When it's hot, drink more water; here are ways to get that done

Photo illustration from CDC

Kentucky Health News

Staying hydrated is essential to maintaining health, especially during summer months. Aside from preventing dehydration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that water helps your body maintain normal temperature, facilitate joint movement and protection, protect sensitive tissues like your spinal cord and remove waste through sweat, urination and bowel movements.

Here are tips for staying hydrated this summer, and there are more available at cdc.gov/healthy-weight-growth/water-healthy-drinks/index.html.

Upgrade your water bottle. Buying a reusable water bottle to refill throughout the day can help ensure you drink enough water. Freezing pre-filled plastic water bottles can be a great way to make sure you have access to cold water throughout the day, especially if you plan to spend an extended amount of time outside. Consider buying a flavor-infusing water bottle to add fruit flavors to your water if you dislike the taste of plain water.

Cut back on other drinks. Substitute water for sugary drinks like sodas or teas when you feel thirsty and consume alcohol, caffeine and energy drinks in moderation. Sports drinks can be a good way to restore electrolytes after prolonged periods of sweating and heavy physical activity, but avoid consuming them outside of regenerating electrolytes. Remember that choosing to drink water as often as possible will help keep you hydrated.

Make water part of your meals. Water is usually a drink option at restaurants, so choose to order water when given the opportunity. If you plan to host dinners or parties this summer, serve water and water-based drinks with your meals. Serve recipes with fruits and vegetables that contain water, like cucumbers and tomatoes. Whether you plan to eat indoors or outside, consider keeping a pitcher of ice water on the table during meals so guests can refill their glasses as they need to. Add a wedge of lime or lemon to your water.

Some other beverages can be part of healthy eating patterns: Plain coffee or teas, sparkling water, seltzers, and flavored waters are low-calorie choices. Low-fat or fat-free milk; unsweetened, fortified milk alternatives; and 100% fruit or vegetable juice contain important nutrients. Enjoy these drinks within recommended calorie limits. Milk contains important nutrients such as calcium, potassium, and vitamin D.

What about other beverages? Here's what the CDC says:

• Sugary drinks: Regular sodas, fruit drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, sweetened waters, and sweetened coffee and tea contain calories but little nutritional value. Learn how to Rethink Your Drink.
• Alcoholic drinks: If you choose to drink alcohol, do so in moderation.
• Caffeinated drinks: Moderate caffeine consumption (up to 400 mg per day) can be a part of a healthy diet. That's about 3 to 5 cups of plain coffee.
• Drinks with sugar alternatives: Drinks that are labeled "sugar-free" or "diet" likely contain high-intensity sweeteners, such as sucralose, aspartame, or saccharine. These sweeteners may reduce caloric intake in the short term. However, there are many questions about the sweeteners' effectiveness for long-term weight management.
• Energy drinks: In addition to added sugar, these products may also contain large amounts of caffeine and other legal stimulants. Concerns have been raised about the potential health risks of these products, especially for young people. 

Regularly consuming water during the summer will help you stay hydrated and healthy. Find more resources about water and hydration at nutrition.gov/topics/basic-nutrition/water-hydration-and-health and heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/fitness-basics/staying-hydrated-staying-healthy.

Several Ky. water systems exceed new federal limits for 'forever chemicals'; all systems must test for 3 years, correct if needed

WKYT map, adapted by Kentucky Health News

By Al Cross
Kentucky Health News

Several Kentucky water systems, mostly on and near the Ohio River, will have to fund ways to reduce certain cancer-causing substaces for which the first federal limits were issued Wednesday, April 10.

The substances are PFAS, a joint acronym for per-fluoroalkyl and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, which are widespread and last a long time in the environment without breaking down, so they accumulate in the human body. They have been linked to low birth weights, liver disease and kidney cancer.

The substances have been used in waterproof clothing, nonstick frying pans and firefighting foam. For example, PFOS was the key ingredient in the fabric protector Scotchgard and related stain repellents, and PFOA was used in carpeting, cloth and sealants.

