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"title": "Opioid Settlement Cash Intended to Fight Addiction Fills California County Budget Gap",
"headTitle": "Opioid Settlement Cash Intended to Fight Addiction Fills California County Budget Gap | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Over the past two years, as state attorneys general agreed to more than $50 billion in legal settlements with companies that made or sold opioids, they vowed the money would be spent on addiction treatment and prevention. They were determined to avoid the misdirection of the tobacco settlement of the 1990s, in which billions of dollars from cigarette companies went to plug budget gaps instead of funding programs to stop or prevent smoking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in at least one California county, history is repeating itself. And across the country, there are concerns about the \u003ca href=\"https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/opioid-drugmakers-settlement-funds-50-billion-dollars-khn-investigation-payback/\">lack of transparency\u003c/a> regarding how this money will be used. Many local leaders are \u003ca href=\"https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/rural-greene-county-opioid-settlement-funds-debt-treatment/\">finding themselves\u003c/a> in difficult positions: choosing between paying bills due today or investing in the fight against an ongoing crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mendocino County in rural Northern California has reported the \u003ca href=\"https://skylab.cdph.ca.gov/ODdash/?tab=CA\">highest rate of overdose deaths\u003c/a> in the state. Yet, its board of supervisors decided to use more than $63,000 of opioid settlement funds — about 6.5% of all the settlement cash \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/Documents/CSD/List-of-Subdivision-PaymentsCA042023.xlsx\">the county has received (XLS)\u003c/a> in the first two years of distribution — to help fill a general budget shortfall of about $6 million.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Specifically, the money has been allotted to cover employee health insurance premiums, wage increases, and cost-of-living adjustments. County officials plan to use that amount as a recurring source of payment, since opioid settlements are scheduled to arrive annually till 2038.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The board also used retirement reserves and delayed repair projects and equipment purchases to plug the gap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have to balance our budget by law,” said \u003ca href=\"https://www.mendocinocounty.org/government/board-of-supervisors/board-members/all-board-members\">Glenn McGourty\u003c/a>, chair of the board of supervisors. “You find money where you can.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vice Chair Mo Mulheren added that health insurance deficits were caused, in part, by the overprescribing of opioids and the costs of addiction treatment for county employees or their family members. Now the settlement dollars can make the county “whole again,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1983758\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1983758 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/boardofsupervisors_mendocino_121322_screengrab_03_slide-b8e83e3afd137a1f4d7e092e175106907af3927e-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Mo Mulheren, vice chair of the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors, is seen in this screenshot. \" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/boardofsupervisors_mendocino_121322_screengrab_03_slide-b8e83e3afd137a1f4d7e092e175106907af3927e-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/boardofsupervisors_mendocino_121322_screengrab_03_slide-b8e83e3afd137a1f4d7e092e175106907af3927e-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/boardofsupervisors_mendocino_121322_screengrab_03_slide-b8e83e3afd137a1f4d7e092e175106907af3927e-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/boardofsupervisors_mendocino_121322_screengrab_03_slide-b8e83e3afd137a1f4d7e092e175106907af3927e-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/boardofsupervisors_mendocino_121322_screengrab_03_slide-b8e83e3afd137a1f4d7e092e175106907af3927e-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/boardofsupervisors_mendocino_121322_screengrab_03_slide-b8e83e3afd137a1f4d7e092e175106907af3927e-1920x1279.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/boardofsupervisors_mendocino_121322_screengrab_03_slide-b8e83e3afd137a1f4d7e092e175106907af3927e.jpg 2023w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">At a December 2022 meeting, Mo Mulheren, vice chair of the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors, raised concerns about using opioid settlement funds to cover a budget shortfall. But she later told KFF Health News that the use was appropriate because it made the county ‘whole again’ after years of paying for opioid-related health insurance claims. \u003ccite>(Mendocino County Board of Supervisors meeting screengrab via KFF)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But many people with substance use disorders and their loved ones want the money to be used to make their communities whole again in a different way — by supporting people in recovery and preventing opioid-related deaths. More than 100,000 Americans \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/05/18/1176830906/overdose-death-2022-record\">died of drug overdoses\u003c/a> last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The settlement funds are the result of thousands of lawsuits filed against a host of health care companies, including Johnson & Johnson, McKesson, CVS Health, and Walmart, for aggressively promoting and distributing painkillers. The money should remediate the effects of that corporate behavior, say attorneys general, treatment providers, and those directly affected by the crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Mendocino County, McGourty said, “we certainly expend a lot of money on substance abuse.” But tourism and tax revenues, which were boosted at the height of the pandemic as Bay Area residents escaped to the rural county, have recently decreased. Meanwhile, costs for the sheriff’s office, jail, and behavioral health programs often run over budget, partly due to the opioid epidemic, he said.[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Matthew Myers, former president, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids\"]‘If states don’t start spending money for the designated purpose effectively and build it into the DNA of the budget process, the risks down the road only grow.’[/pullquote]The story is all too familiar to \u003ca href=\"https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/about/our-team\">Matthew Myers\u003c/a>, former president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, which monitors how states spend money from the tobacco master settlement agreement of 1998.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back then, states won more than $240 billion to be distributed over the first 25 years and continued annual payments for as long as the companies are selling cigarettes. In theory, the money was to be used to help people stop smoking, but there were no legal restrictions on how it was spent. In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-07-534t.pdf\">2007 report (PDF)\u003c/a>, the Government Accountability Office reported states had allocated $16.8 billion, or 30% of the money they’d received, to health care and $12.8 billion, or 23%, to budget shortfalls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Almost from the beginning, a significant number of states used the tobacco settlement money for anything but tobacco,” Myers said. “What’s most concerning, though, is that over time the track record of the states has gotten worse.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People who made the original agreements left office, budget needs arose — especially during recessions — and oversight from the public and nonprofit organizations waned. Tobacco settlement money flowed to transportation departments to fill potholes, support corporate tax breaks, and even subsidize tobacco farmers. Today, \u003ca href=\"https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/what-we-do/us/statereport/\">less than 3%\u003c/a> of the annual payouts is used for smoking cessation or prevention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a sobering statistic that many attorneys general kept in mind when negotiating the opioid settlements. To avoid the same scenarios, they set restrictions: At least 85% of the money has to be spent on opioid remediation, with a menu of \u003ca href=\"https://nationalopioidsettlement.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Final_Distributor_Settlement_Agreement_3.25.22_Final.pdf#page=116\">suggested strategies (PDF)\u003c/a>. The balance can be used freely, but to some advocates that’s a slippery slope.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some states are stricter than others. In California, for example, \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/provgovpart/Pages/California-Opioid-Settlements.aspx\">70% of the settlement funds\u003c/a> funnel into an abatement account from which the state doles it out to counties and cities. All money from that account must be spent on future opioid remediation efforts, with at least half for creating treatment infrastructure, diverting people from the criminal justice system, preventing youth addiction, or other activities the state \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/Documents/CSD/CA-OSF-Allowable-Expenses.pdf\">identified as high-impact (PDF)\u003c/a>. The state Department of Health Care Services has issued \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/Documents/CSD/CA-OSF-Guiding-Principles.pdf\">written guidance (PDF)\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/Documents/CSD/DHCS-Considerations-for-Allocatin-OSF.pdf\">held webinars (PDF)\u003c/a>, and offered \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/Documents/CSD/Janssen-and-Distributor-Settlement-Technical-Assistance-Form.pdf\">customized assistance (PDF)\u003c/a> to local governments to ensure the money is used appropriately.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We really want to make sure that all of this funding is for opioid remediation,” said Marlies Perez, who oversees opioid settlement funding at the department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If her team finds examples of misspending, they can take local governments to court.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But there’s a caveat: The department has authority only over money that comes from the abatement fund and an additional 15% the state receives directly. The final 15% of the state’s settlement money goes straight to local governments and can be used for anything the localities define as opioid-related.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s why Mendocino County was able to use $63,000 to plug its budget hole and plan to spend a chunk of future funds similarly. (It has received roughly $780,000 more through the state abatement fund, which must be spent on opioid remediation.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even if that use of funds is legal, some people question whether it is appropriate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1983759\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1983759 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/jacque_williams_slide-0e32c9dbd1124c819c21ae1797a09108d7f84f09-800x533.jpe\" alt='A woman in a white long-sleeved shirt stands in front of a sign that reads \"The Ford Street Project. 139 Ford St.\" ' width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/jacque_williams_slide-0e32c9dbd1124c819c21ae1797a09108d7f84f09-800x533.jpe 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/jacque_williams_slide-0e32c9dbd1124c819c21ae1797a09108d7f84f09-1020x680.jpe 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/jacque_williams_slide-0e32c9dbd1124c819c21ae1797a09108d7f84f09-160x107.jpe 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/jacque_williams_slide-0e32c9dbd1124c819c21ae1797a09108d7f84f09-768x512.jpe 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/jacque_williams_slide-0e32c9dbd1124c819c21ae1797a09108d7f84f09-1536x1024.jpe 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/jacque_williams_slide-0e32c9dbd1124c819c21ae1797a09108d7f84f09-1920x1280.jpe 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/jacque_williams_slide-0e32c9dbd1124c819c21ae1797a09108d7f84f09.jpe 2046w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jacqueline Williams is executive director of the Ford Street Project, a nonprofit that runs Mendocino County’s only adult residential addiction treatment program. ‘It’s disheartening that the need is so great,’ she says, yet some of the county’s opioid settlement money is being spent on a budget shortfall instead of going directly to the crisis. \u003ccite>(JT Williams)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Jacqueline Williams is executive director of the \u003ca href=\"https://fordstreet.org/\">Ford Street Project\u003c/a>, a nonprofit that runs a food bank, homeless shelter, and Mendocino County’s only adult residential addiction treatment program. “It’s disheartening that the need is so great,” she said, yet some of the settlement money is not going directly to the crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She has asked the county for $4 million to build a 24-bed sober-living facility, where clients — many of whom are homeless — can stay after completing residential treatment. “The hardest thing is when somebody asks for help if you don’t have a bed,” said Williams, who hasn’t received a final response to her request.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jenine Miller, Mendocino County’s behavioral health director, said the county is \u003ca href=\"https://www.mendocinocounty.org/community/mental-health-oversight-committee/projects\">using revenue\u003c/a> from a local sales tax increase to build a psychiatric hospital, crisis respite facilities, and mobile response teams, but there is still a need for more residential treatment for addiction specifically.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I can never say I have enough funds to do everything we need to do,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Miller \u003ca href=\"https://www.nationalopioidofficialsettlement.com/Home/DownloadDoc?docpath=https%3A%2F%2Fpstoragenationalopioid.blob.core.windows.net%2Fprod%2F2224%2FRemediationForm%2FSysGen%2F2100%2F2224_96464.pdf&docname=Non%20Opioid%20Remediation%20Uses%20Form\">signed off on a report\u003c/a> the county is required to file with administrators of the settlement, saying it spent $63,000 on purposes that do not qualify as opioid remediation. She told KFF Health News that she understands the county’s need to recuperate costs to its health insurance plan, “but the largest amount of the money needs to be in our community doing prevention, early intervention, and treatment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mulheren, the vice chair of the board of supervisors, said if the county has savings in future years, it may be able to put some of the recurring $63,000 toward addiction initiatives. The county recently switched from being self-insured to a group health insurance plan for its roughly 900 employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re trying to constantly figure out how we can save money, especially when it comes to the health insurance premiums,” Mulheren said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Myers, of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said his experience with the tobacco settlement suggests the first few years of spending set the tone for the future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If states don’t start spending money for the designated purpose effectively and build it into the DNA of the budget process, the risks down the road only grow,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://kffhealthnews.org/about-us/\">\u003cem>KFF Health News\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, formerly known as Kaiser Health News (KHN), is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kff.org/about-us/\">\u003cem>KFF\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> — the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2023 KFF Health News. To see more, visit \u003ca href=\"http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/\">KFF Health News\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=A+wasted+chance+to+fight+addiction%3F+Opioid+settlement+cash+fills+a+local+budget+gap&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "State attorneys general vowed the funds would go toward tackling the addiction crisis. But as with the tobacco payouts of the 1990s, local officials have started using them to fill budget shortfalls.",
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"description": "State attorneys general vowed the funds would go toward tackling the addiction crisis. But as with the tobacco payouts of the 1990s, local officials have started using them to fill budget shortfalls.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Over the past two years, as state attorneys general agreed to more than $50 billion in legal settlements with companies that made or sold opioids, they vowed the money would be spent on addiction treatment and prevention. They were determined to avoid the misdirection of the tobacco settlement of the 1990s, in which billions of dollars from cigarette companies went to plug budget gaps instead of funding programs to stop or prevent smoking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in at least one California county, history is repeating itself. And across the country, there are concerns about the \u003ca href=\"https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/opioid-drugmakers-settlement-funds-50-billion-dollars-khn-investigation-payback/\">lack of transparency\u003c/a> regarding how this money will be used. Many local leaders are \u003ca href=\"https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/rural-greene-county-opioid-settlement-funds-debt-treatment/\">finding themselves\u003c/a> in difficult positions: choosing between paying bills due today or investing in the fight against an ongoing crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mendocino County in rural Northern California has reported the \u003ca href=\"https://skylab.cdph.ca.gov/ODdash/?tab=CA\">highest rate of overdose deaths\u003c/a> in the state. Yet, its board of supervisors decided to use more than $63,000 of opioid settlement funds — about 6.5% of all the settlement cash \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/Documents/CSD/List-of-Subdivision-PaymentsCA042023.xlsx\">the county has received (XLS)\u003c/a> in the first two years of distribution — to help fill a general budget shortfall of about $6 million.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Specifically, the money has been allotted to cover employee health insurance premiums, wage increases, and cost-of-living adjustments. County officials plan to use that amount as a recurring source of payment, since opioid settlements are scheduled to arrive annually till 2038.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The board also used retirement reserves and delayed repair projects and equipment purchases to plug the gap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have to balance our budget by law,” said \u003ca href=\"https://www.mendocinocounty.org/government/board-of-supervisors/board-members/all-board-members\">Glenn McGourty\u003c/a>, chair of the board of supervisors. “You find money where you can.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vice Chair Mo Mulheren added that health insurance deficits were caused, in part, by the overprescribing of opioids and the costs of addiction treatment for county employees or their family members. Now the settlement dollars can make the county “whole again,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1983758\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1983758 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/boardofsupervisors_mendocino_121322_screengrab_03_slide-b8e83e3afd137a1f4d7e092e175106907af3927e-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Mo Mulheren, vice chair of the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors, is seen in this screenshot. \" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/boardofsupervisors_mendocino_121322_screengrab_03_slide-b8e83e3afd137a1f4d7e092e175106907af3927e-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/boardofsupervisors_mendocino_121322_screengrab_03_slide-b8e83e3afd137a1f4d7e092e175106907af3927e-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/boardofsupervisors_mendocino_121322_screengrab_03_slide-b8e83e3afd137a1f4d7e092e175106907af3927e-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/boardofsupervisors_mendocino_121322_screengrab_03_slide-b8e83e3afd137a1f4d7e092e175106907af3927e-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/boardofsupervisors_mendocino_121322_screengrab_03_slide-b8e83e3afd137a1f4d7e092e175106907af3927e-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/boardofsupervisors_mendocino_121322_screengrab_03_slide-b8e83e3afd137a1f4d7e092e175106907af3927e-1920x1279.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/boardofsupervisors_mendocino_121322_screengrab_03_slide-b8e83e3afd137a1f4d7e092e175106907af3927e.jpg 2023w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">At a December 2022 meeting, Mo Mulheren, vice chair of the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors, raised concerns about using opioid settlement funds to cover a budget shortfall. But she later told KFF Health News that the use was appropriate because it made the county ‘whole again’ after years of paying for opioid-related health insurance claims. \u003ccite>(Mendocino County Board of Supervisors meeting screengrab via KFF)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But many people with substance use disorders and their loved ones want the money to be used to make their communities whole again in a different way — by supporting people in recovery and preventing opioid-related deaths. More than 100,000 Americans \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/05/18/1176830906/overdose-death-2022-record\">died of drug overdoses\u003c/a> last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The settlement funds are the result of thousands of lawsuits filed against a host of health care companies, including Johnson & Johnson, McKesson, CVS Health, and Walmart, for aggressively promoting and distributing painkillers. The money should remediate the effects of that corporate behavior, say attorneys general, treatment providers, and those directly affected by the crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Mendocino County, McGourty said, “we certainly expend a lot of money on substance abuse.” But tourism and tax revenues, which were boosted at the height of the pandemic as Bay Area residents escaped to the rural county, have recently decreased. Meanwhile, costs for the sheriff’s office, jail, and behavioral health programs often run over budget, partly due to the opioid epidemic, he said.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The story is all too familiar to \u003ca href=\"https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/about/our-team\">Matthew Myers\u003c/a>, former president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, which monitors how states spend money from the tobacco master settlement agreement of 1998.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back then, states won more than $240 billion to be distributed over the first 25 years and continued annual payments for as long as the companies are selling cigarettes. In theory, the money was to be used to help people stop smoking, but there were no legal restrictions on how it was spent. In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-07-534t.pdf\">2007 report (PDF)\u003c/a>, the Government Accountability Office reported states had allocated $16.8 billion, or 30% of the money they’d received, to health care and $12.8 billion, or 23%, to budget shortfalls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Almost from the beginning, a significant number of states used the tobacco settlement money for anything but tobacco,” Myers said. “What’s most concerning, though, is that over time the track record of the states has gotten worse.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People who made the original agreements left office, budget needs arose — especially during recessions — and oversight from the public and nonprofit organizations waned. Tobacco settlement money flowed to transportation departments to fill potholes, support corporate tax breaks, and even subsidize tobacco farmers. Today, \u003ca href=\"https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/what-we-do/us/statereport/\">less than 3%\u003c/a> of the annual payouts is used for smoking cessation or prevention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a sobering statistic that many attorneys general kept in mind when negotiating the opioid settlements. To avoid the same scenarios, they set restrictions: At least 85% of the money has to be spent on opioid remediation, with a menu of \u003ca href=\"https://nationalopioidsettlement.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Final_Distributor_Settlement_Agreement_3.25.22_Final.pdf#page=116\">suggested strategies (PDF)\u003c/a>. The balance can be used freely, but to some advocates that’s a slippery slope.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some states are stricter than others. In California, for example, \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/provgovpart/Pages/California-Opioid-Settlements.aspx\">70% of the settlement funds\u003c/a> funnel into an abatement account from which the state doles it out to counties and cities. All money from that account must be spent on future opioid remediation efforts, with at least half for creating treatment infrastructure, diverting people from the criminal justice system, preventing youth addiction, or other activities the state \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/Documents/CSD/CA-OSF-Allowable-Expenses.pdf\">identified as high-impact (PDF)\u003c/a>. The state Department of Health Care Services has issued \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/Documents/CSD/CA-OSF-Guiding-Principles.pdf\">written guidance (PDF)\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/Documents/CSD/DHCS-Considerations-for-Allocatin-OSF.pdf\">held webinars (PDF)\u003c/a>, and offered \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/Documents/CSD/Janssen-and-Distributor-Settlement-Technical-Assistance-Form.pdf\">customized assistance (PDF)\u003c/a> to local governments to ensure the money is used appropriately.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We really want to make sure that all of this funding is for opioid remediation,” said Marlies Perez, who oversees opioid settlement funding at the department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If her team finds examples of misspending, they can take local governments to court.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But there’s a caveat: The department has authority only over money that comes from the abatement fund and an additional 15% the state receives directly. The final 15% of the state’s settlement money goes straight to local governments and can be used for anything the localities define as opioid-related.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s why Mendocino County was able to use $63,000 to plug its budget hole and plan to spend a chunk of future funds similarly. (It has received roughly $780,000 more through the state abatement fund, which must be spent on opioid remediation.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even if that use of funds is legal, some people question whether it is appropriate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1983759\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1983759 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/jacque_williams_slide-0e32c9dbd1124c819c21ae1797a09108d7f84f09-800x533.jpe\" alt='A woman in a white long-sleeved shirt stands in front of a sign that reads \"The Ford Street Project. 139 Ford St.\" ' width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/jacque_williams_slide-0e32c9dbd1124c819c21ae1797a09108d7f84f09-800x533.jpe 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/jacque_williams_slide-0e32c9dbd1124c819c21ae1797a09108d7f84f09-1020x680.jpe 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/jacque_williams_slide-0e32c9dbd1124c819c21ae1797a09108d7f84f09-160x107.jpe 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/jacque_williams_slide-0e32c9dbd1124c819c21ae1797a09108d7f84f09-768x512.jpe 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/jacque_williams_slide-0e32c9dbd1124c819c21ae1797a09108d7f84f09-1536x1024.jpe 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/jacque_williams_slide-0e32c9dbd1124c819c21ae1797a09108d7f84f09-1920x1280.jpe 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/jacque_williams_slide-0e32c9dbd1124c819c21ae1797a09108d7f84f09.jpe 2046w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jacqueline Williams is executive director of the Ford Street Project, a nonprofit that runs Mendocino County’s only adult residential addiction treatment program. ‘It’s disheartening that the need is so great,’ she says, yet some of the county’s opioid settlement money is being spent on a budget shortfall instead of going directly to the crisis. \u003ccite>(JT Williams)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Jacqueline Williams is executive director of the \u003ca href=\"https://fordstreet.org/\">Ford Street Project\u003c/a>, a nonprofit that runs a food bank, homeless shelter, and Mendocino County’s only adult residential addiction treatment program. “It’s disheartening that the need is so great,” she said, yet some of the settlement money is not going directly to the crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She has asked the county for $4 million to build a 24-bed sober-living facility, where clients — many of whom are homeless — can stay after completing residential treatment. “The hardest thing is when somebody asks for help if you don’t have a bed,” said Williams, who hasn’t received a final response to her request.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jenine Miller, Mendocino County’s behavioral health director, said the county is \u003ca href=\"https://www.mendocinocounty.org/community/mental-health-oversight-committee/projects\">using revenue\u003c/a> from a local sales tax increase to build a psychiatric hospital, crisis respite facilities, and mobile response teams, but there is still a need for more residential treatment for addiction specifically.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I can never say I have enough funds to do everything we need to do,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Miller \u003ca href=\"https://www.nationalopioidofficialsettlement.com/Home/DownloadDoc?docpath=https%3A%2F%2Fpstoragenationalopioid.blob.core.windows.net%2Fprod%2F2224%2FRemediationForm%2FSysGen%2F2100%2F2224_96464.pdf&docname=Non%20Opioid%20Remediation%20Uses%20Form\">signed off on a report\u003c/a> the county is required to file with administrators of the settlement, saying it spent $63,000 on purposes that do not qualify as opioid remediation. She told KFF Health News that she understands the county’s need to recuperate costs to its health insurance plan, “but the largest amount of the money needs to be in our community doing prevention, early intervention, and treatment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mulheren, the vice chair of the board of supervisors, said if the county has savings in future years, it may be able to put some of the recurring $63,000 toward addiction initiatives. The county recently switched from being self-insured to a group health insurance plan for its roughly 900 employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re trying to constantly figure out how we can save money, especially when it comes to the health insurance premiums,” Mulheren said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Myers, of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said his experience with the tobacco settlement suggests the first few years of spending set the tone for the future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If states don’t start spending money for the designated purpose effectively and build it into the DNA of the budget process, the risks down the road only grow,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://kffhealthnews.org/about-us/\">\u003cem>KFF Health News\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, formerly known as Kaiser Health News (KHN), is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kff.org/about-us/\">\u003cem>KFF\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> — the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2023 KFF Health News. To see more, visit \u003ca href=\"http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/\">KFF Health News\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=A+wasted+chance+to+fight+addiction%3F+Opioid+settlement+cash+fills+a+local+budget+gap&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "From Sewage to Drinking Glass: California's Plan to Recycle Water",
