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Morning Briefing

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Wednesday, Apr 20 2022

Full Issue

Brain Tumor Cluster in NJ Investigated

So far, the city of Woodbridge, New Jersey, is taking the lead in the investigation, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars for testing at a school that graduated roughly 15,000 people over the last 30 years. About 100 people who attended the school reportedly have been diagnosed with brain tumors. In other news, a record number of Americans have died of drug overdoses, and a strange story of a man who inhaled a dentist's drill bit during a procedure.

There are growing concerns over a medical mystery at a New Jersey high school following dozens of diagnoses of brain tumors dating back decades. Every inch of Colonia High School -- from buildings to fields -- is being tested for radiation to determine if there is a link between the school and the number of cancer cases diagnosed amongst former students and staff. Al Lupiano, a graduate of the high school, believes there's a link between the school and brain tumors diagnosed in 108 people over a period of three decades, ending in the early 2000s. (Thompson, 4/18)

The聽Township of Woodbridge is investigating a medical mystery of more than 100 cases of brain tumors linked to alumni and staff at Colonia High School in Woodbridge, N.J. that is concerning for a "cancer cluster," according to multiple聽reports. "A聽cancer cluster聽is defined as a greater-than-expected number of cancer cases that occurs within a group of people in a geographic area over a period of time," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Sudhakar, 4/19)

In news about the opioid crisis 鈥

Like the rest of the country, Mississippi has seen an alarming increase in the number of fentanyl-related overdose deaths during the pandemic. It's a growing public health crisis that has pushed lawmakers in the state to pass legislation imposing stronger penalties on drug distributors linked to drug overdose deaths. On Tuesday, April 19, Gov. Tate Reeves signed HB 607鈥 better known as Parker's Law. The measure specifically targets the sale of fentanyl and imposed a minimum of 20 years to life in prison on drug dealers connected to overdose deaths resulting from the transaction. (Clark, 4/20)

In the first 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, a record number of Americans died from drug overdoses. Although months of data is still incomplete, statistics show that most of the deaths involve the potent drug fentanyl. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. In the new series 鈥淧oisoned,鈥 which explores the devastation caused by fentanyl, ABC News Live examines how many parents are learning the deadly reality of the drug only after their children have suffered a fatal overdose. (Tienabeso, Delawala, Luna and Yamada, 4/19)

Alabama reached a $276 million settlement agreement with Johnson & Johnson, McKesson and Endo Pharmaceutical for their role in the opioid epidemic, the state鈥檚 attorney general announced on Tuesday. Under the agreement, Johnson & Johnson will pay $70.3 million to the state this year, while McKesson will pay out $141 million over nine years. Endo will pay $25 million this year. A settlement agreement does not mean an admission of guilt. (Dress, 4/19)

In other public health news 鈥

Black students who attend racially segregated schools are more likely to drink alcohol and have other behavioral problems than their peers, according to a new UCSF study. The findings offer some of the first evidence that the de facto segregation in schools, largely tied to neighborhood demographics, which is common across the Bay Area, leads to significant health and other issues for Black students, and especially Black girls. (Tucker, 4/19)

Drivers barreling down Grand Avenue in Billings may have noticed a lime green sign emblazoned with an unusual request. Propped up against the hatchback of a Honda Odyssey, block letters spell out 鈥渘eed kidney donor. Please help鈥 followed by a name and phone number. From inside the van, Jean 鈥淐hris鈥 Coats, 67, sat surrounded by binders filled with kidney transplant information and homeschooling workbooks. On Monday, she taught her grandson, who has special needs, from inside her van while she waited for someone to respond to her plea. Coats has a genetic disorder, called polycystic kidney disease (PKD) that has caused clusters of cysts to develop in her kidneys. All her life she has tried to carefully manage her diet and lifestyle, making major life decisions with PKD in mind. (Schabacker, 4/19)

A routine trip to the dentist was anything but normal 鈥 after an Illinois man inhaled the dentist's drill bit and had to go to the hospital to get it removed last month. Tom Jozsi, 60, told WISN-TV that he was at the dentist getting his tooth filled when he was told he swallowed a tool. ... Dr. Abdul Alraiyes, at Aurora Medical Center-Kenosha in Wisconsin, said the bit was so deep that normal scopes couldn鈥檛 reach it. Jozsi said he was told that if it couldn't be taken out, part of his lung would have to be removed. Alraiyes and his medical team decided to try a newer device to remove the object 鈥 one that's designed for early detection of cancer. (4/19)

This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
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