluoride exposure were linked to lower IQs in children. However, the report was based primarily on studies in countries such as Canada, China, India, Iran, Mexico and Pakistan and involved fluoride levels at or above 1.5 milligrams per liter, twice the recommended U.S. limit. The authors said more research is needed to understand whether lower exposure has any adverse effects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the report, researchers said they found no evidence that fluoride exposure adversely affected adult cognition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bellinger, of Harvard, pointed to the review as an example of how the amount of fluoride matters. He noted how researchers concluded that a very small percentage of people in the U.S. are exposed to levels that correlate with IQ loss.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Second, the fact that there are now multiple pathways of exposure to fluoride besides fluoridated water (toothpaste and other dental products, etc.) makes it really difficult to attribute a particular adverse effect to the fluoride added to the water,” he wrote via email. “It is the cumulative exposure from all sources that contribute to any adverse health effects.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In September, a federal judge ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to further regulate fluoride in drinking water because of the potential risk that higher levels could affect children’s intellectual development.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>U.S. District Judge Edward Chen wrote that the court’s finding didn’t “conclude with certainty that fluoridated water is injurious to public health,” saying it’s unclear whether the amount of fluoride typically added to water is causing children’s IQs to drop. However, he wrote that there was enough risk to warrant investigation and that the EPA must act to further regulate it. The ruling did not specify what actions the agency should take, and the EPA is reviewing the decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the ruling, the American Association of Pediatrics \u003ca href=\"https://publications.aap.org/aapnews/news/30299/AAP-ADA-stand-by-fluoride-recommendations?autologincheck=redirected\">issued a statement\u003c/a> that fluoride in drinking water is safe for children and said the policy is based on a robust foundation of evidence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Besides dental fluorosis, experts say that fluoride exposure over many years above the U.S. recommended amount can cause \u003ca href=\"https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Fluoride-HealthProfessional/#en57\">skeletal fluorosis\u003c/a>, a rare condition that causes weaker bones, stiffness and joint pain. Although the Public Health Service recommends a fluoride concentration of 0.7 milligrams per liter for community water systems, the EPA, under the Safe Drinking Water Act, sets enforceable standards for drinking water quality. Currently, to prevent skeletal fluorosis, the EPA requires that water systems not exceed 4 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Malin said she and her research team are investigating a potential link between fluoride and bone fractures. She said that although several studies have found high fluoride exposure associated with increased risk of bone fractures, and some have linked fluoride with thyroid disease, rigorous, U.S.-based studies haven’t been done.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://wwwn.cdc.gov/TSP/ToxFAQs/ToxFAQsDetails.aspx?faqid=211&toxid=38#:~:text=damage%20the%20heart.-,How%20likely%20are%20fluoride%2C%20hydrogen%20fluoride%2C%20and%20fluorine%20to%20cause,to%20humans%20is%20not%20classifiable.\">CDC concluded\u003c/a> that recent research found no link between cancer risk and high levels of fluoride in drinking water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The American Cancer Society \u003ca href=\"https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/chemicals/water-fluoridation-and-cancer-risk.html\">reviewed a possible link\u003c/a> between water fluoridation and cancer risk. An organization spokesperson pointed PolitiFact to its review and said it has no data showing a definitive answer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was produced by \u003ca href=\"http://khn.org/\">Kaiser Health News\u003c/a>, an editorially independent program of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kff.org/\">Kaiser Family Foundation\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Research has generally shown that drinking fluoridated water at the recommended levels is safe and beneficial for oral health, especially in children. However, many people feel that more research is needed to better understand whether and when health risks kick in.",
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"title": "What Is Fluoride and Why Is It in Tap Water? Fact-Checking RFK Jr.’s Claims | KQED",
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"headline": "What Is Fluoride and Why Is It in Tap Water? Fact-Checking RFK Jr.’s Claims",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration could try to remove fluoride from drinking water, according to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kennedy, who was tapped last week by Trump to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, called fluoride an “industrial waste” and linked it to cancer and other diseases and disorders while campaigning for Trump.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water. Fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease,” Kennedy \u003ca href=\"https://archive.is/qQKgT\">wrote on Nov. 2 on the social media platform X.\u003c/a> Kennedy linked to a video from an attorney who recently \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/epa-fluoride-drinking-water-federal-court-ruling/\">successfully sued\u003c/a> the Environmental Protection Agency to take additional measures to regulate fluoride in drinking water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kennedy, who \u003ca href=\"https://www.biospace.com/the-children-s-health-defense-team-fluoridation-must-end\">has long advocated\u003c/a> ending water fluoridation, \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/NPRinskeep/status/1854190865763405861\">persisted with his pledge\u003c/a> following Trump’s election win. When asked before the election whether his administration would remove fluoride from drinking water, \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/DashaBurns/status/1853102116899860590\">Trump said\u003c/a>, “Well, I haven’t talked to him about it yet, but it sounds OK to me. You know it’s possible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kennedy is an influential vaccine skeptic whose campaign of conspiracy theories earned PolitiFact’s 2023 “\u003ca href=\"https://www.politifact.com/article/2023/dec/21/robert-f-kennedy-jrs-campaign-of-conspiracy-theori/\">Lie of the Year\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Longtime research has found that adding fluoride to U.S. drinking water is a safe way to boost children’s oral health. Since 2015, the recommended level in the U.S. has been 0.7 milligrams per liter. Public health organizations, including the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ada.org/resources/community-initiatives/fluoride-in-water\">American Dental Association\u003c/a>, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/oral-health/fluoridation/\">American Academy of Pediatrics\u003c/a> and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00056796.htm\">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention\u003c/a>, support the practice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recent studies, however, have shown possible links between fluoride and bone problems and children’s IQs, particularly when fluoride is above the U.S. recommended levels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There is evidence that fluoride exposure has been associated with the diseases [and] disorders that RFK listed but with caveats,” said Ashley Malin, who is an assistant professor in the University of Florida’s Epidemiology Department and has studied fluoride’s effects in pregnant women.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Malin referred to studies showing that higher fluoride exposure, particularly during pregnancy, is associated with reduced child IQ and that prenatal exposure is also linked to decreased intellectual functioning and executive function. For high exposure in pregnancy, the studies showed symptoms associated with other neurobehavioral issues, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, many of these studies took place in countries other than the U.S. and looked at fluoride in drinking water at sometimes twice the United States’ recommended level. Also, some of the other ailments that Kennedy listed, such as an association with bone cancer, have less robust evidence and need more study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Aside from fluoride’s impacts on neurodevelopment, I think that there is more that we don’t know about health effects of low-level fluoride exposure than what we do know, particularly for adult health outcomes,” Malin said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>David Bellinger, a Harvard Medical School neurology professor and professor in Harvard School of Public Health’s Environmental Health Department, said the risk-benefit calculation of added fluoride differs depending on whether typical fluoride exposure levels cause health problems or if problems occur only when recommended levels are exceeded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In toxicology, ‘the dose makes the poison’ is a long-standing principle,” he said. “So a general statement that fluoride is associated with diseases X, Y and Z is not very helpful unless the dose that might be responsible is specified.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PolitiFact contacted Kennedy through his Children’s Health Defense organization but received no reply. The organization sued PolitiFact and Meta related to a 2020 fact check. \u003cspan style=\"margin: 0px;padding: 0px\">A federal court \u003ca href=\"https://www.politifact.com/article/2024/aug/13/federal-appeals-court-rules-in-favor-of-politifact/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dismissed that lawsuit\u003c/a>\u003c/span>. The dismissal was upheld on appeal, and the case is pending a possible appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What is fluoride, and what are its benefits?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/11195-fluoride\">Fluoride\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/faq/index.html\">is a mineral\u003c/a> naturally occurring in soil, water and some foods that helps prevent tooth decay and cavities. It strengthens tooth enamel that acid from bacteria, plaque and sugar can wear away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Water fluoridation has been happening in the U.S. since 1945.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The federal Public Health Service first recommended fluoridation of tap water in 1962, but the decision still lies with states and municipalities. Around 72% of the U.S. population \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/about/statement-on-the-evidence-supporting-the-safety-and-effectiveness-of-community-water-fluoridation.html#:~:text=1%20In%202022%2C%20more%20than,25%25%20in%20children%20and%20adults.\">or about 209 million people\u003c/a>, had access to fluoridated water in 2022, the CDC reported. Fluoride also has been added to oral care products such as toothpaste and mouth rinse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2015, U.S. health officials \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2015/04/27/u-s-updates-water-fluoridation-guideline-for-the-first-time-in-53-years/?itid=lk_inline_manual_24\">lowered the recommended amount\u003c/a> of fluoride in drinking water to 0.7 milligrams per liter, saying a higher level was less necessary given other sources of fluoride and that the lowered amount would still help protect teeth without \u003ca href=\"https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2020/february/fluorosis.html#:~:text=reducing%20tooth%20decay.-,While%20low%20levels%20of%20fluoride%20help%20strengthen%20and%20protect%20tooth,mottled%20enamel%20and%20poor%20mineralization.\">staining them\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pediatric \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/fluoride-safe-drinking-water-cities-ban-rcna143605\">dentists note\u003c/a> that applying fluoride with toothpaste and rinses is beneficial, but small amounts circulating in the body via water consumption help younger children who still have their baby teeth because it can benefit the development of permanent teeth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.ada.org/resources/community-initiatives/fluoride-in-water\">American Dental Association\u003c/a> said studies have shown that fluoride in community water systems prevents at least 25% of tooth decay in children and adults and that “for more than 75 years, the best scientific evidence has consistently shown that fluoridation is safe and effective.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The association said \u003ca href=\"https://www.ada.org/resources/community-initiatives/fluoride-in-water\">on its website\u003c/a>: “It’s similar to fortifying other foods and beverages — for example, fortifying salt with iodine, milk with vitamin D, orange juice with calcium, and bread with folic acid.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/about/statement-on-the-evidence-supporting-the-safety-and-effectiveness-of-community-water-fluoridation.html#:~:text=Expert%20panels%20consisting%20of%20scientists,in%20fluoride%20from%20any%20source\">According to the CDC\u003c/a>, health experts and scientists from the U.S. and other countries have so far “not found convincing scientific evidence linking community water fluoridation with any potential adverse health effect or systemic disorder such as an increased risk for cancer, Down syndrome, heart disease, osteoporosis and bone fracture, immune disorders, low intelligence, renal disorders, Alzheimer’s disease, or allergic reactions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency said risks of water fluoridation are limited to \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/oral-health/about/about-dental-fluorosis.html\">dental fluorosis\u003c/a>, which can alter dental enamel and cause white flecks, spots, lines or brown stains on the teeth when too much fluoride is consumed.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Do Studies Show Fluoride Posing Any Other Risks?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Some studies have said that excess fluoride exposure, often at higher levels than the recommended U.S. limit, can harm infants and young children’s developing brains and that \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/19/health/fluoride-neurotoxin-canada-study/index.html\">higher levels of fluoride exposure\u003c/a> during pregnancy were associated with declines in children’s IQs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2818858\">study published in May\u003c/a> that Malin led with the University of Southern California and Indiana University researchers suggested that fluoride exposure during pregnancy was linked to an increased risk of childhood neurobehavioral problems and \u003ca href=\"https://keck.usc.edu/news/fluoride-exposure-during-pregnancy-linked-to-increased-risk-of-childhood-neurobehavioral-problems-study-finds/\">said more studies\u003c/a> were “urgently needed to understand and mitigate the impacts in the entire U.S. population.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Experts noted prenatal fluoride exposure is most strongly linked to children’s IQ loss and said the timing of fluoride consumption might need to be considered when making recommendations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/whatwestudy/assessments/noncancer/completed/fluoride\">federal review\u003c/a> of dozens of studies published in August by the Department of Health and Human Services’ National Toxicology Program concluded that higher levels of fluoride exposure were linked to lower IQs in children. However, the report was based primarily on studies in countries such as Canada, China, India, Iran, Mexico and Pakistan and involved fluoride levels at or above 1.5 milligrams per liter, twice the recommended U.S. limit. The authors said more research is needed to understand whether lower exposure has any adverse effects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the report, researchers said they found no evidence that fluoride exposure adversely affected adult cognition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bellinger, of Harvard, pointed to the review as an example of how the amount of fluoride matters. He noted how researchers concluded that a very small percentage of people in the U.S. are exposed to levels that correlate with IQ loss.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Second, the fact that there are now multiple pathways of exposure to fluoride besides fluoridated water (toothpaste and other dental products, etc.) makes it really difficult to attribute a particular adverse effect to the fluoride added to the water,” he wrote via email. “It is the cumulative exposure from all sources that contribute to any adverse health effects.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In September, a federal judge ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to further regulate fluoride in drinking water because of the potential risk that higher levels could affect children’s intellectual development.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>U.S. District Judge Edward Chen wrote that the court’s finding didn’t “conclude with certainty that fluoridated water is injurious to public health,” saying it’s unclear whether the amount of fluoride typically added to water is causing children’s IQs to drop. However, he wrote that there was enough risk to warrant investigation and that the EPA must act to further regulate it. The ruling did not specify what actions the agency should take, and the EPA is reviewing the decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the ruling, the American Association of Pediatrics \u003ca href=\"https://publications.aap.org/aapnews/news/30299/AAP-ADA-stand-by-fluoride-recommendations?autologincheck=redirected\">issued a statement\u003c/a> that fluoride in drinking water is safe for children and said the policy is based on a robust foundation of evidence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Besides dental fluorosis, experts say that fluoride exposure over many years above the U.S. recommended amount can cause \u003ca href=\"https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Fluoride-HealthProfessional/#en57\">skeletal fluorosis\u003c/a>, a rare condition that causes weaker bones, stiffness and joint pain. Although the Public Health Service recommends a fluoride concentration of 0.7 milligrams per liter for community water systems, the EPA, under the Safe Drinking Water Act, sets enforceable standards for drinking water quality. Currently, to prevent skeletal fluorosis, the EPA requires that water systems not exceed 4 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Malin said she and her research team are investigating a potential link between fluoride and bone fractures. She said that although several studies have found high fluoride exposure associated with increased risk of bone fractures, and some have linked fluoride with thyroid disease, rigorous, U.S.-based studies haven’t been done.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://wwwn.cdc.gov/TSP/ToxFAQs/ToxFAQsDetails.aspx?faqid=211&toxid=38#:~:text=damage%20the%20heart.-,How%20likely%20are%20fluoride%2C%20hydrogen%20fluoride%2C%20and%20fluorine%20to%20cause,to%20humans%20is%20not%20classifiable.\">CDC concluded\u003c/a> that recent research found no link between cancer risk and high levels of fluoride in drinking water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The American Cancer Society \u003ca href=\"https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/chemicals/water-fluoridation-and-cancer-risk.html\">reviewed a possible link\u003c/a> between water fluoridation and cancer risk. An organization spokesperson pointed PolitiFact to its review and said it has no data showing a definitive answer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was produced by \u003ca href=\"http://khn.org/\">Kaiser Health News\u003c/a>, an editorially independent program of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kff.org/\">Kaiser Family Foundation\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>As the dust settles from \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results\">Election Day\u003c/a>, you may be in search of ways to take a break and find some quiet or solitude — even just for an hour or two.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(Previously, experts advised those experiencing anxiety before the election to \u003ca href=\"https://www.thecut.com/article/election-anxiety-stress-therapist-tips.html\">unplug from the news\u003c/a> as much as they can, exercise and get enough sleep — but these tips may be proving difficult for many right now.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before the election, we rounded up these 12 Bay Area hikes that local outdoor experts, nature enthusiasts and KQED staff recommended as particularly peaceful or soothing in anxious times, mindful of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1984534/why-nature-is-great-for-your-mental-health\">the documented benefits of being outside for mental health\u003c/a>. And we hope these ideas might be of use to you at this moment.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/claremont-canyon\">Claremont Canyon Regional Preserve, Oakland\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Recommended by: Xiomara Batin, Community Engagement and Marketing Manager at GirlVentures, a nonprofit based in Oakland that focuses on outdoor education for girls and gender-expansive youth[aside postID=news_12011916 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/GettyImages-1353656914-1020x680.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of Batin’s favorite things about this protected area of the East Bay Regional Park System is that she can “get a wonderful workout along with stunning views of the Bay Area.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said she also feels safe on this trail as a solo female hiker: “I have space to be alone and consistently see people on the trail, so I feel very comfortable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandparks.org/leona-heights-park/\">Leona Heights Park, Oakland\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Recommended by: José González, the founder of Latino Outdoors, which aims to inspire, connect and engage Latino communities in nature\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>González recommends this 2.3-mile out-and-back trail in Oakland because of its “dynamic diversity of habitats in such a short hike.”. The trail starts in an urban neighborhood, “but that disappears pretty quickly, and you are immediately immersed in nature,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The view up at the top is fantastic, and such a classic ridgeline view of the Bay Area.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995036\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1200px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995036\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Tennessee-Beach-Elizabeth-Aldenderfer-ParksConservancy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Tennessee-Beach-Elizabeth-Aldenderfer-ParksConservancy.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Tennessee-Beach-Elizabeth-Aldenderfer-ParksConservancy-800x400.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Tennessee-Beach-Elizabeth-Aldenderfer-ParksConservancy-1020x510.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Tennessee-Beach-Elizabeth-Aldenderfer-ParksConservancy-160x80.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Tennessee-Beach-Elizabeth-Aldenderfer-ParksConservancy-768x384.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tennessee Beach \u003ccite>(Elizabeth Aldenderfer/Parks Conservancy)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/tennessee_valley.htm\">Tennessee Valley Beach, Marin Headlands\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Recommended by: Deandre Latour, the founder of Melanated Adventures, which aims to create a safe space for Black people and people of color looking for a hiking community in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This short in-and-out hike with a cliffside bunker “traverses through a valley that opens up into a beach,” said Latour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The bunker makes for a great place to escape if it’s a windy day,” he said — and “the beach makes for a great place to decompress and calm oneself with the continuous sounds of the waves.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parksconservancy.org/trails/lonely-trail\">Lonely Trail, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Recommended by: Divya Konda, the founder of Weekend Wanderers Inc., a social media space recommending different hikes around the Bay Area\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Konda chose this trail for a fall hike as it is “often veiled in lingering fog, making them even more beautiful in the mornings.”.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This particular trail is usually quiet and uncrowded, making it one of my favorite spots to connect with nature and unwind,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995037\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1200px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995037\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Kirke-Wrench-NPS.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Kirke-Wrench-NPS.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Kirke-Wrench-NPS-800x400.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Kirke-Wrench-NPS-1020x510.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Kirke-Wrench-NPS-160x80.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Kirke-Wrench-NPS-768x384.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Coastal trail in Marin \u003ccite>(Kirke Wrench/NPS)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/miwok-coastal-trail-loop\">Miwok and Coastal Trail Loop, Golden Gate National Recreation Area\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Recommended by: Preethi Chandrasekhar, content creator and founder of Outdoorsy South Asians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chandrasekhar chose this coastal hike because it’s “so soothing and beautiful.”. Being out in nature helps her stay calm and mitigate emotions like anxiety, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Such emotions tend to arise during times like elections,” said Chandrasekhar, “and a great way to help with that is to get outside, and there’s nothing like the sight and sounds of the ocean to help us relax.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/places/point-reyes-kehoe-beach.htm\">Kehoe Beach, Point Reyes National Seashore\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Recommended by: Syren Nagakyrie, founder and director of Disabled Hikers, a disabled-led organization celebrating people’s experience in the outdoors while advocating for justice, access and inclusion in the outdoors\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This 0.5-mile trail to the beach is generally flat, with compacted gravel, said Nagakyrie, and “once you get on the beach, you feel like you are in a secluded cove.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The beach is my favorite place to unwind; smelling the salt air, listening to the waves, or gazing out at the horizon always helps me relax,” they said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For more recommendations for accessible trails in the area, Nagakyrie recommends their \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://url.us.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/pMYSCn5zDjC3JvLvUZsnFJ9xtT?domain=disabledhikers.com\">Disabled Hiker’s Guide to Northern California\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, which was published earlier this month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995038\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995038\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Kehoe-Beach-A-Kopshever-NPS.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Kehoe-Beach-A-Kopshever-NPS.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Kehoe-Beach-A-Kopshever-NPS-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Kehoe-Beach-A-Kopshever-NPS-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Kehoe-Beach-A-Kopshever-NPS-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Kehoe-Beach-A-Kopshever-NPS-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Kehoe-Beach-A-Kopshever-NPS-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kehoe Beach \u003ccite>(A Kopshever/NPS)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/miller-knox\">Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline, Richmond\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Recommended by: Brian Watt, KQED’s morning news anchor\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Watt recommends taking this trail before sunset, which is also a great time to take some stunning photos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We need a place to go to remind ourselves of how lucky we are to live where we do,” said Watt. “It’s reassuring in uncertain times.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.smcgov.org/parks/devils-slide-trail\">Devil’s Slide, Pacifica\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Recommended by: Olivia Allen-Price, host of KQED’s award-winning Bay Curious podcast\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Allen-Price recommends this accessible coastal trail as being suitable for the fall, when “the risk of fog is lower than in the spring and summer,” she said. “So your chances of seeing those big ocean views are much higher.