"headTitle": "From Sewage to Drinking Glass: California’s Plan to Recycle Water | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Californians could drink highly purified sewage water that is piped directly into drinking water supplies for the first time under proposed rules unveiled by state water officials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The drought-prone state has turned to recycled water for \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/drinking_water/certlic/drinkingwater/documents/direct_potable_reuse/dprframewkseced.pdf\">more than 60 years (PDF)\u003c/a> to bolster its scarce supplies, but the current regulations require it to first make a pit stop in a reservoir or an aquifer before it can flow to taps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new rules, \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/drinking_water/certlic/drinkingwater/documents/direct_potable_reuse/dprframewkseced.pdf\">mandated by state law (PDF)\u003c/a>, would require extensive treatment and monitoring before wastewater can be piped to taps or mingled with raw water upstream of a drinking water treatment plant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Toilet-to-tap” this is not.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Between flush and faucet, a slew of steps are designed to remove chemicals and pathogens that remain in sewage after it has already undergone \u003ca href=\"https://www3.epa.gov/npdes/pubs/bastre.pdf\">traditional primary, secondary and sometimes tertiary treatment (PDF).\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It is bubbled with ozone, chewed by bacteria, filtered through activated carbon, pushed at high pressures through reverse osmosis membranes multiple times, cleansed with an oxidizer like hydrogen peroxide and beamed with high-intensity UV light. Valuable minerals such as calcium, that were filtered out, are restored. And then, finally, the wastewater is subjected to the regular treatment that all drinking water \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/public/water_treatment.html\">currently undergoes\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Quite honestly, it’ll be the cleanest drinking water around,” said Darrin Polhemus, deputy director of the state’s Division of Drinking Water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/drinking_water/certlic/drinkingwater/docs/rulemaking/dpr_draft_reg_text.pdf\">62 pages of proposed rules (PDF)\u003c/a>, more than \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=200920100SB918\">a decade in the making\u003c/a>, are not triggering much, if any, debate among health or water experts. A panel of engineering and water quality scientists \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/drinking_water/certlic/drinkingwater/docs/2022/nwri-ep-finalmemoprelimfind.pdf\">deemed an earlier version of the regulations protective of public health (PDF)\u003c/a>, although they raised concerns that the treatment process would be energy-intensive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I would have no hesitation drinking this water my whole life,” said \u003ca href=\"https://viterbi.usc.edu/directory/faculty/McCurry/Daniel\">Daniel McCurry\u003c/a>, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Southern California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This water is expected to be more expensive than imported water, but also provide a more renewable and reliable supply for California as climate change continues. Most treated sewage — \u003ca href=\"https://www.lacsd.org/services/wastewater-sewage/facilities/wastewater-treatment-facilities#:~:text=Through%20the%20operation%20of%2011,MGD%20are%20available%20for%20reuse.\">about 400 million gallons a day in Los Angeles County alone\u003c/a> — is released into rivers, streams and the deep ocean.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1983705\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1983705 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823-Pure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-05-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A person wearing a protective mask and gear is injecting a form of liquid into water. \" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823-Pure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-05-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823-Pure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-05-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823-Pure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-05-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823-Pure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-05-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823-Pure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-05-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823-Pure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-05-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823-Pure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-05.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Luis Canela, a water quality technician, injects chemicals to chlorinate water at the Pure Water Southern California Demonstration Plant in Carson. \u003ccite>(Lauren Justice/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The draft rules, \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/drinking_water/certlic/drinkingwater/dpr-regs.html\">released on July 21st\u003c/a>, still face a gauntlet of public comment, a hearing and peer review by another panel of experts, before being finalized. The State Water Resources Control Board is required by law to vote on them by the end of December, though they can extend the deadline if necessary. They would likely go into effect next April and it will take many years to reach people’s taps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heather Collins, water treatment manager for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, said the regulations will give the district more certainty about how to design a massive, multi-billion dollar water recycling project with the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts. The district imports water that is provided to 19 million Southern Californians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The joint effort, called \u003ca href=\"https://www.mwdh2o.com/building-local-supplies/pure-water-southern-california/\">Pure Water Southern California\u003c/a>, has\u003ca href=\"https://www.mwdh2o.com/press-releases/state-presents-80-million-check-to-advance-development-of-pure-water-southern-california\"> already received $80 million\u003c/a> from the state. The first phase of the project, which could be completed by 2032, is expected to produce about 115 million gallons of recycled water a day, enough for 385,000 Southern California households.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most is planned to go toward recharging local water agencies’ groundwater stores, but about 20% could be added to drinking water supplies upstream of Metropolitan’s existing treatment plant for imported water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re excited,” Collins said. “It helps better inform us on what our project needs to include, so that we can have a climate-resistant supply for our agencies in Southern California.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new rules come as endless cycles of drought leave California’s water \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/explainers/california-water-solutions/\">suppliers scrambling for new sources of water\u003c/a>, like purified sewage. In 2021, Californians used about \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/recycled_water/docs/2022/volumetric-infographic-2021.pdf\">732,000 acre feet of recycled water (PDF)\u003c/a>, equivalent to the amount used by roughly 2.6 million households, though much of it goes to non-drinking purposes, like irrigating landscapes, golf courses and crops.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom called for increasing recycled water use in California, \u003ca href=\"https://resources.ca.gov/-/media/CNRA-Website/Files/Initiatives/Water-Resilience/CA-Water-Supply-Strategy.pdf\">roughly 9% by 2030 (PDF)\u003c/a> and more than doubling it by 2040.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Water recycling is about finding new water, not just accepting the scarcity mindset — being more resourceful in terms of our approach,” Newsom said last \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/live/efEvnNna6kc?feature=share\">May in front of Metropolitan’s Pure Water Southern California\u003c/a> demonstration plant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://calmatters-graphics-water-recycling.netlify.app/?initialWidth=780&childId=pym-parent&parentTitle=Not%20%E2%80%98toilet%20to%20tap%3A%E2%80%99%20CA%20will%20turn%20sewage%20into%20drinking%20water%20-%20CalMatters&parentUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fcalmatters.org%2Fenvironment%2F2023%2F08%2Fcalifornia-toilet-to-tap-water%2F\" width=\"800\" height=\"1000\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some recycled water is already used to refill underground stores that provide drinking water, a process called indirect potable reuse, employed beginning in \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/drinking_water/certlic/drinkingwater/documents/direct_potable_reuse/dprframewkseced.pdf\">the 1960s in Los Angeles (PDF) \u003c/a>and Orange counties. But a water agency must have a clean and convenient place to store the expensive, highly-purified water. “You don’t want to inject this recycled wastewater that you’ve spent all this effort cleaning into a dirty, polluted aquifer just to ruin it again,” McCurry said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To expand these uses, \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=200920100SB918\">state lawmakers in 2010 tasked the water board\u003c/a> with investigating the possibility of adding recycled water either directly into a public water system or just upstream of a water treatment plant. \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB574\">In 2017, they set a deadline\u003c/a> to develop the regulations by the end of 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California won’t be the first; Colorado \u003ca href=\"https://cdphe.colorado.gov/Regulation_11_Direct_Potable_Reuse\">already has regulations\u003c/a> and the nation’s first direct potable reuse plant \u003ca href=\"https://www.crmwd.org/water-sources/reuse/\">was built in Texas in 2013\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://floridadep.gov/water/domestic-wastewater/content/water-reuse-news-rulemaking-information\">Florida\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://azdeq.gov/awp-rulemaking\">Arizona\u003c/a> have rules in the works.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California’s statewide rules, however, are expected to be the most stringent, said Andrew Salveson, water reuse chief technologist at Carollo Engineers, an environmental engineering consulting firm that specializes in water treatment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They are more conservative than anywhere else,” he said. “And I’m not being critical. In the state of California, because we’re in the early days of (direct potable reuse) implementation, they’re taking measured and conservative steps.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Removing viruses and chemicals\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The water that flushes down toilets, whirls down sinks, runs from industrial facilities and flows off agricultural fields is teeming with viruses, parasites and other pathogens that can make people sick. Chemicals also contaminate this sewage, everything from industrial \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/projects/california-water-contaminated-forever-chemicals/#\">perfluorinated “forever chemicals”\u003c/a> to \u003ca href=\"https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.8b05592\">drugs excreted in urine\u003c/a>. Bypassing groundwater stores or reservoirs to funnel purified sewage directly into pipes means \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/drinking_water/certlic/drinkingwater/documents/direct_potable_reuse/dprframewkseced.pdf\">that there’s less room for error (PDF)\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new regulations would ramp up restrictions on pathogens, calling for scrubbing away more than 99.9999% of diarrhea-causing viruses and certain parasites. Also a series of treatments are designed to break down chemical contaminants like anti-seizure drugs, pain relievers, antidepressants and other pharmaceuticals. \u003ca href=\"https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/pharmaceuticals-water\">Medications can bypass traditional sewage treatment\u003c/a> so they are found in low concentrations in recycled sewage and groundwater.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1983703\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1983703\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823-Pure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-22-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"An image of three levels of big blue pipes.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823-Pure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-22-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823-Pure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-22-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823-Pure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-22-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823-Pure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-22-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823-Pure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-22-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823-Pure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-22-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823-Pure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-22.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Water makes its way to the first step of the water purification process, membrane bioreactors, at the Pure Water Southern California Demonstration Plant in Carson, on July 28, 2023. \u003ccite>(Lauren Justice/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The added technologies are good at washing away pharmaceuticals, McCurry said, so having them “back-to-back introduces a ton of redundancy,” he said. “Any pharmaceutical you could think of, if you tried to measure it in the product water of one of these plants, is going to be below the detection limit.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new rules call for extensive monitoring to ensure the treatment is working. Some harmful chemicals, such as lead and nitrates, which are dangerous to babies and young children, will be tested for weekly; others, monthly. And water providers must also monitor the sewage itself before it even reaches treatment for any chemical spikes that could indicate illegal dumping or spills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We think we’ve got the chemical classes covered in the treatment processes, so that we’re removing materials that we don’t even know are there,” the water board’s Polhemus said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jennifer West, managing director of WateReuse California, a trade association for water recycling, said she was happy to finally see California’s regulations, though she hopes the state will build in more flexibility for water providers to alter the suite of treatments as technologies change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/0Pt4C/7/\" width=\"800\" height=\"300\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://publichealth.sdsu.edu/people/richard-gersberg/\">Richard Gersberg\u003c/a>, San Diego State University professor emeritus of environmental health, said he supports using highly treated waste for drinking water. But he suggests that the state fund long-term studies comparing health effects in people who drink it to those whose drinking water comes from another source, such as rivers, “which might end up being worse. Probably is,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Given the vast and changing cocktail of chemicals constantly in use, “we don’t know what we don’t know,” Gersberg said. “If this becomes huge in California, and it will, I believe … we should at least spend a little money.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Who will be first?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>All this treatment and monitoring is likely to be pricey, which is why Polhemus expects to see it largely limited to large urban areas that produce a lot of wastewater, such as Los Angeles County. The Metropolitan Water District’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.mwdh2o.com/media/16859/program-brochure-2021.pdf\">$3.4 billion estimate for building the project (PDF) \u003c/a>dates back to 2018, and has likely increased since then, according to spokesperson Rebecca Kimitch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For small and medium communities, Polhemus said, “it doesn’t pencil out in a small-scale type of arrangement.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Orange County Water District, which has long been a leader in purifying recycled water, has concluded that piping it directly to customers doesn’t pencil out for them either, because they’ve already invested so heavily in refilling their carefully tended aquifer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It would “require adding more treatment processes and increasing operating expenses,” board president Cathy Green said in a statement. “Local water agencies are currently well-equipped to continue to supply drinking water to customers in our service area at a low cost using the Orange County Groundwater Basin.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For other regions like Silicon Valley, though, the costs may be worth it as climate change continues to shrink state supplies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At this point, it’s more expensive than water we might import during a drought. But who knows what will happen in the future,” said Kirsten Struve, assistant officer in the water supply division at the Santa Clara Valley Water District, which serves approximately 2 million people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s why we need to get prepared.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1983704\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1983704 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823bPure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-23-800x533.jpg\" alt='Multiple pipes are seen in a laboratory. A sign that says \"Pure Water Southern California Demonstration Plant\" is displayed. ' width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823bPure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-23-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823bPure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-23-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823bPure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-23-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823bPure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-23-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823bPure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-23-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823bPure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-23-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823bPure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-23.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Pure Water Southern California Demonstration Plant showcases technology that may provide drinking water to Southern Californians by 2032. \u003ccite>(Lauren Justice/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Santa Clara water agency, known as Valley Water, is planning a $1.2 billion project in Palo Alto to produce about 10 million gallons a day of water for groundwater recharge, but Struve said she hopes the plant also will be used for direct potable reuse in the future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The timing of the regulations has butted up against the realities of planning for Monterey One Water on the Monterey Peninsula as well. The utility has been injecting purified wastewater into the seaside aquifer for three years, producing about a third of the local supply, said General Manager Paul Sciuto. It is working on expanding the project by 2025, Sciuto said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I get that question of, ‘This water is so pure, why do you put it in the ground? Why can’t you just serve it?’” he said. “And I always fall back on, well, there’s no regulations that allow us to do that at this point.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now that the state is closer to finalizing them, he said, “there’s a point on the horizon to shoot for.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Waste would undergo extensive treatment and testing before it's piped directly to taps, providing a new, costly but renewable water supply. The state's new draft rules are more than a decade in the making.",
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"description": "Waste would undergo extensive treatment and testing before it's piped directly to taps, providing a new, costly but renewable water supply. The state's new draft rules are more than a decade in the making.",
"title": "From Sewage to Drinking Glass: California's Plan to Recycle Water | KQED",
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"headline": "From Sewage to Drinking Glass: California's Plan to Recycle Water",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Californians could drink highly purified sewage water that is piped directly into drinking water supplies for the first time under proposed rules unveiled by state water officials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The drought-prone state has turned to recycled water for \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/drinking_water/certlic/drinkingwater/documents/direct_potable_reuse/dprframewkseced.pdf\">more than 60 years (PDF)\u003c/a> to bolster its scarce supplies, but the current regulations require it to first make a pit stop in a reservoir or an aquifer before it can flow to taps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new rules, \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/drinking_water/certlic/drinkingwater/documents/direct_potable_reuse/dprframewkseced.pdf\">mandated by state law (PDF)\u003c/a>, would require extensive treatment and monitoring before wastewater can be piped to taps or mingled with raw water upstream of a drinking water treatment plant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Toilet-to-tap” this is not.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Between flush and faucet, a slew of steps are designed to remove chemicals and pathogens that remain in sewage after it has already undergone \u003ca href=\"https://www3.epa.gov/npdes/pubs/bastre.pdf\">traditional primary, secondary and sometimes tertiary treatment (PDF).\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It is bubbled with ozone, chewed by bacteria, filtered through activated carbon, pushed at high pressures through reverse osmosis membranes multiple times, cleansed with an oxidizer like hydrogen peroxide and beamed with high-intensity UV light. Valuable minerals such as calcium, that were filtered out, are restored. And then, finally, the wastewater is subjected to the regular treatment that all drinking water \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/public/water_treatment.html\">currently undergoes\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Quite honestly, it’ll be the cleanest drinking water around,” said Darrin Polhemus, deputy director of the state’s Division of Drinking Water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/drinking_water/certlic/drinkingwater/docs/rulemaking/dpr_draft_reg_text.pdf\">62 pages of proposed rules (PDF)\u003c/a>, more than \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=200920100SB918\">a decade in the making\u003c/a>, are not triggering much, if any, debate among health or water experts. A panel of engineering and water quality scientists \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/drinking_water/certlic/drinkingwater/docs/2022/nwri-ep-finalmemoprelimfind.pdf\">deemed an earlier version of the regulations protective of public health (PDF)\u003c/a>, although they raised concerns that the treatment process would be energy-intensive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I would have no hesitation drinking this water my whole life,” said \u003ca href=\"https://viterbi.usc.edu/directory/faculty/McCurry/Daniel\">Daniel McCurry\u003c/a>, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Southern California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This water is expected to be more expensive than imported water, but also provide a more renewable and reliable supply for California as climate change continues. Most treated sewage — \u003ca href=\"https://www.lacsd.org/services/wastewater-sewage/facilities/wastewater-treatment-facilities#:~:text=Through%20the%20operation%20of%2011,MGD%20are%20available%20for%20reuse.\">about 400 million gallons a day in Los Angeles County alone\u003c/a> — is released into rivers, streams and the deep ocean.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1983705\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1983705 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823-Pure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-05-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A person wearing a protective mask and gear is injecting a form of liquid into water. \" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823-Pure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-05-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823-Pure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-05-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823-Pure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-05-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823-Pure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-05-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823-Pure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-05-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823-Pure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-05-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823-Pure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-05.