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The Defense Department has dragged its feet on protecting service personnel from “forever chemicals” at military installations and isn’t doing enough to track health effects from exposure to the toxic compounds, according to an internal audit. Officials have taken steps to find and clean groundwater contaminated with firefighting foam containing PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, the department’s inspector general found. But its recently released report said the Pentagon has fallen short on dealing with other sources of the chemicals as its rules require. (Flesher, 7/27)

As wildfires in the western United States pump harmful smoke into the atmosphere, communities with existing air pollution challenges find themselves at an increasingly higher risk of negative health effects. For years, researchers who study the San Joaquin Valley have known the region’s geography poses a severe challenge for its residents. Natural features make the Valley more vulnerable to air pollution because it is surrounded by mountains which restrict air movement and cause a concentration of particle pollution. (Rodriguez-Delgado, 7/27)

Light-to-moderate alcohol consumption may offer some protective benefits for patients with heart disease, a new study suggests. The research, published in the journal BMC Medicine, pulled from a combined sample field of 48,423 patients, thousands of whom had history of myocardial infarction, angina or stroke. The team noted that lifestyle and dietary habits play a major role in secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease, but that the impact of alcohol consumption on patients’ prognosis remains unclear and recommendations regarding upper limits of drinking vary substantially across different guidelines. (Hein, 7/27)

California’s deepening drought is creating another big problem for authorities: water theft. Water thieves, many of them illegal marijuana growers, are tapping into fire hydrants and drilling unauthorized water wells, according to officials, threatening the water supply for residents. (Pannett, 7/28)

A chemical cousin of pot’s main intoxicating ingredient has rocketed to popularity over the last year, and the cannabis industry and state governments are scrambling to reckon with it amid debate over whether it’s legal. The chemical, called delta-8 THC, is billed as producing a milder high than the better known delta-9 THC, and delta-8 is often marketed as being legal even where marijuana is not. That argument stems from the fact that most delta-8 is synthesized from CBD, a popular non-intoxicating chemical that’s prevalent in hemp, a form of cannabis that Congress legalized in 2018. (Peltz, 7/28)

With coronavirus cases rising in Central Florida ahead of another school year, children might experience more than first-day nerves as they return to class. WMFE and Health News Florida spoke with University of Central Florida psychology associate professor Dalena Taylor about how to talk to kids about mental health and what routines to consider. (Prieur, 7/27)