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As someone who hikes often with little kids and grandparents, I love how accessible this trail is,” said Allen-Price. “When I’m feeling anxious or overwhelmed, I like to step back and try to see things from a bigger perspective.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the context of time — millennia! — and space — infinite! — whatever human problems ail us seem a little bit smaller.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995039\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1995039 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-featured-image.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-featured-image.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-featured-image-800x533.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-featured-image-1020x680.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-featured-image-160x107.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-featured-image-768x512.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-featured-image-1536x1024.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-featured-image-1920x1280.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lands End Trail \u003ccite>(Bianca Taylor/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfstairways.com/stairways/harry-street/\">Harry Street Stairs, through Glen Canyon to Twin Peaks, San Francisco\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Recommended by Ezra David Romero, KQED’s climate reporter\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Romero recommends a more urban trail beginning at Harry Street Stairs in San Francisco. (\u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Harry+street+stairs,+89-11+Harry+St,+San+Francisco,+CA+94131/Amatista+Ln,+San+Francisco,+CA+94131/Onique+Ln,+San+Francisco,+CA+94131/Glen+Canyon+Park,+Chenery+St,+San+Francisco,+CA/Twin+Peaks,+San+Francisco,+CA/@37.74542,-122.4484936,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m37!4m36!1m10!1m1!1s0x808f7f4ac10196e3:0x41b2f4421723836a!2m2!1d-122.4312253!2d37.7400743!3m4!1m2!1d-122.429883!2d37.7391408!3s0x808f7e65e0ae3b87:0x403a3b1abb0db297!1m5!1m1!1s0x808f7e667ebef083:0xf3c623dcbc254bdd!2m2!1d-122.4293204!2d37.7383235!1m5!1m1!1s0x808f7e70f00c59c5:0xdc242c4cab5c1b81!2m2!1d-122.4388602!2d37.7393113!1m5!1m1!1s0x808f7e76764229f5:0x8f353da71333a1f3!2m2!1d-122.4431851!2d37.7415588!1m5!1m1!1s0x808f7e08425fbda7:0x2d9e2665b504b657!2m2!1d-122.4476845!2d37.7544066!3e2?entry=tts&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTAyNy4wKgBIAVAD\">Here’s a map of the 2.8-mile path.\u003c/a>)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“From Harry Street Stairs, you walk to the Colleen Way stairs and then into Glen Canyon for a hike of your choosing!” he said. “I like to walk through Glen Canyon and then pop out at the Safeway in Diamond Heights and walk back to my car.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/places/000/lands-end-trailhead.htm\">Lands End Trail, Golden Gate National Recreation Area\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Recommended by: Bianca Taylor, KQED News producer and host of The Latest podcast\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taylor recommends this trail in San Francisco this time of year because it’s typically less foggy on the coast. Throughout the entire walk, “you’re treated to panoramic views of the Bay: you can see the Marin headlands, Point Bonita lighthouse, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the SF skyline,” she said\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a reminder to me of why I love living in this city. It’s a really nice detox from sitting at a desk and reading the news.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995040\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995040\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/IMG_7908-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/IMG_7908-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/IMG_7908-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/IMG_7908-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/IMG_7908-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/IMG_7908-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/IMG_7908-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/IMG_7908-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/IMG_7908-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">View from Mission Peak trail \u003ccite>(Sarah Mohamad/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/hike-to-mount-wittenberg-from-bear-valley.htm\">Mt. Wittenberg from Bear Valley\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Recommended by: Danielle Venton, KQED’s science reporter\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Venton said she plans to climb Mt. Wittenberg from Bear Valley trailhead, “taking the ridge to the ocean and walking back through Divide Meadow in Point Reyes,” to take the edge off her own Election Day stress.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a fairly long, challenging hike, passing through a variety of vegetation types: bay trees, conifers, areas burned with wildfire now growing back and coastal prairie,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s perfect for quieting your mind and being absorbed in your surroundings and the work your body is doing. Plus, you get beautiful views of the Pt. Reyes peninsula.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/mission-peak\">Mission Peak Regional Preserve, Fremont\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Recommended by: me, Sarah Mohamad, science engagement producer/reporter\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This 6-mile out-and-back hike that begins at the Stanford staging parking lot is my go-to hike and is a favorite of mine in the fall and winter because of the cooler, less daunting weather. The trail is mostly uphill, with about a 2,000-foot elevation gain before the summit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once you get to the peak, take your victory photo with the infamous pole — known to some as the “Peeker Pole” — which is located at about 200 feet from Mission Peak’s 2,500-foot summit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parking is limited, but there’s plenty of street parking about 5 minutes down the road.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was originally published on Nov. 1. KQED’s Carly Severn contributed reporting.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>As the dust settles from \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results\">Election Day\u003c/a>, you may be in search of ways to take a break and find some quiet or solitude — even just for an hour or two.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(Previously, experts advised those experiencing anxiety before the election to \u003ca href=\"https://www.thecut.com/article/election-anxiety-stress-therapist-tips.html\">unplug from the news\u003c/a> as much as they can, exercise and get enough sleep — but these tips may be proving difficult for many right now.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before the election, we rounded up these 12 Bay Area hikes that local outdoor experts, nature enthusiasts and KQED staff recommended as particularly peaceful or soothing in anxious times, mindful of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1984534/why-nature-is-great-for-your-mental-health\">the documented benefits of being outside for mental health\u003c/a>. And we hope these ideas might be of use to you at this moment.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/claremont-canyon\">Claremont Canyon Regional Preserve, Oakland\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Recommended by: Xiomara Batin, Community Engagement and Marketing Manager at GirlVentures, a nonprofit based in Oakland that focuses on outdoor education for girls and gender-expansive youth\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of Batin’s favorite things about this protected area of the East Bay Regional Park System is that she can “get a wonderful workout along with stunning views of the Bay Area.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said she also feels safe on this trail as a solo female hiker: “I have space to be alone and consistently see people on the trail, so I feel very comfortable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandparks.org/leona-heights-park/\">Leona Heights Park, Oakland\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Recommended by: José González, the founder of Latino Outdoors, which aims to inspire, connect and engage Latino communities in nature\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>González recommends this 2.3-mile out-and-back trail in Oakland because of its “dynamic diversity of habitats in such a short hike.”. The trail starts in an urban neighborhood, “but that disappears pretty quickly, and you are immediately immersed in nature,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The view up at the top is fantastic, and such a classic ridgeline view of the Bay Area.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995036\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1200px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995036\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Tennessee-Beach-Elizabeth-Aldenderfer-ParksConservancy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Tennessee-Beach-Elizabeth-Aldenderfer-ParksConservancy.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Tennessee-Beach-Elizabeth-Aldenderfer-ParksConservancy-800x400.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Tennessee-Beach-Elizabeth-Aldenderfer-ParksConservancy-1020x510.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Tennessee-Beach-Elizabeth-Aldenderfer-ParksConservancy-160x80.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Tennessee-Beach-Elizabeth-Aldenderfer-ParksConservancy-768x384.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tennessee Beach \u003ccite>(Elizabeth Aldenderfer/Parks Conservancy)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/tennessee_valley.htm\">Tennessee Valley Beach, Marin Headlands\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Recommended by: Deandre Latour, the founder of Melanated Adventures, which aims to create a safe space for Black people and people of color looking for a hiking community in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This short in-and-out hike with a cliffside bunker “traverses through a valley that opens up into a beach,” said Latour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The bunker makes for a great place to escape if it’s a windy day,” he said — and “the beach makes for a great place to decompress and calm oneself with the continuous sounds of the waves.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parksconservancy.org/trails/lonely-trail\">Lonely Trail, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Recommended by: Divya Konda, the founder of Weekend Wanderers Inc., a social media space recommending different hikes around the Bay Area\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Konda chose this trail for a fall hike as it is “often veiled in lingering fog, making them even more beautiful in the mornings.”.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This particular trail is usually quiet and uncrowded, making it one of my favorite spots to connect with nature and unwind,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995037\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1200px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995037\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Kirke-Wrench-NPS.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Kirke-Wrench-NPS.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Kirke-Wrench-NPS-800x400.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Kirke-Wrench-NPS-1020x510.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Kirke-Wrench-NPS-160x80.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Kirke-Wrench-NPS-768x384.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Coastal trail in Marin \u003ccite>(Kirke Wrench/NPS)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/miwok-coastal-trail-loop\">Miwok and Coastal Trail Loop, Golden Gate National Recreation Area\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Recommended by: Preethi Chandrasekhar, content creator and founder of Outdoorsy South Asians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chandrasekhar chose this coastal hike because it’s “so soothing and beautiful.”. Being out in nature helps her stay calm and mitigate emotions like anxiety, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Such emotions tend to arise during times like elections,” said Chandrasekhar, “and a great way to help with that is to get outside, and there’s nothing like the sight and sounds of the ocean to help us relax.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/places/point-reyes-kehoe-beach.htm\">Kehoe Beach, Point Reyes National Seashore\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Recommended by: Syren Nagakyrie, founder and director of Disabled Hikers, a disabled-led organization celebrating people’s experience in the outdoors while advocating for justice, access and inclusion in the outdoors\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This 0.5-mile trail to the beach is generally flat, with compacted gravel, said Nagakyrie, and “once you get on the beach, you feel like you are in a secluded cove.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The beach is my favorite place to unwind; smelling the salt air, listening to the waves, or gazing out at the horizon always helps me relax,” they said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For more recommendations for accessible trails in the area, Nagakyrie recommends their \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://url.us.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/pMYSCn5zDjC3JvLvUZsnFJ9xtT?domain=disabledhikers.com\">Disabled Hiker’s Guide to Northern California\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, which was published earlier this month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995038\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995038\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Kehoe-Beach-A-Kopshever-NPS.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Kehoe-Beach-A-Kopshever-NPS.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Kehoe-Beach-A-Kopshever-NPS-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Kehoe-Beach-A-Kopshever-NPS-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Kehoe-Beach-A-Kopshever-NPS-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Kehoe-Beach-A-Kopshever-NPS-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Kehoe-Beach-A-Kopshever-NPS-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kehoe Beach \u003ccite>(A Kopshever/NPS)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/miller-knox\">Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline, Richmond\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Recommended by: Brian Watt, KQED’s morning news anchor\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Watt recommends taking this trail before sunset, which is also a great time to take some stunning photos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We need a place to go to remind ourselves of how lucky we are to live where we do,” said Watt. “It’s reassuring in uncertain times.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.smcgov.org/parks/devils-slide-trail\">Devil’s Slide, Pacifica\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Recommended by: Olivia Allen-Price, host of KQED’s award-winning Bay Curious podcast\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Allen-Price recommends this accessible coastal trail as being suitable for the fall, when “the risk of fog is lower than in the spring and summer,” she said. “So your chances of seeing those big ocean views are much higher.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As someone who hikes often with little kids and grandparents, I love how accessible this trail is,” said Allen-Price. “When I’m feeling anxious or overwhelmed, I like to step back and try to see things from a bigger perspective.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the context of time — millennia! — and space — infinite! — whatever human problems ail us seem a little bit smaller.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995039\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1995039 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-featured-image.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-featured-image.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-featured-image-800x533.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-featured-image-1020x680.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-featured-image-160x107.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-featured-image-768x512.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-featured-image-1536x1024.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-featured-image-1920x1280.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lands End Trail \u003ccite>(Bianca Taylor/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfstairways.com/stairways/harry-street/\">Harry Street Stairs, through Glen Canyon to Twin Peaks, San Francisco\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Recommended by Ezra David Romero, KQED’s climate reporter\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Romero recommends a more urban trail beginning at Harry Street Stairs in San Francisco. (\u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Harry+street+stairs,+89-11+Harry+St,+San+Francisco,+CA+94131/Amatista+Ln,+San+Francisco,+CA+94131/Onique+Ln,+San+Francisco,+CA+94131/Glen+Canyon+Park,+Chenery+St,+San+Francisco,+CA/Twin+Peaks,+San+Francisco,+CA/@37.74542,-122.4484936,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m37!4m36!1m10!1m1!1s0x808f7f4ac10196e3:0x41b2f4421723836a!2m2!1d-122.4312253!2d37.7400743!3m4!1m2!1d-122.429883!2d37.7391408!3s0x808f7e65e0ae3b87:0x403a3b1abb0db297!1m5!1m1!1s0x808f7e667ebef083:0xf3c623dcbc254bdd!2m2!1d-122.4293204!2d37.7383235!1m5!1m1!1s0x808f7e70f00c59c5:0xdc242c4cab5c1b81!2m2!1d-122.4388602!2d37.7393113!1m5!1m1!1s0x808f7e76764229f5:0x8f353da71333a1f3!2m2!1d-122.4431851!2d37.7415588!1m5!1m1!1s0x808f7e08425fbda7:0x2d9e2665b504b657!2m2!1d-122.4476845!2d37.7544066!3e2?entry=tts&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTAyNy4wKgBIAVAD\">Here’s a map of the 2.8-mile path.\u003c/a>)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“From Harry Street Stairs, you walk to the Colleen Way stairs and then into Glen Canyon for a hike of your choosing!” he said. “I like to walk through Glen Canyon and then pop out at the Safeway in Diamond Heights and walk back to my car.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/places/000/lands-end-trailhead.htm\">Lands End Trail, Golden Gate National Recreation Area\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Recommended by: Bianca Taylor, KQED News producer and host of The Latest podcast\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taylor recommends this trail in San Francisco this time of year because it’s typically less foggy on the coast. Throughout the entire walk, “you’re treated to panoramic views of the Bay: you can see the Marin headlands, Point Bonita lighthouse, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the SF skyline,” she said\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a reminder to me of why I love living in this city. It’s a really nice detox from sitting at a desk and reading the news.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995040\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995040\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/IMG_7908-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/IMG_7908-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/IMG_7908-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/IMG_7908-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/IMG_7908-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/IMG_7908-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/IMG_7908-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/IMG_7908-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/IMG_7908-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">View from Mission Peak trail \u003ccite>(Sarah Mohamad/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/hike-to-mount-wittenberg-from-bear-valley.htm\">Mt. Wittenberg from Bear Valley\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Recommended by: Danielle Venton, KQED’s science reporter\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Venton said she plans to climb Mt. Wittenberg from Bear Valley trailhead, “taking the ridge to the ocean and walking back through Divide Meadow in Point Reyes,” to take the edge off her own Election Day stress.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a fairly long, challenging hike, passing through a variety of vegetation types: bay trees, conifers, areas burned with wildfire now growing back and coastal prairie,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s perfect for quieting your mind and being absorbed in your surroundings and the work your body is doing. Plus, you get beautiful views of the Pt. Reyes peninsula.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/mission-peak\">Mission Peak Regional Preserve, Fremont\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Recommended by: me, Sarah Mohamad, science engagement producer/reporter\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This 6-mile out-and-back hike that begins at the Stanford staging parking lot is my go-to hike and is a favorite of mine in the fall and winter because of the cooler, less daunting weather. The trail is mostly uphill, with about a 2,000-foot elevation gain before the summit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once you get to the peak, take your victory photo with the infamous pole — known to some as the “Peeker Pole” — which is located at about 200 feet from Mission Peak’s 2,500-foot summit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parking is limited, but there’s plenty of street parking about 5 minutes down the road.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was originally published on Nov. 1. KQED’s Carly Severn contributed reporting.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "halloween-candies-hidden-risks-food-dyes-linked-to-hyperactivity-in-kids",
"title": "Halloween Candies’ Hidden Risks: Food Dyes Linked to Hyperactivity in Kids",
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"headTitle": "Halloween Candies’ Hidden Risks: Food Dyes Linked to Hyperactivity in Kids | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>As children fill pillowcases and plastic pumpkins with brightly-hued Halloween candies, one concern is often overlooked: \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1974271/artificial-food-coloring-triggers-hyperactivity-in-some-kids-california-report-finds\">artificial food dyes\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those vibrant blues, greens and reds, while eye-catching, may contribute to behavioral changes, especially in children sensitive to synthetic coloring, according to a comprehensive \u003ca href=\"https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/risk-assessment/report/healthefftsassess041621.pdf\">California scientific review\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jamie Newman, from the Riverside County city of Temecula, discovered this firsthand when her son, Jakari, exhibited increasingly severe outbursts and hyperactive behavior as a toddler.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jakari raged in his room. In fits of anger, he tipped over furniture and tore pictures down from walls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After numerous consultations with experts and exhaustive testing, Newman had few answers. She was desperate for a solution. One evening, a colleague at the hospital where she works recommended a \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQzOHAwCfXs\">TEDx Talk\u003c/a> by a mother whose child was sensitive to artificial dyes. It was a revelation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995048\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1995048 size-medium\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/image_50461441-800x1067.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/image_50461441-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/image_50461441-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/image_50461441-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/image_50461441-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/image_50461441-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/image_50461441-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/image_50461441-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jakari Newman dresses up as the Incredible Hulk for Halloween. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Jamie Newman)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Newman, skeptical but hopeful, began examining Jakari’s diet. She found artificial colors in everything from his marshmallows to the bubblegum-flavored mouthwash he used twice a day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Within two weeks of eliminating food dyes from Jakari’s diet, his tantrums stopped. “We thought, my goodness, is this real?” Newman remembers.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What does science say?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved nine colors for use in processed food and other products like sunscreen, cough syrup and pills, a recent state \u003ca href=\"https://oehha.ca.gov/risk-assessment/report/health-effects-assessment-potential-neurobehavioral-effects-synthetic-food\">assessment\u003c/a> of research conducted on products with synthetic food dyes found they may increase or contribute to hyperactivity in kids.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The FDA-approved synthetic additives are made from petroleum and are contained in at least 90% of candies, fruit-flavored snacks and drink mixes marketed to kids, and\u003ca href=\"https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0009922816651621\"> 40% of all children’s food products\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists at the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment reviewed 27 human clinical trials, as well as animal and cell studies, to shed light on how food dyes affect human health. They concluded that levels of the artificial food coloring determined to be safe by the FDA are too high for children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is an excellent, basically landmark summary of the literature,” said Joel Nigg, psychologist and ADHD researcher at Oregon Health & Science University, who published a comprehensive 2015 \u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4321798/\">review\u003c/a> of human studies available and whose work is cited in California’s health hazard assessment. “It’s the first time a comprehensive review of human, animal and lab studies is all put together.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Policy changes\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In response to the growing evidence, California recently passed a \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB2316\">law\u003c/a> banning several synthetic dyes from foods offered at public schools. It goes into effect on Dec. 31, 2027.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a slam dunk that some kids are being harmed by these toxic chemicals,” said Scott Faber, senior vice president for government affairs for the Environmental Working Group, a national environmental health organization. “It makes them less prepared to learn. And that is not only terrible for those kids, it makes everything harder for all the other kids in that classroom and the teachers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=science_1995002 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/005_KQED_SanFrancisco_HalloweenDecorations_10302020_qed-1020x680.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The National Confectioners Association, which represents the candy industry, said in a statement that “activists are dismantling our national food safety system in an emotionally-driven campaign that lacks scientific backing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, in Europe, food manufacturers must add a label on foods with artificial coloring warning they “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children,” which was spurred by research from professor Jim Stevenson at the University of Southampton.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stevenson’s studies, which found a measurable but modest effect of artificial dyes on behavior, draw parallels to the societal benefits of removing lead from gasoline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When you took lead out of petrol, the improvement in IQ scores was about the same magnitude as the change we see in children’s behavior when you alter the dyes in their diet,” Stevenson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most European companies avoid the label by switching to natural dyes like beet juice and spirulina extract. A few U.S. companies have followed suit. Kraft now uses turmeric and paprika to turn its macaroni and cheese sauce bright yellow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jamie Newman takes advantage of natural options. She plans to swap out Jakari’s treats tonight with a bucket of dye-free candy so he doesn’t miss out on the fun. His favorite is Sweet Tarts Ropes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I can’t even explain the relief I feel that we figured out what was wrong,” Newman said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>As children fill pillowcases and plastic pumpkins with brightly-hued Halloween candies, one concern is often overlooked: \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1974271/artificial-food-coloring-triggers-hyperactivity-in-some-kids-california-report-finds\">artificial food dyes\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those vibrant blues, greens and reds, while eye-catching, may contribute to behavioral changes, especially in children sensitive to synthetic coloring, according to a comprehensive \u003ca href=\"https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/risk-assessment/report/healthefftsassess041621.pdf\">California scientific review\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jamie Newman, from the Riverside County city of Temecula, discovered this firsthand when her son, Jakari, exhibited increasingly severe outbursts and hyperactive behavior as a toddler.