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Luis Canela, a water quality technician, injects chemicals to chlorinate water at the Pure Water Southern California Demonstration Plant in Carson. \u003ccite>(Lauren Justice/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The draft rules, \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/drinking_water/certlic/drinkingwater/dpr-regs.html\">released on July 21st\u003c/a>, still face a gauntlet of public comment, a hearing and peer review by another panel of experts, before being finalized. The State Water Resources Control Board is required by law to vote on them by the end of December, though they can extend the deadline if necessary. They would likely go into effect next April and it will take many years to reach people’s taps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heather Collins, water treatment manager for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, said the regulations will give the district more certainty about how to design a massive, multi-billion dollar water recycling project with the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts. The district imports water that is provided to 19 million Southern Californians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The joint effort, called \u003ca href=\"https://www.mwdh2o.com/building-local-supplies/pure-water-southern-california/\">Pure Water Southern California\u003c/a>, has\u003ca href=\"https://www.mwdh2o.com/press-releases/state-presents-80-million-check-to-advance-development-of-pure-water-southern-california\"> already received $80 million\u003c/a> from the state. The first phase of the project, which could be completed by 2032, is expected to produce about 115 million gallons of recycled water a day, enough for 385,000 Southern California households.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most is planned to go toward recharging local water agencies’ groundwater stores, but about 20% could be added to drinking water supplies upstream of Metropolitan’s existing treatment plant for imported water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re excited,” Collins said. “It helps better inform us on what our project needs to include, so that we can have a climate-resistant supply for our agencies in Southern California.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new rules come as endless cycles of drought leave California’s water \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/explainers/california-water-solutions/\">suppliers scrambling for new sources of water\u003c/a>, like purified sewage. In 2021, Californians used about \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/recycled_water/docs/2022/volumetric-infographic-2021.pdf\">732,000 acre feet of recycled water (PDF)\u003c/a>, equivalent to the amount used by roughly 2.6 million households, though much of it goes to non-drinking purposes, like irrigating landscapes, golf courses and crops.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom called for increasing recycled water use in California, \u003ca href=\"https://resources.ca.gov/-/media/CNRA-Website/Files/Initiatives/Water-Resilience/CA-Water-Supply-Strategy.pdf\">roughly 9% by 2030 (PDF)\u003c/a> and more than doubling it by 2040.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Water recycling is about finding new water, not just accepting the scarcity mindset — being more resourceful in terms of our approach,” Newsom said last \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/live/efEvnNna6kc?feature=share\">May in front of Metropolitan’s Pure Water Southern California\u003c/a> demonstration plant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://calmatters-graphics-water-recycling.netlify.app/?initialWidth=780&childId=pym-parent&parentTitle=Not%20%E2%80%98toilet%20to%20tap%3A%E2%80%99%20CA%20will%20turn%20sewage%20into%20drinking%20water%20-%20CalMatters&parentUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fcalmatters.org%2Fenvironment%2F2023%2F08%2Fcalifornia-toilet-to-tap-water%2F\" width=\"800\" height=\"1000\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some recycled water is already used to refill underground stores that provide drinking water, a process called indirect potable reuse, employed beginning in \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/drinking_water/certlic/drinkingwater/documents/direct_potable_reuse/dprframewkseced.pdf\">the 1960s in Los Angeles (PDF) \u003c/a>and Orange counties. But a water agency must have a clean and convenient place to store the expensive, highly-purified water. “You don’t want to inject this recycled wastewater that you’ve spent all this effort cleaning into a dirty, polluted aquifer just to ruin it again,” McCurry said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To expand these uses, \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=200920100SB918\">state lawmakers in 2010 tasked the water board\u003c/a> with investigating the possibility of adding recycled water either directly into a public water system or just upstream of a water treatment plant. \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB574\">In 2017, they set a deadline\u003c/a> to develop the regulations by the end of 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California won’t be the first; Colorado \u003ca href=\"https://cdphe.colorado.gov/Regulation_11_Direct_Potable_Reuse\">already has regulations\u003c/a> and the nation’s first direct potable reuse plant \u003ca href=\"https://www.crmwd.org/water-sources/reuse/\">was built in Texas in 2013\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://floridadep.gov/water/domestic-wastewater/content/water-reuse-news-rulemaking-information\">Florida\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://azdeq.gov/awp-rulemaking\">Arizona\u003c/a> have rules in the works.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California’s statewide rules, however, are expected to be the most stringent, said Andrew Salveson, water reuse chief technologist at Carollo Engineers, an environmental engineering consulting firm that specializes in water treatment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They are more conservative than anywhere else,” he said. “And I’m not being critical. In the state of California, because we’re in the early days of (direct potable reuse) implementation, they’re taking measured and conservative steps.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Removing viruses and chemicals\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The water that flushes down toilets, whirls down sinks, runs from industrial facilities and flows off agricultural fields is teeming with viruses, parasites and other pathogens that can make people sick. Chemicals also contaminate this sewage, everything from industrial \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/projects/california-water-contaminated-forever-chemicals/#\">perfluorinated “forever chemicals”\u003c/a> to \u003ca href=\"https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.8b05592\">drugs excreted in urine\u003c/a>. Bypassing groundwater stores or reservoirs to funnel purified sewage directly into pipes means \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/drinking_water/certlic/drinkingwater/documents/direct_potable_reuse/dprframewkseced.pdf\">that there’s less room for error (PDF)\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new regulations would ramp up restrictions on pathogens, calling for scrubbing away more than 99.9999% of diarrhea-causing viruses and certain parasites. Also a series of treatments are designed to break down chemical contaminants like anti-seizure drugs, pain relievers, antidepressants and other pharmaceuticals. \u003ca href=\"https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/pharmaceuticals-water\">Medications can bypass traditional sewage treatment\u003c/a> so they are found in low concentrations in recycled sewage and groundwater.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1983703\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1983703\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823-Pure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-22-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"An image of three levels of big blue pipes.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823-Pure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-22-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823-Pure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-22-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823-Pure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-22-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823-Pure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-22-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823-Pure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-22-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823-Pure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-22-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823-Pure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-22.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Water makes its way to the first step of the water purification process, membrane bioreactors, at the Pure Water Southern California Demonstration Plant in Carson, on July 28, 2023. \u003ccite>(Lauren Justice/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The added technologies are good at washing away pharmaceuticals, McCurry said, so having them “back-to-back introduces a ton of redundancy,” he said. “Any pharmaceutical you could think of, if you tried to measure it in the product water of one of these plants, is going to be below the detection limit.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new rules call for extensive monitoring to ensure the treatment is working. Some harmful chemicals, such as lead and nitrates, which are dangerous to babies and young children, will be tested for weekly; others, monthly. And water providers must also monitor the sewage itself before it even reaches treatment for any chemical spikes that could indicate illegal dumping or spills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We think we’ve got the chemical classes covered in the treatment processes, so that we’re removing materials that we don’t even know are there,” the water board’s Polhemus said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jennifer West, managing director of WateReuse California, a trade association for water recycling, said she was happy to finally see California’s regulations, though she hopes the state will build in more flexibility for water providers to alter the suite of treatments as technologies change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/0Pt4C/7/\" width=\"800\" height=\"300\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://publichealth.sdsu.edu/people/richard-gersberg/\">Richard Gersberg\u003c/a>, San Diego State University professor emeritus of environmental health, said he supports using highly treated waste for drinking water. But he suggests that the state fund long-term studies comparing health effects in people who drink it to those whose drinking water comes from another source, such as rivers, “which might end up being worse. Probably is,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Given the vast and changing cocktail of chemicals constantly in use, “we don’t know what we don’t know,” Gersberg said. “If this becomes huge in California, and it will, I believe … we should at least spend a little money.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Who will be first?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>All this treatment and monitoring is likely to be pricey, which is why Polhemus expects to see it largely limited to large urban areas that produce a lot of wastewater, such as Los Angeles County. The Metropolitan Water District’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.mwdh2o.com/media/16859/program-brochure-2021.pdf\">$3.4 billion estimate for building the project (PDF) \u003c/a>dates back to 2018, and has likely increased since then, according to spokesperson Rebecca Kimitch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For small and medium communities, Polhemus said, “it doesn’t pencil out in a small-scale type of arrangement.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Orange County Water District, which has long been a leader in purifying recycled water, has concluded that piping it directly to customers doesn’t pencil out for them either, because they’ve already invested so heavily in refilling their carefully tended aquifer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It would “require adding more treatment processes and increasing operating expenses,” board president Cathy Green said in a statement. “Local water agencies are currently well-equipped to continue to supply drinking water to customers in our service area at a low cost using the Orange County Groundwater Basin.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For other regions like Silicon Valley, though, the costs may be worth it as climate change continues to shrink state supplies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At this point, it’s more expensive than water we might import during a drought. But who knows what will happen in the future,” said Kirsten Struve, assistant officer in the water supply division at the Santa Clara Valley Water District, which serves approximately 2 million people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s why we need to get prepared.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1983704\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1983704 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823bPure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-23-800x533.jpg\" alt='Multiple pipes are seen in a laboratory. A sign that says \"Pure Water Southern California Demonstration Plant\" is displayed. ' width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823bPure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-23-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823bPure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-23-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823bPure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-23-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823bPure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-23-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823bPure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-23-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823bPure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-23-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/072823bPure-Water-Treatment-LJ-CM-23.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Pure Water Southern California Demonstration Plant showcases technology that may provide drinking water to Southern Californians by 2032. \u003ccite>(Lauren Justice/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Santa Clara water agency, known as Valley Water, is planning a $1.2 billion project in Palo Alto to produce about 10 million gallons a day of water for groundwater recharge, but Struve said she hopes the plant also will be used for direct potable reuse in the future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The timing of the regulations has butted up against the realities of planning for Monterey One Water on the Monterey Peninsula as well. The utility has been injecting purified wastewater into the seaside aquifer for three years, producing about a third of the local supply, said General Manager Paul Sciuto. It is working on expanding the project by 2025, Sciuto said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I get that question of, ‘This water is so pure, why do you put it in the ground? Why can’t you just serve it?’” he said. “And I always fall back on, well, there’s no regulations that allow us to do that at this point.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>It’s hot — which shouldn’t come as a surprise in July. But this summer’s heat is \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/07/05/1186003959/el-nino-plus-climate-change-means-record-breaking-heat\">breaking records\u003c/a> around the world, and in the U.S. this week, a heat dome is afflicting the Southwest with ultrahigh temperatures. The East Coast is expected to be steamy, and parts of Southern California could hit 106 degrees by Saturday in what the National Weather Service has dubbed a summer of “\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/06/21/1183486618/summer-solstice-weather-extreme-heat\">excessive\u003c/a>” weather.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"Related coverage\" postID=\"news_11878134\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course, it’s summer and you have things to do outdoors, from festivals to barbecues to mowing the lawn. We get it. But the heat can take a toll on your body, and you need to plan ahead when the temperature rises to extreme heat. “Don’t overdo it,” warns \u003ca href=\"https://www.oakstreethealth.com/doctors/john-h-schumann\">John Schumann\u003c/a>, a primary care physician in Tulsa, Oklahoma. “Heat can envelop and pummel you.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And there are a lot of misconceptions about the best ways to protect yourself, warns \u003ca href=\"https://www.uclahealth.org/providers/david-eisenman\">David Eisenman\u003c/a>, a physician at UCLA who is \u003ca href=\"https://ph.ucla.edu/about/faculty-staff-directory/david-eisenman\">co-director of the UCLA Center for Healthy Climate Solutions\u003c/a>. Here are mistakes to avoid in order to ensure you stay safe in the heat.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>1. Too much, too soon: You need to acclimatize\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>When a heat wave strikes, your body needs time to adjust, says \u003ca href=\"https://scholars.houstonmethodist.org/en/persons/neil-a-gandhi\">Neil Gandhi\u003c/a>, a physician at Houston Methodist Hospital: “You can’t do too much too soon.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you go from mostly spending time in air conditioning to an outdoor activity in the sweltering heat, you could be caught off guard. Your body isn’t “acclimatized to handle the stress,” Gandhi says. And \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/pictureofamerica/pdfs/picture_of_america_heat-related_illness.pdf\">every year, about 650 people die (PDF)\u003c/a> from heat-related illness in the United States.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fortunately, once acclimatized, the body gets better at fending off heat-related illness. “Our body starts to sweat sooner at a lower body temperature and at a greater rate,” explains Eisenman. Also, blood flow to the skin improves, which has the effect of cooling us down by carrying heat out of the body’s core. And your thirst increases, so you’re less likely to get dehydrated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this doesn’t happen immediately. “It’s going to happen over the space of several days of exposure,” Eisenman says. So if you’re planning a hiking trip, summer sightseeing or any other extended exposure to heat, plan to spend short periods in the heat each day in the days leading up to your outdoor adventure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And note that kids acclimatize much more slowly than adults, says Eisenman, so give them extra days to prepare.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1983477\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1983477\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/gettyimages-1259099394-72634062db48a3d4e83f773465494cc2a560a4e4-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"A few people pictured outside holding black umbrellas. \" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/gettyimages-1259099394-72634062db48a3d4e83f773465494cc2a560a4e4-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/gettyimages-1259099394-72634062db48a3d4e83f773465494cc2a560a4e4-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/gettyimages-1259099394-72634062db48a3d4e83f773465494cc2a560a4e4-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/gettyimages-1259099394-72634062db48a3d4e83f773465494cc2a560a4e4.jpg 911w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Staying out of direct sun as much as possible can help prevent heat-related illness. Look for shade or make your own with an umbrella, like these pedestrians waiting for a bus during a heat wave in Miami on June 26. \u003ccite>(Giorgio Viera/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>2. Failing to pre-hydrate (and rehydrate!)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Hydrate in advance, says \u003ca href=\"https://www.memorialhermann.org/doctors/cardiovascular-disease-specialists/dr-wafi-momin-do-1437414778\">Wafi Momin\u003c/a>, a cardiologist at Memorial Hermann Health System in Katy, Texas. “Grab a glass of water or a sports drink before you head out to the outdoors,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And bring plenty of water with you, and don’t wait until you’re thirsty to start drinking during an outdoor activity. “The moment you begin to feel thirsty, you’re likely anywhere between 10 to 25% dehydrated already,” says Gandhi.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most people aren’t even hydrated enough on a normal day, Eisenman notes, so it’s easy to start at a deficit on a hot day. His advice is to double the amount you’d drink in a typical day. The best test of hydration is to check the color of your urine. “Make sure that you’re peeing frequently and that your urine is pale” — almost clear, says Eisenman.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Water is the best way to hydrate — and it’s free! Sports drinks add electrolytes and can be helpful if you’ve gotten overheated or if you’re participating in a marathon or other endurance event — but they’re not necessary when you’re simply trying to stay hydrated throughout the day, says Schumann, who also serves as a medical director for Oak Street Health, a chain of primary care clinics. In Tulsa, he says, in recent weeks they’ve seen bouts of 100-degree weather.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In these heat-dome times, though I pooh-pooh all the millennials who carry water bottles everywhere, the kids — they’re right about this,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>3. Don’t be the frog in the boiling pot (i.e., your car)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>You may not realize how hot it’s getting inside your car.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cars heat up so fast even in moderate heat because of a “mini greenhouse effect,” Eisenman explains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The sun is coming through those windows, and then the heat is getting bounced around and getting trapped inside. It turns into a different wavelength of heat and doesn’t go back out the windows,” he says. “And on a day of moderate temperatures, say like 75 degrees outside, in 25 minutes it will become 100 degrees inside your car.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Each year, \u003ca href=\"https://www.nhtsa.gov/campaign/heatstroke#:~:text=When%20a%20child%20is%20left,died%20of%20heatstroke%20in%20vehicles\">about 50 children die \u003c/a>when left in a car. So do not underestimate the dangers, especially if you’re distracted by finishing up a phone call, says Eisenman. “Even with the air conditioner running, even with the windows cracked, it can become hot in there very quickly,” he adds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1983478\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1983478\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/gettyimages-1259090449-8caea5a3b2d90f17440653fb95d3345c130eab19-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"A kid in an orange short and shorts with images of food on them plays in the water. The kid is holding a blue and green toy in his hand. \" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/gettyimages-1259090449-8caea5a3b2d90f17440653fb95d3345c130eab19-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/gettyimages-1259090449-8caea5a3b2d90f17440653fb95d3345c130eab19-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/gettyimages-1259090449-8caea5a3b2d90f17440653fb95d3345c130eab19-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/gettyimages-1259090449-8caea5a3b2d90f17440653fb95d3345c130eab19.jpg 907w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kids can be more vulnerable to heat-related illness, and it takes them longer to acclimatize to sudden hot weather. \u003ccite>(Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>4. Heat + (certain) medications don’t mix\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Certain medications can make people more vulnerable to heat, explains Momin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some heart medications such as \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/08/01/1114821088/blood-pressure-medication-can-complicate-heat-related-illness\">blood pressure drugs\u003c/a>, which millions of people take, are diuretic, he explains. “Those medications are trying to get rid of fluid from your body because of underlying heart issues,” he says. And if you then add heat, which also causes you to lose excessive amounts of fluid, “that can cause a very dangerous situation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other types of medications can have this effect too, says Schumann. These include \u003ca href=\"https://www.goodrx.com/classes/anticholinergics/anticholinergic-drugs-medications\">anticholinergic medications\u003c/a>, anticonvulsants, bladder medications and sedatives. “Lots of medicines work by dehydrating us — excreting excess fluid. Be careful!” he warns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In general, older people are more vulnerable to heat, so if you’re older and on these medications, take extra precautions to stay cool and hydrated. Ask your doctor whether any of your medicines could be dehydrating.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>5. Don’t ignore the early signs of heat-related illness\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The first few signs that you’re getting overheated may not feel too alarming: sweating, fatigue, dizziness and headache. You might feel nauseous or lightheaded. But “those are the telltale signs of heat exhaustion creeping in,” says Momin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You may just blow it off, saying, you know, it’s hot and I’ve felt this way before, but the worst of the symptoms can come on very quickly without realizing it,” he says. “And all of a sudden, your body’s overheating to a point where you won’t really be able to drink enough fluids at that juncture to reverse what’s already gone on.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Symptoms of heat exhaustion can quickly become more serious. They can include muscle cramping, increased fatigue and accelerated heart rate. “You may start to weaken and just kind of get out of breath as you exert yourself,” Gandhi says.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>6. Know when to seek medical attention\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you’re with someone who begins to show signs of heat-related illness, move the person to a cool place, give them water or a sports drink and moisten their skin. You can also remove unnecessary clothing such as shoes, socks and jackets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, observe them. Their symptoms should start to improve in about 30 minutes, Eisenman says. If they don’t get better in that time or if \u003cem>at any point\u003c/em> they start having more \u003ca href=\"https://www.weather.gov/safety/heat-illness#:~:text=Heat%20Stroke,Delay%20can%20be%20fatal.\">worrisome symptoms\u003c/a>, call for medical help. “I think sometimes people wait too long to call 911,” says Eisenman.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If their heart rate is going fast, if they’re breathing quickly, if they seem at all confused, those are all indicators they’ve had more exposure to the heat than \u003cem>you\u003c/em> can handle,” Eisenman says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When heatstroke sets in, people can even lose consciousness or pass out — in this case, seek immediate medical attention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You \u003cem>really \u003c/em>want to avoid heatstroke: With heatstroke, your core body temperature can rise quickly to 103 to 105 degrees or more, says Gandhi. When this happens, “you can start to experience some organ damage pretty quickly.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>7. Wear loose, light clothing\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you’re spending time in the heat, what you wear matters. “I would seek lighter colors because those tend to reflect heat rather than absorb heat compared to darker colors such as blacks and dark blues,” says Momin. And stay away from tight clothing, which can block airflow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Loose-fitting clothing allows for the heat to evaporate off your body more easily,” adds Eisenman.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>8. Alcohol is a bad call\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you’re at an outdoor party, resist that ice-cold margarita. Go for mocktails instead. “Alcohol will dehydrate you much faster” in the heat, says Schumann.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re determined to have something with a little kick in it, “drink some water for every drink you have to avoid trouble,” he says. “If you wind up having to pee a lot, it’ll be worth it. If you don’t, you might be getting into trouble.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Alcohol is very problematic” if you’re outdoors in the heat, agrees Momin. Not only does it cause you to lose fluids, but “it can also impair your judgment.” And when that happens, you might miss the signs of heat-related illness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=8+mistakes+to+avoid+if+you%27re+going+out+in+the+heat&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>It’s hot — which shouldn’t come as a surprise in July. But this summer’s heat is \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/07/05/1186003959/el-nino-plus-climate-change-means-record-breaking-heat\">breaking records\u003c/a> around the world, and in the U.S. this week, a heat dome is afflicting the Southwest with ultrahigh temperatures. The East Coast is expected to be steamy, and parts of Southern California could hit 106 degrees by Saturday in what the National Weather Service has dubbed a summer of “\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/06/21/1183486618/summer-solstice-weather-extreme-heat\">excessive\u003c/a>” weather.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course, it’s summer and you have things to do outdoors, from festivals to barbecues to mowing the lawn. We get it. But the heat can take a toll on your body, and you need to plan ahead when the temperature rises to extreme heat. “Don’t overdo it,” warns \u003ca href=\"https://www.oakstreethealth.com/doctors/john-h-schumann\">John Schumann\u003c/a>, a primary care physician in Tulsa, Oklahoma. “Heat can envelop and pummel you.