Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Michigan Study Finds Manufacturing Jobs Linked To ALS Risks
If you鈥檙e a welder, work on a production line or have job that involves exposure to metals, solvents or pesticides, you could be at higher risk for developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the deadly neurological disease also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig鈥檚 disease, according to research from the University of Michigan. (Jordan Shamus, 10/19)
In other health news from across the U.S. 鈥
The air quality in Seattle was ranked worst worldwide聽as of 5聽p.m. PST, according to IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology company that monitors real-time air quality. Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, British Columbia, also ranked among the 10 worst locations for much of Wednesday,聽alongside cities in Pakistan, China and India. (Nguyen, 10/19)
A boy has died after being infected by a rare brain-eating amoeba, which officials believe he may have been exposed to at Lake Mead, the Southern Nevada Health District announced Wednesday. The juvenile may have encountered the organism, called Naegleria fowleri, in the park鈥檚 Kingman Wash area, located on the Arizona side of the lake near Hoover Dam, the Lake Mead National Recreation Area said in a release. (Wolfe, 10/19)
Active and retired Montana military members could face hours of windshield time to secure life-saving medications because of a reduction of local pharmacies covered by their health insurance, state and federal officials have warned. (Larson, 10/19)
On abortion in Montana and Texas 鈥
KHN: 5 Things To Know About Montana鈥檚 鈥楤orn Alive鈥 Ballot Initiative
Montana voters will decide Nov. 8 whether to approve a ballot initiative declaring that an embryo or fetus is a legal person with a right to medical care if it survives an abortion or delivery. The measure would impose severe penalties on health workers who don鈥檛 provide that care. Legislative Referendum 131 was approved for next month鈥檚 election by state lawmakers in 2021, more than a year before the U.S. Supreme Court removed federal protections for abortion in June. (Volz, 10/20)
A Texas woman said she nearly died from a bacterial infection because doctors could not legally perform an abortion even though the fetus was no longer viable. Amanda Zurawski was 18 weeks pregnant when she felt abnormal discharge and 鈥渨hat felt like water running down my leg,鈥 People magazine reported. (Bahari, 10/19)
