Health

How wildfires can threaten your health

By Laura Santhanam

If you smell smoke, you're already exposed.

This EPA rule may expand asbestos use, and the deadline for feedback just passed

By Nsikan Akpan

Critics say a proposed rule would allow asbestos to make a comeback. EPA officials say it will do the opposite, filling a loophole that companies could use to manufacture asbestos. Here's what you need to know.

Opinion: The link between more seniors filing for bankruptcy and the unraveling social safety net

By Philip Moeller

Even as current support programs fall short of meeting retiree needs, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid spending for older Americans is projected to take an ever-larger bite of total federal spending.

CDC says 1 in 7 babies exposed to Zika have health problems

By Amanda Grennell

One in seven infants exposed to Zika in utero experienced microcephaly, seizures, hearing deficiencies or other health problems during their first year of life, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday.

Where do young Americans stand on guns?

By Laura Santhanam

Safety is a growing concern among young Americans when it comes to guns.

Insurance companies approach Trump health plans cautiously

By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Associated Press

For people who need an individual policy and are anticipating cheaper plans this fall, the advice seems to be: Look carefully and read the fine print.

Residents say Love Canal chemicals continue to make them sick

By Megan Thompson, Mori Rothman, Michael D. Regan

Forty years ago this week, President Jimmy Carter declared Love Canal a national health emergency when the small community near Niagara Falls, New York, learned that their homes and school were built on 22,000 tons of chemicals. Today, many residents…

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Hundreds of toxic sites await cleanup under Superfund program

By PBS News Hour

In 1980, the Congress approved the Superfund program, generating money to clean up the country’s most hazardous toxic sites by imposing a tax on industries that polluted the most. Since 2000, the program’s purchasing power has declined by 40 percent…

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As calls to the Suicide Prevention Lifeline surge, under-resourced centers struggle to keep up

By Vivekae Kim

More people than ever are calling the Lifeline—but some crisis center directors and suicide prevention advocates say the system is overwhelmed and underfunded.