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And there are a lot of misconceptions about the best ways to protect yourself, warns \u003ca href=\"https://www.uclahealth.org/providers/david-eisenman\">David Eisenman\u003c/a>, a physician at UCLA who is \u003ca href=\"https://ph.ucla.edu/about/faculty-staff-directory/david-eisenman\">co-director of the UCLA Center for Healthy Climate Solutions\u003c/a>. Here are mistakes to avoid in order to ensure you stay safe in the heat.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>1. Too much, too soon: You need to acclimatize\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>When a heat wave strikes, your body needs time to adjust, says \u003ca href=\"https://scholars.houstonmethodist.org/en/persons/neil-a-gandhi\">Neil Gandhi\u003c/a>, a physician at Houston Methodist Hospital: “You can’t do too much too soon.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you go from mostly spending time in air conditioning to an outdoor activity in the sweltering heat, you could be caught off guard. Your body isn’t “acclimatized to handle the stress,” Gandhi says. And \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/pictureofamerica/pdfs/picture_of_america_heat-related_illness.pdf\">every year, about 650 people die (PDF)\u003c/a> from heat-related illness in the United States.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fortunately, once acclimatized, the body gets better at fending off heat-related illness. “Our body starts to sweat sooner at a lower body temperature and at a greater rate,” explains Eisenman. Also, blood flow to the skin improves, which has the effect of cooling us down by carrying heat out of the body’s core. And your thirst increases, so you’re less likely to get dehydrated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this doesn’t happen immediately. “It’s going to happen over the space of several days of exposure,” Eisenman says. So if you’re planning a hiking trip, summer sightseeing or any other extended exposure to heat, plan to spend short periods in the heat each day in the days leading up to your outdoor adventure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And note that kids acclimatize much more slowly than adults, says Eisenman, so give them extra days to prepare.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1983477\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1983477\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/gettyimages-1259099394-72634062db48a3d4e83f773465494cc2a560a4e4-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"A few people pictured outside holding black umbrellas. \" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/gettyimages-1259099394-72634062db48a3d4e83f773465494cc2a560a4e4-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/gettyimages-1259099394-72634062db48a3d4e83f773465494cc2a560a4e4-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/gettyimages-1259099394-72634062db48a3d4e83f773465494cc2a560a4e4-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/gettyimages-1259099394-72634062db48a3d4e83f773465494cc2a560a4e4.jpg 911w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Staying out of direct sun as much as possible can help prevent heat-related illness. Look for shade or make your own with an umbrella, like these pedestrians waiting for a bus during a heat wave in Miami on June 26. \u003ccite>(Giorgio Viera/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>2. Failing to pre-hydrate (and rehydrate!)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Hydrate in advance, says \u003ca href=\"https://www.memorialhermann.org/doctors/cardiovascular-disease-specialists/dr-wafi-momin-do-1437414778\">Wafi Momin\u003c/a>, a cardiologist at Memorial Hermann Health System in Katy, Texas. “Grab a glass of water or a sports drink before you head out to the outdoors,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And bring plenty of water with you, and don’t wait until you’re thirsty to start drinking during an outdoor activity. “The moment you begin to feel thirsty, you’re likely anywhere between 10 to 25% dehydrated already,” says Gandhi.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most people aren’t even hydrated enough on a normal day, Eisenman notes, so it’s easy to start at a deficit on a hot day. His advice is to double the amount you’d drink in a typical day. The best test of hydration is to check the color of your urine. “Make sure that you’re peeing frequently and that your urine is pale” — almost clear, says Eisenman.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Water is the best way to hydrate — and it’s free! Sports drinks add electrolytes and can be helpful if you’ve gotten overheated or if you’re participating in a marathon or other endurance event — but they’re not necessary when you’re simply trying to stay hydrated throughout the day, says Schumann, who also serves as a medical director for Oak Street Health, a chain of primary care clinics. In Tulsa, he says, in recent weeks they’ve seen bouts of 100-degree weather.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In these heat-dome times, though I pooh-pooh all the millennials who carry water bottles everywhere, the kids — they’re right about this,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>3. Don’t be the frog in the boiling pot (i.e., your car)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>You may not realize how hot it’s getting inside your car.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cars heat up so fast even in moderate heat because of a “mini greenhouse effect,” Eisenman explains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The sun is coming through those windows, and then the heat is getting bounced around and getting trapped inside. It turns into a different wavelength of heat and doesn’t go back out the windows,” he says. “And on a day of moderate temperatures, say like 75 degrees outside, in 25 minutes it will become 100 degrees inside your car.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Each year, \u003ca href=\"https://www.nhtsa.gov/campaign/heatstroke#:~:text=When%20a%20child%20is%20left,died%20of%20heatstroke%20in%20vehicles\">about 50 children die \u003c/a>when left in a car. So do not underestimate the dangers, especially if you’re distracted by finishing up a phone call, says Eisenman. “Even with the air conditioner running, even with the windows cracked, it can become hot in there very quickly,” he adds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1983478\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1983478\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/gettyimages-1259090449-8caea5a3b2d90f17440653fb95d3345c130eab19-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"A kid in an orange short and shorts with images of food on them plays in the water. The kid is holding a blue and green toy in his hand. \" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/gettyimages-1259090449-8caea5a3b2d90f17440653fb95d3345c130eab19-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/gettyimages-1259090449-8caea5a3b2d90f17440653fb95d3345c130eab19-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/gettyimages-1259090449-8caea5a3b2d90f17440653fb95d3345c130eab19-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/gettyimages-1259090449-8caea5a3b2d90f17440653fb95d3345c130eab19.jpg 907w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kids can be more vulnerable to heat-related illness, and it takes them longer to acclimatize to sudden hot weather. \u003ccite>(Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>4. Heat + (certain) medications don’t mix\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Certain medications can make people more vulnerable to heat, explains Momin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some heart medications such as \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/08/01/1114821088/blood-pressure-medication-can-complicate-heat-related-illness\">blood pressure drugs\u003c/a>, which millions of people take, are diuretic, he explains. “Those medications are trying to get rid of fluid from your body because of underlying heart issues,” he says. And if you then add heat, which also causes you to lose excessive amounts of fluid, “that can cause a very dangerous situation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other types of medications can have this effect too, says Schumann. These include \u003ca href=\"https://www.goodrx.com/classes/anticholinergics/anticholinergic-drugs-medications\">anticholinergic medications\u003c/a>, anticonvulsants, bladder medications and sedatives. “Lots of medicines work by dehydrating us — excreting excess fluid. Be careful!” he warns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In general, older people are more vulnerable to heat, so if you’re older and on these medications, take extra precautions to stay cool and hydrated. Ask your doctor whether any of your medicines could be dehydrating.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>5. Don’t ignore the early signs of heat-related illness\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The first few signs that you’re getting overheated may not feel too alarming: sweating, fatigue, dizziness and headache. You might feel nauseous or lightheaded. But “those are the telltale signs of heat exhaustion creeping in,” says Momin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You may just blow it off, saying, you know, it’s hot and I’ve felt this way before, but the worst of the symptoms can come on very quickly without realizing it,” he says. “And all of a sudden, your body’s overheating to a point where you won’t really be able to drink enough fluids at that juncture to reverse what’s already gone on.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Symptoms of heat exhaustion can quickly become more serious. They can include muscle cramping, increased fatigue and accelerated heart rate. “You may start to weaken and just kind of get out of breath as you exert yourself,” Gandhi says.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>6. Know when to seek medical attention\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you’re with someone who begins to show signs of heat-related illness, move the person to a cool place, give them water or a sports drink and moisten their skin. You can also remove unnecessary clothing such as shoes, socks and jackets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, observe them. Their symptoms should start to improve in about 30 minutes, Eisenman says. If they don’t get better in that time or if \u003cem>at any point\u003c/em> they start having more \u003ca href=\"https://www.weather.gov/safety/heat-illness#:~:text=Heat%20Stroke,Delay%20can%20be%20fatal.\">worrisome symptoms\u003c/a>, call for medical help. “I think sometimes people wait too long to call 911,” says Eisenman.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If their heart rate is going fast, if they’re breathing quickly, if they seem at all confused, those are all indicators they’ve had more exposure to the heat than \u003cem>you\u003c/em> can handle,” Eisenman says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When heatstroke sets in, people can even lose consciousness or pass out — in this case, seek immediate medical attention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You \u003cem>really \u003c/em>want to avoid heatstroke: With heatstroke, your core body temperature can rise quickly to 103 to 105 degrees or more, says Gandhi. When this happens, “you can start to experience some organ damage pretty quickly.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>7. Wear loose, light clothing\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you’re spending time in the heat, what you wear matters. “I would seek lighter colors because those tend to reflect heat rather than absorb heat compared to darker colors such as blacks and dark blues,” says Momin. And stay away from tight clothing, which can block airflow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Loose-fitting clothing allows for the heat to evaporate off your body more easily,” adds Eisenman.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>8. Alcohol is a bad call\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you’re at an outdoor party, resist that ice-cold margarita. Go for mocktails instead. “Alcohol will dehydrate you much faster” in the heat, says Schumann.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re determined to have something with a little kick in it, “drink some water for every drink you have to avoid trouble,” he says. “If you wind up having to pee a lot, it’ll be worth it. If you don’t, you might be getting into trouble.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Alcohol is very problematic” if you’re outdoors in the heat, agrees Momin. Not only does it cause you to lose fluids, but “it can also impair your judgment.” And when that happens, you might miss the signs of heat-related illness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=8+mistakes+to+avoid+if+you%27re+going+out+in+the+heat&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "MAP: More Than 5,000 Toxic Sites Along SF Bay Threatened by Rising Groundwater, New Study Finds",
"headTitle": "MAP: More Than 5,000 Toxic Sites Along SF Bay Threatened by Rising Groundwater, New Study Finds | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>More than 5,200 toxic sites buried along the lip of San Francisco Bay could be impacted by rising groundwater levels over the next century, posing potentially severe risks to human and environmental health, according to a \u003ca href=\"https://news.berkeley.edu/2023/06/20/rising-groundwater-threatens-thousands-of-toxic-sites-in-the-bay-area/\">recently released study\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s more than 10 times as many potentially at-risk Bay Area sites as had been identified in previous reports. A disproportionate number are located in lower-income communities of color, including in low-lying areas of San Francisco, Richmond, West Oakland and East Palo Alto.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The higher the social vulnerability, the higher the density of contaminated sites,” said Kristina Hill, director of UC Berkeley’s Institute of Urban and Regional Development, who co-authored the study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unlike much lower tallies from the federal and state agencies that oversee these sites, Hill’s study includes 1,480 open sites, which are in the process of being cleaned up or have not yet been cleaned up, as well as an additional 3,817 closed sites where some level of cleanup work may have been conducted, but that may still contain residual contaminants and be vulnerable to rising groundwater.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>The map below shows the more than 5,000 open (orange circle) and closed (black square) contaminated sites in the Bay Area that UC Berkeley Institute of Urban and Regional Development researchers identified as being potentially at risk of inundation by rising groundwater over the next century. Open sites include areas where cleanup has yet to begin or is still in progress. Closed sites include areas where cleanup has been completed but may still contain harmful toxins. For more information on each toxic site and the agency overseeing its cleanup, visit either of these searchable databases: \u003ca href=\"https://www.envirostor.dtsc.ca.gov/public/\">Envirostor\u003c/a> (from California’s Department of Toxics Control) or \u003ca href=\"https://geotracker.waterboards.ca.gov/\">GeoTracker\u003c/a> (from the state Water Resources Control Board).\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv style=\"width: 100%;\" align=\"center\">\n\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1000\" height=\"750\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" marginheight=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" title=\"Contaminated sites\" src=\"//www.arcgis.com/apps/Embed/index.html?webmap=35ac1447ecd04b8faa3429f3e8fa429e&extent=-123.928,37.114,-120.4481,38.5586&home=true&zoom=true&previewImage=false&scale=true&search=true&searchextent=true&details=true&legendlayers=true&active_panel=legend&disable_scroll=false&theme=light\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv align=\"left\">\u003csmall>\u003ci>Map by Matthew Green/KQED\u003c/i>\u003c/small>\u003c/div>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sites are contaminated with everything from radioactive materials and small underground petroleum tanks to toxic chemicals that can vaporize into pipes leading directly to homes, Hill said. Some sites date to the 19th century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s like a graveyard,” Hill said. “Everything we’ve done in the past is coming up with that groundwater to haunt us in the present.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1979645/see-a-map-of-hazardous-sites-at-risk-from-rising-seas\">other studies have identified toxic sites at risk of coastal flooding\u003c/a> due to climate change, this is the first to comprehensively pinpoint areas where rising groundwater is likely to come into contact with contaminants and potentially move them toward both the bay and people’s homes. Twice as much land in the Bay Area could be affected by groundwater rise compared to coastal flooding, according to the new study, which is currently in the process of peer review (a \u003ca href=\"https://essopenarchive.org/users/621729/articles/645176-rising-coastal-groundwater-as-a-result-of-sea-level-rise-will-influence-contaminated-coastal-sites-and-underground-infrastructure\">preprint\u003c/a> and preliminary data are publicly available).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hill found that in nearly all Bay Area counties, the impact from rising groundwater along the bay will be more severe than from the more than three feet of sea level that could take place by mid-century. She said additional research is needed to better understand the risks those contaminants pose to human health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the study, Hill found that in all but one Bay Area county (Santa Clara County), the impact from rising groundwater along the bay will be more severe than that from rising seas. She said additional research is needed to better understand the risks those contaminants pose to human health.[aside label=\"More on toxic sites\" postID=\"science_1979645,science_1980255,science_1979092\"]The risk of potential contamination from groundwater rise is notably higher in California as compared to most other states because of its vast coastline and sheer number of vulnerable sites, she noted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hill said that rising groundwater — potentially made worse during atmospheric river storms and rising tides — is “already moving contaminants”\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1981077/state-regulators-scrutinize-climate-plan-for-controversial-richmond-housing-development\">\u003cb> toward homes and businesses from toxic sites in places like Richmond.\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The two state agencies in charge of enforcing cleanup of the sites, Hill said, need “to flip a switch” to the default goal of removing or neutralizing contaminants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a solvable problem. But it requires us to dig up the graves,” she said, emphasizing the need to consider rising groundwater levels in future climate adaptation plans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The idea is not to run away from these places,” she added. “The idea is to make them safe and healthy again.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cleanup of toxic sites can range from digging up contaminants and trucking debris to contained locations, treating toxics directly on-site, or capping the pollutants in the ground with materials like cement to prevent them from leaking. That third option, Hill said, is likely not a good long-term solution because groundwater rise will generally circumvent barriers over time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new findings presented in the study are revelatory and underscore the urgency of the situation, said Todd Sax, deputy director of site mitigation and restoration with the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, or DTSC, one of the agencies tasked with holding polluters accountable for cleaning up at-risk contaminated areas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sax said his agency has identified about 300 particularly vulnerable toxic sites in the Bay Area and has set the goal of shoring them up to withstand 3.5 feet of sea level rise by 2050 and 6 feet by 2100. On a rolling basis, the agency is beginning to require known polluters to \u003ca href=\"https://dtsc.ca.gov/climate-change/\">assess the risks posed by sea-level and groundwater rise\u003c/a> at those sites and perform the necessary cleanups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The bottom line is the polluter will pay for the vulnerability assessment unless the site does not have a responsible party,” Sax said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But he noted that a site cleanup doesn’t always mean polluters will be required to remove all contamination, even after a vulnerability assessment. He said that sometimes trucking contaminants out of a community can be more harmful to human health and the bay than leaving them in the ground.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There aren’t any magic bullets to help solve the environmental contamination problem,” he said. “The best we can do is remove or treat the contamination where we can and then to engineer robust solutions that protect public health and the environment into the future.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, which oversees cleanup operations in some 1,000 vulnerable toxic sites in the region, has only begun enforcing groundwater rise assessment in a tiny percentage of cleanup plans, said Alec Naugle, the agency’s toxics cleanup division manager.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have to act more quickly on the most vulnerable sites,” he said, stressing the need for more caseworkers to manage the cleanups. He said the agency recently began requiring landfill operators to account for groundwater rise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The public can understand that this isn’t going ignored,” he said. “It is a sort of a slow-moving train and, at the same time, we need to have eyes on it now because the remedy is going to be costly.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Naugle and Sax note that the number of toxic sites identified in this study is substantially larger than the number their agencies oversee, due largely to Hill’s inclusion of closed sites, which could pose a lower risk to public health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, both agencies said they are assessing Hill’s data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What Dr. Hill’s study points out, is that fundamentally, there’s going to be issues with these sites into the future,” Sax said.[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>More than 5,200 toxic sites buried along the lip of San Francisco Bay could be impacted by rising groundwater levels over the next century, posing potentially severe risks to human and environmental health, according to a \u003ca href=\"https://news.berkeley.edu/2023/06/20/rising-groundwater-threatens-thousands-of-toxic-sites-in-the-bay-area/\">recently released study\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s more than 10 times as many potentially at-risk Bay Area sites as had been identified in previous reports. A disproportionate number are located in lower-income communities of color, including in low-lying areas of San Francisco, Richmond, West Oakland and East Palo Alto.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The higher the social vulnerability, the higher the density of contaminated sites,” said Kristina Hill, director of UC Berkeley’s Institute of Urban and Regional Development, who co-authored the study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unlike much lower tallies from the federal and state agencies that oversee these sites, Hill’s study includes 1,480 open sites, which are in the process of being cleaned up or have not yet been cleaned up, as well as an additional 3,817 closed sites where some level of cleanup work may have been conducted, but that may still contain residual contaminants and be vulnerable to rising groundwater.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>The map below shows the more than 5,000 open (orange circle) and closed (black square) contaminated sites in the Bay Area that UC Berkeley Institute of Urban and Regional Development researchers identified as being potentially at risk of inundation by rising groundwater over the next century. Open sites include areas where cleanup has yet to begin or is still in progress. Closed sites include areas where cleanup has been completed but may still contain harmful toxins. For more information on each toxic site and the agency overseeing its cleanup, visit either of these searchable databases: \u003ca href=\"https://www.envirostor.dtsc.ca.gov/public/\">Envirostor\u003c/a> (from California’s Department of Toxics Control) or \u003ca href=\"https://geotracker.waterboards.ca.gov/\">GeoTracker\u003c/a> (from the state Water Resources Control Board).\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv style=\"width: 100%;\" align=\"center\">\n\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1000\" height=\"750\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" marginheight=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" title=\"Contaminated sites\" src=\"//www.arcgis.com/apps/Embed/index.html?webmap=35ac1447ecd04b8faa3429f3e8fa429e&extent=-123.928,37.114,-120.4481,38.5586&home=true&zoom=true&previewImage=false&scale=true&search=true&searchextent=true&details=true&legendlayers=true&active_panel=legend&disable_scroll=false&theme=light\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv align=\"left\">\u003csmall>\u003ci>Map by Matthew Green/KQED\u003c/i>\u003c/small>\u003c/div>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sites are contaminated with everything from radioactive materials and small underground petroleum tanks to toxic chemicals that can vaporize into pipes leading directly to homes, Hill said. Some sites date to the 19th century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s like a graveyard,” Hill said. “Everything we’ve done in the past is coming up with that groundwater to haunt us in the present.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1979645/see-a-map-of-hazardous-sites-at-risk-from-rising-seas\">other studies have identified toxic sites at risk of coastal flooding\u003c/a> due to climate change, this is the first to comprehensively pinpoint areas where rising groundwater is likely to come into contact with contaminants and potentially move them toward both the bay and people’s homes. Twice as much land in the Bay Area could be affected by groundwater rise compared to coastal flooding, according to the new study, which is currently in the process of peer review (a \u003ca href=\"https://essopenarchive.org/users/621729/articles/645176-rising-coastal-groundwater-as-a-result-of-sea-level-rise-will-influence-contaminated-coastal-sites-and-underground-infrastructure\">preprint\u003c/a> and preliminary data are publicly available).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hill found that in nearly all Bay Area counties, the impact from rising groundwater along the bay will be more severe than from the more than three feet of sea level that could take place by mid-century. She said additional research is needed to better understand the risks those contaminants pose to human health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the study, Hill found that in all but one Bay Area county (Santa Clara County), the impact from rising groundwater along the bay will be more severe than that from rising seas. She said additional research is needed to better understand the risks those contaminants pose to human health.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The risk of potential contamination from groundwater rise is notably higher in California as compared to most other states because of its vast coastline and sheer number of vulnerable sites, she noted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hill said that rising groundwater — potentially made worse during atmospheric river storms and rising tides — is “already moving contaminants”\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1981077/state-regulators-scrutinize-climate-plan-for-controversial-richmond-housing-development\">\u003cb> toward homes and businesses from toxic sites in places like Richmond.\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The two state agencies in charge of enforcing cleanup of the sites, Hill said, need “to flip a switch” to the default goal of removing or neutralizing contaminants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a solvable problem. But it requires us to dig up the graves,” she said, emphasizing the need to consider rising groundwater levels in future climate adaptation plans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The idea is not to run away from these places,” she added. “The idea is to make them safe and healthy again.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cleanup of toxic sites can range from digging up contaminants and trucking debris to contained locations, treating toxics directly on-site, or capping the pollutants in the ground with materials like cement to prevent them from leaking. That third option, Hill said, is likely not a good long-term solution because groundwater rise will generally circumvent barriers over time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new findings presented in the study are revelatory and underscore the urgency of the situation, said Todd Sax, deputy director of site mitigation and restoration with the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, or DTSC, one of the agencies tasked with holding polluters accountable for cleaning up at-risk contaminated areas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sax said his agency has identified about 300 particularly vulnerable toxic sites in the Bay Area and has set the goal of shoring them up to withstand 3.5 feet of sea level rise by 2050 and 6 feet by 2100. On a rolling basis, the agency is beginning to require known polluters to \u003ca href=\"https://dtsc.ca.gov/climate-change/\">assess the risks posed by sea-level and groundwater rise\u003c/a> at those sites and perform the necessary cleanups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The bottom line is the polluter will pay for the vulnerability assessment unless the site does not have a responsible party,” Sax said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But he noted that a site cleanup doesn’t always mean polluters will be required to remove all contamination, even after a vulnerability assessment. He said that sometimes trucking contaminants out of a community can be more harmful to human health and the bay than leaving them in the ground.