Wildfire News:

• Wildfire smoke increases health risks in the short and long term, and heavy winds mean it can change and affect the wider Southern California area. (Washington Post)
• The fires in LA are affecting some parts of the water supply, with a number of boil water notices and in many areas, warnings to use only bottled water. (NY Times)

Bird Flu News:

• 15 more states enrolled with the USDA’s milk testing program, bringing the total to 28 states and 65% of the nation’s milk production. (CIDRAP)
• Egg shortages continue after the loss of around 40 million egg-laying hens in the U.S. in 2024, with a whopping 43% of those lost in the last two months. (Newsweek)

Health News:

• TB rates dropped sharply after a study in Brazil offered conditional cash rewards to families living in poverty. (Nature)
• Richmond, VA, has a water crisis entering its fifth day on Friday, with tap water finally restored to many areas, but a number of boil water advisories are continuing. (News 12)
• Advisors to President-elect Trump are trying to identify a disease that would allow them to use public health restrictions to close the southern border. (NY Times)
• One NY county on Long Island is warning residents of a surge in rabies cases in wild animals since summer. (ABC)
• A new study identified key factors driving vaccine hesitancy in Black women, including mistrust in healthcare and government due to past medical exploitation, concerns about long-term safety, and ineffective communication. (MedPage Today)
• The FDA added a warning label to two RSV vaccines about the real but rare increased risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome, though they say the benefits still outweigh the risks. (Medpage Today)
• The Government Accountability Office says the FDA hasn’t met mandated targets for inspections of domestic and foreign food facilities since 2018. (CIDRAP)

Mental Health & Substance Use News:

• Wildfires can take a large mental health toll on residents and firefighters, and support is available in the LA area for those struggling. (ABC)
• After Helene’s floods, North Carolina is trying to respond to the traumatic events with mental health support for residents. (NPR)

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or need help, call or text 988.

Best Questions:

What are the dangers of wildfire smoke?

Our hearts are breaking for Los Angeles and the wildfires there. While a number of our clients have closed restaurants in the evacuation zones, there are plenty of businesses open in the area that will be deeply impacted by wildfire smoke through the weekend. Wildfire smoke can be very dangerous, even for healthy people, since very fine toxic particles can get into your lungs. Some liken breathing wildfire smoke to smoking cigarettes, up to a half pack a day, when the air quality index (AQI) reaches 200. For those with pre-existing respiratory issues, like asthma or COPD, wildfire smoke can double emergency room visits. There’s also growing evidence that it increases long-term health risks for things like dementia and cardiovascular disease. First responders are at the highest risk, followed by kids, older adults, pregnant people, and anyone with diabetes, heart, kidney, or lung diseases. A good rule of thumb is that if you can see or smell smoke, you can assume the air quality isn’t healthy.

Sources: NPR, CDC, EPA

When should we bring outdoor workers in or close our drive-through windows?

We’ve helped some of our clients create outdoor worker safety guidelines for air pollution and smoke before, and we wanted to share these with you. Here are some best practices for wildfire smoke:

• Provide N95 masks for outdoor workers in smoky or polluted conditions when the AQI is 151 or higher.
• Sensitive groups may feel health effects at 101 and above and may need to move indoors at lower AQIs. These include people with heart or lung diseases, people with diabetes, pregnant people, and older adults.
• Offer more frequent indoor breaks, use of temporary shelters with filtered air, and reduced work time on days with AQI between 101 and 200.
• Ensure clean indoor air by closing windows, turning on air filtration systems, and setting HVAC to recirculate rather than pull in outdoor air.

Consider pulling unnecessary employees indoors:

• AQI of 151 or higher (and any remaining outdoor employees should wear N95 masks)
• Wildfire smoke is visible at the work site

Pull ALL employees indoors:

• AQI of 200 or higher

If you have specific wildfire health questions or would like help creating your team’s policy about outdoor worker health, don’t hesitate to reach out - ZHH can help!

Sources: EPA, AirNow, CDC

Best Listen:

We liked this half-hour listen about RFK Jr.’s promise to "dismantle government bureaucracy" by slashing the federal workforce, including what that means for the actual work that HHS does:

Health and Human Services, The Federal Workforce, And RFK Jr. - NPR

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