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jakari raged in his room. In fits of anger, he tipped over furniture and tore pictures down from walls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After numerous consultations with experts and exhaustive testing, Newman had few answers. She was desperate for a solution. One evening, a colleague at the hospital where she works recommended a \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQzOHAwCfXs\">TEDx Talk\u003c/a> by a mother whose child was sensitive to artificial dyes. It was a revelation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995048\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1995048 size-medium\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/image_50461441-800x1067.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/image_50461441-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/image_50461441-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/image_50461441-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/image_50461441-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/image_50461441-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/image_50461441-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/image_50461441-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jakari Newman dresses up as the Incredible Hulk for Halloween. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Jamie Newman)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Newman, skeptical but hopeful, began examining Jakari’s diet. She found artificial colors in everything from his marshmallows to the bubblegum-flavored mouthwash he used twice a day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Within two weeks of eliminating food dyes from Jakari’s diet, his tantrums stopped. “We thought, my goodness, is this real?” Newman remembers.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What does science say?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved nine colors for use in processed food and other products like sunscreen, cough syrup and pills, a recent state \u003ca href=\"https://oehha.ca.gov/risk-assessment/report/health-effects-assessment-potential-neurobehavioral-effects-synthetic-food\">assessment\u003c/a> of research conducted on products with synthetic food dyes found they may increase or contribute to hyperactivity in kids.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The FDA-approved synthetic additives are made from petroleum and are contained in at least 90% of candies, fruit-flavored snacks and drink mixes marketed to kids, and\u003ca href=\"https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0009922816651621\"> 40% of all children’s food products\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists at the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment reviewed 27 human clinical trials, as well as animal and cell studies, to shed light on how food dyes affect human health. They concluded that levels of the artificial food coloring determined to be safe by the FDA are too high for children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is an excellent, basically landmark summary of the literature,” said Joel Nigg, psychologist and ADHD researcher at Oregon Health & Science University, who published a comprehensive 2015 \u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4321798/\">review\u003c/a> of human studies available and whose work is cited in California’s health hazard assessment. “It’s the first time a comprehensive review of human, animal and lab studies is all put together.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Policy changes\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In response to the growing evidence, California recently passed a \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB2316\">law\u003c/a> banning several synthetic dyes from foods offered at public schools. It goes into effect on Dec. 31, 2027.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a slam dunk that some kids are being harmed by these toxic chemicals,” said Scott Faber, senior vice president for government affairs for the Environmental Working Group, a national environmental health organization. “It makes them less prepared to learn. And that is not only terrible for those kids, it makes everything harder for all the other kids in that classroom and the teachers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The National Confectioners Association, which represents the candy industry, said in a statement that “activists are dismantling our national food safety system in an emotionally-driven campaign that lacks scientific backing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, in Europe, food manufacturers must add a label on foods with artificial coloring warning they “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children,” which was spurred by research from professor Jim Stevenson at the University of Southampton.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stevenson’s studies, which found a measurable but modest effect of artificial dyes on behavior, draw parallels to the societal benefits of removing lead from gasoline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When you took lead out of petrol, the improvement in IQ scores was about the same magnitude as the change we see in children’s behavior when you alter the dyes in their diet,” Stevenson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most European companies avoid the label by switching to natural dyes like beet juice and spirulina extract. A few U.S. companies have followed suit. Kraft now uses turmeric and paprika to turn its macaroni and cheese sauce bright yellow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jamie Newman takes advantage of natural options. She plans to swap out Jakari’s treats tonight with a bucket of dye-free candy so he doesn’t miss out on the fun. His favorite is Sweet Tarts Ropes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I can’t even explain the relief I feel that we figured out what was wrong,” Newman said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "5 of the Worst Tiny Bloodsuckers That Have Ever Bitten Us",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Chances are you’ve got one of these bloodsuckers lurking nearby. Mosquitoes, ticks, lice, kissing bugs and tsetse flies are all looking to grab a bite … of you. See \u003cem>exactly \u003c/em>how they do it and what you can do to stop them.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Watch out … you might not always see these five tiny creatures coming for you, but chances are you’ve got one lurking nearby ready to suck your blood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We show you how they do it and how you can get rid of them. Enjoy!\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How Mosquitoes Use Six Needles to Suck Your Blood\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This is the deadliest animal in the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mosquitoes kill hundreds of thousands of people each year … the most vulnerable people: children, pregnant women.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No other bite kills more humans … or makes more of us sick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So what makes a mosquito’s bite so effective?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For starters, they’re motivated. Only females bite us. They need blood to make eggs … and a pool of water for their babies to hatch in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even a piece of trash can hold enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At first glance, it looks simple — this mosquito digging her proboscis into us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the tools she’s using here are sophisticated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First, a protective sheath retracts – see it bending back?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you look at a mosquito’s head under a microscope, you can see what that sheath protects. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And inside there are six needles!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two of them have tiny teeth. She uses those to saw through the skin. They’re so sharp you can barely feel her pushing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These other two needles hold the tissues apart while she works.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From under the skin, you can see her probing, looking for a blood vessel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Receptors on the tip of one of her other needles pick up on chemicals that our blood vessels exude naturally and guide her to it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then she uses this same needle like a straw.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As her gut fills up, she separates water from the blood and squeezes it out. See that drop? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That frees up space to stuff herself with more nutritious red blood cells.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With another needle, she spits chemicals into us. They get our blood flowing more easily and give us itchy welts afterwards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And sometimes, before she pries herself away, she leaves a parting gift in her saliva: a virus or a parasite that can sicken or kill us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s nothing in it for her. The viruses and parasites are just hitching a ride. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this is what makes mortal enemies out of us and mosquitoes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They take our blood. Sometimes we take theirs. But often, not soon enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On to our next miniature vampire. Let’s see how ticks dig into you with a mouth full of hooks, and the best way to pry them loose.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How Ticks Dig In With a Mouth Full of Hooks\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The hills are alive … with silent, waiting ticks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their bites can transmit bacteria that cause Lyme disease, and other things that can make us very sick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Protected by these palps is a menacing mouth covered in hooks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First she has to find a host. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She can sense animals like us by the carbon dioxide we give off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She reaches out with her front legs. Scientists call this questing. It will use that claw to latch onto something … like your sleeve. Now you see her, now you don’t.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once aboard, she searches out a nice spot to bite into … for blood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She lives three years, but in that time she only eats three meals. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A tick needs enough blood to grow from larva to nymph, nymph to adult, and then for females to lay their eggs. Gross.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Let’s check out a nymph, a young tick. It’s tiny, smaller than a freckle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To grow into an adult, it needs one blood meal, a big one. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The front of its body is all mouth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It digs into us using two sets of hooks. The hooks wriggle into the skin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They pull our flesh out of the way and push in this mouthpart: the hypostome.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those hooks anchor the tick to us for the long haul, like mini-harpoons. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the speedy mosquito digs in, sucks our blood and splits, all within seconds, a tick nymph stays on for days. Three days, if we don’t find it before then.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Compounds in their saliva help blood pool under the surface of our skin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The nymph sips it through its mouthparts, like drinking from a straw.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When a tick is full – and I mean completely full – it falls off wherever it may be. Maybe onto your bed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s if you don’t nab it first. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You might have heard that you should twist or burn the tick. Not true. Grab the tick close to your skin and just pull straight out. That’s how you win the fight against those tenacious hooks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If that didn’t make your skin crawl, this will definitely make your scalp itch. It’s time to find out how lice turn your hair into their personal jungle gym.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How Lice Turn Your Hair Into Their Jungle Gym\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>It can start as an itch. Maybe a tickle on your scalp.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s head lice. Tiny and tenacious.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thanks to millions of years of evolution, these suckers are not easy to get rid of.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You might end up in a salon, but not the kind for haircuts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Young lice are so small they’re almost impossible to see with the naked eye.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our scalp is their buffet. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They feed on our blood. You can see it inside this adult louse. It’s that brownish stuff that’s moving.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The secret to their success?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their claws – called tarsal claws – and this little part, called a spine. A pair on each of its six legs. They’ve evolved to fit perfectly around a human hair.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They make lice into speedy little acrobats, using our hair like a tightrope.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They can’t jump or fly, but they get around. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Say two kids – one blond, one brunette – touch heads. The louse just scoots right over.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s been one long game of hopscotch, from human head to human head.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And it has to be us. Our head lice can’t live on other animals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, other primates have their own species of lice, adapted to their unique hair.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Birds have lice that hide in their feathers. Ooh. Cozy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And we all want them gone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Common insecticides won’t kill our head lice anymore. They’ve become resistant to them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even their eggs have serious staying power, glued to individual strands of hair.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But lice do have a weakness. They can’t survive away from our moist, warm scalp. Head lice cannot even live on other hairy parts of our body.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So if you – or a professional – painstakingly comb them out, they’ll starve, and die within hours.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>OK, it’s not fun. But it’s just a temporary encounter with a tiny hitchhiker that is biologically destined just for you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These beauties are kissing bugs, but you wouldn’t want to kiss one – because pretty quickly they swell into a balloon full of your blood.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How a Kissing Bug Becomes a Balloon Full of Your Blood\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This kissing bug isn’t going to give you a loving peck when it sticks you with that tucked-away proboscis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It could actually make you really sick, even kill you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It makes its move at night, while you’re sleeping. It likes your warm body.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kissing bugs get their name because they often bite near the lips or eyes, but they’ll dig in anywhere you’ve left uncovered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A little anesthetic guarantees you won’t wake up while they feed on you for 10,\u003cbr>\n20, even 30 minutes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every kissing bug needs several huge meals during the year or two it lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As it gulps, its exoskeleton stretches like a balloon, to fit up to 12 times its weight in blood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This pliability is called plasticization.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How it started. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How it’s going.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All that hot liquid could stress an insect’s body and stunt its growth. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So the kissing bug cools it down – inside its head.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Your warm blood flows in. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cool insect blood, called hemolymph, absorbs the heat and releases it through the top of the bug’s long head.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In this infrared video, you can see the blood cool down by more than 10 degrees Fahrenheit before it reaches the bug’s abdomen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So the bug is safe. You, on the other hand, are not.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It injects saliva as it sucks your blood. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s a scientist squeezing some out. The saliva has proteins that can give people a deadly allergic reaction called anaphylaxis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And it gets much, much worse. OK. This is super gross.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After eating – sometimes while it’s eating – the bug poops.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that poop – and urine – might contain the parasite that causes Chagas disease.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the bug’s victim rubs these feces and urine into the bite wound or their eyes, the parasite can infect them. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Years later, as many as one third of the people who got the parasite develop heart disease that can kill them, sometimes suddenly. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pregnant women can even pass the parasite onto their babies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Few contract the parasite in the U.S., even though kissing bugs live here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in Latin America, millions of people have become infected. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There, kissing bugs are known by many different names: chinche besucona …\u003cbr>\nchinche … pito … vinchuca … barbeiro.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In rural areas, these kissing bug species live in people’s homes, in the cracks of the walls. And in animal coops.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Spraying has helped bring down infections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But hundreds of thousands of people have left their home countries for the U.S., not knowing the bug gave them the parasite. A simple blood test can find it and medications can often kill it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the American Southwest, the bugs live in the nests of wild animals, like this pack rat den in Arizona, where biologists Anita and Chuck Kristensen collect them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chuck Kristensen (off camera): Kissing bug, kissing bug!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chuck Kristensen (off camera): Genuine kissing bug.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the most part, they feed on the pack rats.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in late spring and summer, the bugs sometimes travel from these nests into someone’s home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So sealing off your house, with screens on your windows – and even vents –, is one way to keep out these stealthy bloodsuckers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they feed on your blood, tsetse flies can spread disease. But their motherly instincts are surprisingly familiar to us.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A Tsetse Fly Births One Enormous Milk-Fed Baby\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>We mammals like to think we’re pretty special, right? We don’t lay eggs. We feed our babies milk. Well, this very pregnant fly is about to prove us wrong.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yep, this tsetse fly is in labor. And that emerging bundle of joy is her larva.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While other insects can lay hundreds of eggs, she grows one baby at a time inside her, just like us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Congratulations!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists think tsetse flies started growing their young like this long ago to guard them from parasites.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For that same reason, the larva doesn’t stick around. It burrows into the dirt for protection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s already gotten all the nutrition it needs from its mom’s milk. That’s right, this fly makes milk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s a drop of it under the microscope. It’s made up of protein and fat, a lot like breast milk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fly doesn’t exactly breastfeed, though. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Inside its mom, the larva got milk through these tubes … which it drank with this pair of straw-like mouthparts on its head.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A female tsetse fly needs a lot of fuel, because over her 10-day pregnancy she produces her own body weight in milk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that fuel comes from us. Tsetses feed exclusively on blood … from humans and other animals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s bad news because where the flies live in Africa they spread a debilitating disease called sleeping sickness in humans and nagana in livestock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tsetses make cattle so sick that they can’t be raised efficiently in a region of Africa the size of the United States.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Geoff Attardo (off-camera): All right. Coming back to the first trap we set.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People are trying to control them with things like baited traps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Geoff Attardo (off-camera): It looks like it has a lot of tsetse flies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Man (off-camera): Tsetse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Geoff Attardo (off-camera): Holy cow! That’s a lot of flies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Man (off-camera): Tsetse flies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re effective, but more defenses are needed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s where Geoff Attardo, at the University of California, Davis, hopes to help. He’s trying to stop tsetse flies from making babies in the first place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A female only mates once in her life, enough to make the 10 or so babies she’ll have. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The male makes sure she doesn’t mate again by delivering a substance that makes her lose interest in sex. Scientists are trying to figure out what it is. If they could bottle it and spray it, female tsetse flies may never get busy at all. No more tsetse offspring to worry about.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After spending about a month below ground in a hard shell, the fly emerges as an adult and unfurls its wings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like us, tsetse flies ensure the next generation by investing a lot in a few offspring, instead of investing very little in a lot of them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They grow up so fast, don’t they?\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Mosquitoes, ticks, lice, kissing bugs and tsetse flies are all looking to grab a bite ... of you. See exactly how they do it, and what you can do to stop them in this special episode of Deep Look. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Chances are you’ve got one of these bloodsuckers lurking nearby. Mosquitoes, ticks, lice, kissing bugs and tsetse flies are all looking to grab a bite … of you. See \u003cem>exactly \u003c/em>how they do it and what you can do to stop them.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Watch out … you might not always see these five tiny creatures coming for you, but chances are you’ve got one lurking nearby ready to suck your blood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We show you how they do it and how you can get rid of them. Enjoy!\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How Mosquitoes Use Six Needles to Suck Your Blood\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This is the deadliest animal in the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mosquitoes kill hundreds of thousands of people each year … the most vulnerable people: children, pregnant women.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No other bite kills more humans … or makes more of us sick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So what makes a mosquito’s bite so effective?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For starters, they’re motivated. Only females bite us. They need blood to make eggs … and a pool of water for their babies to hatch in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even a piece of trash can hold enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At first glance, it looks simple — this mosquito digging her proboscis into us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the tools she’s using here are sophisticated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First, a protective sheath retracts – see it bending back?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you look at a mosquito’s head under a microscope, you can see what that sheath protects. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And inside there are six needles!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two of them have tiny teeth. She uses those to saw through the skin. They’re so sharp you can barely feel her pushing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These other two needles hold the tissues apart while she works.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From under the skin, you can see her probing, looking for a blood vessel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Receptors on the tip of one of her other needles pick up on chemicals that our blood vessels exude naturally and guide her to it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then she uses this same needle like a straw.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As her gut fills up, she separates water from the blood and squeezes it out. See that drop? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That frees up space to stuff herself with more nutritious red blood cells.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With another needle, she spits chemicals into us. They get our blood flowing more easily and give us itchy welts afterwards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And sometimes, before she pries herself away, she leaves a parting gift in her saliva: a virus or a parasite that can sicken or kill us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s nothing in it for her. The viruses and parasites are just hitching a ride. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this is what makes mortal enemies out of us and mosquitoes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They take our blood. Sometimes we take theirs. But often, not soon enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On to our next miniature vampire. Let’s see how ticks dig into you with a mouth full of hooks, and the best way to pry them loose.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How Ticks Dig In With a Mouth Full of Hooks\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The hills are alive … with silent, waiting ticks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their bites can transmit bacteria that cause Lyme disease, and other things that can make us very sick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Protected by these palps is a menacing mouth covered in hooks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First she has to find a host. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She can sense animals like us by the carbon dioxide we give off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She reaches out with her front legs. Scientists call this questing. It will use that claw to latch onto something … like your sleeve. Now you see her, now you don’t.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once aboard, she searches out a nice spot to bite into … for blood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She lives three years, but in that time she only eats three meals. