Superfund Sites: An Environmental Injustice for Latinos and All People



Research suggests that Latinos are more likely to live near Superfund sites with contaminated drinking water, increasing risks for adverse health effects. This health inequity contributes to a larger issue of Latinos generally having less access to clean, safe drinking water in the US. Join us as Salud America! explores this health disparity through a three-part series on Latino drinking water contamination. Part 1 focused on nitrates in drinking water, how prevalent nitrate-contaminated drinking water is in Latino communities, and how the nation is promoting safer water for Latinos and all people. Today, in Part 2, we will address contaminated drinking water at Superfund sites, its impact on Latinos, and current efforts to promote safer drinking water in these ...

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The Nitrate Nuisance in Drinking Water and Its Impact on Latinos


latino farmworker picking plants nitrate drinking water contaminationStrawberry Harvest in Central California

Rural Latinos and farmworkers in the US are disproportionately exposed to nitrate-contaminated drinking water. This health disparity stems from a larger issue of Latinos generally having less access to clean, safe drinking water in the US. Join us as Salud America! explores this rising health disparity through a three-part series on Latino drinking water contamination. Today we will tackle what nitrates are, how prevalent they are in Latino drinking water, and emerging efforts to promote safer water for Latinos and all people. Part 2 will address drinking water contamination at Superfund sites, its impact on Latinos, and current efforts to promote safer drinking water in these areas. Part 3 will focus on water insecurity in colonias and the US/Mexico border, and how we ...

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Join the Take Down Tobacco National Day of Action!


Take Down Tobacco National Day of Action from Campaign for Tobacco free kids no smoking

How can you stand up to the tobacco industry? On March 31, you can participate in Take Down Tobacco National Day of Action! Take Down Tobacco, a fresh take on Kick Butts Day, is the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids’ signature platform for empowering people to speak out against the tobacco industry. You can: Join the movement Host an event Play games in the Take Down Tobacco Arcade Plan events or share on ocial media with #TakeDownTobacco The team behind Salud America! is working to help young adults quit smoking with Quitxt, our free English or Spanish text-message service that turns your phone into a personal “quit smoking” coach from UT Health San Antonio. To get help, text “iquit” (for English) or “lodejo” (for Spanish) to 844-332-2058. “On ...

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‘Forever Chemicals’ and How Researchers are Destroying Them


Forever Chemicals Researchers Destroying

Some chemicals cause serious harm and just don’t quit. These substances, known as perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), can be found in water, cosmetics, food packaging, fire-fighting foam, furniture, and other things that many come into contact with on a regular basis. For years, researchers classified PFAS as permanent, undestroyable. Recent research shows, however, that might not be the case. A study, published in the Journal of Environmental Engineering shows that a technique using water heat and pressure can annihilate 99% of PFAS in water. How does this impact Latinos? Well, one recent National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences study showed that PFAS exposure can increase risk of type 2 diabetes in Latina girls. Therefore, this ...

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Latinos Pay More for Energy Than What They Use 


Latinos Energy Use

Race/ethnicity plays a significant role in determining home energy use, emissions, and cost burden, according to a study by the University of Michigan and McGill University.   Majority-White neighborhoods had the highest per-capita emissions, researchers found.   In African-American neighborhoods, emissions were 90% of those in White neighborhoods. Latino neighborhoods had the lowest per capita emissions, at only 60% of White neighborhoods.  Yet communities of color pay higher energy rates than what they produce, adding yet another inequity that harms health outcomes among this population and other people of color, according to study co-author Tony Reames of the University of Michigan.  “People that are struggling financially and then have high energy burdens are ...

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Report: The Relationship between Climate Change and Health Equity


Climate change

Climate change is an ongoing environmental dilemma that threatens the health of all people. Yet, research has shown that certain groups, such as Latinos and other people of color, immigrants, those with a lower socio-economic status, and vulnerable occupational groups are most likely to suffer longer and more severely from climate change. “The effects of climate change add to other longstanding differences among people that result in different health outcomes for communities in the United States,” reported the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. What Is Climate Change? Climate change is defined as a long-term shift in global or regional climate patterns. Long-term alterations in temperature or the typical weather patterns of a certain location can lead to ...

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11/2/21 #SaludTues Tweetchat: The Climate Crisis and Latinos


The Climate Crisis and Latinos

Climate change is making life harder for Latinos and other communities of color.  A groundbreaking 2019 study estimated that Black and Latino populations experience 56% and 63% more pollution respectively than their activities cause. Cities across the U.S. will experience harsher extreme weather events and increases in daily temperatures, and some might no longer be inhabitable. How can we help? Let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021, to discuss emerging strategies to reduce the use of harmful chemicals and toxins, promote clean indoor and outdoor air, and engage Latinos in speaking up for a cleaner climate and environment! WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat “The Climate Crisis and Latinos” WHEN: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021 WHERE: ...

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Over 2 Million U.S. Teens Use E-cigarettes, a Huge Public Health Concern


Latino teens e-cigs vaping smoking tobacco 21

Over 2 million U.S. teens say they use e-cigarettes, according to a new survey released by FDA and CDC. The study, which found that a quarter of these teens reported they vape daily, was based on data from the 2021 National Youth Tobacco Survey, a cross-sectional, self-administered survey of U.S. middle- and high-school students. "The use of tobacco products by youths in any form, including e-cigarettes, is unsafe. Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, and nicotine exposure during adolescence can harm the developing brain," according to the FDA and CDC survey report, published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Key Report Findings on Youth E-cigarette Use In 2021, 11.3% of high-school (1.72 million) and 2.8% (320,000) of middle-school students reported current e-cigarette ...

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Jim Morris: A Watchdog for Environmental Health


Jim Morris

Having been in the industry for over 40 years, Jim Morris is no newcomer to journalism. He’s worked at several news organizations across Texas and spent two decades at the Center for Public Integrity, a news nonprofit in Washington, D.C. In August 2021, he started Public Health Watch, a nonprofit investigative news organization that seeks to hold systems accountable and expose threats to the safety and wellbeing of the country. As the Executive Director and Editor-in-Chief of a virtual news organization, Morris faces some challenges. But in the end, it’s worth it to be able to help advocate for workers’ health and expose people to the human stories in public and environmental health. “I'm attracted to those kinds of stories. You can almost always tell a really ...

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