Public water systems will test for the chemicals for three years. If the limits are exceeded, the new Environmental Protection Agency rules will give them two more years to install treatment systems.

The state Department for Environmental Protection listed these water systems as exceeding the new limits of 4 parts per trillion: Ashland (4.74 PFOA), Augusta (4.43 PFOA), Cynthiana (8.35 PFOS), Georgetown (5.46 PFOS), Lewisport (Hancock County, 12.7 PFOS), Maysville (5.09 PFOA), North Marshall County Water District (11.8 PFOA), Paducah (4.54 PFOS, 4.07 PFOA), Russell (5.62 PFOA), South Shore (23.2 PFOA, 18.9 PFOS). The last two towns are in Greenup County.

The Louisville Water Co.'s Payne Plant at Prospect had a PFOS level of 4.31, but the level at its Crescent Hill plant was only 2.75.

Some water systems exceeded the EPA requirements in at least one test in 2019 and 2023 but were not listed as exceeding the new limits during the period. Those were Brandenburg, the Graves County Water District, Hardin County Water District No. 2, Henderson (north), Kuttawa, Morganfield, Northern Kentucky Water District (Fort Thomas), Owensboro, Providence, Sturgis and Worthington (Greenup County).

Erin Haynes, chair of epidemiology and environmental health at the University of Kentucky, has studied the chemicals for many years. “It’s all around us,” she told WKYT. “So we need to just be conscientious of different sources and how we can do our best to reduce our exposure. But analyzing it and reducing the levels in our drinking water is a wonderful step in the right direction.”

"Some funds are available to help utilities," The Associated Press reports. "Manufacturer 3M recently agreed to pay more than $10 billion to drinking water providers to settle PFAS litigation. And the bipartisan infrastructure law includes billions to combat the substance. But utilities say more will be needed."

Anti-fluoride legislators cry 'local control' and 'forced medication;' dentists say it's been proven to reduce tooth decay for 70+ years

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention graphic; click to enlarge

By Deborah Yetter

Kentucky Lantern

As a dental hygienist working with low-income schoolchildren in Louisville, Jennifer Hasch said the untreated tooth disease she saw was shocking.

Some teens had decay so severe they had to have all their teeth pulled and be fitted with dentures. Middle-school kids reported being unable to sleep because of pain from infected and abscessed teeth. First- and second-graders required inpatient oral surgery under anesthesia because of the severity of tooth and gum disease.

“It was heart-wrenching,” said Hasch, who’s on the steering committee of the Kentucky Oral Health Coalition.

Adults don’t fare much better.

Kentucky ranks 49th in overall oral health and is among the top states in the number of toothless, older adults. And last year, a University of Kentucky oral health physician described to legislators patients being air-lifted to the UK hospital because of life-threatening infections from dental disease.

Yet a group of lawmakers led by Rep. Mark Hart, R-Falmouth, is pushing a bill to make fluoridation optional for local water districts, despite what Hasch and others, including the American Dental Association and the Kentucky Dental Association, say is overwhelming evidence fluoride safely helps reduce tooth decay.

“It’s a bill that will undo an unfunded mandate and return the issue to local control,” Hart said, speaking before the Feb. 7 meeting of the House State Government Committee in support of his House Bill 141.

Hasch and other oral health professionals are fighting HB 141, which would eliminate the fluoridation mandate established in 1954.

“There are kids that already are suffering,” Hasch said. “Water fluoridation protects that from getting worse.”

Dr. Stephen Robertson, executive director of the state dental association, urged lawmakers to reject HB 141, saying “Kentucky is not in a position to take a step backward in oral health.”

“Please listen to our professional advice and continue to provide consistent fluoride access to our patients in community water supplies,” urged Mary Ann Burch, representing the Kentucky Association of Dental Hygienists.

They didn’t.

Instead, the committee approved HB 141 by a vote of 16-1, framing it not as a public health issue but rather one of local autonomy. The bill now is pending in the House.