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A tick needs enough blood to grow from larva to nymph, nymph to adult, and then for females to lay their eggs. Gross.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Let’s check out a nymph, a young tick. It’s tiny, smaller than a freckle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To grow into an adult, it needs one blood meal, a big one. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The front of its body is all mouth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It digs into us using two sets of hooks. The hooks wriggle into the skin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They pull our flesh out of the way and push in this mouthpart: the hypostome.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those hooks anchor the tick to us for the long haul, like mini-harpoons. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the speedy mosquito digs in, sucks our blood and splits, all within seconds, a tick nymph stays on for days. Three days, if we don’t find it before then.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Compounds in their saliva help blood pool under the surface of our skin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The nymph sips it through its mouthparts, like drinking from a straw.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When a tick is full – and I mean completely full – it falls off wherever it may be. Maybe onto your bed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s if you don’t nab it first. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You might have heard that you should twist or burn the tick. Not true. Grab the tick close to your skin and just pull straight out. That’s how you win the fight against those tenacious hooks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If that didn’t make your skin crawl, this will definitely make your scalp itch. It’s time to find out how lice turn your hair into their personal jungle gym.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How Lice Turn Your Hair Into Their Jungle Gym\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>It can start as an itch. Maybe a tickle on your scalp.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s head lice. Tiny and tenacious.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thanks to millions of years of evolution, these suckers are not easy to get rid of.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You might end up in a salon, but not the kind for haircuts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Young lice are so small they’re almost impossible to see with the naked eye.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our scalp is their buffet. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They feed on our blood. You can see it inside this adult louse. It’s that brownish stuff that’s moving.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The secret to their success?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their claws – called tarsal claws – and this little part, called a spine. A pair on each of its six legs. They’ve evolved to fit perfectly around a human hair.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They make lice into speedy little acrobats, using our hair like a tightrope.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They can’t jump or fly, but they get around. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Say two kids – one blond, one brunette – touch heads. The louse just scoots right over.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s been one long game of hopscotch, from human head to human head.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And it has to be us. Our head lice can’t live on other animals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, other primates have their own species of lice, adapted to their unique hair.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Birds have lice that hide in their feathers. Ooh. Cozy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And we all want them gone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Common insecticides won’t kill our head lice anymore. They’ve become resistant to them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even their eggs have serious staying power, glued to individual strands of hair.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But lice do have a weakness. They can’t survive away from our moist, warm scalp. Head lice cannot even live on other hairy parts of our body.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So if you – or a professional – painstakingly comb them out, they’ll starve, and die within hours.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>OK, it’s not fun. But it’s just a temporary encounter with a tiny hitchhiker that is biologically destined just for you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These beauties are kissing bugs, but you wouldn’t want to kiss one – because pretty quickly they swell into a balloon full of your blood.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How a Kissing Bug Becomes a Balloon Full of Your Blood\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This kissing bug isn’t going to give you a loving peck when it sticks you with that tucked-away proboscis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It could actually make you really sick, even kill you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It makes its move at night, while you’re sleeping. It likes your warm body.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kissing bugs get their name because they often bite near the lips or eyes, but they’ll dig in anywhere you’ve left uncovered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A little anesthetic guarantees you won’t wake up while they feed on you for 10,\u003cbr>\n20, even 30 minutes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every kissing bug needs several huge meals during the year or two it lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As it gulps, its exoskeleton stretches like a balloon, to fit up to 12 times its weight in blood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This pliability is called plasticization.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How it started. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How it’s going.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All that hot liquid could stress an insect’s body and stunt its growth. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So the kissing bug cools it down – inside its head.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Your warm blood flows in. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cool insect blood, called hemolymph, absorbs the heat and releases it through the top of the bug’s long head.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In this infrared video, you can see the blood cool down by more than 10 degrees Fahrenheit before it reaches the bug’s abdomen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So the bug is safe. You, on the other hand, are not.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It injects saliva as it sucks your blood. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s a scientist squeezing some out. The saliva has proteins that can give people a deadly allergic reaction called anaphylaxis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And it gets much, much worse. OK. This is super gross.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After eating – sometimes while it’s eating – the bug poops.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that poop – and urine – might contain the parasite that causes Chagas disease.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the bug’s victim rubs these feces and urine into the bite wound or their eyes, the parasite can infect them. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Years later, as many as one third of the people who got the parasite develop heart disease that can kill them, sometimes suddenly. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pregnant women can even pass the parasite onto their babies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Few contract the parasite in the U.S., even though kissing bugs live here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in Latin America, millions of people have become infected. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There, kissing bugs are known by many different names: chinche besucona …\u003cbr>\nchinche … pito … vinchuca … barbeiro.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In rural areas, these kissing bug species live in people’s homes, in the cracks of the walls. And in animal coops.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Spraying has helped bring down infections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But hundreds of thousands of people have left their home countries for the U.S., not knowing the bug gave them the parasite. A simple blood test can find it and medications can often kill it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the American Southwest, the bugs live in the nests of wild animals, like this pack rat den in Arizona, where biologists Anita and Chuck Kristensen collect them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chuck Kristensen (off camera): Kissing bug, kissing bug!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chuck Kristensen (off camera): Genuine kissing bug.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the most part, they feed on the pack rats.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in late spring and summer, the bugs sometimes travel from these nests into someone’s home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So sealing off your house, with screens on your windows – and even vents –, is one way to keep out these stealthy bloodsuckers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they feed on your blood, tsetse flies can spread disease. But their motherly instincts are surprisingly familiar to us.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A Tsetse Fly Births One Enormous Milk-Fed Baby\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>We mammals like to think we’re pretty special, right? We don’t lay eggs. We feed our babies milk. Well, this very pregnant fly is about to prove us wrong.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yep, this tsetse fly is in labor. And that emerging bundle of joy is her larva.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While other insects can lay hundreds of eggs, she grows one baby at a time inside her, just like us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Congratulations!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists think tsetse flies started growing their young like this long ago to guard them from parasites.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For that same reason, the larva doesn’t stick around. It burrows into the dirt for protection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s already gotten all the nutrition it needs from its mom’s milk. That’s right, this fly makes milk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s a drop of it under the microscope. It’s made up of protein and fat, a lot like breast milk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fly doesn’t exactly breastfeed, though. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Inside its mom, the larva got milk through these tubes … which it drank with this pair of straw-like mouthparts on its head.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A female tsetse fly needs a lot of fuel, because over her 10-day pregnancy she produces her own body weight in milk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that fuel comes from us. Tsetses feed exclusively on blood … from humans and other animals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s bad news because where the flies live in Africa they spread a debilitating disease called sleeping sickness in humans and nagana in livestock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tsetses make cattle so sick that they can’t be raised efficiently in a region of Africa the size of the United States.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Geoff Attardo (off-camera): All right. Coming back to the first trap we set.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People are trying to control them with things like baited traps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Geoff Attardo (off-camera): It looks like it has a lot of tsetse flies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Man (off-camera): Tsetse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Geoff Attardo (off-camera): Holy cow! That’s a lot of flies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Man (off-camera): Tsetse flies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re effective, but more defenses are needed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s where Geoff Attardo, at the University of California, Davis, hopes to help. He’s trying to stop tsetse flies from making babies in the first place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A female only mates once in her life, enough to make the 10 or so babies she’ll have. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The male makes sure she doesn’t mate again by delivering a substance that makes her lose interest in sex. Scientists are trying to figure out what it is. If they could bottle it and spray it, female tsetse flies may never get busy at all. No more tsetse offspring to worry about.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After spending about a month below ground in a hard shell, the fly emerges as an adult and unfurls its wings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like us, tsetse flies ensure the next generation by investing a lot in a few offspring, instead of investing very little in a lot of them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB3129\">bill\u003c/a> before Gov. Gavin Newsom aims to increase oversight of what proponents call an alarming growth of private equity investments in the state’s health care industry. The tally is \u003ca href=\"https://www.chcf.org/publication/private-equity-in-health-care-prevalence-impact-and-policy-options-for-california-and-the-u-s/#:~:text=View%20the%20Report&text=At%20its%20most%20recent%20peak,and%20%2420%20billion%20in%20California.\">$20 billion\u003c/a> a year in California alone and $83 billion nationally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While these savvy business leaders promise operational efficiency and management expertise, critics said the need for rapid returns — typically within three to seven years — could lead to aggressive cost-cutting measures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Investors often decrease staffing ratios, increase prices, and buy up multiple health care entities in the same region or specialty to use that market power to hike prices,” said Dr. Christopher Cai, a physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School researcher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The proposed legislation empowers the state’s attorney general to review and veto deals garnered by private equity firms that are deemed bad for consumers and patients. It covers transactions involving public hospitals, health systems, physician groups, and long-term care facilities operating in California. An amendment removed private hospitals and dermatology clinics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This will promote fair competition while rooting out practices that harm both competition and patients,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a \u003ca href=\"https://a02.asmdc.org/press-releases/20240904-ab-3129-advances-governors-desk\">statement\u003c/a> supporting the bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A key provision aims to prevent investors from meddling in health care decisions, ensuring physicians and medical professionals retain autonomy over patient care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, private equity firms would have the right to challenge the state’s decisions in court if they believe regulatory actions are unjustified.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Consumer advocates, labor unions, and the California Medical Association call the measure crucial to patient care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, it faces fierce opposition from industry and business groups who worry that the oversight will deter critical funding streams.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The American Investment Council argues that further regulation could discourage investment in health care and limit innovation and access to capital. The California Hospital Association also \u003ca href=\"https://calhospital.org/file/ab-3129-floor-alert-final/\">opposes it\u003c/a>, warning that the bill could create additional hurdles for much-needed investments in the state’s health care infrastructure, especially as hospitals face staffing shortages and capacity constraints.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Venture-backed digital health companies \u003ca href=\"https://secondopinion.media/p/proposed-bill-california-big-impact-digital-health\">worry\u003c/a> that companies will struggle to gain traction under the new regulation.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Why is legislation needed?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Private equity investment in health care nationally increased from $5 billion annually in 2000 to \u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9125965/\">$100 billion\u003c/a> in 2018.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Health care is a very durable industry,” Cai said. “It’s viewed as a stable investment, with ample opportunities to consolidate fragmented outpatient clinics and hospitals.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Physician practices are particularly appealing targets, with the number of transactions increasing \u003ca href=\"https://www.antitrustinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/AAI-UCB-EG_Private-Equity-I-Physician-Practice-Report_FINAL.pdf\">sixfold over the past decade\u003c/a>, frequently resulting in notable hikes in patient costs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The market appeal is clear: more efficient management can streamline costs, and with an aging population of baby boomers, demand for health care services is expected to soar. “Because of these factors, private equity’s presence in health care has more than tripled in the last decade or so,” Cai added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This influx of capital has stirred alarm among policymakers and patient advocates, who argue that profit-driven investors prioritize financial returns over patient care. Private equity firms ultimately need to make returns and protect their companies against potential risks — for them, it can’t just be about mission.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Who is reviewing these transactions to ensure they serve the public interest?” asked Assemblymember Jim Wood (D-Healdsburg), the bill’s sponsor in a recent \u003ca href=\"https://a02.asmdc.org/press-releases/20240904-ab-3129-advances-governors-desk\">press release\u003c/a>. “No one is, because all of these transactions are happening under the radar.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Studies reveal alarming outcomes\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The impact of private equity ownership is particularly pronounced in long-term care settings. One \u003ca href=\"https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3790212\">study\u003c/a> found that mortality rates in nursing homes rose by a jaw dropping 11% after private equity firms took over. Patient mobility decreased, and the use of antipsychotic medications may have increased.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We rarely see increases like that after any kind of change,” Cai noted. “That study was an earthquake for the industry.” In response, Federal health officials required nursing homes to \u003ca href=\"https://www.healthcaredive.com/news/nursing-home-ownership-hhs-final-rule-transparency-private-equity/699955/\">reveal\u003c/a> if they’re owned by private equity firms. Starting in 2026 the facilities must increase staff to ensure each \u003ca href=\"https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/nursing-home-staffing-federal-mandates-biden-cms/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--aF0L9k-7aTn7-HUCjZWHF7dvG6LChr9jOdKbDevxyn1zu7r7w78ct6-MFhF9CqPTqcAAq5rUIsnYqO7Rc0JMFyflVYg&_hsmi=303915441&utm_content=303915441&utm_source=hs_email\">patient receives more attention. \u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A separate \u003ca href=\"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2813379\">study\u003c/a>, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found a 25% increase in adverse events—such as falls and surgical infections—after hospitals were bought by private equity firms. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.bmj.com/content/382/bmj-2023-075244\">systematic review\u003c/a> of available research shows that private equity ownership does not typically benefit patients and, in extreme cases, may lead to the closure of facilities, particularly in rural or underserved areas where profit margins are slim.[aside postID=\"news_11999996,news_12000706\" label=\"Related Stories\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to a 2021 \u003ca href=\"https://www.antitrustinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/AAI-UCB-EG_Private-Equity-I-Physician-Practice-Report_FINAL.pdf\">report\u003c/a> from UC Berkeley, the financial pressures created by private equity ownership can push physicians to meet patient quotas, prioritize more lucrative procedures, or cut back on less profitable services. Over time, this can erode the quality of care patients receive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our health care system is crumbling,” said Dr. Renee Hsia, a UCSF professor of emergency medicine. “As we have more mergers and acquisitions, we have more involvement of private capital, venture capital, and private equity. There is very good evidence showing how this is not serving our population because there’s redundancy of care. There’s too many services in areas where you don’t need it, and not enough in other areas. That misallocation of care is deteriorating our ability to provide care for anyone.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ultimate effect of the legislation—whether it will successfully curb private equity’s influence in health care or simply add new challenges to an already strained system—remains to be seen. But as the debate unfolds, it highlights growing unease about the role of financial firms in shaping the future of health care in California.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"title": "Gov. Newsom Considers Legislation to Protect Health Care from Rising Venture Capital Influence | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB3129\">bill\u003c/a> before Gov. Gavin Newsom aims to increase oversight of what proponents call an alarming growth of private equity investments in the state’s health care industry. The tally is \u003ca href=\"https://www.chcf.org/publication/private-equity-in-health-care-prevalence-impact-and-policy-options-for-california-and-the-u-s/#:~:text=View%20the%20Report&text=At%20its%20most%20recent%20peak,and%20%2420%20billion%20in%20California.\">$20 billion\u003c/a> a year in California alone and $83 billion nationally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While these savvy business leaders promise operational efficiency and management expertise, critics said the need for rapid returns — typically within three to seven years — could lead to aggressive cost-cutting measures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Investors often decrease staffing ratios, increase prices, and buy up multiple health care entities in the same region or specialty to use that market power to hike prices,” said Dr. Christopher Cai, a physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School researcher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The proposed legislation empowers the state’s attorney general to review and veto deals garnered by private equity firms that are deemed bad for consumers and patients. It covers transactions involving public hospitals, health systems, physician groups, and long-term care facilities operating in California. An amendment removed private hospitals and dermatology clinics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This will promote fair competition while rooting out practices that harm both competition and patients,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a \u003ca href=\"https://a02.asmdc.org/press-releases/20240904-ab-3129-advances-governors-desk\">statement\u003c/a> supporting the bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A key provision aims to prevent investors from meddling in health care decisions, ensuring physicians and medical professionals retain autonomy over patient care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, private equity firms would have the right to challenge the state’s decisions in court if they believe regulatory actions are unjustified.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Consumer advocates, labor unions, and the California Medical Association call the measure crucial to patient care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, it faces fierce opposition from industry and business groups who worry that the oversight will deter critical funding streams.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The American Investment Council argues that further regulation could discourage investment in health care and limit innovation and access to capital. The California Hospital Association also \u003ca href=\"https://calhospital.org/file/ab-3129-floor-alert-final/\">opposes it\u003c/a>, warning that the bill could create additional hurdles for much-needed investments in the state’s health care infrastructure, especially as hospitals face staffing shortages and capacity constraints.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Venture-backed digital health companies \u003ca href=\"https://secondopinion.media/p/proposed-bill-california-big-impact-digital-health\">worry\u003c/a> that companies will struggle to gain traction under the new regulation.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Why is legislation needed?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Private equity investment in health care nationally increased from $5 billion annually in 2000 to \u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9125965/\">$100 billion\u003c/a> in 2018.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Health care is a very durable industry,” Cai said. “It’s viewed as a stable investment, with ample opportunities to consolidate fragmented outpatient clinics and hospitals.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Physician practices are particularly appealing targets, with the number of transactions increasing \u003ca href=\"https://www.antitrustinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/AAI-UCB-EG_Private-Equity-I-Physician-Practice-Report_FINAL.pdf\">sixfold over the past decade\u003c/a>, frequently resulting in notable hikes in patient costs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The market appeal is clear: more efficient management can streamline costs, and with an aging population of baby boomers, demand for health care services is expected to soar. “Because of these factors, private equity’s presence in health care has more than tripled in the last decade or so,” Cai added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This influx of capital has stirred alarm among policymakers and patient advocates, who argue that profit-driven investors prioritize financial returns over patient care. Private equity firms ultimately need to make returns and protect their companies against potential risks — for them, it can’t just be about mission.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Who is reviewing these transactions to ensure they serve the public interest?” asked Assemblymember Jim Wood (D-Healdsburg), the bill’s sponsor in a recent \u003ca href=\"https://a02.asmdc.org/press-releases/20240904-ab-3129-advances-governors-desk\">press release\u003c/a>. “No one is, because all of these transactions are happening under the radar.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Studies reveal alarming outcomes\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The impact of private equity ownership is particularly pronounced in long-term care settings. One \u003ca href=\"https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3790212\">study\u003c/a> found that mortality rates in nursing homes rose by a jaw dropping 11% after private equity firms took over. Patient mobility decreased, and the use of antipsychotic medications may have increased.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We rarely see increases like that after any kind of change,” Cai noted. “That study was an earthquake for the industry.” In response, Federal health officials required nursing homes to \u003ca href=\"https://www.healthcaredive.com/news/nursing-home-ownership-hhs-final-rule-transparency-private-equity/699955/\">reveal\u003c/a> if they’re owned by private equity firms. Starting in 2026 the facilities must increase staff to ensure each \u003ca href=\"https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/nursing-home-staffing-federal-mandates-biden-cms/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--aF0L9k-7aTn7-HUCjZWHF7dvG6LChr9jOdKbDevxyn1zu7r7w78ct6-MFhF9CqPTqcAAq5rUIsnYqO7Rc0JMFyflVYg&_hsmi=303915441&utm_content=303915441&utm_source=hs_email\">patient receives more attention. \u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A separate \u003ca href=\"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2813379\">study\u003c/a>, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found a 25% increase in adverse events—such as falls and surgical infections—after hospitals were bought by private equity firms. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.bmj.com/content/382/bmj-2023-075244\">systematic review\u003c/a> of available research shows that private equity ownership does not typically benefit patients and, in extreme cases, may lead to the closure of facilities, particularly in rural or underserved areas where profit margins are slim.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to a 2021 \u003ca href=\"https://www.antitrustinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/AAI-UCB-EG_Private-Equity-I-Physician-Practice-Report_FINAL.pdf\">report\u003c/a> from UC Berkeley, the financial pressures created by private equity ownership can push physicians to meet patient quotas, prioritize more lucrative procedures, or cut back on less profitable services. Over time, this can erode the quality of care patients receive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our health care system is crumbling,” said Dr. Renee Hsia, a UCSF professor of emergency medicine. “As we have more mergers and acquisitions, we have more involvement of private capital, venture capital, and private equity. There is very good evidence showing how this is not serving our population because there’s redundancy of care. There’s too many services in areas where you don’t need it, and not enough in other areas. That misallocation of care is deteriorating our ability to provide care for anyone.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ultimate effect of the legislation—whether it will successfully curb private equity’s influence in health care or simply add new challenges to an already strained system—remains to be seen. But as the debate unfolds, it highlights growing unease about the role of financial firms in shaping the future of health care in California.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Californians Are Breathing Far Less Vehicle Pollution, but Disparities Are Widening",