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There aren’t any magic bullets to help solve the environmental contamination problem,” he said. “The best we can do is remove or treat the contamination where we can and then to engineer robust solutions that protect public health and the environment into the future.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, which oversees cleanup operations in some 1,000 vulnerable toxic sites in the region, has only begun enforcing groundwater rise assessment in a tiny percentage of cleanup plans, said Alec Naugle, the agency’s toxics cleanup division manager.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have to act more quickly on the most vulnerable sites,” he said, stressing the need for more caseworkers to manage the cleanups. He said the agency recently began requiring landfill operators to account for groundwater rise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The public can understand that this isn’t going ignored,” he said. “It is a sort of a slow-moving train and, at the same time, we need to have eyes on it now because the remedy is going to be costly.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Naugle and Sax note that the number of toxic sites identified in this study is substantially larger than the number their agencies oversee, due largely to Hill’s inclusion of closed sites, which could pose a lower risk to public health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, both agencies said they are assessing Hill’s data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What Dr. Hill’s study points out, is that fundamentally, there’s going to be issues with these sites into the future,” Sax said.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Dr. Naomi Marks races between patients inside the emergency department at Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa County. She explains a diagnosis to a woman grimacing in pain, complaining of nauseousness and a belly on fire with pain. An MRI suggests pancreatitis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“From the moment we spoke, I’ve been trying to reach a GI doctor at another hospital,” Marks said, explaining that the medical center doesn’t have a gastroenterologist, a practitioner specializing in the digestive system, on staff or on call.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Marks dials every number she has at UCSF, Stanford, UC Davis and other big hospitals up and down the state, scrambling for a hospital with a specialist and an open bed.[pullquote align='right' citation='Dr. Donaldo Hernandez, president, California Medical Association']‘The system was broken before the pandemic. It’s in shards now.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s no formal or even modern process here, she explains as she prepares to send a request by fax machine. She can only hope for a response.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So, I’ll keep you updated,” Marks says to the patient as she prepares to move on to the next. “And we have more pain medications if you need.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not uncommon for really sick patients to wait three, four or even five days for a transfer, Marks said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>UC Davis Medical Center \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-05-28/patients-agonizing-waits-hospital-transfers\">turned down more than 9,900 transfer requests in a little over a year\u003c/a> due to limited capacity, \u003cem>The Los Angeles Times\u003c/em> reported. And, a spokesperson for UCSF told KQED that their hospital is nearly always at or over capacity. UCSF declined 41% of the transfer requests it received in the last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dr. Andrew Fenton, Queen of the Valley’s chief of staff, said the ER is not a good place for people to wait. “If you’re a sick patient, you’re trying to convalesce and you’re in the emergency department, the lights are on and there’s alarms beeping. It’s not the correct place,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Patients get stuck and get worse because there aren’t enough specialists available to offer the right care, he said, especially doctors willing to work on-call shifts inside hospitals. His hospital used to have an on-call specialist focused on ears, nose and throat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re gone now,” he said. “We don’t have ophthalmology, we don’t have plastic surgery or oral maxillofacial surgery.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile the emergency department is completely full. The hallway is lined with patients waiting on gurneys. One bleeds from a head injury. Another has lacerations on his face. Doctors have even transformed a small office near the waiting room into an exam room to evaluate more patients.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It looks a little bit like a MASH unit right now,” said Fenton, referring to mobile army surgical hospitals. “When you come into the ER, it’s not pretty.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Long wait times inside emergency departments are not new. And neither are staff shortages, but both have been exacerbated by the pandemic. Hospitals are flooded by patients who have delayed care in recent years, and there aren’t enough nurses to meet the demand. Burnout hit an all-time high during COVID, which inspired many health care workers to retire early.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The system was broken before the pandemic,” Fenton said. “It’s in shards now.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even Hernandez can’t get into a clinic to see a specialist for himself — he needs to see a gastroenterologist for some preventive care. He called his health plan recently; the next available appointment is four months out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California will have the largest physician shortages of any state in coming years, according to a 2020 study that found \u003ca href=\"https://human-resources-health.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12960-020-0448-3#Tab2\">the state’s doctor shortage is expected to top 32,000 physician jobs over the next decade\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s hard,” said Hernandez, of the California Medical Association. “It will get nothing but worse.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The problem starts with medical school. The number of students in training is not rising fast enough to fill empty slots. Hernandez said that California has to train more doctors fast, and the state has to create more residency slots and “really start to think about this in very new and innovative ways to try to find these solutions to try to backfill those roles.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Butte County, there is a shortage of mental health specialists. So the city of Chico is\u003ca href=\"https://www.chicoer.com/2023/02/17/psychiatry-residency-program-aims-to-fill-local-gap-in-north-state-workforce/\"> partnering with a nonprofit to launch a new psychiatric residency program\u003c/a> to fill the need, “to be able to just home-grow their own psychiatrists for that part of the state,” Hernandez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There also have to be incentives for doctors to stay in California after they finish medical training. Hernandez is pushing the state to increase loan-forgiveness programs for individuals who will serve underserved regions of the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If doctors with cultural competency are inspired to work with the communities that need their expertise, it makes for a much, much better health care delivery system,” said Hernandez.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back inside the emergency department in Napa County, the woman with pancreatitis calls for a nurse because her pain is increasing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It could take her days to go someplace,” said ER doctor Marks — maybe another day to find an ambulance to make the transfer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Marks wishes there were more she could do. But she has to move on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her next patient waits on a gurney in the hallway.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not uncommon for really sick patients to wait three, four or even five days for a transfer, Marks said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>UC Davis Medical Center \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-05-28/patients-agonizing-waits-hospital-transfers\">turned down more than 9,900 transfer requests in a little over a year\u003c/a> due to limited capacity, \u003cem>The Los Angeles Times\u003c/em> reported. And, a spokesperson for UCSF told KQED that their hospital is nearly always at or over capacity. UCSF declined 41% of the transfer requests it received in the last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dr. Andrew Fenton, Queen of the Valley’s chief of staff, said the ER is not a good place for people to wait. “If you’re a sick patient, you’re trying to convalesce and you’re in the emergency department, the lights are on and there’s alarms beeping. It’s not the correct place,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Patients get stuck and get worse because there aren’t enough specialists available to offer the right care, he said, especially doctors willing to work on-call shifts inside hospitals. His hospital used to have an on-call specialist focused on ears, nose and throat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re gone now,” he said. “We don’t have ophthalmology, we don’t have plastic surgery or oral maxillofacial surgery.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile the emergency department is completely full. The hallway is lined with patients waiting on gurneys. One bleeds from a head injury. Another has lacerations on his face. Doctors have even transformed a small office near the waiting room into an exam room to evaluate more patients.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It looks a little bit like a MASH unit right now,” said Fenton, referring to mobile army surgical hospitals. “When you come into the ER, it’s not pretty.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Long wait times inside emergency departments are not new. And neither are staff shortages, but both have been exacerbated by the pandemic. Hospitals are flooded by patients who have delayed care in recent years, and there aren’t enough nurses to meet the demand. Burnout hit an all-time high during COVID, which inspired many health care workers to retire early.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The system was broken before the pandemic,” Fenton said. “It’s in shards now.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even Hernandez can’t get into a clinic to see a specialist for himself — he needs to see a gastroenterologist for some preventive care. He called his health plan recently; the next available appointment is four months out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California will have the largest physician shortages of any state in coming years, according to a 2020 study that found \u003ca href=\"https://human-resources-health.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12960-020-0448-3#Tab2\">the state’s doctor shortage is expected to top 32,000 physician jobs over the next decade\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s hard,” said Hernandez, of the California Medical Association. “It will get nothing but worse.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The problem starts with medical school. The number of students in training is not rising fast enough to fill empty slots. Hernandez said that California has to train more doctors fast, and the state has to create more residency slots and “really start to think about this in very new and innovative ways to try to find these solutions to try to backfill those roles.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Butte County, there is a shortage of mental health specialists. So the city of Chico is\u003ca href=\"https://www.chicoer.com/2023/02/17/psychiatry-residency-program-aims-to-fill-local-gap-in-north-state-workforce/\"> partnering with a nonprofit to launch a new psychiatric residency program\u003c/a> to fill the need, “to be able to just home-grow their own psychiatrists for that part of the state,” Hernandez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There also have to be incentives for doctors to stay in California after they finish medical training. Hernandez is pushing the state to increase loan-forgiveness programs for individuals who will serve underserved regions of the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If doctors with cultural competency are inspired to work with the communities that need their expertise, it makes for a much, much better health care delivery system,” said Hernandez.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back inside the emergency department in Napa County, the woman with pancreatitis calls for a nurse because her pain is increasing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It could take her days to go someplace,” said ER doctor Marks — maybe another day to find an ambulance to make the transfer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Marks wishes there were more she could do. But she has to move on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her next patient waits on a gurney in the hallway.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Diamond was tripping on an August morning in Baltimore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mom and entrepreneur sat cozily under a weighted blanket at Sheppard Pratt Hospital. Little mushroom people jumped across imaginary flower petals behind her eye mask. A therapist monitored Diamond from close by, ready to serve her food and measure her \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/search?q=depression&site=all\">depression\u003c/a> symptoms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the weeks leading up to today, clinicians had asked Diamond, “Can you remember a time when you were happy for more than a month?” No, she thought.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Diamond told them she’d been having what psychologists call “passive” suicidal thoughts, like, “If this car ran into me and I died, things would be OK.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Such thoughts weren’t new for Diamond; growing up, she had been hospitalized for wanting to kill herself. Over the years, she tried many medications for her depression, including Seroquel, Prozac, Trazodone and Risperidone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of ‘dones,’ a lot of ‘ols,’” she said. Some of them helped her sleep, but left her feeling numb. She recalled thinking, “I still feel sad, so what are we doing here, antidepressants?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Diamond was curious whether a clinically guided mushroom trip would help, and she enrolled in this clinical trial testing the safety and efficacy of psilocybin, the psychoactive ingredient in “magic mushrooms,” for her type of bipolar depression. KQED is only using Diamond’s first name because she uses psilocybin, which is illegal federally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1982859\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1982859\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/06/005_KQEDScience_Edits_DSC_0033-1-1020x678.jpg\" alt=\"A woman stands with her back to the camera and a shirt that says "Don't Trip Drip" and has psychedelic colored mushrooms. \" width=\"640\" height=\"425\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/06/005_KQEDScience_Edits_DSC_0033-1-1020x678.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/06/005_KQEDScience_Edits_DSC_0033-1-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/06/005_KQEDScience_Edits_DSC_0033-1-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/06/005_KQEDScience_Edits_DSC_0033-1-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/06/005_KQEDScience_Edits_DSC_0033-1-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/06/005_KQEDScience_Edits_DSC_0033-1.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Diamond wants to be an advocate for psilocybin treatments for depression. \u003ccite>(Anna Marie Yanny/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Diamond met with a therapist before and after a daylong psilocybin session, as part of the months-long trial. On her “dosing day” she grounded herself with an intention she set with her therapist earlier: self-grace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While she was hallucinating, Diamond remembers feeling like someone buried her. She felt like she was losing air, light, everything.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was panicking,” Diamond said. “I was fearful.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But then she remembered that “they tell you to, if anything comes up, just go with it. I settled in and I was like, OK, so this is death.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The “go-with-the-flow” mantra Diamond adopted during the trial has stuck with her to this day.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Psilocybin faces numerous barriers moving from trial to treatment\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Like Diamond, about \u003ca href=\"https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression\">280 million people worldwide have depression\u003c/a>. For some, traditional medications don’t work. Researchers are studying whether psilocybin could help, and many of the \u003ca href=\"https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?cond=Depression&term=&type=Intr&rslt=&age_v=&gndr=&intr=Psilocybin&titles=&outc=&spons=&lead=&id=&cntry=&state=&city=&dist=&locn=&rsub=&strd_s=&strd_e=&prcd_s=&prcd_e=&sfpd_s=&sfpd_e=&rfpd_s=&rfpd_e=&lupd_s=&lupd_e=&sort=\">dozens of trials have had promising results\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Neuroscientist Dennis Parker Kelley helps run \u003ca href=\"https://psychedelics.ucsf.edu/#Studies\">psilocybin trials at UCSF\u003c/a>, and thinks the drug has incredible potential.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“More potential than we have really seen with any other pharmacological treatments in the past several decades,” Kelley said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s so promising that psilocybin treatment could get Food and Drug Administration approval for stubborn forms of depression within the year. Meanwhile, San Francisco state Sen. Scott Wiener’s \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB58\">bill decriminalizing drugs like these is pressing ahead in the state Legislature\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it could be tricky for clinicians to move psilocybin into mainstream treatment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First, psychedelic-assisted therapy can be prohibitively expensive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People who don’t have health insurance, this could prevent them from being able to meaningfully experience these therapies” Kelley said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Psilocybin sessions typically last six to eight hours and are accompanied by a handful of therapy meetings before and after. Many people might not have time for these treatments. Plus, most studies require participants to wean off their current antidepressants before trying the treatment. This might not be necessary for all medications, and researchers like Kelley are trying to understand whether some drugs may be safe to mix with psilocybin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All told, “I don’t think people will be able to go home with psilocybin from their doctor anytime soon,” Kelley said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Indigenous groups in Mexico were using psilocybin long before these trials, and advocates have raised concerns about appropriation with the mushrooms. Critics have also raised concerns about power dynamics in the treatment room with psychedelics like psilocybin, and point to a documented history of sexual violation within psychedelic therapy.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘With great hype needs to come great responsibility’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Clinicians discourage people from taking psilocybin without a therapist or trained guide. Diamond heard author Michael Pollan, who has written extensively about psychedelic research, talk about the treatments. She went looking for a trial after learning there was a lack of Black guides and clinical trial participants in psilocybin research.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t see a lot of people who look like us talking about what [psilocybin has] done for us,” said Diamond, who is Black.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before the trial, she tried to control her life by planning every minute of her day. She felt weak if she couldn’t accomplish everything.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, she gives herself grace if she doesn’t complete her to-do lists. Diamond wants to be an advocate for psilocybin, especially for Black people, through \u003ca href=\"https://www.diamonddripconsulting.com/about-faq\">her consulting and wellness business\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Research psychologist Philip Corlett of Yale University says psychiatrists are desperate for new treatments, but the psilocybin data isn’t as miraculous as it sounds. After all, the trials have been small, and participants could be feeling a placebo effect.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think these are extremely promising new treatments. But I think with great hype needs to come great responsibility,” Corlett said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Psilocybin may not help everyone whom antidepressants have failed. Trials generally don’t include patients who are actively suicidal or experiencing psychosis, for fear of making it worse. In a large, phase 2 clinical trial for treatment-resistant depression conducted by the company Compass Pathways and published in \u003cem>The New England Journal of Medicine\u003c/em>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2206443\">some participants had worsening suicidal states — marked by suicidal ideation and self-injury — after taking psilocybin\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The American Psychiatric Association states that there is not enough evidence to support the use of psychedelics outside of clinical trials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Clinical psychologist Rosalind Watts was a lead for such trials at Imperial College London. After guiding patients through psilocybin treatment for years, she thinks of the drug as a catalyst for healing. But, she said, the treatment needs a “therapeutic container,” such as integration therapy or an Indigenous ceremony, to be effective.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If it was just the drug, every time somebody went to Burning Man, they’d have their depression fixed. And that doesn’t happen,” Watts said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People need community care to move through sometimes harrowing drug experiences, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My real feeling is that psilocybin is calling us to change our models of care,” Watts said. “Because if we fit it into the existing profit-making, private health care models of clinics, it’s going to be really, really ineffective.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Diamond, psilocybin was effective. After the trial, she woke up one morning, energized. She knocked out her to-do list, worked out and left early to pick up her daughter from school. Music drifted through her car speakers as she sat in the sunny school parking lot, waiting for the “school’s out” announcement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I thought to myself for the first time in forever that it would really suck to die today,” Diamond recalled, tearing up. “And that was so profound because I had never felt that way in my whole entire life.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Diamond was tripping on an August morning in Baltimore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mom and entrepreneur sat cozily under a weighted blanket at Sheppard Pratt Hospital. Little mushroom people jumped across imaginary flower petals behind her eye mask. A therapist monitored Diamond from close by, ready to serve her food and measure her \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/search?q=depression&site=all\">depression\u003c/a> symptoms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the weeks leading up to today, clinicians had asked Diamond, “Can you remember a time when you were happy for more than a month?” No, she thought.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Diamond told them she’d been having what psychologists call “passive” suicidal thoughts, like, “If this car ran into me and I died, things would be OK.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Such thoughts weren’t new for Diamond; growing up, she had been hospitalized for wanting to kill herself. Over the years, she tried many medications for her depression, including Seroquel, Prozac, Trazodone and Risperidone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of ‘dones,’ a lot of ‘ols,’” she said. Some of them helped her sleep, but left her feeling numb. She recalled thinking, “I still feel sad, so what are we doing here, antidepressants?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Diamond was curious whether a clinically guided mushroom trip would help, and she enrolled in this clinical trial testing the safety and efficacy of psilocybin, the psychoactive ingredient in “magic mushrooms,” for her type of bipolar depression. KQED is only using Diamond’s first name because she uses psilocybin, which is illegal federally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1982859\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1982859\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/06/005_KQEDScience_Edits_DSC_0033-1-1020x678.jpg\" alt=\"A woman stands with her back to the camera and a shirt that says "Don't Trip Drip" and has psychedelic colored mushrooms. \" width=\"640\" height=\"425\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/06/005_KQEDScience_Edits_DSC_0033-1-1020x678.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/06/005_KQEDScience_Edits_DSC_0033-1-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/06/005_KQEDScience_Edits_DSC_0033-1-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/06/005_KQEDScience_Edits_DSC_0033-1-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/06/005_KQEDScience_Edits_DSC_0033-1-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/06/005_KQEDScience_Edits_DSC_0033-1.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Diamond wants to be an advocate for psilocybin treatments for depression. \u003ccite>(Anna Marie Yanny/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Diamond met with a therapist before and after a daylong psilocybin session, as part of the months-long trial. On her “dosing day” she grounded herself with an intention she set with her therapist earlier: self-grace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While she was hallucinating, Diamond remembers feeling like someone buried her. She felt like she was losing air, light, everything.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was panicking,” Diamond said. “I was fearful.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But then she remembered that “they tell you to, if anything comes up, just go with it. I settled in and I was like, OK, so this is death.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The “go-with-the-flow” mantra Diamond adopted during the trial has stuck with her to this day.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Psilocybin faces numerous barriers moving from trial to treatment\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Like Diamond, about \u003ca href=\"https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression\">280 million people worldwide have depression\u003c/a>. For some, traditional medications don’t work. Researchers are studying whether psilocybin could help, and many of the \u003ca href=\"https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?cond=Depression&term=&type=Intr&rslt=&age_v=&gndr=&intr=Psilocybin&titles=&outc=&spons=&lead=&id=&cntry=&state=&city=&dist=&locn=&rsub=&strd_s=&strd_e=&prcd_s=&prcd_e=&sfpd_s=&sfpd_e=&rfpd_s=&rfpd_e=&lupd_s=&lupd_e=&sort=\">dozens of trials have had promising results\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Neuroscientist Dennis Parker Kelley helps run \u003ca href=\"https://psychedelics.ucsf.edu/#Studies\">psilocybin trials at UCSF\u003c/a>, and thinks the drug has incredible potential.