The Year in News: Health & Environment 2018
Hoosiers had reason to be concerned about their own health and that of the environment around them in 2018. STDs were on the rise, health insurance is set to be harder to obtain, and budgets are being slashed. But, it wasn't all bad: Local environmental rules will continue to be enforced, carbon monoxide testing is now more available, and CBD and medical cannabis are on the march.
Here's a look at our top stories from 2018 related to personal and environmental health. Click the titles to link to the original stories.
10. EPA Cuts Harm Hoosiers
President Donald Trump’s proposed EPA budget calls for a funding cut of $2.6 billion, from its current $8.3 billion. State Rep. Carey Hamilton warned Hoosiers on Sept. 6 that proposed federal cuts to the budget of the Environmental Protection Agency would hurt Indiana programs that protect the state’s waterways and air.
Indiana currently has 39 sites across the state that are defined as toxic areas by the EPA, including Bennett Stone quarry in Bloomington, Reilly Tar & Chemical Corporation in Indianapolis and Tippecanoe Sanitary Landfill in Lafayette. When these sites are able to be cleaned up, Hamilton said they can be used for new economic activity.
9. STDs on the Rise in Indiana and Around the Country
Nearly 2.3 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis were diagnosed in the United States in 2017, surpassing the previous record set in 2016 by more than 200,000 cases.
This marked the fourth consecutive year of sharp increases in these sexually transmitted diseases, according to preliminary data released Aug. 28 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at the National STD Prevention Conference in Washington, D.C Caitlin Conrad, STD prevention program specialist at the Indiana State Department of Health, said Indiana has seen similar increases, due to a variety of factors.
Posted by admin
on Jan 1 2019. Filed under Environmental livelihood.
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