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"content": "\u003cp>Californians are breathing nearly two-thirds less \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/pollution\">pollution\u003c/a> from vehicles than they were in the year 2000, according to a \u003ca href=\"https://url.us.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/rIm_C4x9gPs9mj1RFOfYC4zZO3?domain=science.org\">study\u003c/a> published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances — a tremendous decline showcasing that state policies focused on reducing vehicle emissions are working.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, the research also shows disparities are widening between the communities most exposed to harmful pollutants and those most protected from them, a concerning gap policymakers and regulators must still address.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Across the state, Californians are breathing in an average of 65% less fine particulate matter from vehicles, according to the research, which looked at data from the years 2000 to 2019. Also called PM2.5, this pollution consists of tiny particles that are small enough to enter the bloodstream and lead to premature \u003ca href=\"https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2022GH000711\">death\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hispanic and Black Californians are the two demographic groups most exposed to PM2.5 from vehicles, largely because they are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11879641/trucks-are-banned-on-oaklands-i-580-these-sixth-graders-wondered-why\">more likely to live closer to highways and major roads, often due to historic practices like redlining\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the study found these two groups have seen the most significant drops in overall exposure to the pollutants, that is due to the fact that they started in worse-off positions than other groups. The research shows that the gap between Hispanic and Black Californians and their white counterparts is widening.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Between 2000 and 2019, the relative gap in vehicle-related PM2.5 exposure between Hispanic and white Californians grew from 30% to 35%, with Hispanic residents being the group most exposed and white residents the least. Both groups experienced significant overall declines in exposure to pollution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_12003847 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/HeatPumpGetty1-1020x680.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you reduce vehicle emissions across the board for everybody everywhere, everybody benefits,” said Josh Apte, associate professor of environmental engineering and environmental health sciences at UC Berkeley and one of the study’s authors. That’s how the U.S. and California have improved air quality for the past 50-60 years, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But if there are groups that are disparately exposed when everybody benefits, that disparity never goes away. So targeting emissions reductions in those places that tend to be overburdened is the name of the game to solve the problem,” Apte said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Air Resources Board has, more recently, woven such policies into its core mission — targeting cleaning up \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/resources/fact-sheets/advanced-clean-fleets-regulation-detailed-drayage-truck-requirements#:~:text=Zero%2DEmission%20Drayage%20Truck%20Requirements,with%20full%20implementation%20by%202035.\">drayage trucks\u003c/a>, which move freight in and out of ports, and \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/clean-cars-4-all\">programs\u003c/a> that help lower-income Californians trade in highly polluting vehicles for electric ones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Some of the policies that the Air Resources Board is pursuing now are very well placed to close those gaps in disparity,” Apte said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recently adopted CARB \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/advanced-clean-fleets\">regulations\u003c/a>, like those intended to reduce emissions from large truck fleets, will significantly benefit communities that live close to ports, rail yards and industrial warehouses, said Joshua Cunningham, who leads regulatory programs for light-duty vehicles at CARB and was not involved in the study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two state laws, passed in \u003ca href=\"https://oehha.ca.gov/calenviroscreen/sb535\">2012\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/capp\">2017\u003c/a>, have also prioritized targeting benefits to communities geographically exposed to unequal amounts of pollution. The first invests proceeds from California’s cap-and-trade emissions credits program in disadvantaged communities that face environmental, socioeconomic and public health challenges. The other created the Community Air Protection Program to prioritize highly polluted communities for air pollution monitoring and emissions reductions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Libby Koolik, lead study author and a Ph.D. candidate at UC Berkeley in the environmental engineering program, was surprised by the role that passenger vehicles play in contributing to major pollution in downtown communities, as a lot of attention is normally on large, polluting vehicles like big rigs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The takeaway from that is not that heavy-duty vehicles aren’t important, but really that both of these fleets need to be targeted,” Koolik said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And that, one step further, it’s important that we look at each community and figure out what their individual composition of fleet mixtures is so we can find the interventions that work best for that community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Emissions from other sectors in California, like refineries, are known to unequally burden communities of color and communities already exposed to high pollution from vehicles. This study did not include those sources of pollution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The study was co-authored by researchers at UC Berkeley, the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment and the University of Washington.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Californians are breathing nearly two-thirds less \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/pollution\">pollution\u003c/a> from vehicles than they were in the year 2000, according to a \u003ca href=\"https://url.us.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/rIm_C4x9gPs9mj1RFOfYC4zZO3?domain=science.org\">study\u003c/a> published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances — a tremendous decline showcasing that state policies focused on reducing vehicle emissions are working.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, the research also shows disparities are widening between the communities most exposed to harmful pollutants and those most protected from them, a concerning gap policymakers and regulators must still address.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Across the state, Californians are breathing in an average of 65% less fine particulate matter from vehicles, according to the research, which looked at data from the years 2000 to 2019. Also called PM2.5, this pollution consists of tiny particles that are small enough to enter the bloodstream and lead to premature \u003ca href=\"https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2022GH000711\">death\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hispanic and Black Californians are the two demographic groups most exposed to PM2.5 from vehicles, largely because they are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11879641/trucks-are-banned-on-oaklands-i-580-these-sixth-graders-wondered-why\">more likely to live closer to highways and major roads, often due to historic practices like redlining\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the study found these two groups have seen the most significant drops in overall exposure to the pollutants, that is due to the fact that they started in worse-off positions than other groups. The research shows that the gap between Hispanic and Black Californians and their white counterparts is widening.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Between 2000 and 2019, the relative gap in vehicle-related PM2.5 exposure between Hispanic and white Californians grew from 30% to 35%, with Hispanic residents being the group most exposed and white residents the least. Both groups experienced significant overall declines in exposure to pollution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you reduce vehicle emissions across the board for everybody everywhere, everybody benefits,” said Josh Apte, associate professor of environmental engineering and environmental health sciences at UC Berkeley and one of the study’s authors. That’s how the U.S. and California have improved air quality for the past 50-60 years, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But if there are groups that are disparately exposed when everybody benefits, that disparity never goes away. So targeting emissions reductions in those places that tend to be overburdened is the name of the game to solve the problem,” Apte said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Air Resources Board has, more recently, woven such policies into its core mission — targeting cleaning up \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/resources/fact-sheets/advanced-clean-fleets-regulation-detailed-drayage-truck-requirements#:~:text=Zero%2DEmission%20Drayage%20Truck%20Requirements,with%20full%20implementation%20by%202035.\">drayage trucks\u003c/a>, which move freight in and out of ports, and \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/clean-cars-4-all\">programs\u003c/a> that help lower-income Californians trade in highly polluting vehicles for electric ones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Some of the policies that the Air Resources Board is pursuing now are very well placed to close those gaps in disparity,” Apte said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recently adopted CARB \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/advanced-clean-fleets\">regulations\u003c/a>, like those intended to reduce emissions from large truck fleets, will significantly benefit communities that live close to ports, rail yards and industrial warehouses, said Joshua Cunningham, who leads regulatory programs for light-duty vehicles at CARB and was not involved in the study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two state laws, passed in \u003ca href=\"https://oehha.ca.gov/calenviroscreen/sb535\">2012\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/capp\">2017\u003c/a>, have also prioritized targeting benefits to communities geographically exposed to unequal amounts of pollution. The first invests proceeds from California’s cap-and-trade emissions credits program in disadvantaged communities that face environmental, socioeconomic and public health challenges. The other created the Community Air Protection Program to prioritize highly polluted communities for air pollution monitoring and emissions reductions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Libby Koolik, lead study author and a Ph.D. candidate at UC Berkeley in the environmental engineering program, was surprised by the role that passenger vehicles play in contributing to major pollution in downtown communities, as a lot of attention is normally on large, polluting vehicles like big rigs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The takeaway from that is not that heavy-duty vehicles aren’t important, but really that both of these fleets need to be targeted,” Koolik said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And that, one step further, it’s important that we look at each community and figure out what their individual composition of fleet mixtures is so we can find the interventions that work best for that community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Emissions from other sectors in California, like refineries, are known to unequally burden communities of color and communities already exposed to high pollution from vehicles. This study did not include those sources of pollution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The study was co-authored by researchers at UC Berkeley, the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment and the University of Washington.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Scientists have linked declining bat populations to an uptick in child mortality, research that underscores a cause-and-effect relationship between wildlife and human health that could have potentially serious consequences for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a>’s numerous agricultural communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cascading effects start with \u003ca href=\"https://www.science.org/content/article/white-nose-syndrome-has-almost-completely-wiped-out-some-north-american-bat-colonies\">white-nose syndrome\u003c/a>, a disease caused by an invasive fungus that can devastate bat populations. With fewer predators like bats, insect populations grow, which prompts farmers to use more pesticides to keep them at bay. \u003ca href=\"https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adg0344\">Research published Friday in the journal Science\u003c/a> shows that in counties where this took place, infant mortality rose by 8%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Study authors link that increase in child deaths to the uptick in insecticide use, which can be harmful to \u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK582900/\">developing fetuses\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-12/documents/pest-impact-hsstaff.pdf\">infants\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fungus at the heart of the study, called Pseudogymnoascus destructans, was first detected in California in 2019.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Now that the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome has been detected in California, I think there is room for concern that similar patterns of substitution towards insecticides will happen and lead to off-farm exposure,” said Eyal Frank, lead author of the study and assistant professor at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fortunately, the state has not seen a single case of the disease in bats (the fungus that causes it is not known to hurt people or common house pets).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_12002977 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/BakersfieldClockTowerGetty1-1020x680.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Winifred Frick, chief scientist at Bat Conservation International and adjunct professor in ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz, is not sure why California has so far been spared, but she noted that the disease kills during bats’ winter hibernation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s some optimism that maybe because we have milder winters in California, we might see less mortality, but it’s basically too soon to tell,” Frick said. “We need to do everything we can to protect our bat populations. Especially given how important bats are to agriculture.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many scientists and researchers are working to reduce contact between the fungus and bats to prevent an outbreak of white-nose disease in California and nationally. This can be done, for example, by asking tourists to step onto a mat that can kill any fungal spores on their shoes before exploring popular cave sites where bats hibernate in the winter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other researchers are working to develop a vaccine to prevent bats from developing the disease.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Frick said the new research linking child mortality and bat population decline also underscores the connection between healthy biodiversity and healthy humans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People think that conservation is this sort of altruistic exercise of trying to protect wildlife for wildlife’s sake, but [this research] really shows that we’re all connected, and protecting bats also protects our agricultural production and ourselves,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>White-nose disease has killed more than 6 million bats in North America since it was first discovered in New York in 2006. The hardest-hit areas have been Pennsylvania, New York and elsewhere in the Northeast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Scientists have linked declining bat populations to an uptick in child mortality, research that underscores a cause-and-effect relationship between wildlife and human health that could have potentially serious consequences for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a>’s numerous agricultural communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cascading effects start with \u003ca href=\"https://www.science.org/content/article/white-nose-syndrome-has-almost-completely-wiped-out-some-north-american-bat-colonies\">white-nose syndrome\u003c/a>, a disease caused by an invasive fungus that can devastate bat populations. With fewer predators like bats, insect populations grow, which prompts farmers to use more pesticides to keep them at bay. \u003ca href=\"https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adg0344\">Research published Friday in the journal Science\u003c/a> shows that in counties where this took place, infant mortality rose by 8%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Study authors link that increase in child deaths to the uptick in insecticide use, which can be harmful to \u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK582900/\">developing fetuses\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-12/documents/pest-impact-hsstaff.pdf\">infants\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fungus at the heart of the study, called Pseudogymnoascus destructans, was first detected in California in 2019.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Now that the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome has been detected in California, I think there is room for concern that similar patterns of substitution towards insecticides will happen and lead to off-farm exposure,” said Eyal Frank, lead author of the study and assistant professor at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fortunately, the state has not seen a single case of the disease in bats (the fungus that causes it is not known to hurt people or common house pets).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Winifred Frick, chief scientist at Bat Conservation International and adjunct professor in ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz, is not sure why California has so far been spared, but she noted that the disease kills during bats’ winter hibernation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s some optimism that maybe because we have milder winters in California, we might see less mortality, but it’s basically too soon to tell,” Frick said. “We need to do everything we can to protect our bat populations. Especially given how important bats are to agriculture.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many scientists and researchers are working to reduce contact between the fungus and bats to prevent an outbreak of white-nose disease in California and nationally. This can be done, for example, by asking tourists to step onto a mat that can kill any fungal spores on their shoes before exploring popular cave sites where bats hibernate in the winter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other researchers are working to develop a vaccine to prevent bats from developing the disease.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Frick said the new research linking child mortality and bat population decline also underscores the connection between healthy biodiversity and healthy humans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People think that conservation is this sort of altruistic exercise of trying to protect wildlife for wildlife’s sake, but [this research] really shows that we’re all connected, and protecting bats also protects our agricultural production and ourselves,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>White-nose disease has killed more than 6 million bats in North America since it was first discovered in New York in 2006. The hardest-hit areas have been Pennsylvania, New York and elsewhere in the Northeast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Dr. Mark Ghaly is stepping down as head of California Health and Human Services Agency, Gov. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/gavin-newsom\">Gavin Newsom\u003c/a>’s office announced in a showy press release on Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ghaly \u003ca href=\"https://www.politico.com/news/2024/09/06/california-mark-ghaly-steps-down-00177599\">told \u003c/a>\u003cem>Politico\u003c/em> he’s leaving his position to spend more time with his family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think we’ve dug a new foundation, we’ve rebarred, we’ve done all the reinforcements so that it’s stable in times of uncertainty to really see California thrive,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom tapped Kim Johnson, who leads the state’s Department of Social Services, to replace him. She awaits senate confirmation, and the baton will likely pass to her on Oct. 1.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ghaly, a trained pediatrician, was appointed in March 2019. He played a pivotal role in California’s response to the pandemic, helping craft some of the country’s most aggressive containment measures on masking, business and school closures and vaccination efforts, which Newsom’s office argues saved lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I am grateful to Secretary Ghaly for his steadfast leadership and partnership during one of the greatest public health crises of our lifetime,” said Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, who served as California’s Surgeon General, in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2024/09/06/calhhs-secretary-dr-ghaly-to-depart-cdss-director-johnson-appointed-new-secretary/\">statement\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state’s strict approach to the pandemic was also loudly criticized by parents desperate to send their children back to school and businesses that lost revenue during the rolling lockdowns. Gov. Newsom beat back a GOP-led recall election in 2021, which was, in essence, a referendum on the state’s leadership during the crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_12001036 hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/Shell-Oil-Refinery-Martinez-1020x680.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beyond the pandemic, Ghaly helped lead the transformation of Medi-Cal through the CalAIM program, seeking to provide more comprehensive services to low-income Californians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He also aimed to make the state more accessible and supportive for older adults and introduced reforms to California’s behavioral health services like the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative and the CARE program, which seeks to address the mental health needs of vulnerable populations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He has been a driving force for transformative changes to make healthcare more affordable and accessible,” Newsom said in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2024/09/06/calhhs-secretary-dr-ghaly-to-depart-cdss-director-johnson-appointed-new-secretary/\">statement\u003c/a>. “And has overseen the state’s overhaul of our behavioral health system to better reach those most in need.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before leading the state’s social service agency, Johnson worked in numerous positions advocating for vulnerable communities, including as the deputy director of the Family Engagement and Empowerment Division, branch chief of CalWORKs and Child Care, and branch chief of Refugee Programs and Child Care. She graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Social Welfare.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Kim has been an indispensable partner in delivering foundational services that millions of Californians rely on,” Newsom said. “I’m confident that under her leadership, we’ll continue advancing the health and well-being of all Californians.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The leadership transition comes as California faces mounting challenges in healthcare affordability, mental health, and the ongoing struggle to address homelessness — issues that have become central to the state’s political discourse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Dr. Mark Ghaly is stepping down as head of California Health and Human Services Agency, Gov. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/gavin-newsom\">Gavin Newsom\u003c/a>’s office announced in a showy press release on Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ghaly \u003ca href=\"https://www.politico.com/news/2024/09/06/california-mark-ghaly-steps-down-00177599\">told \u003c/a>\u003cem>Politico\u003c/em> he’s leaving his position to spend more time with his family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think we’ve dug a new foundation, we’ve rebarred, we’ve done all the reinforcements so that it’s stable in times of uncertainty to really see California thrive,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom tapped Kim Johnson, who leads the state’s Department of Social Services, to replace him. She awaits senate confirmation, and the baton will likely pass to her on Oct. 1.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ghaly, a trained pediatrician, was appointed in March 2019. He played a pivotal role in California’s response to the pandemic, helping craft some of the country’s most aggressive containment measures on masking, business and school closures and vaccination efforts, which Newsom’s office argues saved lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I am grateful to Secretary Ghaly for his steadfast leadership and partnership during one of the greatest public health crises of our lifetime,” said Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, who served as California’s Surgeon General, in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2024/09/06/calhhs-secretary-dr-ghaly-to-depart-cdss-director-johnson-appointed-new-secretary/\">statement\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state’s strict approach to the pandemic was also loudly criticized by parents desperate to send their children back to school and businesses that lost revenue during the rolling lockdowns. Gov. Newsom beat back a GOP-led recall election in 2021, which was, in essence, a referendum on the state’s leadership during the crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beyond the pandemic, Ghaly helped lead the transformation of Medi-Cal through the CalAIM program, seeking to provide more comprehensive services to low-income Californians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He also aimed to make the state more accessible and supportive for older adults and introduced reforms to California’s behavioral health services like the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative and the CARE program, which seeks to address the mental health needs of vulnerable populations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He has been a driving force for transformative changes to make healthcare more affordable and accessible,” Newsom said in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2024/09/06/calhhs-secretary-dr-ghaly-to-depart-cdss-director-johnson-appointed-new-secretary/\">statement\u003c/a>. “And has overseen the state’s overhaul of our behavioral health system to better reach those most in need.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before leading the state’s social service agency, Johnson worked in numerous positions advocating for vulnerable communities, including as the deputy director of the Family Engagement and Empowerment Division, branch chief of CalWORKs and Child Care, and branch chief of Refugee Programs and Child Care. She graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Social Welfare.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Kim has been an indispensable partner in delivering foundational services that millions of Californians rely on,” Newsom said. “I’m confident that under her leadership, we’ll continue advancing the health and well-being of all Californians.