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The tornado that struck parts of North Carolina on Wednesday not only damaged the immediate area, but could soon make it much harder for countless people across the U.S. and around the world to obtain needed medicines the next time they visit a hospital. (Silverman, 7/20)

The fallout from a Pfizer factory being damaged by a tornado could put even more pressure on already-strained drug supplies at U.S. hospitals, experts say. Wednesday’s tornado touched down near Rocky Mount, North Carolina, and ripped up the roof of a Pfizer factory that makes nearly 25% of Pfizer’s sterile injectable medicines used in U.S. hospitals, according to the drugmaker. (Murphy, 7/20)

Smoke from a wildfire in Oregon is rushing toward Northern California, and hot weather could chuck some of the particles toward the Bay Area. The Flat Fire exploded in size and intensity between Tuesday and Wednesday, covering 12,000 acres large with 0% containment by Wednesday morning according to the U.S. Forest Service. Its smoke, visible on satellite imagery, is likely to stir up air quality concerns over the next couple of days. (Díaz, 7/20)

University of Houston researchers and scholars from other institutions estimated that emissions from wildfires lead to 4,000 early deaths each year in the contiguous United States, including about 65 deaths in the Houston area. The study also pointed to economic losses, suggesting these premature mortality rates could cost $36 billion annually across the country, and an estimated $580 million in Houston-Galveston-Brazoria alone. (Ward, 7/20)

A new analysis has found that the White House’s signature environmental justice program may not shrink racial disparities in who breathes the most polluted air, in part because of efforts to ensure that it could withstand legal challenges. (Erdenesanaa, 7/20)