Warning: This may send you running for sunscreen. The rate of melanoma—the most dangerous form of skin cancer—has risen 20% among Latinos in the past 20 years. Latino adults and kids also are more likely than their white peers to be diagnosed at an advanced stage of skin cancer. But, sadly, many Latinos don't run for sunscreen. “The belief that Hispanic people don’t have to worry about skin cancer has existed among Latinos for generations,” said Dr. Maritza Perez, a dermatologist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. “They hear it from their parents and grandparents, and then they pass this belief on to their children.” Why is skin cancer rising in this darker-skinned group? What can we do about it?
What Is Melanoma?
Melanomas are ...
The threats posed by climate change are growing every day, and they threaten severe impacts on public health, society, and housing. As climate change causes more powerful storms like Hurricane Harvey with increased frequency and intensity, housing developers are increasingly interested in disaster resilience.
How Does Climate Change Affect Housing?
Some of America's most significant cities face the highest risks, as most are near a coast. Worse, these urban hubs contain high populations, capital assets, and ports that influence the national economy. Protecting the nation and the world's most populated areas should be at the forefront of every government official's mind in the immediate future. Recently published assessments of Califonia cities' carbon footprint found that, ...
Fragrance sprays are used to diffuse scents across the country in public bathrooms, office buildings, private residences, and now airline carriers. While in-flight air fresheners can reduce strong smells, they also can trigger problematic side effects in people who are sensitive to certain chemicals found in those products. Individuals who undergo symptoms from fragrance exposure could be experiencing Toxicant-Induced Loss of Tolerance (TILT). Worse, those who are TILTed could experience a range of health effects during their flights now that more planes will use air fresheners. “Fragrances are to varying degrees toxic, and they are in fact one of the biggest triggers of irritability, mental confusion, and difficulties with concentration or learning,” writes Dr. Claudia ...
Gastric cancer, which forms in the lining of the stomach, is more likely to afflict Latinos than whites, and in Texas is diagnosed at younger ages and less curable stages. Dorothy Long Parma wants to find out why. Long Parma, a researcher at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio, the team behind Salud America!, recently received a three-year, $360,000 "Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program Career Development Award" from the U.S. Department of Defense to study the risk factors for gastric cancer in Latinos. The study will look closely at H. pylori bacterial infection, which increases risk of gastric cancer, and is common among Latinos, according to a prior study led by Long Parma. Long Parma also will examine other factors like behaviors, ...
Latino workers are more likely to die on the job than anyone else. Most of the Latinos killed are also immigrants, according to a news report by KALW radio. “In 2017, we lost 376 workers [in California],” Jora Trang, a managing attorney at the labor rights’ organization Worksafe, told KALW. “That’s more than one worker a day.”
Latinos & Job Fatalities
Latinos have disproportionately died on the job for quite some time. In 2016, 879 Latino workers were killed on the job. In 2017, that number rose to 903. This puts the Latino fatality rate higher than the national job fatality rate for all workers, Latino Rebels reports. “This is a national crisis. And it’s well past time that our elected leaders in Washington, D.C., stop playing politics and take ...
America’s capital is piloting a four-month bus lane project to encourage more commuters to ride the bus. Currently, buses with popular downtown routes are stuck in congestion with everyone else. However, transportation professionals in Washington, D.C. (10.7% Latino) hope to change that fact by dedicating one lane to the public during rush hour.
Transportation Truths
There are at least half a dozen truths to know about transportation: Vehicles pollute our cities.
Vehicle traffic injuries are the leading cause of injury, death for children and young adults ages 5-24, comprising about 20% of all deaths.
Crashes cost over $200 billion annually, which includes medical costs, congestion, property damage, and workplace as well as household productivity loss. Latinos and ...
Nearly two-thirds of renters nationwide say they can’t afford to buy a home. According to ATTOM Data Solutions' latest Rental Affordability Report, home prices are rising at twice the rate of wage growth. “With rental affordability outpacing home affordability in the majority of U.S. housing markets, and home prices rising faster than rental rates, the American dream of owning a home, maybe just that — a dream,” ATTOM Data Solutions Director of Content Jennifer von Pohlmann told HousingWire. April marked the 10th consecutive month with year-over-year declines, according to the report, contributing to a positive outlook for the housing market. Despite a slight uptick in July, last year saw the lowest number of foreclosures since 2005. Last month, year-over-year ...
Researchers now estimate that 19 million Americans face dangerous chemical exposure from the water coming from their sinks and faucets. Over 600 public water systems, military bases, airports, industrial plants, and other sites contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination. Worse, this is a wide-spread problem affecting people in 43 states, according to new research from the Environmental Working Group (EWG). “The Environmental Protection Agency has utterly failed to address PFAS with the seriousness this crisis demands, leaving local communities and states to grapple with a complex problem rooted in the failure of the federal chemical regulatory system,” said Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group.
Findings of EWG’s Report
The study’s ...
A lack of access to healthy, sustainable food is causing Latino kids to develop severe health conditions including issues with their internal organs. One significant issue of concern is pediatric nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. The rate of diagnoses is increasing among Latino kids, Kaiser Health News reports. “Fatty liver disease is ripping through the Latino community like a silent tsunami and especially affecting children,” said Dr. Rohit Kohli, chief of gastroenterology, hepatology, and nutrition at the University of Southern California and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. The ailment is also linked to genetics as well as high levels of sugar and fat in diets.
Fatty Liver Disease & Latino Kids
Before 2006, many doctors did not know that children could develop ...
