A ton of dangerous lead dust may have been deposited around Notre Dame cathedral in Paris when it burned in April 2019 — far more than had been estimated, a new study suggests. The cathedral’s roof and spire were covered in 460 tons of lead — a neurotoxic metal that’s especially dangerous to children — and questions have been raised about how much lead was released into nearby neighborhoods. An analysis of 100 soil samples from sites around the cathedral concluded that 2,200 pounds of lead dust landed within 1 kilometer (0.6 of a mile). That’s six times the current estimate for lead fallout within 12 miles of the site. Lead levels downwind were twice that in areas outside the smoke plume’s path, the study found. For a brief time, people within a kilometer downwind probably had greater exposure to lead fallout than suggested by French authorities, according to the study published recently in the journal GeoHealth. Fewer than 100 milligrams of lead would be expected in a kilogram of non-contaminated soil, the researchers said. But samples collected within a kilometer of the cathedral averaged 200 mg/kg. Lead levels collected northwest of the cathedral averaged nearly 430 mg/kg — double that of the surrounding area, and above France’s 300 mg/kg limit. “Our final estimation of the total amount of excess lead is much larger compared…  read on >

The COVID-19 pandemic has America’s hospitals on the fiscal ropes, with many facing financial ruin without continued aid from the federal government, a new report predicts. Average hospital margins across the nation could sink to −7% in the second half of 2020 without further help, with half of all hospitals potentially operating in the red, the American Hospital Association’s new analysis estimates. “The COVID crisis continues to cripple the financial health of hospitals and health systems,” said Rick Pollack, president and CEO of the American Hospital Association (AHA). “As today’s analysis shows, this pandemic is the greatest financial threat in history for hospitals and health systems, and is a serious obstacle to keeping the doors open for many,” Pollack added. U.S. hospitals have had to spend more on personal protective equipment to keep their employees safe from COVID-19, even as revenues have dropped due to state-level lockdowns that canceled all but the most desperately needed services and surgeries. The analysis, prepared by the financial advisory firm Kaufman, Hall & Associates, considered two potential scenarios — an optimistic slow but steady decrease in COVID-19 cases, and a pessimistic outlook based on periodic surges in infections that would place additional stress on hospital operations. U.S. hospitals typically operate at an average 3.5% annual profit, “which is very thin” compared with other industries, said Ken Kaufman, managing director…  read on >

America saw its coronavirus case count pass 4 million on Thursday, as health officials across the country reported a third day of more than 1,000 new COVID-19 deaths. Alabama posted a record-setting 2,390 new cases on Thursday, while four other states — Hawaii, Indiana, Missouri and New Mexico — also hit their single-day peak for new cases, The New York Times reported. Meanwhile, Florida and Tennessee each had more virus-related deaths than on any other previous day. The rapid spread of coronavirus this summer is sobering, taking just 15 days to go from 3 million cases to 4 million, the Washington Post reported. This spring, it took 45 days to jump from 1 million cases to 2 million, while the leap to 3 million then took 27 days. California has been slammed twice during the pandemic: it was the first state to issue a stay-at-home order this spring, to slow an early outbreak. But after a reopening that some health officials warned was too fast, cases surged. That triggered a statewide mask mandate and the closure of bars and indoor dining again, the Times reported. With over 422,000 cases, California has surpassed New York to have the most COVID-19 cases of any state. It set a single-day record on Wednesday, with more than 12,100 new cases and 155 new deaths. In the face of climbing…  read on >

Summer means long, carefree days outside, but don’t let that sabotage your slumber, sleep experts say. An American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) survey found that 36% of U.S. adults said they sleep less in the summer, with the highest rates in the West (42%) and Midwest (40%). “The lure of the outdoors and more daylight can make it tempting to delay bedtimes, but it’s important to get healthy sleep in every season,” AASM president Dr. Kannan Ramar said in an academy news release. During the summer, go to bed at a time that allows you to get enough sleep to wake up feeling refreshed and alert. The AASM’s bedtime calculator can help you determine an appropriate bedtime for your schedule. The AASM also offers the following advice to help avoid sleep loss: Keep a consistent sleep schedule. If you tend to stay up later, make sure you allow enough time in bed to get a full night of sleep on a regular basis. Turn off your electronic devices 30 minutes to an hour before bedtime. Silence your notifications and charge your devices away from your bed so you’re not tempted to check social media or news alerts. Don’t have caffeine after lunch and avoid alcohol near bedtime, as both can disrupt sleep. Create a comfortable bedroom environment. Keep your room quiet, dark and a…  read on >

Coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said Sunday that federal health officials are recommending the closing of bars, cutting indoor restaurant capacity and limiting social gatherings to 10 people in states where COVID-19 cases are climbing. Birx added that “100%” of individuals should wear masks in public or around others, the Washington Post reported, as the number of U.S. coronavirus cases climbed past 4.2 million. “We can see what is happening in the South moving North,” said Birx, referring to soaring numbers of COVID-19 cases in states including Florida, Texas, Alabama and Georgia. “We do believe there are states that do need to close their bars,” she said. Birx has visited states in the South and Southwest, and is now focused on Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana and Virginia, the Post reported. As of Sunday, the seven-day averages for new cases hit fresh highs in several states, including Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Wyoming, the Post reported. At the same time, Nevada, Texas and South Carolina set records for their seven-day averages of daily deaths, while Mississippi and North Carolina tied their previous highs, the newspaper said. Meanwhile, Florida passed New York on Sunday with the second highest number of COVID-19 cases in the country. Only California has more reported infections. In Florida, cases have…  read on >

In the midst of a pandemic, many Americans still view face mask mandates as an assault on their personal freedoms, rather than a means of protecting themselves and others from COVID-19. But a group of researchers out of Duke University say the mask backlash can be turned around — as long as efforts to do so are grounded in empathy, not judgment. As coronavirus cases in the United States soar, face mask mandates have been issued by a growing number of cities, states and national retailers. The mandates make sense, health experts say. “I think face masking is a very important part [of curbing the spread of COVID-19] and ought to be done in this epidemic,” Dr. Robert Brook, distinguished chair of RAND Corporation’s health care services program, said in a HD Live! interview. “It’s one of the few things we can do that will slow the pandemic.” But there’s been no national public health campaign to tell Americans why face masks work, and how to use them properly, Brook added. May Chu, a clinical professor of epidemiology at the University of Colorado’s School of Public Health, concurred. “We have to teach people how to wear it, how to take care of them and when to use them,” she said in the same HD Live! interview. In the meantime, some Americans balk at wearing a…  read on >

As the U.S. coronavirus case count passed 4.3 million on Monday, companies launched the final phase of testing for two potential COVID-19 vaccines. In one trial begun on Monday, the first of 30,000 volunteers were either given a vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. and the U.S. National Institutes of Health or a placebo shot, the Washington Post reported. Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer also announced Monday that it was starting a 30,000-person final phase vaccine trial, to be conducted at 120 sites globally. “We are participating today in the launching of a truly historic event in the history of vaccinology,” Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said during a news conference on the Moderna vaccine, the Post reported. He predicted that researchers would probably be able to tell whether the Moderna vaccine was effective by November or December, although he added that it was a “distinct possibility” an answer could come sooner. Pfizer officials have said the company expects to be able to seek regulatory authorization or approval for its vaccine by October, the Post reported. Both vaccines require two doses, spaced several weeks apart. Then researchers will have to wait to see whether people get infected or sick with COVID-19. A clear signal of success or failure will depend on how fast the trials recruit participants and how long…  read on >

As the number of U.S. coronavirus cases topped 3.5 million on Wednesday, more states, cities and major retailers turned to face mask mandates to try to stem the spread of COVID-19. Increasingly seen as a last hope to slow soaring infection rates across the country, Alabama, Montana and the city of Tulsa on Wednesday moved to make face coverings required in public settings, the Washington Post reported. Several large retailers also joined the trend: Walmart, Kroger and Kohl’s. Until now, only a handful of national retailers, including Costco, Apple and Best Buy, had instituted blanket policies requiring masks at all of their stores, the newspaper said. “Workers serving customers should not have to make a critical decision as to whether they should risk exposure to infection or lose their jobs because a minority of people refuse to wear masks in order to help stop the spread of the deadly coronavirus,” the National Retail Federation trade said in a statement. “Shopping in a store is a privilege, not a right. If a customer refuses to adhere to store policies, they are putting employees and other customers at undue risk,” the statement added, the Post reported. The new restrictions suggest that officials and business leaders across America are painfully aware that cases have spiked in 41 states over the past two weeks and things will only worsen…  read on >

Yet another daily record for new U.S. coronavirus cases was shattered on Thursday, with 75,600 new infections reported. It’s the 11th time in the past month that the daily record had been broken, The New York Times reported. The previous single-day record, 68,241 cases, was reported last Friday. The number of daily cases has more than doubled since June 24. Things will likely get worse: Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease specialist, warned in June that daily case counts could reach 100,000 a day if outbreaks across the country weren’t contained. “What I think we need to do, and my colleagues agree, is we really almost need to regroup, call a timeout, not necessarily lock down again, but say that we’ve got to do this in a more measured way,” Fauci told Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in an interview Thursday. “We’ve got to get our arms around this and we’ve got to get this controlled.” Deaths are also going up: On Thursday, Florida reported 156 new fatalities, its highest number yet. It was one of 10 states to reach a record for deaths in a single day this week, joining Alabama, Arizona, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas and Utah, the Times reported. As case counts and deaths have continued to climb, more states, cities and major retailers have turned to face…  read on >