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“More potential than we have really seen with any other pharmacological treatments in the past several decades,” Kelley said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s so promising that psilocybin treatment could get Food and Drug Administration approval for stubborn forms of depression within the year. Meanwhile, San Francisco state Sen. Scott Wiener’s \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB58\">bill decriminalizing drugs like these is pressing ahead in the state Legislature\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it could be tricky for clinicians to move psilocybin into mainstream treatment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First, psychedelic-assisted therapy can be prohibitively expensive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People who don’t have health insurance, this could prevent them from being able to meaningfully experience these therapies” Kelley said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Psilocybin sessions typically last six to eight hours and are accompanied by a handful of therapy meetings before and after. Many people might not have time for these treatments. Plus, most studies require participants to wean off their current antidepressants before trying the treatment. This might not be necessary for all medications, and researchers like Kelley are trying to understand whether some drugs may be safe to mix with psilocybin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All told, “I don’t think people will be able to go home with psilocybin from their doctor anytime soon,” Kelley said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Indigenous groups in Mexico were using psilocybin long before these trials, and advocates have raised concerns about appropriation with the mushrooms. Critics have also raised concerns about power dynamics in the treatment room with psychedelics like psilocybin, and point to a documented history of sexual violation within psychedelic therapy.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘With great hype needs to come great responsibility’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Clinicians discourage people from taking psilocybin without a therapist or trained guide. Diamond heard author Michael Pollan, who has written extensively about psychedelic research, talk about the treatments. She went looking for a trial after learning there was a lack of Black guides and clinical trial participants in psilocybin research.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t see a lot of people who look like us talking about what [psilocybin has] done for us,” said Diamond, who is Black.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before the trial, she tried to control her life by planning every minute of her day. She felt weak if she couldn’t accomplish everything.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, she gives herself grace if she doesn’t complete her to-do lists. Diamond wants to be an advocate for psilocybin, especially for Black people, through \u003ca href=\"https://www.diamonddripconsulting.com/about-faq\">her consulting and wellness business\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Research psychologist Philip Corlett of Yale University says psychiatrists are desperate for new treatments, but the psilocybin data isn’t as miraculous as it sounds. After all, the trials have been small, and participants could be feeling a placebo effect.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think these are extremely promising new treatments. But I think with great hype needs to come great responsibility,” Corlett said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Psilocybin may not help everyone whom antidepressants have failed. Trials generally don’t include patients who are actively suicidal or experiencing psychosis, for fear of making it worse. In a large, phase 2 clinical trial for treatment-resistant depression conducted by the company Compass Pathways and published in \u003cem>The New England Journal of Medicine\u003c/em>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2206443\">some participants had worsening suicidal states — marked by suicidal ideation and self-injury — after taking psilocybin\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The American Psychiatric Association states that there is not enough evidence to support the use of psychedelics outside of clinical trials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Clinical psychologist Rosalind Watts was a lead for such trials at Imperial College London. After guiding patients through psilocybin treatment for years, she thinks of the drug as a catalyst for healing. But, she said, the treatment needs a “therapeutic container,” such as integration therapy or an Indigenous ceremony, to be effective.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If it was just the drug, every time somebody went to Burning Man, they’d have their depression fixed. And that doesn’t happen,” Watts said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People need community care to move through sometimes harrowing drug experiences, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My real feeling is that psilocybin is calling us to change our models of care,” Watts said. “Because if we fit it into the existing profit-making, private health care models of clinics, it’s going to be really, really ineffective.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Diamond, psilocybin was effective. After the trial, she woke up one morning, energized. She knocked out her to-do list, worked out and left early to pick up her daughter from school. Music drifted through her car speakers as she sat in the sunny school parking lot, waiting for the “school’s out” announcement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I thought to myself for the first time in forever that it would really suck to die today,” Diamond recalled, tearing up. “And that was so profound because I had never felt that way in my whole entire life.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "California Confronts the Threat of 'Tranq' as Overdose Crisis Rages",
"headTitle": "California Confronts the Threat of ‘Tranq’ as Overdose Crisis Rages | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>When San Francisco’s medical examiner announced in February that four people who had recently died of overdoses had the animal sedative \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/search?q=xylazine&site=all\">xylazine\u003c/a> in their systems, public health workers across the state sprang into action.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Drug dealers on the East Coast had in recent years begun mixing xylazine, which can have devastating effects on people, with the opioid fentanyl, causing a surge in emergency room visits in Philadelphia and other cities. But there had not been much evidence of it in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now state and local officials are ramping up efforts to combat xylazine, commonly called “tranq,” by monitoring its spread, distributing test strips, and pushing to “schedule” it, meaning classify it as a controlled substance. Still, some worry it will be hard to prevent the pernicious drug — which has also begun appearing in Los Angeles, Santa Clara, and San Joaquin counties — from worsening the state’s overdose epidemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Unless significant change happens in scheduling xylazine and really reducing its availability, we could be on the heels of what’s happening on the East Coast,” said Jeffrey Hom, director of population behavioral health at the San Francisco Department of Public Health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hom, who previously led overdose prevention services in Philadelphia, said San Francisco’s public health department is collaborating with the medical examiner, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, the city’s fire department and homeless and supportive housing agencies, and methadone clinics and hospitals to collect data, share updates, and conduct regular testing for xylazine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re trying to think through how do we develop a system that can surveil for drugs like xylazine — or whatever the next drug will be,” Hom said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Department of Public Health is monitoring news reports of xylazine and has posted an \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CCDPHP/sapb/CDPH%20Document%20Library/Issue-Brief-Xylazine_ADA.pdf\">issue brief (PDF)\u003c/a> about it, but a spokesperson told KFF Health News it does not yet have a “standardized and uniform statewide monitoring system.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Xylazine is a cost-effective way to extend the strong yet short-lived fentanyl high, said Philippe Bourgois, a UCLA anthropology and social medicine professor and co-author of the book “Righteous Dopefiend,” the product of a 10-year immersion in San Francisco’s heroin and crack street culture. But the trade-offs can be catastrophic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taken on its own, xylazine is so powerful it can knock a person out for up to 18 hours, said Bourgois. In Philadelphia, people who use tranq are getting “\u003ca href=\"https://jied.lse.ac.uk/articles/10.31389/jied.122\">concrete burns\u003c/a>,” which are similar to bedsores but are caused by lying passed out on the sidewalk for long periods, he added. Xylazine also has \u003ca href=\"https://www.dea.gov/alert/dea-reports-widespread-threat-fentanyl-mixed-xylazine\">necrotizing effects\u003c/a> that rot the skin and lead to amputations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most troubling of all, Bourgois said, is that xylazine constricts breathing, increasing the risk of an overdose when it’s mixed with fentanyl. By itself, it doesn’t respond to the overdose reversal drug naloxone, which has been one of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2023/03/20/master-plan-for-tackling-the-fentanyl-and-opioid-crisis/\">state’s key tools in trying to reduce overdose deaths\u003c/a>. But since xylazine is often mixed with fentanyl and other opioids, health authorities advise using naloxone to respond to suspected overdoses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Xylazine is a disastrous drug,” Bourgois said. “Public health has to get ahead of this tragedy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About a dozen people who smoke or inject fentanyl and live on the streets of San Francisco told KFF Health News they are at the mercy of what drug dealers sell and have little insight into what’s actually in the drugs. They said they’ve never used xylazine knowingly and didn’t want it in their drugs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kris Franklin, 41, has been buying fentanyl in San Francisco for five years and acknowledged she’s gambling with her life. She’s lost count of the friends and acquaintances who have died from overdoses or street-related illnesses but estimates it at around 40 people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m scared it’s going to be in my dope,” Franklin said of tranq. “You don’t know what you’re getting. … It’s not like a prescription from a doctor.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), whose district includes Santa Cruz and Monterey, introduced federal legislation in March to make xylazine a controlled substance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It gives our law enforcement the tools that they can use to crack down and hopefully remove this type of deadly combination of fentanyl and xylazine off the streets,” Panetta said of the bill. “I think we got a good chance of getting this passed this year.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Governors in Pennsylvania and Ohio are using their \u003ca href=\"https://www.governor.pa.gov/newsroom/governor-shapiro-directs-administration-to-schedule-xylazine-as-a-controlled-substance-taking-action-against-dangerous-drug-contributing-to-opioid-overdoses/\">executive powers\u003c/a> to \u003ca href=\"https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/OHIOGOVERNOR/2023/03/29/file_attachments/2451030/Signed%20EO%202023-08D.pdf\">restrict access to xylazine (PDF)\u003c/a>. In California, lawmakers are wrestling with several measures that would increase penalties for fentanyl dealers, but none address xylazine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One potential downside to any crackdown is that it could make it much harder for veterinarians and other customers to obtain the drug for their animals. And the FDA said late last year that it was not known whether tranq was being diverted from the animal supply or manufactured illicitly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Siddarth Puri, associate medical director of prevention at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, noted that the data was sparse but that xylazine was likely more widespread than is known.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Puri and his public health colleagues learned only recently, from a \u003cem>Los Angeles Times\u003c/em> report, that \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-03-22/la-sheriff-knew-about-tranq-four-years-ago\">county law enforcement officials had been spotting xylazine in the fentanyl supply for years\u003c/a>. The county Sheriff’s Department recently launched a \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-05-10/sheriffs-dept-program-to-track-presence-of-flesh-eating-street-drug-in-los-angeles\">pilot project to track the presence of the drug\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are probably hundreds of other illicit synthetic substances that are being cut into the drugs that we don’t know about yet, and we don’t know how they’re going to impact people,” Puri said. “Right now, the spotlight is on xylazine.”\u003c/p>\n\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",
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"excerpt": "California officials are stepping up efforts to combat the spread of xylazine, a powerful animal sedative that’s increasingly being used by people, often with devastating results.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>When San Francisco’s medical examiner announced in February that four people who had recently died of overdoses had the animal sedative \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/search?q=xylazine&site=all\">xylazine\u003c/a> in their systems, public health workers across the state sprang into action.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Drug dealers on the East Coast had in recent years begun mixing xylazine, which can have devastating effects on people, with the opioid fentanyl, causing a surge in emergency room visits in Philadelphia and other cities. But there had not been much evidence of it in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now state and local officials are ramping up efforts to combat xylazine, commonly called “tranq,” by monitoring its spread, distributing test strips, and pushing to “schedule” it, meaning classify it as a controlled substance. Still, some worry it will be hard to prevent the pernicious drug — which has also begun appearing in Los Angeles, Santa Clara, and San Joaquin counties — from worsening the state’s overdose epidemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Unless significant change happens in scheduling xylazine and really reducing its availability, we could be on the heels of what’s happening on the East Coast,” said Jeffrey Hom, director of population behavioral health at the San Francisco Department of Public Health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hom, who previously led overdose prevention services in Philadelphia, said San Francisco’s public health department is collaborating with the medical examiner, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, the city’s fire department and homeless and supportive housing agencies, and methadone clinics and hospitals to collect data, share updates, and conduct regular testing for xylazine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re trying to think through how do we develop a system that can surveil for drugs like xylazine — or whatever the next drug will be,” Hom said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Department of Public Health is monitoring news reports of xylazine and has posted an \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CCDPHP/sapb/CDPH%20Document%20Library/Issue-Brief-Xylazine_ADA.pdf\">issue brief (PDF)\u003c/a> about it, but a spokesperson told KFF Health News it does not yet have a “standardized and uniform statewide monitoring system.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Xylazine is a cost-effective way to extend the strong yet short-lived fentanyl high, said Philippe Bourgois, a UCLA anthropology and social medicine professor and co-author of the book “Righteous Dopefiend,” the product of a 10-year immersion in San Francisco’s heroin and crack street culture. But the trade-offs can be catastrophic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taken on its own, xylazine is so powerful it can knock a person out for up to 18 hours, said Bourgois. In Philadelphia, people who use tranq are getting “\u003ca href=\"https://jied.lse.ac.uk/articles/10.31389/jied.122\">concrete burns\u003c/a>,” which are similar to bedsores but are caused by lying passed out on the sidewalk for long periods, he added. Xylazine also has \u003ca href=\"https://www.dea.gov/alert/dea-reports-widespread-threat-fentanyl-mixed-xylazine\">necrotizing effects\u003c/a> that rot the skin and lead to amputations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most troubling of all, Bourgois said, is that xylazine constricts breathing, increasing the risk of an overdose when it’s mixed with fentanyl. By itself, it doesn’t respond to the overdose reversal drug naloxone, which has been one of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2023/03/20/master-plan-for-tackling-the-fentanyl-and-opioid-crisis/\">state’s key tools in trying to reduce overdose deaths\u003c/a>. But since xylazine is often mixed with fentanyl and other opioids, health authorities advise using naloxone to respond to suspected overdoses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Xylazine is a disastrous drug,” Bourgois said. “Public health has to get ahead of this tragedy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About a dozen people who smoke or inject fentanyl and live on the streets of San Francisco told KFF Health News they are at the mercy of what drug dealers sell and have little insight into what’s actually in the drugs. They said they’ve never used xylazine knowingly and didn’t want it in their drugs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kris Franklin, 41, has been buying fentanyl in San Francisco for five years and acknowledged she’s gambling with her life. She’s lost count of the friends and acquaintances who have died from overdoses or street-related illnesses but estimates it at around 40 people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m scared it’s going to be in my dope,” Franklin said of tranq. “You don’t know what you’re getting. … It’s not like a prescription from a doctor.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), whose district includes Santa Cruz and Monterey, introduced federal legislation in March to make xylazine a controlled substance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It gives our law enforcement the tools that they can use to crack down and hopefully remove this type of deadly combination of fentanyl and xylazine off the streets,” Panetta said of the bill. “I think we got a good chance of getting this passed this year.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Governors in Pennsylvania and Ohio are using their \u003ca href=\"https://www.governor.pa.gov/newsroom/governor-shapiro-directs-administration-to-schedule-xylazine-as-a-controlled-substance-taking-action-against-dangerous-drug-contributing-to-opioid-overdoses/\">executive powers\u003c/a> to \u003ca href=\"https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/OHIOGOVERNOR/2023/03/29/file_attachments/2451030/Signed%20EO%202023-08D.pdf\">restrict access to xylazine (PDF)\u003c/a>. In California, lawmakers are wrestling with several measures that would increase penalties for fentanyl dealers, but none address xylazine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One potential downside to any crackdown is that it could make it much harder for veterinarians and other customers to obtain the drug for their animals. And the FDA said late last year that it was not known whether tranq was being diverted from the animal supply or manufactured illicitly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Siddarth Puri, associate medical director of prevention at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, noted that the data was sparse but that xylazine was likely more widespread than is known.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Puri and his public health colleagues learned only recently, from a \u003cem>Los Angeles Times\u003c/em> report, that \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-03-22/la-sheriff-knew-about-tranq-four-years-ago\">county law enforcement officials had been spotting xylazine in the fentanyl supply for years\u003c/a>. The county Sheriff’s Department recently launched a \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-05-10/sheriffs-dept-program-to-track-presence-of-flesh-eating-street-drug-in-los-angeles\">pilot project to track the presence of the drug\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are probably hundreds of other illicit synthetic substances that are being cut into the drugs that we don’t know about yet, and we don’t know how they’re going to impact people,” Puri said. “Right now, the spotlight is on xylazine.”\u003c/p>\n\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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"title": "Mosquitoes Are Abuzz in San Francisco. You Can Thank Climate Change",
"headTitle": "Mosquitoes Are Abuzz in San Francisco. You Can Thank Climate Change | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/search?q=%22atmospheric%20river%20storm%22&site=all\">Bay Area’s epic winter rainfall\u003c/a> means that a certain pesky, blood-sucking summertime pest is having the time of its short life. (For males, that’s about a week — and that’s if they aren’t swatted sooner!)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This year you’re going to see some pretty bad mosquito conditions — good conditions if you’re a mosquito, bad conditions if you’re a human being,” said Kaitlyn Trudeau, senior research associate at Climate Central. “Mosquitos are awful. I’m not a fan.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the short term, lots of rain and snow means plentiful puddles, marshes, ponds and \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/AlamedaMosquito/status/1620897337479692288?s=20\">other opportunities for mosquitoes to lay their eggs and reproduce rapidly\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But there’s a long-term trend playing out, and it has to do with warming temperatures — and it’s bad news for any San Franciscan with bare ankles and plans for an outdoor picnic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Trudeau and her research colleagues \u003ca href=\"https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/mosquito-days-2023?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CM%20Mosquito%20Days%202023%20EN&utm_content=CM%20Mosquito%20Days%202023%20EN+CID_4eb38b05659c31aaee3e76c28498cca4&utm_source=Climate%20Central%20Email%20Campaign%20Monitor&utm_term=READ%20THE%20RELEASE%20%20CONTACT%20EXPERTS%20%20FIND%20REPORTING%20RESOURCES\">looked closely at mosquito activity trends between 1979 and 2022 at 242 locations across the U.S.\u003c/a> They found that rising summertime temperatures are affecting mosquitoes all over the place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Across the country, 173 places showed an annual increase in “mosquito days” by an average of 16 days; these are days when conditions are optimal for mosquitoes, with an average relative humidity of 42% or higher, and daily temperatures ranging from 50 to 95 degrees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco saw one of the sharpest increase by a whopping 42 days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What’s really causing this is the rise in minimum temperatures,” Trudeau said. “There are many more days where the minimum temperature in San Francisco is 50 degrees or above.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The number of mosquito-friendly days around the coastal Bay Area has increased dramatically as the cooler days warm up, but San Francisco’s warmer days on average are still well below 95 degrees, making it a sweet spot for mosquitos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is also the case in other humid coastal areas like Monterey and Salinas, which share these increasingly optimal conditions for mosquitoes to survive, according to Trudeau.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s the coastal curse,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1982794 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/2023Mosquitoes_Days_sanfrancisco_en_title_lg-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"A graph showing an increase in mosquito days in San Francisco. \" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/2023Mosquitoes_Days_sanfrancisco_en_title_lg-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/2023Mosquitoes_Days_sanfrancisco_en_title_lg-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/2023Mosquitoes_Days_sanfrancisco_en_title_lg-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/2023Mosquitoes_Days_sanfrancisco_en_title_lg-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/2023Mosquitoes_Days_sanfrancisco_en_title_lg-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/2023Mosquitoes_Days_sanfrancisco_en_title_lg.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that trend is not true everywhere: Already hot places are getting even hotter, too warm for mosquitoes to thrive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other inland locations throughout the state like Stockton, Sacramento and Bakersfield are much hotter and regularly roast with temperatures above 95 degrees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rising temperatures in these places are causing mosquito activity to plummet each year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Central Valley isn’t humid, and it’s likely getting too hot for mosquitoes,” Trudeau said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1982843\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/2023Mosquitoes_Days_sacramento_en_title_lg-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"A graph showing the decrease in the number of annual mosquito days in Sacramento. \" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/2023Mosquitoes_Days_sacramento_en_title_lg-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/2023Mosquitoes_Days_sacramento_en_title_lg-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/2023Mosquitoes_Days_sacramento_en_title_lg-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/2023Mosquitoes_Days_sacramento_en_title_lg-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/2023Mosquitoes_Days_sacramento_en_title_lg-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/2023Mosquitoes_Days_sacramento_en_title_lg.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Places like San José, which gets warmer temperatures than the coastal areas, experienced a lower annual increase of mosquito days, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fifty-five U.S. locations saw a significant increase of 21 days or more, primarily in the Ohio Valley and Northeast regions. The majority of the 61 locations with a decrease in mosquito days were in the Southern areas, where temperatures were too high for mosquitos to thrive.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A sign of climate change\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Spring and fall temperatures are rising, and that means mosquitoes will come out earlier and survive longer, increasing the opportunities for mosquito bites and disease transmission.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are over 200 mosquito species in the U.S., with around a dozen species that can transmit viruses and parasites to humans. West Nile virus is the primary mosquito-borne disease in the U.S. and the Bay Area.[aside postID='science_728086']Compared to tropical regions, the U.S. has lower infection rates and milder health effects from mosquito-borne diseases. Globally, malaria and dengue pose more significant risks, particularly in Africa and Asia. Tick-borne diseases are more prevalent than mosquito-borne diseases in the U.S., although West Nile virus cases are widespread, especially in the Plains and Central regions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1982795\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1982795\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/IMG_0589-800x554.jpg\" alt=\"A map of the Bay Area with shades of blue, yellow, orange, and red dots.\" width=\"800\" height=\"554\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/IMG_0589-800x554.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/IMG_0589-1020x706.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/IMG_0589-160x111.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/IMG_0589-768x532.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/IMG_0589.jpg 1138w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A dot map of the annual change in mosquito days in the Bay Area between 1979 and 2022. \u003ccite>(Kaitlyn Trudeau/Climate Central)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Climate change affects mosquito populations and disease transmission, with increasing mosquito days and potential health risks. While mosquito-borne diseases are relatively less common in the U.S., officials say it remains crucial to address their impact through public health measures and understanding the varying risks posed by different mosquito species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The things that we do on a daily basis are impacting the environment. An increase in mosquito days is just one of the many, many impacts that we are seeing around the U.S., around the world, or in California because of climate change,” Trudeau said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Innovative efforts to reduce mosquito population\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Last April, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors approved an innovative initiative to reduce the mosquito population.