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The leadership transition comes as California faces mounting challenges in healthcare affordability, mental health, and the ongoing struggle to address homelessness — issues that have become central to the state’s political discourse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>When a loved one starts to forget things, starts repeating stories, or is physically ailing, it’s heartbreaking. The country collectively watched an example of this as President Joe Biden’s voice weakened over the past few years; he lost his train of thought during a high-stakes debate and then pulled out of the campaign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“One of the things that makes it stressful is that people wait to have hard conversations until they are sort of imminent, and decline is happening,” said Louise Aronson, a geriatrician and professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101906590/when-elderly-loved-ones-need-extra-help\">in a recent episode of KQED Forum\u003c/a>. “And so the person who is declining is feeling more threatened. If you begin sooner, then they’re more part of the process, and they feel a sense of control.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These difficult conversations — even in private settings — remain surprisingly rare. However, geriatricians point to numerous tools and resources that can make the transition easier.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Making an optimal plan for elderhood\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“The most helpful way to approach the conversation is to think about the tension between the two parties,” said Dr. Katherine Ward, a geriatrician with Stanford Senior Care. “The child is most concerned about safety in the older adult’s environment, and the older adult is most concerned about their independence. And so if you look at that tug of war, you can discuss the benefits and risks of both.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both parties may avoid the conversation altogether because they find the decline depressing. If a senior refuses to talk about the future, Aronson suggested expressing concern. A child can say something like, “I love you, and I am worried. I see that you didn’t pay your bills last month. Or, I see that your shirt is on backwards. Can we talk about getting some help?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Or either party may make false assumptions. Seniors may assume they will move in with their children when the time comes, but younger generations may not have the time or resources to be an adequate caretaker. Cultural expectations can exacerbate these differences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If or when making a care plan is difficult within a family, Aronson recommended a mediator or intermediary with cultural and linguistic fluency aligned with the senior.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Staying at home\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Many seniors may prefer to live independently for as long as possible. \u003ca href=\"https://www.medicarefaq.com/faqs/home-safety-assessment-for-the-elderly/\">Medicare covers the cost of a “home safety evaluation,”\u003c/a> where an occupational therapist visits and then suggests modifications for a home like grab bars, ramps and increased lighting. \u003ca href=\"https://preferhome.com/senior-resources/common-senior-concerns/free-services-for-seniors/\">Preferred Care at Home provides this service\u003c/a> for free. And, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ioaging.org/activities-wellness/home-safety-evaluations-critical-checklist-keep-loved-ones-safe/\">online DIY resources offer checklists\u003c/a> to assess the safety of a home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Government assistance may be a critical resource for older adults. In California, the \u003ca href=\"https://aging.ca.gov/Programs_and_Services/Home_and_Community_Services/\">Home & Community Services program\u003c/a> includes caregiver assistance, adult day health care, and legal support. However, there is not a centralized access point for these programs and applications can be confusing. \u003ca href=\"https://canhr.org/hcbs-quick-guide/\">The California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform\u003c/a> offers a quick guide to help people get started.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For families separated by distance, \u003ca href=\"https://www.aginglifecare.org/\">a geriatric care manager\u003c/a>, usually a licensed nurse or social worker who charges by the hour, can help make a care plan and find services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1993983\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1993983\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240822-ELDERLYSUPPORT-15-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240822-ELDERLYSUPPORT-15-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240822-ELDERLYSUPPORT-15-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240822-ELDERLYSUPPORT-15-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240822-ELDERLYSUPPORT-15-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240822-ELDERLYSUPPORT-15-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240822-ELDERLYSUPPORT-15-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240822-ELDERLYSUPPORT-15-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dr. Louise Aronson, a geriatrician and founder of the optimizing aging practice at the UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Health, speaks with a patient at the hospital in San Francisco on Aug. 22, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.healthinaging.org/health-aging-foundation\">The Health in Aging Foundation\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://eldercare.acl.gov/Public/Index.aspx\">Eldercare Locator\u003c/a> can help families access a network of healthcare professionals specializing in geriatrics, or help connect families to in-home help, transportation options and offer guidance on financing care. \u003ca href=\"https://www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org/\">Meals on Wheels\u003c/a> is a tool to ensure access to nutritious meals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If it is time to hand over one’s driver’s license, Aronson said, you can make it easier by thinking about what role driving played in that person’s life. “Maybe it was getting out of the house. Maybe it was alone time. Maybe it was time to go explore. Are there other ways of getting those same pleasures?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All along the way, Aronson said, an elder should lead the conversation by sharing their preferences, hopes and priorities.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>When is time to consider a residential care facility?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Families will have to weigh independence versus the benefits of social contact, because studies show that \u003ca>isolation and loneliness is bad for your health\u003c/a>. Living in a community can be protective against developing cognitive impairment or dementia.[aside postID=\"news_11996924,news_11970744,news_11998218\" label=\"Related Stories\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If a family member begins to show serious signs of mental or physical decline, it may be time to relocate an elder to a residential care facility like an assisted living facility or a nursing home.\u003cbr>\nSome red flags signaling it’s time for a safer place to call home:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Unsteady walking up and down stairs\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Frequent falls\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Struggling to calculate the tip at a restaurant\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>A serious financial mistake\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Losing track of daily medications\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>If you can afford it, an assisted living facility is likely the first option. There are lots of \u003ca href=\"https://canhr.org/overview-of-assisted-living-residential-care-facilities-for-the-elderly-rcfes/\">online resources to help people find and vet complexes\u003c/a>. Unfortunately, facilities vary greatly in both quality and cost.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Historically, Medi-Cal [the state’s insurance for people on a limited income or disability] does not pay for assisted living outside of a really small and very income-limited assisted living waiver program,” Maura Gibney said. “So then we’re talking about private pay, and the average cost of an assisted living facility in California is $5,000 a month and up. We regularly talk to people who are paying $7-10,000 a month for an assisted living facility.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What about a nursing home?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If frequent falls lead to visits to the emergency room, it may be time to consider long-term care in a nursing home. But, Gibney says this is a last resort, “At this point in California, it’s really difficult to find a ‘good nursing home.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If possible, she recommends visiting homes ahead of time. “Trust your gut. Does it smell? Are residents freely moving around? Or is everyone in bed? Are they dressed? Does the facility feel clean? Do the staff greet you when you come through?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All medical experts stressed that making a plan for elderhood varies within each family, but the earlier you can start the conversation with a loved one, the more likely an elder will live out their final years in a dignified and comfortable environment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This may not be popular, but I’d say every one of us should probably start thinking about our final chapter in our 60s,” Aronson said.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>When a loved one starts to forget things, starts repeating stories, or is physically ailing, it’s heartbreaking. The country collectively watched an example of this as President Joe Biden’s voice weakened over the past few years; he lost his train of thought during a high-stakes debate and then pulled out of the campaign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“One of the things that makes it stressful is that people wait to have hard conversations until they are sort of imminent, and decline is happening,” said Louise Aronson, a geriatrician and professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101906590/when-elderly-loved-ones-need-extra-help\">in a recent episode of KQED Forum\u003c/a>. “And so the person who is declining is feeling more threatened. If you begin sooner, then they’re more part of the process, and they feel a sense of control.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These difficult conversations — even in private settings — remain surprisingly rare. However, geriatricians point to numerous tools and resources that can make the transition easier.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Making an optimal plan for elderhood\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“The most helpful way to approach the conversation is to think about the tension between the two parties,” said Dr. Katherine Ward, a geriatrician with Stanford Senior Care. “The child is most concerned about safety in the older adult’s environment, and the older adult is most concerned about their independence. And so if you look at that tug of war, you can discuss the benefits and risks of both.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both parties may avoid the conversation altogether because they find the decline depressing. If a senior refuses to talk about the future, Aronson suggested expressing concern. A child can say something like, “I love you, and I am worried. I see that you didn’t pay your bills last month. Or, I see that your shirt is on backwards. Can we talk about getting some help?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Or either party may make false assumptions. Seniors may assume they will move in with their children when the time comes, but younger generations may not have the time or resources to be an adequate caretaker. Cultural expectations can exacerbate these differences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If or when making a care plan is difficult within a family, Aronson recommended a mediator or intermediary with cultural and linguistic fluency aligned with the senior.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Staying at home\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Many seniors may prefer to live independently for as long as possible. \u003ca href=\"https://www.medicarefaq.com/faqs/home-safety-assessment-for-the-elderly/\">Medicare covers the cost of a “home safety evaluation,”\u003c/a> where an occupational therapist visits and then suggests modifications for a home like grab bars, ramps and increased lighting. \u003ca href=\"https://preferhome.com/senior-resources/common-senior-concerns/free-services-for-seniors/\">Preferred Care at Home provides this service\u003c/a> for free. And, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ioaging.org/activities-wellness/home-safety-evaluations-critical-checklist-keep-loved-ones-safe/\">online DIY resources offer checklists\u003c/a> to assess the safety of a home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Government assistance may be a critical resource for older adults. In California, the \u003ca href=\"https://aging.ca.gov/Programs_and_Services/Home_and_Community_Services/\">Home & Community Services program\u003c/a> includes caregiver assistance, adult day health care, and legal support. However, there is not a centralized access point for these programs and applications can be confusing. \u003ca href=\"https://canhr.org/hcbs-quick-guide/\">The California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform\u003c/a> offers a quick guide to help people get started.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For families separated by distance, \u003ca href=\"https://www.aginglifecare.org/\">a geriatric care manager\u003c/a>, usually a licensed nurse or social worker who charges by the hour, can help make a care plan and find services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1993983\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1993983\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240822-ELDERLYSUPPORT-15-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240822-ELDERLYSUPPORT-15-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240822-ELDERLYSUPPORT-15-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240822-ELDERLYSUPPORT-15-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240822-ELDERLYSUPPORT-15-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240822-ELDERLYSUPPORT-15-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240822-ELDERLYSUPPORT-15-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240822-ELDERLYSUPPORT-15-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dr. Louise Aronson, a geriatrician and founder of the optimizing aging practice at the UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Health, speaks with a patient at the hospital in San Francisco on Aug. 22, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.healthinaging.org/health-aging-foundation\">The Health in Aging Foundation\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://eldercare.acl.gov/Public/Index.aspx\">Eldercare Locator\u003c/a> can help families access a network of healthcare professionals specializing in geriatrics, or help connect families to in-home help, transportation options and offer guidance on financing care. \u003ca href=\"https://www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org/\">Meals on Wheels\u003c/a> is a tool to ensure access to nutritious meals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If it is time to hand over one’s driver’s license, Aronson said, you can make it easier by thinking about what role driving played in that person’s life. “Maybe it was getting out of the house. Maybe it was alone time. Maybe it was time to go explore. Are there other ways of getting those same pleasures?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All along the way, Aronson said, an elder should lead the conversation by sharing their preferences, hopes and priorities.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>When is time to consider a residential care facility?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Families will have to weigh independence versus the benefits of social contact, because studies show that \u003ca>isolation and loneliness is bad for your health\u003c/a>. Living in a community can be protective against developing cognitive impairment or dementia.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If a family member begins to show serious signs of mental or physical decline, it may be time to relocate an elder to a residential care facility like an assisted living facility or a nursing home.\u003cbr>\nSome red flags signaling it’s time for a safer place to call home:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Unsteady walking up and down stairs\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Frequent falls\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Struggling to calculate the tip at a restaurant\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>A serious financial mistake\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Losing track of daily medications\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>If you can afford it, an assisted living facility is likely the first option. There are lots of \u003ca href=\"https://canhr.org/overview-of-assisted-living-residential-care-facilities-for-the-elderly-rcfes/\">online resources to help people find and vet complexes\u003c/a>. Unfortunately, facilities vary greatly in both quality and cost.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Historically, Medi-Cal [the state’s insurance for people on a limited income or disability] does not pay for assisted living outside of a really small and very income-limited assisted living waiver program,” Maura Gibney said. “So then we’re talking about private pay, and the average cost of an assisted living facility in California is $5,000 a month and up. We regularly talk to people who are paying $7-10,000 a month for an assisted living facility.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What about a nursing home?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If frequent falls lead to visits to the emergency room, it may be time to consider long-term care in a nursing home. But, Gibney says this is a last resort, “At this point in California, it’s really difficult to find a ‘good nursing home.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If possible, she recommends visiting homes ahead of time. “Trust your gut. Does it smell? Are residents freely moving around? Or is everyone in bed? Are they dressed? Does the facility feel clean? Do the staff greet you when you come through?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All medical experts stressed that making a plan for elderhood varies within each family, but the earlier you can start the conversation with a loved one, the more likely an elder will live out their final years in a dignified and comfortable environment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>About a decade ago, Toni Rodriguez opened up to family members for the first time about using drugs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rodriguez, who primarily uses the pronoun “they,” was in their 20s and living in Santa Cruz at the time, and was in a bad place and hoping for support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But instead, Rodriguez said family members reacted with personal attacks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It really damaged the foundations of my relationship with almost every single family member,” Rodriguez said. “I don’t know what I was expecting, and it really is the stigma around IV drug use. There is nothing more despicable in most people’s eyes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rodriguez felt unsupported and forced to move out, they said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rodriguez continued to use opioids over the following years. Having trouble finding clean syringes, they would reuse needles, which can cause skin infections and lead to abscesses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, in 2020, while hanging around a homeless encampment, Rodriguez learned about the Harm Reduction Coalition of Santa Cruz County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1993860\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-29-BL-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1993860\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-29-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"Someone displaying drug-related harm-reduction items.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-29-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-29-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-29-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-29-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-29-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-29-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-29-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Members of the Harm Reduction Coalition of Santa Cruz County display harm reduction items, on July 30, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The coalition offered services without judgment or pity, Rodriguez said and delivered syringes meant to reduce the risks of infectious diseases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It really was game changing,” Rodriguez said. “It was dignity where there was little to be found.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Recipe for disaster’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>But last year, that all changed. A judge ordered the program to stop distributing needles following a lawsuit brought by members of a neighborhood group and other concerned residents. The judge ruled that the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) had \u003ca href=\"https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/ca-court-of-appeal/114866098.html\">not adequately consulted with law enforcement\u003c/a> when it approved of the needle distribution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a recipe for disaster. And it does nothing to curb drug use. It just makes it even more dangerous,” Rodriguez said of the ruling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Santa Cruz County was home to one of the nation’s first syringe exchange programs – commonly known as a needle exchange – which was \u003ca href=\"https://www.hrcofscc.org/historyinsantacruz\">founded in the late 1980s during the AIDS crisis\u003c/a>. However, the county is also one of several in California to see opposition to harm reduction programs in recent years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many needle exchanges, like the one here, are fighting to operate amid backlash spurred by fears that such programs will lead to more public drug use and an uptick in used needles and other drug paraphernalia strewn on the streets. This is also playing out in historically conservative bastions like Orange County, \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-07-31/orange-county-needle-exchange-program-overdose-hiv\">which remains one of the largest counties in the country without such a program\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1993861\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-35-BL-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1993861\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-35-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"Three people stand on railroad tracks.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-35-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-35-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-35-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-35-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-35-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-35-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-35-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Anna Koplos-Villanueva (left), Denise Elerick and Jerry Guerrero, who help run the Harm Reduction Coalition of Santa Cruz County, in Santa Cruz on July 30, 2024, nearby to where they previously distributed clean syringes before a judge ordered them to stop earlier this year. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Can you imagine a child stepping on a needle in the sand at the playground?” Santa Ana Mayor Valerie Amezcua told KQED. “Is the answer to give [people] needles so that they can continue to live on the street and use freely? In my eyes, no.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://mcclibraryfunctions.azurewebsites.us/api/ordinanceDownload/15095/1258788/pdf\">Last year\u003c/a>, El Dorado County passed an ordinance to ban needle exchange programs, an action that prompted CDPH to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article286978630.html\">file a lawsuit in March\u003c/a>, arguing that the ban is preempted by state law. The judge, in that case, ordered a preliminary injunction on the ban.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Harm reduction advocates in Santa Cruz and Santa Ana are still hoping CDHP approves their applications to distribute clean needles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And while the agency told KQED it supports these programs, some local officials and residents contend they know what’s best for their communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Changing views\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Harm reduction advocates argue needle exchange programs save lives and are urgently needed amid the fentanyl overdose crisis. California’s opioid-related deaths spiked roughly 127% between 2019 and 2022, \u003ca href=\"https://skylab.cdph.ca.gov/ODdash/?tab=Home\">according to CDPH\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Needle exchange programs were born as part of an underground effort by activists and volunteers during the height of the AIDS epidemic to protect the health of people who used drugs. What started out as an \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfaf.org/resource-library/needle-exchange-in-san-francisco/\">act of civil disobedience\u003c/a> gained wider acceptance over the years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"More on addiction treatment\" postID=\"news_11997957,news_11911092,news_11891403\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In December 2015, \u003ca href=\"https://www.vox.com/2016/1/6/10723800/congress-needle-exchange-ban\">Congress effectively lifted\u003c/a> the ban on federal funding for the programs. Since then, the number of counties in California with at least one needle exchange program increased markedly, and these programs now operate in about 60% of counties in the state, according to state health officials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A CDPH spokesperson said in a statement to KQED that harm reduction programs reduce infectious disease transmission, prevent fatal overdoses, and link people to other crucial services. The agency added that research shows that these sites do not attract more drug users to certain neighborhoods and actually reduce the amount of syringe litter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But skepticism about the programs remains strong.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health surveyed roughly 1,000 adults across the country and \u003ca href=\"https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2018/public-support-for-needle-exchange-programs-safe-injection-sites-remains-low-in-US\">found \u003c/a>that just 39% supported legalizing needle exchange programs in their communities. Those who had very negative views of people who use drugs were most more likely to be opposed to the programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Denise Elerick, the founder of the Harm Reduction Coalition of Santa Cruz County, said needle exchange programs should be approved based on public health evidence, not popular opinion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not a football game,” Elerick said. “It’s the same tape, the same script that’s been repeated from Atlanta to Connecticut to everywhere, all over: ‘Those people found a syringe near my child, we have to close it down and stop it.’ That’s it in a nutshell.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1993854\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-07-BL-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1993854\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-07-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A man with long hair and a plaid shirt poses in a park.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-07-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-07-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-07-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-07-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-07-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-07-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-07-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brad Angell, a member of the Grant Park Neighborhood Association Advocates, in Grant Park in Santa Cruz on July 30, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Brad Angell was among a group of residents who formed the Grant Park Neighborhood Association Advocates and sued the Santa Cruz needle exchange. A former Santa Cruz police chief and others were also plaintiffs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said he is not opposed to all needle exchanges but was appalled and shocked by the number of needles discarded at Grant Park, located in a residential neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The community avoided the park because drug use and discarded needles were so common, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Angell also said the program did not consult with the community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They act like renegades without any rules,” Angell said. “It’s shocking they were ever allowed to operate in the first place.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Resistance in Santa Ana\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In Santa Ana, where city leaders staunchly oppose such programs, another nonprofit harm reduction group has applied for state authorization to distribute clean needles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a city council meeting in February, then-interim city manager Tom Hatch shared images of discarded syringes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This needle was found inside of our city library, on one of the bookshelves, where any member of the public or young person could have come in contact with that needle and caused some harm,” Hatch said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Amezcua, the mayor, said residents do not want a needle exchange program in their city. Santa Ana City Council members \u003ca href=\"https://www.santa-ana.org/city-council-opposes-needle-distribution/\">passed a resolution in April\u003c/a> voicing unanimous opposition to the proposed program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Go to Irvine, go to Orange, go wherever you want, but don’t come here to Santa Ana because we don’t want it here,” Amezcua said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carol Newark, the executive director of the Harm Reduction Institute, the group pushing for authorization to distribute needles in Santa Ana, watched the meeting online the next day. She said felt sickened by the images displayed, and what seemed to be a lack of understanding about why the needles were there in the first place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1993855\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-08-BL-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1993855\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-08-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-08-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-08-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-08-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-08-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-08-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-08-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-08-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lisa Bates (left), her dog Tacho, Peter Glynn, and Brad Angell, members of the Grant Park Neighborhood Association Advocates, walk through Grant Park in Santa Cruz on July 30, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I weirdly get the vibe that they’re trying to say [our group is] coming in to purposefully leave [the syringe litter] there. Like, we want to come in and destroy their city,” Newark said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She contends her group’s latest effort to launch a needle exchange is different from the previous operation, which was run by a group called the Orange County Needle Exchange Program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newark’s group has laid out their plan to address residents’ concerns. If approved, they will collect syringes from participants five days a week, conduct “litter sweeps” throughout the city, and operate a hotline for residents, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the state does not approve the latest application to be authorized, Newark said she is not sure she has it in her to apply again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The backlash has traumatized me more than anything else I’ve experienced,” Newark said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Syringe exchanges in California are fighting to stay alive amid growing opposition spurred by fears that such programs will lead to more public drug use and disorder.",
