Public Health News

The ongoing federal government shutdown has brought several consequences to our environment and public health. Many local projects, such as air quality monitoring and Superfund site cleanups including the Gowanus Canal in New York City, are suspended.

As we all know, traditional pesticides contain toxic chemicals that are harmful to people and our environment. One of the more interesting sustainable alternatives we recently learned about is the small and colorful ladybug.

Lead in school drinking water has been a concern in New York because children often spend all day in school facilities and receive much of their drinking water from them. NYLCV is working to prevent lead poisoning in schoolchildren by analyzing the lab reports from all 4,700 public schools in New York to model the impact of a lower lead action level on protecting school communities.

The New York City Council held a hearing on lead poisoning prevention and to discuss a package of 25 new bills aimed at combating lead hazards. In our testimony we emphasized the need to optimize and streamline efforts to prevent childhood lead poisoning.

In New York, Harmful Algal Blooms are rising at an alarming rate. One cause of HABs is agricultural runoff, which occurs when chemicals from fertilizer end up in our waterways. Some houses in rural New York neighborhood leach nitrogen into waterways because they are not connected to a public sewer system. Another cause of HABs is climate change.

Governor Cuomo and DEC announced that the settlement funds will be invested in clean transportation including earmarking 40% for buses - a successful step forward in our Clean Buses for Healthy Niños advocacy campaign. DEC will prioritize these emissions reduction projects in environmental justice communities that have traditionally been overburdened by pollution, which leads to higher rates of asthma and other respiratory illnesses.

This past July, New York City had to suspend its use of speed cameras after lawmakers in Albany were unable to renew the program. Governor Andrew Cuomo, Mayor de Blasio, and the New York City Council worked together and developed a solution to state lawmakers’ lack of support.

New York State Attorney General Barbara Underwood is taking steps to preserve the Obama-era Clean Power Plan, which would have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 30% nationwide.