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They launched a six-propeller drone to drop larvicide on the county’s remote marshlands, replacing work that was typically conducted by helicopter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Edgar Nolasco, who directs the agency spearheading the program, said using drones instead of helicopters reduces the county’s carbon footprint and is more sustainable and efficient. It decreases larvicide waste and saves on costs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A drone is able to get closer to areas that helicopters can’t get to because of the drift caused by their propellers,” said Nolasco, who works for the Consumer and Environmental Protection Agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Adult mosquitoes can travel up to a 25-mile radius. “Treating adult mosquitos becomes very difficult,” Nolasco said, adding that using a strong larvicide program is the most effective way for the county to combat mosquitos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"County of Santa Clara to Use Drones to Reduce Mosquito Population\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/J9edY0VeWpk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen>\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nolasco emphasizes that drones will only be used in uninhabitable and remote areas not accessible by the \u003ca href=\"https://vector.sccgov.org/home\">Vector Control team\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And, he said, the county is making every effort to eliminate mosquito sources, but is asking the community to help reduce the mosquito population.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We need everybody in the community to do their part with standing water,” Nolaso said. “With the amount of rain that we got this year, there are many areas of standing water that can hold water that can reproduce mosquitoes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What to do if you get a mosquito bite, and how to protect yourself\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you get bitten by a mosquito, the California Department of Public Health recommends using a topical lotion to reduce itching. In California, most mosquito bites do not result in any infection. If you develop a fever two to 14 days after getting bitten by a mosquito and are concerned about West Nile virus disease, you should see a doctor. Most people with West Nile recover completely, according to CDPH.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The San Francisco Department of Public Health recommends using mosquito repellant such as DEET, installing window screens and wearing long sleeves when outdoors at night if possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1982796\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1982796 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/GettyImages-1407155740-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A young Black woman with locs twirled on the top of her head sprays insect repellent on her skin while in the outdoors. Background shows lush green trees.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/GettyImages-1407155740-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/GettyImages-1407155740-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/GettyImages-1407155740-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/GettyImages-1407155740-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/GettyImages-1407155740-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/GettyImages-1407155740-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/GettyImages-1407155740-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Insect repellent can deter mosquitoes and ticks during hikes in nature. \u003ccite>(stefanamer/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Residents can also protect themselves by recognizing and reducing the source where mosquito larvae are commonly found. Mosquitos lay eggs in standing water, such as water in outdoor containers, so it’s important for residents to clear this water and clean out clogged roof gutters. Large drains that hold water are also a possible source of mosquito activity. Placing screens and under-drain covers could prevent mosquitoes from breeding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco health officials frequently survey areas where mosquito complaints are received, make monthly checks on monitoring devices for invasive Aedes mosquitoes in select fire stations and inspect apartment buildings regularly for mosquito sources. To report complaints, call 311. For more information, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eLTc975iJI\">see San Francisco’s Mosquito Prevention 101 public service announcement\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/Us7dClYpANizM4m4s9UYrw?domain=westnile.ca.gov/\">West Nile virus website\u003c/a>, handled by CDPH’s Vector-Borne Disease Section, is updated weekly on Fridays with the latest findings to ensure public health partners and the public have current information on the risk of transmission in the state.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Reality bites: Warming weather has extended skeeter season in San Francisco by six weeks. Here are some tips for managing the bugs.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/search?q=%22atmospheric%20river%20storm%22&site=all\">Bay Area’s epic winter rainfall\u003c/a> means that a certain pesky, blood-sucking summertime pest is having the time of its short life. (For males, that’s about a week — and that’s if they aren’t swatted sooner!)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This year you’re going to see some pretty bad mosquito conditions — good conditions if you’re a mosquito, bad conditions if you’re a human being,” said Kaitlyn Trudeau, senior research associate at Climate Central. “Mosquitos are awful. I’m not a fan.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the short term, lots of rain and snow means plentiful puddles, marshes, ponds and \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/AlamedaMosquito/status/1620897337479692288?s=20\">other opportunities for mosquitoes to lay their eggs and reproduce rapidly\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But there’s a long-term trend playing out, and it has to do with warming temperatures — and it’s bad news for any San Franciscan with bare ankles and plans for an outdoor picnic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Trudeau and her research colleagues \u003ca href=\"https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/mosquito-days-2023?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CM%20Mosquito%20Days%202023%20EN&utm_content=CM%20Mosquito%20Days%202023%20EN+CID_4eb38b05659c31aaee3e76c28498cca4&utm_source=Climate%20Central%20Email%20Campaign%20Monitor&utm_term=READ%20THE%20RELEASE%20%20CONTACT%20EXPERTS%20%20FIND%20REPORTING%20RESOURCES\">looked closely at mosquito activity trends between 1979 and 2022 at 242 locations across the U.S.\u003c/a> They found that rising summertime temperatures are affecting mosquitoes all over the place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Across the country, 173 places showed an annual increase in “mosquito days” by an average of 16 days; these are days when conditions are optimal for mosquitoes, with an average relative humidity of 42% or higher, and daily temperatures ranging from 50 to 95 degrees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco saw one of the sharpest increase by a whopping 42 days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What’s really causing this is the rise in minimum temperatures,” Trudeau said. “There are many more days where the minimum temperature in San Francisco is 50 degrees or above.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The number of mosquito-friendly days around the coastal Bay Area has increased dramatically as the cooler days warm up, but San Francisco’s warmer days on average are still well below 95 degrees, making it a sweet spot for mosquitos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is also the case in other humid coastal areas like Monterey and Salinas, which share these increasingly optimal conditions for mosquitoes to survive, according to Trudeau.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s the coastal curse,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1982794 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/2023Mosquitoes_Days_sanfrancisco_en_title_lg-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"A graph showing an increase in mosquito days in San Francisco. \" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/2023Mosquitoes_Days_sanfrancisco_en_title_lg-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/2023Mosquitoes_Days_sanfrancisco_en_title_lg-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/2023Mosquitoes_Days_sanfrancisco_en_title_lg-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/2023Mosquitoes_Days_sanfrancisco_en_title_lg-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/2023Mosquitoes_Days_sanfrancisco_en_title_lg-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/2023Mosquitoes_Days_sanfrancisco_en_title_lg.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that trend is not true everywhere: Already hot places are getting even hotter, too warm for mosquitoes to thrive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other inland locations throughout the state like Stockton, Sacramento and Bakersfield are much hotter and regularly roast with temperatures above 95 degrees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rising temperatures in these places are causing mosquito activity to plummet each year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Central Valley isn’t humid, and it’s likely getting too hot for mosquitoes,” Trudeau said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1982843\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/2023Mosquitoes_Days_sacramento_en_title_lg-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"A graph showing the decrease in the number of annual mosquito days in Sacramento. \" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/2023Mosquitoes_Days_sacramento_en_title_lg-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/2023Mosquitoes_Days_sacramento_en_title_lg-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/2023Mosquitoes_Days_sacramento_en_title_lg-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/2023Mosquitoes_Days_sacramento_en_title_lg-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/2023Mosquitoes_Days_sacramento_en_title_lg-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/2023Mosquitoes_Days_sacramento_en_title_lg.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Places like San José, which gets warmer temperatures than the coastal areas, experienced a lower annual increase of mosquito days, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fifty-five U.S. locations saw a significant increase of 21 days or more, primarily in the Ohio Valley and Northeast regions. The majority of the 61 locations with a decrease in mosquito days were in the Southern areas, where temperatures were too high for mosquitos to thrive.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A sign of climate change\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Spring and fall temperatures are rising, and that means mosquitoes will come out earlier and survive longer, increasing the opportunities for mosquito bites and disease transmission.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are over 200 mosquito species in the U.S., with around a dozen species that can transmit viruses and parasites to humans. West Nile virus is the primary mosquito-borne disease in the U.S. and the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Compared to tropical regions, the U.S. has lower infection rates and milder health effects from mosquito-borne diseases. Globally, malaria and dengue pose more significant risks, particularly in Africa and Asia. Tick-borne diseases are more prevalent than mosquito-borne diseases in the U.S., although West Nile virus cases are widespread, especially in the Plains and Central regions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1982795\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1982795\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/IMG_0589-800x554.jpg\" alt=\"A map of the Bay Area with shades of blue, yellow, orange, and red dots.\" width=\"800\" height=\"554\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/IMG_0589-800x554.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/IMG_0589-1020x706.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/IMG_0589-160x111.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/IMG_0589-768x532.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/IMG_0589.jpg 1138w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A dot map of the annual change in mosquito days in the Bay Area between 1979 and 2022. \u003ccite>(Kaitlyn Trudeau/Climate Central)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Climate change affects mosquito populations and disease transmission, with increasing mosquito days and potential health risks. While mosquito-borne diseases are relatively less common in the U.S., officials say it remains crucial to address their impact through public health measures and understanding the varying risks posed by different mosquito species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The things that we do on a daily basis are impacting the environment. An increase in mosquito days is just one of the many, many impacts that we are seeing around the U.S., around the world, or in California because of climate change,” Trudeau said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Innovative efforts to reduce mosquito population\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Last April, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors approved an innovative initiative to reduce the mosquito population.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They launched a six-propeller drone to drop larvicide on the county’s remote marshlands, replacing work that was typically conducted by helicopter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Edgar Nolasco, who directs the agency spearheading the program, said using drones instead of helicopters reduces the county’s carbon footprint and is more sustainable and efficient. It decreases larvicide waste and saves on costs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A drone is able to get closer to areas that helicopters can’t get to because of the drift caused by their propellers,” said Nolasco, who works for the Consumer and Environmental Protection Agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Adult mosquitoes can travel up to a 25-mile radius. “Treating adult mosquitos becomes very difficult,” Nolasco said, adding that using a strong larvicide program is the most effective way for the county to combat mosquitos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"County of Santa Clara to Use Drones to Reduce Mosquito Population\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/J9edY0VeWpk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen>\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nolasco emphasizes that drones will only be used in uninhabitable and remote areas not accessible by the \u003ca href=\"https://vector.sccgov.org/home\">Vector Control team\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And, he said, the county is making every effort to eliminate mosquito sources, but is asking the community to help reduce the mosquito population.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We need everybody in the community to do their part with standing water,” Nolaso said. “With the amount of rain that we got this year, there are many areas of standing water that can hold water that can reproduce mosquitoes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What to do if you get a mosquito bite, and how to protect yourself\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you get bitten by a mosquito, the California Department of Public Health recommends using a topical lotion to reduce itching. In California, most mosquito bites do not result in any infection. If you develop a fever two to 14 days after getting bitten by a mosquito and are concerned about West Nile virus disease, you should see a doctor. Most people with West Nile recover completely, according to CDPH.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The San Francisco Department of Public Health recommends using mosquito repellant such as DEET, installing window screens and wearing long sleeves when outdoors at night if possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1982796\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1982796 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/GettyImages-1407155740-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A young Black woman with locs twirled on the top of her head sprays insect repellent on her skin while in the outdoors. Background shows lush green trees.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/GettyImages-1407155740-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/GettyImages-1407155740-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/GettyImages-1407155740-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/GettyImages-1407155740-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/GettyImages-1407155740-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/GettyImages-1407155740-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/05/GettyImages-1407155740-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Insect repellent can deter mosquitoes and ticks during hikes in nature. \u003ccite>(stefanamer/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Residents can also protect themselves by recognizing and reducing the source where mosquito larvae are commonly found. Mosquitos lay eggs in standing water, such as water in outdoor containers, so it’s important for residents to clear this water and clean out clogged roof gutters. Large drains that hold water are also a possible source of mosquito activity. Placing screens and under-drain covers could prevent mosquitoes from breeding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco health officials frequently survey areas where mosquito complaints are received, make monthly checks on monitoring devices for invasive Aedes mosquitoes in select fire stations and inspect apartment buildings regularly for mosquito sources. To report complaints, call 311. For more information, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eLTc975iJI\">see San Francisco’s Mosquito Prevention 101 public service announcement\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 \u003ca href=\"https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/Us7dClYpANizM4m4s9UYrw?domain=westnile.ca.gov/\">West Nile virus website\u003c/a>, handled by CDPH’s Vector-Borne Disease Section, is updated weekly on Fridays with the latest findings to ensure public health partners and the public have current information on the risk of transmission in the state.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Public health officials in Marin County are now tracking illicit drugs in local wastewater — everything from nicotine to methamphetamine and fentanyl. Testing sewer water can illustrate exactly what is “hot” and where, offering a more accurate picture of the drug crisis than simply counting overdoses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We know now that our clinical data sources just show us the tip of the iceberg of actual overdoses, because if someone doesn’t call 911, or doesn’t present to the emergency department, we might never hear about it,” said Dr. Haylea Hannah, an epidemiologist for Marin County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In early February, the Marin public health office began testing weekly samples collected at the Central Marin Sanitation Agency in San Rafael. The move followed the county’s success using sewers for COVID-19 surveillance — communities are increasingly relying on wastewater data to track viral levels, because sewers can show the burden of disease much more accurately than clinical testing data, since people are no longer going to the hospital for PCR tests.[aside postID=science_1979985 hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2022/08/52097193159_6be76f8d61_k-ffc4b0c69375aac110c3b9b2c63ebec818ebdf1a-1020x765.jpg']Hannah says the county is testing sewer water for a long list of common drugs like heroin and cocaine. They just added \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11941201/dangerous-animal-tranquilizer-found-in-san-francisco-street-drug-supply\">xylazine — also known as “Tranq” — an animal tranquilizer\u003c/a>, which is increasingly laced with fentanyl; dealers add fentanyl to extend euphoric effects, but it can cause chronic infections. Since December, five people in San Francisco had low levels of xylazine in their systems when they lethally overdosed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“New instrumentation can find very small quantities of molecules of interest in the dirty soup that is going down the drain and ultimately into the sewers,” said Rolf Halden, professor and director of the Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering at Arizona State University. “We never know who exactly took a drug, but we can determine the consumption rates of different substances in a community on a per-1,000 people level.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After someone consumes a drug, their body will metabolize it, and scientists can measure the metabolites that are washed down the drain. That means tests can decipher whether the drug was consumed by a person or flushed down the toilet in a raid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists can monitor an individual pipe or the confluence that merges at a treatment plant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Ideally, with an automated sample, that takes a little sip every so often and creates what’s known as a 24-hour composite sample,” said Halden. “In essence, you have a radar screen and you see the identity and the quantity of the substances that are used in the city.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Technically, wastewater data could also be used to incriminate. For example, it is possible to test the sewer line from a particular house to determine whether drugs are being consumed inside. However, that should never be the objective, Halden says, because the process should follow a moral and ethical code.[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Rolf Halden, professor, Arizona State University\"]‘In essence, you have a radar screen and you see the identity and the quantity of the substances that are used in the city.’[/pullquote]“It’s important that you gain the trust of the community,” said Halden. “And it’s not monopolized by some and used in potentially harmful ways.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Halden says data collected at Arizona State University during the pandemic revealed that drug-use patterns changed in the community. Dealers faced the same supply-chain disruptions that plagued the consumer market, forcing people to switch up what they were consuming based on what was available. Knowing what’s popular can inform education campaigns and help officials target specific prevention strategies to the neighborhoods that need it most.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For example, if an area shows an increase in heroin consumption, then law enforcement in that neighborhood can stock up on \u003ca href=\"https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugfacts/naloxone\">naloxone\u003c/a>, marketed as Narcan, to reverse overdoses. Or, if wastewater testing reveals an uptick in fentanyl use at a school, that could motivate parents to discuss the potential threat with their children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over time, officials could also track whether a health policy is working to lower drug consumption in a particular area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We hope other communities who use wastewater testing involve their community members to ensure that the people most affected by this overdose crisis are also included in the solutions that we’re implementing,” said Hannah.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists can monitor an individual pipe or the confluence that merges at a treatment plant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Ideally, with an automated sample, that takes a little sip every so often and creates what’s known as a 24-hour composite sample,” said Halden. “In essence, you have a radar screen and you see the identity and the quantity of the substances that are used in the city.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Technically, wastewater data could also be used to incriminate. For example, it is possible to test the sewer line from a particular house to determine whether drugs are being consumed inside. However, that should never be the objective, Halden says, because the process should follow a moral and ethical code.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>The California Air Resources Board approved an ambitious plan today to phase out its diesel truck fleets, from semi-trucks to delivery vans and garbage trucks, despite the opposition of industry groups who said the plan would be near impossible for them to enact.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It is the air board’s latest regulation geared at cleaning up toxic air quality and fighting climate change, and comes a day after the same body passed \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/04/27/1172639598/california-emission-rules-trains-pollution\">first-in-the-nation regulations on diesel trains\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state’s powerful air regulators have been California’s spearpoint in the fight against climate change in recent years, as they’ve charted an ambitious path to siphon down the state’s use of planet-warming fossil fuels over the next two decades, including banning the sale of new gasoline cars after 2035 and forcing the electrification of most of the state’s transportation sector, the largest contributor of carbon emissions in California.[aside postID=science_1982474 hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/RS64748_GettyImages-94155923-qut-1020x680.jpg']Gideon Kracov, a board member and environmental lawyer from Los Angeles, framed the clean-fleet policy as an ambitious capstone for an agency that has passed no shortage of first-in-the-nation climate rules, calling it the “end of the beginning.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Board Chair Liane Randolph said in a statement that California has the technology to build a zero-emission future now and called the new regulations a “reasonable” and “innovative” approach to “clean up the vehicles on our roads and ensure that Californians have the clean air that they want and deserve.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While these 1.8 million trucks represent a tiny fraction of vehicles on the road at just 6%, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/2022-08/ca-clean-trucks-report.pdf\">they are responsible for more than a quarter of the transportation sector’s greenhouse gas pollution (PDF)\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/advanced-clean-fleets\">The state’s new regulations are meant to accelerate the use of zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty trucks\u003c/a> in California within the next two decades and will require the electrification by 2035 of highly polluting drayage trucks, which transport shipping containers from ports and rail yards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Board member Tania Pacheco-Werner, who is co-director of a health policy institute at Fresno State, framed the policy as an issue of environmental justice.[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Tania Pacheco-Werner, California Air Resources Board member\"]‘Even the air is unequal … Wealthier communities have more resources, green space and built environment to protect them from the harmful impacts of dirty trucks.’[/pullquote]“Even the air is unequal,” she said. “Wealthier communities have more resources, green space and built environment to protect them from the harmful impacts of dirty trucks. Others do not. And we see it in differences in emergency visits and hospitalizations due to respiratory issues for people who live closer to freeways and truck traffic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said the policy will improve their lives “first and foremost, and we should all be very proud of that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During board hearings that spanned two days, industry groups and government agencies fiercely pushed back on the policies, arguing they are too onerous and would drive up costs for Californians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chris Shimoda, senior vice president of government affairs for the California Trucking Association, told KQED that the state doesn’t have enough charging infrastructure for electric trucks, particularly public charging stations, adding that “nearly 100% of our membership says [the rules] cannot be accomplished.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jim Verburg of the Western States Petroleum Association \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2023/04/california-phases-out-diesel-trucks/\">told the board\u003c/a> that if businesses couldn’t comply it would “compromise the delivery of essential goods and services to Californians or compromise the state’s economy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“Even the air is unequal,” she said. “Wealthier communities have more resources, green space and built environment to protect them from the harmful impacts of dirty trucks. Others do not. And we see it in differences in emergency visits and hospitalizations due to respiratory issues for people who live closer to freeways and truck traffic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said the policy will improve their lives “first and foremost, and we should all be very proud of that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During board hearings that spanned two days, industry groups and government agencies fiercely pushed back on the policies, arguing they are too onerous and would drive up costs for Californians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chris Shimoda, senior vice president of government affairs for the California Trucking Association, told KQED that the state doesn’t have enough charging infrastructure for electric trucks, particularly public charging stations, adding that “nearly 100% of our membership says [the rules] cannot be accomplished.