“This is a local control issue,” said co-sponsor Rep. William Lawrence, R-Maysville. His city was the first in Kentucky to add fluoride to its drinking water supply in 1951.

“Local control — that’s what this bill is about,” said Rep. Steve Rawlings, R-Burlington, also a co-sponsor.

“Let’s just leave it to local control,” said Rep. Kevin Bratcher, R-Louisville.

In all, six members of the committee cited “local control” as grounds for passing HB 141. Rep. Keturah Herron, D-Louisville, cast the only no vote.

Bill hasn't moved since Feb. 9

After getting out of committee, the bill went to the House Rules Committee, which is controlled by House leaders. It has been there since Feb. 9, which could indicate that its sponsors haven't yet rounded up the votes to pass it through the full House.

Meanwhile, though, the prospect of allowing local water utilities to eliminate fluoride from drinking water has Kentucky dental and public health officials frantic.

“Other than setting my hair on fire, there’s not enough words I can say that this is a critically important step, if Kentucky takes it, to harm developing teeth, children’s teeth and adult teeth,” Dr. Connie White, Kentucky’s deputy public health commissioner, said on a recent call with health advocates.

Fluoride reduces cavities by 25%, White said.

Not only will it lead to even more tooth decay than Kentucky already has, she said, it will drive up costs of Medicaid, a government health plan for low-income individuals that covers nearly half of Kentucky’s children.

Filling one cavity in a child costs Medicaid about $250, which could add million of dollars to the cost of the program, White said.

Already facing a shortage of dentists in the state, especially pediatric dentists, removing fluoride from community water supplies will mean longer delays in care, Hasch said.

“We don’t have the resources to handle that increase,” Hasch said. “All these dental providers are desperately trying to catch up with the current need.”

Dr. Bill Collins, a longtime dentist in Eastern Kentucky, said too many children in rural areas on well or cistern water already lack access to fluoridated water and suffer much more from dental decay as a result. Compounding the problem is high use of sugary sodas and lack of access to oral health care throughout the state.

He said he’s baffled about why lawmakers want to remove the fluoride mandate.

“They don’t see the need for fluoride because they haven’t experienced the decay that we have out in the rural areas,” said Collins, director of the Red Bird Mission dental clinic in Beverly, in northern Bell County. “If this happens, they’re going to experience it and they should be held responsible.”

‘Grounded in science’

Kentucky's statewide adoption of fluoridation, hailed as one of the major public-health advances of the past century by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has made Kentucky a national leader, advocates said.

A naturally-occurring mineral, flouride helps strengthen tooth enamel and prevent decay when added to water in small amounts, Hasch said. It helps when children’s teeth are developing, but the main benefit is topical exposure to fluoride from drinking treated water.

The recommended level is 0.7 parts per million, which Hasch said is comparable to adding one drop of fluoride to about 11 gallons.

The Louisville Water Co., the state’s largest public water provider, has been adding fluoride to water it gets from the Ohio River since 1951, said spokeswoman Kelley Dearing Smith.

The river water already contains some natural fluoride and the water company adds enough to bring it to the recommended level, she said.

“We are grounded in public health,” she said. “Everything we do is grounded in science.”

The Louisville Water Co. joined insurer Delta Dental of Kentucky, the dental and dental hygienists associations, the Oral Health Coalition and the Kentucky Primary Care Association in a letter to legislators urging them to reject HB 141.

“Community water fluoridation is a safe, reliable cost-effective prevention measure to keep teeth strong and reduce cavities by at least 25%,” the letter said. “We are deeply concerned about any efforts to make water fluoridation programs optional in our communities.”

‘Forced medication’

Questions about fluoride’s safety and efficacy have persisted over the years, despite evidence to the contrary. 

Four rural water districts submitted letters in support of HB 141: the Grayson County Water District, Irvine Municipal Utilities, the Martin County Utility Board and the McCreary County Water District.