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"title": "'Dignity Where There Was Little to Be Found': Inside the Fight for California Needle Exchange Programs | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>About a decade ago, Toni Rodriguez opened up to family members for the first time about using drugs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rodriguez, who primarily uses the pronoun “they,” was in their 20s and living in Santa Cruz at the time, and was in a bad place and hoping for support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But instead, Rodriguez said family members reacted with personal attacks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It really damaged the foundations of my relationship with almost every single family member,” Rodriguez said. “I don’t know what I was expecting, and it really is the stigma around IV drug use. There is nothing more despicable in most people’s eyes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rodriguez felt unsupported and forced to move out, they said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rodriguez continued to use opioids over the following years. Having trouble finding clean syringes, they would reuse needles, which can cause skin infections and lead to abscesses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, in 2020, while hanging around a homeless encampment, Rodriguez learned about the Harm Reduction Coalition of Santa Cruz County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1993860\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-29-BL-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1993860\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-29-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"Someone displaying drug-related harm-reduction items.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-29-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-29-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-29-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-29-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-29-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-29-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-29-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Members of the Harm Reduction Coalition of Santa Cruz County display harm reduction items, on July 30, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The coalition offered services without judgment or pity, Rodriguez said and delivered syringes meant to reduce the risks of infectious diseases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It really was game changing,” Rodriguez said. “It was dignity where there was little to be found.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Recipe for disaster’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>But last year, that all changed. A judge ordered the program to stop distributing needles following a lawsuit brought by members of a neighborhood group and other concerned residents. The judge ruled that the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) had \u003ca href=\"https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/ca-court-of-appeal/114866098.html\">not adequately consulted with law enforcement\u003c/a> when it approved of the needle distribution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a recipe for disaster. And it does nothing to curb drug use. It just makes it even more dangerous,” Rodriguez said of the ruling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Santa Cruz County was home to one of the nation’s first syringe exchange programs – commonly known as a needle exchange – which was \u003ca href=\"https://www.hrcofscc.org/historyinsantacruz\">founded in the late 1980s during the AIDS crisis\u003c/a>. However, the county is also one of several in California to see opposition to harm reduction programs in recent years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many needle exchanges, like the one here, are fighting to operate amid backlash spurred by fears that such programs will lead to more public drug use and an uptick in used needles and other drug paraphernalia strewn on the streets. This is also playing out in historically conservative bastions like Orange County, \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-07-31/orange-county-needle-exchange-program-overdose-hiv\">which remains one of the largest counties in the country without such a program\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1993861\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-35-BL-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1993861\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-35-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"Three people stand on railroad tracks.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-35-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-35-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-35-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-35-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-35-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-35-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-35-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Anna Koplos-Villanueva (left), Denise Elerick and Jerry Guerrero, who help run the Harm Reduction Coalition of Santa Cruz County, in Santa Cruz on July 30, 2024, nearby to where they previously distributed clean syringes before a judge ordered them to stop earlier this year. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Can you imagine a child stepping on a needle in the sand at the playground?” Santa Ana Mayor Valerie Amezcua told KQED. “Is the answer to give [people] needles so that they can continue to live on the street and use freely? In my eyes, no.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://mcclibraryfunctions.azurewebsites.us/api/ordinanceDownload/15095/1258788/pdf\">Last year\u003c/a>, El Dorado County passed an ordinance to ban needle exchange programs, an action that prompted CDPH to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article286978630.html\">file a lawsuit in March\u003c/a>, arguing that the ban is preempted by state law. The judge, in that case, ordered a preliminary injunction on the ban.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Harm reduction advocates in Santa Cruz and Santa Ana are still hoping CDHP approves their applications to distribute clean needles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And while the agency told KQED it supports these programs, some local officials and residents contend they know what’s best for their communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Changing views\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Harm reduction advocates argue needle exchange programs save lives and are urgently needed amid the fentanyl overdose crisis. California’s opioid-related deaths spiked roughly 127% between 2019 and 2022, \u003ca href=\"https://skylab.cdph.ca.gov/ODdash/?tab=Home\">according to CDPH\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Needle exchange programs were born as part of an underground effort by activists and volunteers during the height of the AIDS epidemic to protect the health of people who used drugs. What started out as an \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfaf.org/resource-library/needle-exchange-in-san-francisco/\">act of civil disobedience\u003c/a> gained wider acceptance over the years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In December 2015, \u003ca href=\"https://www.vox.com/2016/1/6/10723800/congress-needle-exchange-ban\">Congress effectively lifted\u003c/a> the ban on federal funding for the programs. Since then, the number of counties in California with at least one needle exchange program increased markedly, and these programs now operate in about 60% of counties in the state, according to state health officials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A CDPH spokesperson said in a statement to KQED that harm reduction programs reduce infectious disease transmission, prevent fatal overdoses, and link people to other crucial services. The agency added that research shows that these sites do not attract more drug users to certain neighborhoods and actually reduce the amount of syringe litter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But skepticism about the programs remains strong.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health surveyed roughly 1,000 adults across the country and \u003ca href=\"https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2018/public-support-for-needle-exchange-programs-safe-injection-sites-remains-low-in-US\">found \u003c/a>that just 39% supported legalizing needle exchange programs in their communities. Those who had very negative views of people who use drugs were most more likely to be opposed to the programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Denise Elerick, the founder of the Harm Reduction Coalition of Santa Cruz County, said needle exchange programs should be approved based on public health evidence, not popular opinion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not a football game,” Elerick said. “It’s the same tape, the same script that’s been repeated from Atlanta to Connecticut to everywhere, all over: ‘Those people found a syringe near my child, we have to close it down and stop it.’ That’s it in a nutshell.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1993854\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-07-BL-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1993854\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-07-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A man with long hair and a plaid shirt poses in a park.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-07-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-07-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-07-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-07-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-07-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-07-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-07-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brad Angell, a member of the Grant Park Neighborhood Association Advocates, in Grant Park in Santa Cruz on July 30, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Brad Angell was among a group of residents who formed the Grant Park Neighborhood Association Advocates and sued the Santa Cruz needle exchange. A former Santa Cruz police chief and others were also plaintiffs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said he is not opposed to all needle exchanges but was appalled and shocked by the number of needles discarded at Grant Park, located in a residential neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The community avoided the park because drug use and discarded needles were so common, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Angell also said the program did not consult with the community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They act like renegades without any rules,” Angell said. “It’s shocking they were ever allowed to operate in the first place.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Resistance in Santa Ana\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In Santa Ana, where city leaders staunchly oppose such programs, another nonprofit harm reduction group has applied for state authorization to distribute clean needles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a city council meeting in February, then-interim city manager Tom Hatch shared images of discarded syringes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This needle was found inside of our city library, on one of the bookshelves, where any member of the public or young person could have come in contact with that needle and caused some harm,” Hatch said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Amezcua, the mayor, said residents do not want a needle exchange program in their city. Santa Ana City Council members \u003ca href=\"https://www.santa-ana.org/city-council-opposes-needle-distribution/\">passed a resolution in April\u003c/a> voicing unanimous opposition to the proposed program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Go to Irvine, go to Orange, go wherever you want, but don’t come here to Santa Ana because we don’t want it here,” Amezcua said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carol Newark, the executive director of the Harm Reduction Institute, the group pushing for authorization to distribute needles in Santa Ana, watched the meeting online the next day. She said felt sickened by the images displayed, and what seemed to be a lack of understanding about why the needles were there in the first place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1993855\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-08-BL-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1993855\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-08-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-08-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-08-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-08-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-08-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-08-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-08-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/240730-SYRINGEEXCHANGE-08-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lisa Bates (left), her dog Tacho, Peter Glynn, and Brad Angell, members of the Grant Park Neighborhood Association Advocates, walk through Grant Park in Santa Cruz on July 30, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I weirdly get the vibe that they’re trying to say [our group is] coming in to purposefully leave [the syringe litter] there. Like, we want to come in and destroy their city,” Newark said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She contends her group’s latest effort to launch a needle exchange is different from the previous operation, which was run by a group called the Orange County Needle Exchange Program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newark’s group has laid out their plan to address residents’ concerns. If approved, they will collect syringes from participants five days a week, conduct “litter sweeps” throughout the city, and operate a hotline for residents, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the state does not approve the latest application to be authorized, Newark said she is not sure she has it in her to apply again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The backlash has traumatized me more than anything else I’ve experienced,” Newark said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was originally published on March 20, 2024.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a warm September morning in 2020, David Alter was cleaning up his kitchen in Berkeley. He saw his wife, Lisa, move towards him out of the corner of his eye. He turned to dry his hands on a towel, and then he heard a loud noise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ll never forget that sound,” he said. “It was like the sound of a baseball getting hit. She did nothing to brace her fall. Her head smacked directly on the linoleum floor.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His wife lay still as blood pooled around her body, and Alter sprinted to the bathroom to scavenge for bandages. He wrapped Lisa’s head in gauze and then carried her to the car before speeding to the emergency department at Kaiser Permanente’s Richmond Medical Center, where he said a doctor diagnosed Lisa with a brain bleed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Kristof Stremikis, director of market analysis and insight, California Health Care Foundation\"]‘We definitely know that across California more patients are spending longer times in the hospital.’[/pullquote]Lisa has Huntington’s disease, a genetic disorder that causes nerve cells to break down over time, ravaging the brain and body. The condition is marked by involuntary jerking and writhing movements. It impairs one’s gait, posture and balance. Eventually, Lisa could not walk, talk or think.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alter had failed for an entire year to find a nursing home for his wife, as she was no longer safe at home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It got to the point that we were going to the ER weekly,” Alter said. “If the fall was late at night, we wouldn’t go right away because we were too exhausted. I would patch her up. I would use suture strips or even sometimes Krazy Glue to close cuts.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1991935\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240209-AVOIDABLEBEDDAYS-KSM-1-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1991935 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240209-AVOIDABLEBEDDAYS-KSM-1-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A man wearing glasses and a dark shirt sits next to a woman lying down in a bed.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240209-AVOIDABLEBEDDAYS-KSM-1-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240209-AVOIDABLEBEDDAYS-KSM-1-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240209-AVOIDABLEBEDDAYS-KSM-1-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240209-AVOIDABLEBEDDAYS-KSM-1-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240209-AVOIDABLEBEDDAYS-KSM-1-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240209-AVOIDABLEBEDDAYS-KSM-1-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240209-AVOIDABLEBEDDAYS-KSM-1-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">David Alter sits next to his wife, Lisa Alter, in Walnut Creek on Feb. 9, 2024. \u003ccite>(Kathryn Styer Martínez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He had called hundreds of skilled nursing facilities across California. He penned personal letters to facility directors illustrated with color photos of their family, describing his wife as “a vibrant woman, wife, elementary school teacher and mother.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He received denial after denial. There was not a single facility that would accept a complex patient who would likely need many years of specialized, very expensive care. Lisa received her Huntington’s disease diagnosis when she was 45 years old. From the onset of symptoms, people with the condition have a life expectancy of 10 to 25 years. Lisa’s needs will likely increase over time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alter turned to social workers with the Huntington’s Disease Society for help. They advised him to leave his wife in the hospital the next time she landed in the emergency department. “That’s the last resort if the caregiver isn’t safe to take their loved one home,” said Jessica Marsolek, the society’s associate director of community services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1991923\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-09-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1991923\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-09-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A hallway of a medical center with people walking through.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-09-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-09-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-09-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-09-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-09-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-09-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-09-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Kaiser Permanente Richmond Medical Center on March 19, 2024. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Hospitals are much more equipped to connect and successfully transfer patients to nursing homes. “I don’t know anybody that’s gotten into a nursing home any other way,” said Maura Gibney, executive director for California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform. She regularly advises families to leave their loved ones in the hospital. “That’s the only way.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Four days after Lisa’s fall, she was ready for discharge from Kaiser’s emergency department in Richmond, but Alter made the decision not to pick her up. She wouldn’t leave the hospital for several months.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Part of a growing trend\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Patients spend more and more time in the hospital, even people who — like Lisa Alter — are medically stable and ready for a lower level of care at a facility like a nursing home or a psychiatric treatment center. Increasingly, they languish for weeks, months and even years, which delays their recovery, and that, in turn, delays care for patients who need urgent care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can’t accept some patients trying to transfer in from smaller hospitals,” said Dr. Valerie Norton, emergency medicine physician at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego. “Because we don’t have room for them. Or there might be somebody down in the emergency department that’s waiting to be admitted into the hospital. And we have to wait until somebody else gets discharged before we can move them upstairs. If you’re lying in a bed in the emergency department, that’s just a hard gurney with a broken hip, and you’re waiting 16 hours for a bed to open up somewhere, that’s pretty tough.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1991924\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-10-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1991924\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-10-KQED.jpg\" alt='The side of a building that says \"Kaiser Permanente.\"' width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-10-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-10-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-10-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-10-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-10-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-10-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-10-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Kaiser Permanente Richmond Medical Center on March 19, 2024. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In 2022, the average length of stay inside hospitals across the country \u003ca href=\"https://www.aha.org/issue-brief/2022-12-05-patients-and-providers-faced-increasing-delays-timely-discharges\">increased by 19.2%\u003c/a> compared to the year before, according to an issue brief prepared by the American Hospital Association. In California, 4,500 patients are stranded inside hospitals every day, according to a \u003ca href=\"https://calhospital.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Impact-of-Inadequate-Networks-CHA-Analysis-FINAL.pdf\">report from the California Hospital Association, \u003c/a>which attributes the problem of discharge delays to insurance companies openly disregarding “the clinical guidance of doctors and nurses” and “delaying or denying the care” that patients need.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We definitely know that across California, more patients are spending longer times in the hospital,” said Kristof Stremikis, who directs the California Health Care Foundation’s market analysis and insight team.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s both very complicated and incredibly simple,” Stremikis said. “It’s rising demand with problems in the supply. There’s more patients that need to be discharged. They tend to be sicker. They tend to have more complex conditions. And then on the supply side, there’s just fewer and fewer places to send them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=\"science_1991739,news_11976372,news_11968579\" label=\"Related Stories\"]As the country’s demographics trend older, more and more patients require care at nursing homes, but those facilities are plagued by dire staffing shortages, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ahcancal.org/News-and-Communications/Press-Releases/Pages/Historic-Staffing-Shortages-Continue-To-Force-Nursing-Homes-To-Limit-New-Admissions,-Creating-Bottlenecks-at-Hospitals-and-.aspx\">American Health Care Association\u003c/a>. A lack of workers downstream means patients like Lisa Alter get stuck upstream inside the hospital’s emergency department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t have anywhere safe to send them,” Norton said. “They would qualify to be at a lower level of care like a skilled nursing facility or an assisted living facility. But because of their multiple medical problems or their psychiatric condition, there’s not a place that’s willing to take them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The number of days patients are stuck at Scripps has tripled in recent years, she said, and costs the health care system $56 million a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s just insane how long these patients stay in the hospital,” Norton said. “And we’re not getting paid for that. We’re just eating that cost. And they should be in a nursing home somewhere.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The problem was exacerbated by the pandemic, which accelerated feelings of anguish and other persistent mental health issues in health care workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly half of health care workers across the U.S. reported often feeling burned out in 2022, according to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/health-worker-mental-health/index.html\">federal survey from the Centers for Disease Control\u003c/a>. About the same amount said they intended to look for a new job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve had a long, long, long-term problem,” said Craig Cornett, CEO of the California Association of Health Facilities. “Every other part of the health care sector has recovered its staff to its pre-COVID days. We are the only part of the health care continuum that is still below where we were before COVID.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"David Alter, software engineer\"]‘You shouldn’t have to leave someone in the hospital and force them to take care of it.’[/pullquote]California is spending $26 million to \u003ca href=\"https://yourcnastory.org/\">recruit\u003c/a> more health care workers to help fill this gap, with the hope of attracting 5,500 certified nursing assistants by 2027. State lawmakers are considering \u003ca href=\"https://legiscan.com/CA/text/SB895/id/2868455\">SB 895\u003c/a>, a new bill that would allow select community college districts to offer nursing degrees, lowering the bar for entry and making it easier for workers to enter the health care industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, Cornett said, the workforce challenge is huge, and it is not going away.