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jim Verburg of the Western States Petroleum Association \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2023/04/california-phases-out-diesel-trucks/\">told the board\u003c/a> that if businesses couldn’t comply it would “compromise the delivery of essential goods and services to Californians or compromise the state’s economy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Nuñez Park in San Bernardino boasts a baseball field, swimming pool and playground where the littlest of humans climb, swing and slide. Sometimes, Ma Carmen Gonzalez, who’s lived in the community for 18 years, will stand at its corner and take in the scene.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What she hears, however, are the groans of diesel truck engines, laboring past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a recent day, she counted 45 big rigs rumbling by in less than 30 minutes. Those trucks, which largely run on diesel, help contribute to \u003ca href=\"https://www.lung.org/research/sota/city-rankings/states/california/san-bernardino\">San Bernardino’s failing grade for air quality\u003c/a>, according to the American Lung Association. It is some of the worst in the nation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have a lot of problems with asthma, cancer, allergies,” said Gonzalez, who is an organizer with the People’s Collective for Environmental Justice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s why she’s advocating for \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/advanced-clean-fleets\">proposed regulation to accelerate the transition to zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty trucks\u003c/a> in the state within the next two decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Air Resources Board will vote on the plan this week, which would phase out diesel truck fleets, from Amazon delivery vans to garbage trucks to big rigs, in an effort to clean up toxic air quality and fight climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Trucks only represent 6% of vehicles on the road, but represent a disproportionate amount of emissions,” said Sydney Vergis, who worked on the rules for CARB as a division chief. The agency estimates that the regulation, if passed, would save the state $26.5 billion in health costs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The truck regulation would:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Require highly polluting drayage trucks, which transport shipping containers from ports and rail yards, to be 100% zero-emission by 2035.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Mandate that municipalities and state agencies electrify their fleets of trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles, either by having 50% of their new purchases be electric after 2024 and 100% after 2027, or by gradually increasing the percentage of electric vehicles in their fleets until they are completely zero-emission by 2042.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Also:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Federal and large commercial fleets (defined as comprising more than 50 trucks or generating more than $50 million in annual revenue) can choose to either buy only zero-emission vehicles after 2024 or gradually transition, reaching 100% by 2042.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The rules would require manufacturers to sell only zero-emission trucks by 2036.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The requirements would not apply to smaller companies.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>California’s more than \u003ca href=\"https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/52C8CwpkPvsR7wDyiVmCsN?domain=ucsusa.org\">1.8 million commercial trucks are responsible for more than a quarter of its greenhouse gas pollution from transportation (PDF)\u003c/a>, more than 60% of smog-forming nitrogen oxides and more than 55% of fine particulate pollution from vehicles, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists; this pollution, known as PM 2.5, harms both heart and lung health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The proposal builds on the \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/resources/fact-sheets/advanced-clean-trucks-fact-sheet\">Advanced Clean Trucks rule\u003c/a>, which requires that truck makers gradually increase the percentage of electric trucks they sell in California in the coming years. California passed that regulation in 2021.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sam Wilson, senior vehicles analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists, said passage of the proposed rule would be a win — not only for the environment, but for health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Benefits would be “largely concentrated in disproportionately impacted communities, which is really where we need to be focusing our work,” Wilson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Chris Shimoda, senior vice president of government affairs for the California Trucking Association, has concerns. He’s worried there will be insufficient charging infrastructure for electric trucks, particularly public charging stations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shimoda said he’s worked with CARB for more than 10 years on various regulations, but “I have never had a rule proposed by the Air Board that nearly 100% of our membership says cannot be accomplished.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bob Ramorino, president of Roadstar Trucking in Hayward, says he’s supportive of the goals of the regulation, but “the timeline is very, very difficult to achieve.” He’s particularly concerned there will not be enough power to meet the demand for charging.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gonzalez of San Bernardino would like even more and stronger regulation. “My community suffers the ravages of discrimination,” she said. “We see other very beautiful places and cities that don’t have trucks, that don’t have nearby warehouses. But we do, and this is reflected in our health.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Nuñez Park in San Bernardino boasts a baseball field, swimming pool and playground where the littlest of humans climb, swing and slide. Sometimes, Ma Carmen Gonzalez, who’s lived in the community for 18 years, will stand at its corner and take in the scene.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What she hears, however, are the groans of diesel truck engines, laboring past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a recent day, she counted 45 big rigs rumbling by in less than 30 minutes. Those trucks, which largely run on diesel, help contribute to \u003ca href=\"https://www.lung.org/research/sota/city-rankings/states/california/san-bernardino\">San Bernardino’s failing grade for air quality\u003c/a>, according to the American Lung Association. It is some of the worst in the nation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have a lot of problems with asthma, cancer, allergies,” said Gonzalez, who is an organizer with the People’s Collective for Environmental Justice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s why she’s advocating for \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/advanced-clean-fleets\">proposed regulation to accelerate the transition to zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty trucks\u003c/a> in the state within the next two decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Air Resources Board will vote on the plan this week, which would phase out diesel truck fleets, from Amazon delivery vans to garbage trucks to big rigs, in an effort to clean up toxic air quality and fight climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Trucks only represent 6% of vehicles on the road, but represent a disproportionate amount of emissions,” said Sydney Vergis, who worked on the rules for CARB as a division chief. The agency estimates that the regulation, if passed, would save the state $26.5 billion in health costs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The truck regulation would:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Require highly polluting drayage trucks, which transport shipping containers from ports and rail yards, to be 100% zero-emission by 2035.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Mandate that municipalities and state agencies electrify their fleets of trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles, either by having 50% of their new purchases be electric after 2024 and 100% after 2027, or by gradually increasing the percentage of electric vehicles in their fleets until they are completely zero-emission by 2042.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Also:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Federal and large commercial fleets (defined as comprising more than 50 trucks or generating more than $50 million in annual revenue) can choose to either buy only zero-emission vehicles after 2024 or gradually transition, reaching 100% by 2042.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The rules would require manufacturers to sell only zero-emission trucks by 2036.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The requirements would not apply to smaller companies.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>California’s more than \u003ca href=\"https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/52C8CwpkPvsR7wDyiVmCsN?domain=ucsusa.org\">1.8 million commercial trucks are responsible for more than a quarter of its greenhouse gas pollution from transportation (PDF)\u003c/a>, more than 60% of smog-forming nitrogen oxides and more than 55% of fine particulate pollution from vehicles, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists; this pollution, known as PM 2.5, harms both heart and lung health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The proposal builds on the \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/resources/fact-sheets/advanced-clean-trucks-fact-sheet\">Advanced Clean Trucks rule\u003c/a>, which requires that truck makers gradually increase the percentage of electric trucks they sell in California in the coming years. California passed that regulation in 2021.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sam Wilson, senior vehicles analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists, said passage of the proposed rule would be a win — not only for the environment, but for health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Benefits would be “largely concentrated in disproportionately impacted communities, which is really where we need to be focusing our work,” Wilson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Chris Shimoda, senior vice president of government affairs for the California Trucking Association, has concerns. He’s worried there will be insufficient charging infrastructure for electric trucks, particularly public charging stations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shimoda said he’s worked with CARB for more than 10 years on various regulations, but “I have never had a rule proposed by the Air Board that nearly 100% of our membership says cannot be accomplished.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bob Ramorino, president of Roadstar Trucking in Hayward, says he’s supportive of the goals of the regulation, but “the timeline is very, very difficult to achieve.” He’s particularly concerned there will not be enough power to meet the demand for charging.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gonzalez of San Bernardino would like even more and stronger regulation. “My community suffers the ravages of discrimination,” she said. “We see other very beautiful places and cities that don’t have trucks, that don’t have nearby warehouses. But we do, and this is reflected in our health.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "UC Researchers Examine How Smoke From California's Megafires Affects Pregnancy and Children",
"headTitle": "UC Researchers Examine How Smoke From California’s Megafires Affects Pregnancy and Children | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>When wildfires spread through parts of Northern California wine country in 2017, they melted electronics, combusted cars and exploded propane tanks. The fires sent acrid smoke billowing into the sky, its footprint wafting over the state and extending for 500 miles into the Pacific Ocean.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the time, Rebecca Schmidt, a molecular epidemiologist at UC Davis, was working on a study that followed families of children with autism who were expecting another child. When the fires spread, pregnant participants in the research started asking whether they should be worried about the air.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Schmidt and her collaborators didn’t know what to say. There wasn’t much existing research on how wildfire smoke affects pregnancy. “I would have been wondering the same thing,” she said. “We really couldn’t tell them how concerned they needed to be.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She decided to try to find the answers herself. Over the last several years, Schmidt and a team of fellow scientists have collected biological samples like hair, saliva and blood from pregnant people in California to better understand the health effects of smoke exposure on babies and those who birth them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The study’s timeline overlapped with numerous huge fires in the state, and researchers are still assessing the results. But the number of participants wasn’t large enough to fully understand the relationship between exposure and birth outcomes or developmental health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, Schmidt and a team of researchers are expanding the scope, examining two decades of statewide health and birth records alongside wildfire smoke data to determine which pockets of California are bearing the brunt of the smoke and what effects that environmental exposure could be having on early life. The results could have wide-reaching implications for locations experiencing similar spikes in hazardous fires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s only going to get worse with climate change,” Schmidt said. “Learning about it is relevant for everybody.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The team, which includes nine researchers from UC Davis and UCLA, will be led by Schmidt and Miriam Nuño, a UC Davis biostatistician who researches public health and health disparities. In addition to identifying communities where wildfire smoke may be causing harm and analyzing health impacts, the scientists will engage with community members on ways they can better protect themselves, like wearing N95 masks or installing relatively cheap indoor air filters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both Nuño and Schmidt have long studied human health. And both grew up in areas where air pollution was a part of daily life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Born and raised in Iowa, Schmidt drove past agricultural fields where pesticides at times hung in the air like a “brown shroud” on her way to school. She lived in the state through graduate school, earning her Ph.D. in epidemiology at the University of Iowa. When she moved to California in 2008, the state was experiencing drought and a devastating fire year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I remember thinking, ‘Is it going to be like this every year?’” she said. “I’ve definitely had to modify my life around smoke exposure.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nuño moved to California from Guadalajara, Mexico, when she was 14, settling in Los Angeles and then the city of Riverside, about 60 miles east. In areas inland of Los Angeles, smog and pollution blow in from the west and sit there, with nearby mountains preventing dispersal. At the time, she didn’t realize poor air quality was a problem there, she said, and she didn’t expect to pursue health-related research.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Those clouds of gray smoke — I never grew up realizing that was even an issue,” she said. “Often, you worry about other things, like do you have enough to eat and things like that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nuño studied pure mathematics at UC Riverside, and planned on getting her Ph.D. in applied math and biostatistics, although she couldn’t entirely envision a future limited to studying mathematical concepts. Then, while in graduate school, she attended a lecture on math and HIV modeling. “That was really the change for me,” she said. “I want to do research that people can read about, and it can have some change.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After studying math and computational biology during her Ph.D. work at Cornell University and completing fellowships in biostatistics at the Harvard School of Public Health and UCLA, Nuño increasingly focused her research on real-world health data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in 2020, she began working with the city of Davis to forecast infection rates. It was her “first taste,” she said, of how her skills could help focus resources, like testing and vaccination, to reduce the disproportionate health impacts in underserved communities. Mathematical modeling and statistical analysis are powerful, she said, “but if you’re not looking with the lens of equity and health equity, then you’re missing the picture.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This study on wildfire smoke is Nuño’s first collaboration with Schmidt. Their work will be funded by a $1.35 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency focused on environmental justice and climate-related health impacts on vulnerable populations and on life stages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To date, only a few studies have looked at the impact of wildfire smoke on birth outcomes, such as a 2022 paper from scientists at Stanford University that \u003ca href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S001393512101166X?via%3Dihub\">attributed nearly 7,000 preterm births from 2006 to 2012 in California to wildfire smoke exposure\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Past research has largely focused on the years preceding California’s parade of record-breaking wildfires in the last decade. By focusing on a more recent time period that encompasses those extreme fires, the UCLA and UC Davis research may yield different findings from the earlier research, said Amy Padula, an epidemiologist at UCSF’s School of Medicine, who is using California birth records to conduct separate research on wildfire-related air pollution and birth outcomes from 2007 to 2020.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More research is needed, said Nuño, in part because of the size of climate-worsened fires but also because of where they’re burning. As people move into forested areas, and wildfires spread to inhabited zones, the flames are combusting not just trees and vegetation but also homes and all the objects inside them. That changes the chemical makeup of smoke and the dangers of exposure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The team is currently mapping the parts of the state that are at high risk for smoke exposure. Then the group will determine where that exposure varies, and how that intersects with race, income level, exposure to pollutants and other factors. In addition to looking at birth weight and gestational age, the team will examine health data on developmental outcomes and autism diagnoses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While data collected from birth records and from measuring wildfire smoke, birth outcomes and later development will guide their work, collaborators are paying close attention to communities where many people spend a lot of time outside, such as agricultural areas where many farmworkers live.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Communities of color and lower-income communities experience disproportionate air pollution, and the team expects the same will be true for wildfire exposure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All of this is systemic,” said Natalia Deeb-Sossa, sociologist and professor of Chicana/o studies at UC Davis, who is working on the team. “Wildfires are now every year more and more common because of climate change. I believe that is something that is affecting more and more of our more vulnerable communities and populations, and I think it’s really important that we do something about it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Past research has linked air pollution to lower birth weights and preterm births, which can have a negative impact on health later in life. The California study, which will run into 2025, could provide more clarity on the extent to which those effects also result from wildfire smoke, for those inside and outside the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The whole world’s been impacted by wildfire smoke at this point,” Schmidt said. “It’s not easy to run from anymore.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/\">Inside Climate News\u003c/a> is a nonprofit, independent news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. \u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/newsletter/\">Sign up for the ICN newsletter here.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>When wildfires spread through parts of Northern California wine country in 2017, they melted electronics, combusted cars and exploded propane tanks. The fires sent acrid smoke billowing into the sky, its footprint wafting over the state and extending for 500 miles into the Pacific Ocean.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the time, Rebecca Schmidt, a molecular epidemiologist at UC Davis, was working on a study that followed families of children with autism who were expecting another child. When the fires spread, pregnant participants in the research started asking whether they should be worried about the air.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Schmidt and her collaborators didn’t know what to say. There wasn’t much existing research on how wildfire smoke affects pregnancy. “I would have been wondering the same thing,” she said. “We really couldn’t tell them how concerned they needed to be.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She decided to try to find the answers herself. Over the last several years, Schmidt and a team of fellow scientists have collected biological samples like hair, saliva and blood from pregnant people in California to better understand the health effects of smoke exposure on babies and those who birth them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The study’s timeline overlapped with numerous huge fires in the state, and researchers are still assessing the results. But the number of participants wasn’t large enough to fully understand the relationship between exposure and birth outcomes or developmental health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, Schmidt and a team of researchers are expanding the scope, examining two decades of statewide health and birth records alongside wildfire smoke data to determine which pockets of California are bearing the brunt of the smoke and what effects that environmental exposure could be having on early life. The results could have wide-reaching implications for locations experiencing similar spikes in hazardous fires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s only going to get worse with climate change,” Schmidt said. “Learning about it is relevant for everybody.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The team, which includes nine researchers from UC Davis and UCLA, will be led by Schmidt and Miriam Nuño, a UC Davis biostatistician who researches public health and health disparities. In addition to identifying communities where wildfire smoke may be causing harm and analyzing health impacts, the scientists will engage with community members on ways they can better protect themselves, like wearing N95 masks or installing relatively cheap indoor air filters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both Nuño and Schmidt have long studied human health. And both grew up in areas where air pollution was a part of daily life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Born and raised in Iowa, Schmidt drove past agricultural fields where pesticides at times hung in the air like a “brown shroud” on her way to school. She lived in the state through graduate school, earning her Ph.D. in epidemiology at the University of Iowa. When she moved to California in 2008, the state was experiencing drought and a devastating fire year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I remember thinking, ‘Is it going to be like this every year?’” she said. “I’ve definitely had to modify my life around smoke exposure.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nuño moved to California from Guadalajara, Mexico, when she was 14, settling in Los Angeles and then the city of Riverside, about 60 miles east. In areas inland of Los Angeles, smog and pollution blow in from the west and sit there, with nearby mountains preventing dispersal. At the time, she didn’t realize poor air quality was a problem there, she said, and she didn’t expect to pursue health-related research.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Those clouds of gray smoke — I never grew up realizing that was even an issue,” she said. “Often, you worry about other things, like do you have enough to eat and things like that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nuño studied pure mathematics at UC Riverside, and planned on getting her Ph.D. in applied math and biostatistics, although she couldn’t entirely envision a future limited to studying mathematical concepts. Then, while in graduate school, she attended a lecture on math and HIV modeling. “That was really the change for me,” she said. “I want to do research that people can read about, and it can have some change.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After studying math and computational biology during her Ph.D. work at Cornell University and completing fellowships in biostatistics at the Harvard School of Public Health and UCLA, Nuño increasingly focused her research on real-world health data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in 2020, she began working with the city of Davis to forecast infection rates. It was her “first taste,” she said, of how her skills could help focus resources, like testing and vaccination, to reduce the disproportionate health impacts in underserved communities. Mathematical modeling and statistical analysis are powerful, she said, “but if you’re not looking with the lens of equity and health equity, then you’re missing the picture.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This study on wildfire smoke is Nuño’s first collaboration with Schmidt. Their work will be funded by a $1.35 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency focused on environmental justice and climate-related health impacts on vulnerable populations and on life stages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To date, only a few studies have looked at the impact of wildfire smoke on birth outcomes, such as a 2022 paper from scientists at Stanford University that \u003ca href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S001393512101166X?via%3Dihub\">attributed nearly 7,000 preterm births from 2006 to 2012 in California to wildfire smoke exposure\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Past research has largely focused on the years preceding California’s parade of record-breaking wildfires in the last decade. By focusing on a more recent time period that encompasses those extreme fires, the UCLA and UC Davis research may yield different findings from the earlier research, said Amy Padula, an epidemiologist at UCSF’s School of Medicine, who is using California birth records to conduct separate research on wildfire-related air pollution and birth outcomes from 2007 to 2020.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More research is needed, said Nuño, in part because of the size of climate-worsened fires but also because of where they’re burning. As people move into forested areas, and wildfires spread to inhabited zones, the flames are combusting not just trees and vegetation but also homes and all the objects inside them. That changes the chemical makeup of smoke and the dangers of exposure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The team is currently mapping the parts of the state that are at high risk for smoke exposure. Then the group will determine where that exposure varies, and how that intersects with race, income level, exposure to pollutants and other factors. In addition to looking at birth weight and gestational age, the team will examine health data on developmental outcomes and autism diagnoses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While data collected from birth records and from measuring wildfire smoke, birth outcomes and later development will guide their work, collaborators are paying close attention to communities where many people spend a lot of time outside, such as agricultural areas where many farmworkers live.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Communities of color and lower-income communities experience disproportionate air pollution, and the team expects the same will be true for wildfire exposure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All of this is systemic,” said Natalia Deeb-Sossa, sociologist and professor of Chicana/o studies at UC Davis, who is working on the team. “Wildfires are now every year more and more common because of climate change. I believe that is something that is affecting more and more of our more vulnerable communities and populations, and I think it’s really important that we do something about it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Past research has linked air pollution to lower birth weights and preterm births, which can have a negative impact on health later in life. The California study, which will run into 2025, could provide more clarity on the extent to which those effects also result from wildfire smoke, for those inside and outside the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The whole world’s been impacted by wildfire smoke at this point,” Schmidt said. “It’s not easy to run from anymore.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"soldout": {
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"title": "SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America",
"tagline": "A new future for housing",
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