Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
The once-nationwide fitness test for young people etched itself into people’s memories, according to experts in exercise testing, physiology and behavior. (Reynolds, 8/10)
Passengers are facing blocked wheelchair space, getting stuck in doors and suffering other indignities 35 years after the Americans With Disabilities Act became law. (Castro-Root, 8/14)
The original formulation of the soft drink 7Up contained lithium; the drink was marketed under the name Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda. The lithium was removed in 1948 after the Food and Drug Administration banned the use of lithium citrate in soft drinks. (Johnson, 8/9)
A guitarist in a death metal band was one of several people who found that personalized deep brain stimulation eased their pain and helped them reduce pain medication. (Belluck, 8/14)
When Dariya Quenneville’s infant daughter was ready for solid food, she skipped the mushed up avocado and banana. On the menu instead? Raw egg yolk and puréed chicken liver. (Petersen, 8/12)
Nurdles, a colloquial term for the plastic pellets, are the raw material used for nearly all plastic products. Lentil-sized, at between 1-5mm, they can be devastating to wildlife, especially fish, shrimps and seabirds that mistake them for food. They also act as “toxic sponges,” attracting so-called forever chemicals such as PCBs and PFAs in seawater on to their surfaces, and also carry harmful bacteria such as E coli. (McVeigh and Shaii, 8/12)
Erin Kissane a group of about 80 volunteers launched “Unbreaking” in May, a digital project focused on “mapping the damage done [by the Trump administration] and its human costs.” The website monitors a growing number of issues, including the defunding of food safety programs and Medicaid. (Pratt, 8/11)