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The breaking point\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Alter always thought he’d grow old alongside his wife. But he could no longer parent his two children, hold a full-time job as a software engineer, and care for Lisa around the clock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1991920\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1330px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-12-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1991920\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-12-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A man, woman, and two children wearing tie die t shirts stands outside a home.\" width=\"1330\" height=\"2000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-12-KQED.jpg 1330w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-12-KQED-800x1203.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-12-KQED-1020x1534.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-12-KQED-160x241.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-12-KQED-768x1155.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-12-KQED-1021x1536.jpg 1021w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1330px) 100vw, 1330px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A family photo of Lisa (left) and David Alter and their children Zachary and Maya in front of their home in Berkeley in 2010, the year before Lisa was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of David Alter)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>When he learned that his wife was ready to be discharged from the emergency department at Kaiser Richmond, he steadied himself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I remember talking to them, and I said: ‘I’m not gonna pick her up. I’m not going to take her home.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alter said the hospital’s discharge team struggled to find a nursing home for Lisa, too. His wife Lisa would spend over four months at Kaiser, a time period that Alter described as “excruciating” for him. He was so worried that the hospital would force him to take his wife home that he held off from visiting her in the hospital initially.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s incredibly emotional to walk away,” Alter said. “And Kaiser’s calling you. And they’re like, ‘Why aren’t you picking her up?’ It’s really, really stressful. And it gets worse every day she’s there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kaiser Permanente declined an interview for this story. In an emailed statement, the organization said it strives to find the right care for patients as quickly as possible. “While the vast majority of placements occur in a timely fashion, there are some circumstances, including the need for highly specialized care and patient or family preferences, that can present challenges,” the statement said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Patient discrimination\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On top of staffing issues, facilities have a financial incentive to choose patients who can pay the highest price. “It’s unfortunate, but it is true,” Stremikis said. “Medi-Cal rates are way lower than private payers. It’s just another example of the inequalities within our system.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Medi-Cal is the state’s insurance program, which covers Alter’s wife. It’s supposed to pay for her to receive specialized care at a round-the-clock facility, but that has not been his experience. “There’s nowhere I can place her,” Alter said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1991922\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-06-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1991922\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-06-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A person holds an image of a man, woman and young child.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-06-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-06-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-06-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-06-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-06-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-06-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-06-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">David Alter holds a photo of himself, his wife Lisa, and their son Zachary at his home in Berkeley on March 18, 2024. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Eventually, after more than four months, Kaiser Permanente did find housing for Lisa in Walnut Creek. The home provides food and supervision but not specialized nurses or regular doctor visits. Alter said she’s not at the right facility, but he doesn’t know what to do. He hired consultants and lawyers and wrote his legislators, all to no avail.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Three years after Alter left his wife in the hospital as a hail mary play to get her the care she needs, that’s still not happening. “You’re just defeated,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, his wife declines. “She’s 70 or 80 pounds,” Alter said. “She’s so tiny. She’s skin and bones.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He also worries she could injure herself again, land back in the hospital, and then get stuck in the cycle all over again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You shouldn’t have to leave someone in the hospital and force them to take care of it,” Alter said. “That’s not the right solution. As a society, we’re not set up in a way to care for people properly.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "One woman with Huntington's disease was left in limbo at Kaiser’s emergency department in Richmond for more than 4 months as she waited for space in a nursing home. ",
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"title": "Systemic Neglect: How Staffing Shortages In Nursing Homes Leave Patients Trapped in Hospitals | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was originally published on March 20, 2024.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a warm September morning in 2020, David Alter was cleaning up his kitchen in Berkeley. He saw his wife, Lisa, move towards him out of the corner of his eye. He turned to dry his hands on a towel, and then he heard a loud noise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ll never forget that sound,” he said. “It was like the sound of a baseball getting hit. She did nothing to brace her fall. Her head smacked directly on the linoleum floor.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His wife lay still as blood pooled around her body, and Alter sprinted to the bathroom to scavenge for bandages. He wrapped Lisa’s head in gauze and then carried her to the car before speeding to the emergency department at Kaiser Permanente’s Richmond Medical Center, where he said a doctor diagnosed Lisa with a brain bleed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Lisa has Huntington’s disease, a genetic disorder that causes nerve cells to break down over time, ravaging the brain and body. The condition is marked by involuntary jerking and writhing movements. It impairs one’s gait, posture and balance. Eventually, Lisa could not walk, talk or think.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alter had failed for an entire year to find a nursing home for his wife, as she was no longer safe at home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It got to the point that we were going to the ER weekly,” Alter said. “If the fall was late at night, we wouldn’t go right away because we were too exhausted. I would patch her up. I would use suture strips or even sometimes Krazy Glue to close cuts.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1991935\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240209-AVOIDABLEBEDDAYS-KSM-1-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1991935 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240209-AVOIDABLEBEDDAYS-KSM-1-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A man wearing glasses and a dark shirt sits next to a woman lying down in a bed.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240209-AVOIDABLEBEDDAYS-KSM-1-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240209-AVOIDABLEBEDDAYS-KSM-1-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240209-AVOIDABLEBEDDAYS-KSM-1-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240209-AVOIDABLEBEDDAYS-KSM-1-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240209-AVOIDABLEBEDDAYS-KSM-1-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240209-AVOIDABLEBEDDAYS-KSM-1-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240209-AVOIDABLEBEDDAYS-KSM-1-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">David Alter sits next to his wife, Lisa Alter, in Walnut Creek on Feb. 9, 2024. \u003ccite>(Kathryn Styer Martínez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He had called hundreds of skilled nursing facilities across California. He penned personal letters to facility directors illustrated with color photos of their family, describing his wife as “a vibrant woman, wife, elementary school teacher and mother.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He received denial after denial. There was not a single facility that would accept a complex patient who would likely need many years of specialized, very expensive care. Lisa received her Huntington’s disease diagnosis when she was 45 years old. From the onset of symptoms, people with the condition have a life expectancy of 10 to 25 years. Lisa’s needs will likely increase over time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alter turned to social workers with the Huntington’s Disease Society for help. They advised him to leave his wife in the hospital the next time she landed in the emergency department. “That’s the last resort if the caregiver isn’t safe to take their loved one home,” said Jessica Marsolek, the society’s associate director of community services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1991923\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-09-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1991923\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-09-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A hallway of a medical center with people walking through.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-09-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-09-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-09-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-09-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-09-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-09-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-09-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Kaiser Permanente Richmond Medical Center on March 19, 2024. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Hospitals are much more equipped to connect and successfully transfer patients to nursing homes. “I don’t know anybody that’s gotten into a nursing home any other way,” said Maura Gibney, executive director for California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform. She regularly advises families to leave their loved ones in the hospital. “That’s the only way.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Four days after Lisa’s fall, she was ready for discharge from Kaiser’s emergency department in Richmond, but Alter made the decision not to pick her up. She wouldn’t leave the hospital for several months.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Part of a growing trend\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Patients spend more and more time in the hospital, even people who — like Lisa Alter — are medically stable and ready for a lower level of care at a facility like a nursing home or a psychiatric treatment center. Increasingly, they languish for weeks, months and even years, which delays their recovery, and that, in turn, delays care for patients who need urgent care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can’t accept some patients trying to transfer in from smaller hospitals,” said Dr. Valerie Norton, emergency medicine physician at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego. “Because we don’t have room for them. Or there might be somebody down in the emergency department that’s waiting to be admitted into the hospital. And we have to wait until somebody else gets discharged before we can move them upstairs. If you’re lying in a bed in the emergency department, that’s just a hard gurney with a broken hip, and you’re waiting 16 hours for a bed to open up somewhere, that’s pretty tough.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1991924\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-10-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1991924\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-10-KQED.jpg\" alt='The side of a building that says \"Kaiser Permanente.\"' width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-10-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-10-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-10-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-10-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-10-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-10-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-10-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Kaiser Permanente Richmond Medical Center on March 19, 2024. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In 2022, the average length of stay inside hospitals across the country \u003ca href=\"https://www.aha.org/issue-brief/2022-12-05-patients-and-providers-faced-increasing-delays-timely-discharges\">increased by 19.2%\u003c/a> compared to the year before, according to an issue brief prepared by the American Hospital Association. In California, 4,500 patients are stranded inside hospitals every day, according to a \u003ca href=\"https://calhospital.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Impact-of-Inadequate-Networks-CHA-Analysis-FINAL.pdf\">report from the California Hospital Association, \u003c/a>which attributes the problem of discharge delays to insurance companies openly disregarding “the clinical guidance of doctors and nurses” and “delaying or denying the care” that patients need.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We definitely know that across California, more patients are spending longer times in the hospital,” said Kristof Stremikis, who directs the California Health Care Foundation’s market analysis and insight team.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s both very complicated and incredibly simple,” Stremikis said. “It’s rising demand with problems in the supply. There’s more patients that need to be discharged. They tend to be sicker. They tend to have more complex conditions. And then on the supply side, there’s just fewer and fewer places to send them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>As the country’s demographics trend older, more and more patients require care at nursing homes, but those facilities are plagued by dire staffing shortages, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ahcancal.org/News-and-Communications/Press-Releases/Pages/Historic-Staffing-Shortages-Continue-To-Force-Nursing-Homes-To-Limit-New-Admissions,-Creating-Bottlenecks-at-Hospitals-and-.aspx\">American Health Care Association\u003c/a>. A lack of workers downstream means patients like Lisa Alter get stuck upstream inside the hospital’s emergency department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t have anywhere safe to send them,” Norton said. “They would qualify to be at a lower level of care like a skilled nursing facility or an assisted living facility. But because of their multiple medical problems or their psychiatric condition, there’s not a place that’s willing to take them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The number of days patients are stuck at Scripps has tripled in recent years, she said, and costs the health care system $56 million a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s just insane how long these patients stay in the hospital,” Norton said. “And we’re not getting paid for that. We’re just eating that cost. And they should be in a nursing home somewhere.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The problem was exacerbated by the pandemic, which accelerated feelings of anguish and other persistent mental health issues in health care workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly half of health care workers across the U.S. reported often feeling burned out in 2022, according to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/health-worker-mental-health/index.html\">federal survey from the Centers for Disease Control\u003c/a>. About the same amount said they intended to look for a new job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve had a long, long, long-term problem,” said Craig Cornett, CEO of the California Association of Health Facilities. “Every other part of the health care sector has recovered its staff to its pre-COVID days. We are the only part of the health care continuum that is still below where we were before COVID.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>California is spending $26 million to \u003ca href=\"https://yourcnastory.org/\">recruit\u003c/a> more health care workers to help fill this gap, with the hope of attracting 5,500 certified nursing assistants by 2027. State lawmakers are considering \u003ca href=\"https://legiscan.com/CA/text/SB895/id/2868455\">SB 895\u003c/a>, a new bill that would allow select community college districts to offer nursing degrees, lowering the bar for entry and making it easier for workers to enter the health care industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, Cornett said, the workforce challenge is huge, and it is not going away.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The breaking point\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Alter always thought he’d grow old alongside his wife. But he could no longer parent his two children, hold a full-time job as a software engineer, and care for Lisa around the clock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1991920\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1330px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-12-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1991920\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-12-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A man, woman, and two children wearing tie die t shirts stands outside a home.\" width=\"1330\" height=\"2000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-12-KQED.jpg 1330w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-12-KQED-800x1203.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-12-KQED-1020x1534.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-12-KQED-160x241.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-12-KQED-768x1155.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-12-KQED-1021x1536.jpg 1021w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1330px) 100vw, 1330px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A family photo of Lisa (left) and David Alter and their children Zachary and Maya in front of their home in Berkeley in 2010, the year before Lisa was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of David Alter)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>When he learned that his wife was ready to be discharged from the emergency department at Kaiser Richmond, he steadied himself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I remember talking to them, and I said: ‘I’m not gonna pick her up. I’m not going to take her home.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alter said the hospital’s discharge team struggled to find a nursing home for Lisa, too. His wife Lisa would spend over four months at Kaiser, a time period that Alter described as “excruciating” for him. He was so worried that the hospital would force him to take his wife home that he held off from visiting her in the hospital initially.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s incredibly emotional to walk away,” Alter said. “And Kaiser’s calling you. And they’re like, ‘Why aren’t you picking her up?’ It’s really, really stressful. And it gets worse every day she’s there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kaiser Permanente declined an interview for this story. In an emailed statement, the organization said it strives to find the right care for patients as quickly as possible. “While the vast majority of placements occur in a timely fashion, there are some circumstances, including the need for highly specialized care and patient or family preferences, that can present challenges,” the statement said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Patient discrimination\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On top of staffing issues, facilities have a financial incentive to choose patients who can pay the highest price. “It’s unfortunate, but it is true,” Stremikis said. “Medi-Cal rates are way lower than private payers. It’s just another example of the inequalities within our system.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Medi-Cal is the state’s insurance program, which covers Alter’s wife. It’s supposed to pay for her to receive specialized care at a round-the-clock facility, but that has not been his experience. “There’s nowhere I can place her,” Alter said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1991922\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-06-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1991922\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-06-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A person holds an image of a man, woman and young child.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-06-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-06-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-06-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-06-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-06-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-06-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/03/240318-AVOIDABLE-BED-DAYS-MD-06-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">David Alter holds a photo of himself, his wife Lisa, and their son Zachary at his home in Berkeley on March 18, 2024. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Eventually, after more than four months, Kaiser Permanente did find housing for Lisa in Walnut Creek. The home provides food and supervision but not specialized nurses or regular doctor visits. Alter said she’s not at the right facility, but he doesn’t know what to do. He hired consultants and lawyers and wrote his legislators, all to no avail.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Three years after Alter left his wife in the hospital as a hail mary play to get her the care she needs, that’s still not happening. “You’re just defeated,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, his wife declines. “She’s 70 or 80 pounds,” Alter said. “She’s so tiny. She’s skin and bones.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He also worries she could injure herself again, land back in the hospital, and then get stuck in the cycle all over again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
"airtime": "SUN 9pm-10pm",
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"meta": {
"site": "radio",
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"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.commonwealthclub.org/podcasts",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
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}
},
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"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
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"id": "freakonomics-radio",
"title": "Freakonomics Radio",
"info": "Freakonomics Radio is a one-hour award-winning podcast and public-radio project hosted by Stephen Dubner, with co-author Steve Levitt as a regular guest. It is produced in partnership with WNYC.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/freakonomicsRadio.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
"subscribe": {
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/freakonomicsradio"
}
},
"fresh-air": {
"id": "fresh-air",
"title": "Fresh Air",
"info": "Hosted by Terry Gross, \u003cem>Fresh Air from WHYY\u003c/em> is the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues. One of public radio's most popular programs, Fresh Air features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries.",
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"link": "/radio/program/fresh-air",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/381444908/podcast.xml"
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"id": "here-and-now",
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"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510051/podcast.xml"
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},
"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
"title": "Hidden Brain",
"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/hiddenbrain.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain",
"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
"subscribe": {
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"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Science-Podcasts/Hidden-Brain-p787503/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510308/podcast.xml"
}
},
"how-i-built-this": {
"id": "how-i-built-this",
"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/howIBuiltThis.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this",
"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/3zxy",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510313/podcast.xml"
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},
"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
"imageAlt": "KQED Hyphenación",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"meta": {
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"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/2p3Fifq96nw9BPcmFdIq0o?si=39209f7b25774f38",
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"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/6c3dd23c-93fb-4aab-97ba-1725fa6315f1/hyphenaci%C3%B3n",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC2275451163"
}
},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
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"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1492194549",
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}
},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
"meta": {
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/xtTd",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
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"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
}
},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Masters-of-Scale-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "http://mastersofscale.app.link/",
"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mindshift-podcast/id1078765985",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/464615685/mind-shift-podcast",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share",
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}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
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"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "On Our Watch from NPR and KQED",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567098962",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
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"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/show/on-our-watch",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510360/podcast.xml"
}
},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wnyc"
},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
}
},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
"title": "PBS NewsHour",
"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "pbs"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
}
},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
"title": "Perspectives",
"tagline": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991",
"info": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Perspectives_Tile_Final.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Perspectives",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/perspectives/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id73801135",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432309616/perspectives",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/perspectives/category/perspectives/feed/",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93dzIua3FlZC5vcmcvcGVyc3BlY3RpdmVzL2NhdGVnb3J5L3BlcnNwZWN0aXZlcy9mZWVkLw"
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},
"planet-money": {
"id": "planet-money",
"title": "Planet Money",
"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/sections/money/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/M4f5",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Business--Economics-Podcasts/Planet-Money-p164680/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510289/podcast.xml"
}
},
"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Political-Breakdown-2024-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Political Breakdown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 5
},
"link": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"subscribe": {
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"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/e0c2d153-ad36-4c8d-901d-f1da6a724824/political-breakdown",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/572155894/political-breakdown",
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"key": "Restaurant Region",
"filters": [
"Any Region"
]
},
"cuisine": {
"key": "Restaurant Cuisine",
"filters": [
"Any Cuisine"
]
}
},
"restaurantDataById": {},
"restaurantIdsSorted": [],
"error": null
},
"userAgentReducer": {
"userAgent": "Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)",
"isBot": true
},
"requestOutcomesReducer": {
"notFound": []
}
}
