Health News
- Cdc Says Soar Should Focus On Substance Abuse, Obesity And Diabetes; Idea Of Mountaintop Mining Study Is Largely Ignored
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Shaping Our Appalachian Region, the bipartisan effort to revitalize and diversify Eastern Kentucky's economy, will focus its health efforts on substance abuse, obesity and diabetes, SOAR Executive Director Jared...
- Uk-eku Center Gets $5 Million To Address Occupational Health And Safety Issues In Central Appalachia And Kentucky
A center based in the University of Kentucky College of Public Health has received a five-year, $5 million grant to advance occupational health and safety in Central Appalachia and Kentucky, the university reports. The grant was funded by the National...
- New Insurer, Kentucky Health Cooperative, Gets Federal Loan To Expand Into West Virginia, Now Needs State's Ok
Kentucky's new, not-for-profit health insurer, the Kentucky Health Cooperative, has received approval for a federal loan that will allow it to expand into West Virginia and is seeking approval from the West Virginia insurance commissioner...
- Study Suggesting That Coal Is A Cause Of Health Problems In E. Ky. Is Disputed By Industry And Politicians, Defended By Researcher
By Molly Burchett Kentucky Health News A heated debate centers on new research showing that residents in Floyd County, where coal is stripped from the tops of mountains and ridges, report more health problems than those in two nearby communities without...
- Black Lung Affects Kentucky Surface Miners More Than Those In Other States, Cdc Study Finds And Courier-journal Reports
Photo by Getty Images.Nearly 4 percent of surface coal miners who work in Central Appalachia who were tested for a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have black lung disease, compared to 2 percent of all U.S. surface miners and 3.2...
Health News
West Virginia to involve Kentucky in examination of studies that link health problems to mountaintop-removal coal mining
Kentucky Health News
The administration of Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin of West Virginia "said Tuesday that it would initiate an evaluation of the growing body of studies that have found residents living near mountaintop removal coal-mining operations face increases risks of serious illnesses and premature death," Ken Ward Jr. reports for The Charleston Gazette. Studies have found correlations between mountaintop removal and cancer, birth defects and the endangerment of freshwater species.
Dr. Rahul Gupta, commissioner of the state Bureau for Public Health, "said that his agency would work with the state Department of Environmental Protection to examine the issue and to seek help from various federal scientific and regulatory agencies to review existing research on the subject," Ward writes. ?The analysis is something that is needed going forward,? Gupta said. ?The bottom line here is to let science speak for itself. It?s time that we attempt to do that.?
"Gupta said that his plan would 'engage surrounding states' such as Kentucky and Virginia to 'evaluate the scientific research being conducted by academia, non-profit groups, and others with an emphasis on peer-reviewed research to better understand the issues,'" Ward writes. "Also, Gupta said, his agency would work with the DEP to ask 'federal partners'?such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control, and National Institutes of Health, and the federal Office of Surface Mining?to 'seek relevant subject matter expertise allowing for the exploration of a federal-state, multi-agency partnership to conduct analysis of the existing research in the field.'" (Read more)
The administration of Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin of West Virginia "said Tuesday that it would initiate an evaluation of the growing body of studies that have found residents living near mountaintop removal coal-mining operations face increases risks of serious illnesses and premature death," Ken Ward Jr. reports for The Charleston Gazette. Studies have found correlations between mountaintop removal and cancer, birth defects and the endangerment of freshwater species.
Dr. Rahul Gupta, commissioner of the state Bureau for Public Health, "said that his agency would work with the state Department of Environmental Protection to examine the issue and to seek help from various federal scientific and regulatory agencies to review existing research on the subject," Ward writes. ?The analysis is something that is needed going forward,? Gupta said. ?The bottom line here is to let science speak for itself. It?s time that we attempt to do that.?
"Gupta said that his plan would 'engage surrounding states' such as Kentucky and Virginia to 'evaluate the scientific research being conducted by academia, non-profit groups, and others with an emphasis on peer-reviewed research to better understand the issues,'" Ward writes. "Also, Gupta said, his agency would work with the DEP to ask 'federal partners'?such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control, and National Institutes of Health, and the federal Office of Surface Mining?to 'seek relevant subject matter expertise allowing for the exploration of a federal-state, multi-agency partnership to conduct analysis of the existing research in the field.'" (Read more)
- Cdc Says Soar Should Focus On Substance Abuse, Obesity And Diabetes; Idea Of Mountaintop Mining Study Is Largely Ignored
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Shaping Our Appalachian Region, the bipartisan effort to revitalize and diversify Eastern Kentucky's economy, will focus its health efforts on substance abuse, obesity and diabetes, SOAR Executive Director Jared...
- Uk-eku Center Gets $5 Million To Address Occupational Health And Safety Issues In Central Appalachia And Kentucky
A center based in the University of Kentucky College of Public Health has received a five-year, $5 million grant to advance occupational health and safety in Central Appalachia and Kentucky, the university reports. The grant was funded by the National...
- New Insurer, Kentucky Health Cooperative, Gets Federal Loan To Expand Into West Virginia, Now Needs State's Ok
Kentucky's new, not-for-profit health insurer, the Kentucky Health Cooperative, has received approval for a federal loan that will allow it to expand into West Virginia and is seeking approval from the West Virginia insurance commissioner...
- Study Suggesting That Coal Is A Cause Of Health Problems In E. Ky. Is Disputed By Industry And Politicians, Defended By Researcher
By Molly Burchett Kentucky Health News A heated debate centers on new research showing that residents in Floyd County, where coal is stripped from the tops of mountains and ridges, report more health problems than those in two nearby communities without...
- Black Lung Affects Kentucky Surface Miners More Than Those In Other States, Cdc Study Finds And Courier-journal Reports
Photo by Getty Images.Nearly 4 percent of surface coal miners who work in Central Appalachia who were tested for a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have black lung disease, compared to 2 percent of all U.S. surface miners and 3.2...