Craig Miller, division manager for the Martin County water utility.], wrote, “The facts are out there proving fluoridation of water is dangerous to human health.” He said eliminating fluoridation would save Martin County about $14,000 a year, which he said could be better spent upgrading the problem-plagued water system.

Nina McCoy, a longtime activist for better water in Martin County and a member of the utility board said she wasn’t consulted on HB 141 and the board didn’t vote on the matter. She suggested legislators defer to public health officials. “I don’t pretend to be an expert in this at all,” she said.

A letter from Stephen Whitaker, superintendent of the McCreary water district, cited potential “adverse effects of fluoridation” including thyroid, tooth and bone problems.

Lawrence, a co-sponsor of HB 141, called adding fluoride to water “forced medication.”

Hasch, with the Oral Health Coalition, dismissed claims of studies linking water fluoridation to health problems as “junk science” and said the overwhelming body of research supports it as safe and effective.

Collins, who has practiced dentistry in Eastern Kentucky for more than three decades, said he doesn’t understand persistent distrust of fluoride.

“I really don’t understand why they are so adamant about removing this,” he said. “It’s something that’s time-tested and shown to be a good thing and it’s safe. It’s just mind boggling.”

State finds several water systems, most on the Ohio, have levels of 'forever chemicals' above a limit being considered by EPA

Kentucky Lantern graph from state data, adapted by Kentucky Health News

By Liam Niemeyer
Kentucky Lantern

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS or “forever chemicals,” are in Kentucky’s rivers and lakes. The chemicals are accumulating inside Kentucky’s fish. They are in municipal water treatment systems, and some have levels higher than a proposed federal limit..

That is what the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection has found the past few years as it has investigated how widespread PFAS is in Kentucky’s drinking water and environment, the department’s commissioner told a state legislative committee Thursday.

“We have gathered a lot of information. None of the information that we’ve gathered has been or ever was intended to be used for regulatory purposes,” said DEP Commissioner Tony Hatton. “We’re looking at it primarily from a public-health standpoint, and primarily from a drinking-water aspect.”

Chemicals classified as PFAS have been used for decades in a wide variety of industrial purposes, from firefighting foam to nonstick cooking ware because they are highly heat-resistant and stick-resistant. The resistance comes from their strong chemical bonds; they are dubbed “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down easily in the environment.

These chemicals also have a wide range of potential detrimental health impacts at high levels: increased risk of some cancers, hormonal changes, increased cholesterol levels, decreased vaccine responses in children and more.

Hatton said the Energy and Environment Cabinet has done its “investigative work” and conducted the testing not only to be aware of how widespread PFAS was in state waters but to prepare for proposed federal regulations setting maximum limits on how much of some kinds of PFAS are allowed in drinking water.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sets legal limits for over 90 contaminants in drinking water, but not for PFAS. EPA has health advisory limits, which are unenforceable, that advise how much PFAS exposure is needed over a lifetime before adverse health effects occur. That limit is set at .004 parts per trillion (ppt) for one version of the chemical.

The legally enforceable maximum limit the EPA is proposing would cap two types of PFAS at 4 ppt. State officials have found much higher levels of PFAS in some municipal water systems in Kentucky.

Sen. Robin Webb

The water in the Greenup County town of South Shore had 23.2 ppt of one type of the chemical, the highest in the state, Louisville Public Media reported. And the 1,100 residents of the Ohio River town were not notified, state Sen. Robin Webb of Grayson said at meeting of the Interim Joint Committee on Natural Resources and Energy.

“No notice requirements, people. And that’s a problem. I think we all have the right to be notified when we’re dealing with the commodity that’s necessary for life,” Webb said. “This is a big deal.”

In the sampling so far, most of the water systems with PFAS levels above the proposed federal limit are on the Ohio River. Earlier this year, the state sued the DuPont chemical company, alleging PFAS pollution in Kentucky from a West Virginia facility upstream on the Ohio. The state is demanding the company pay all past and future costs for monitoring and treating PFAS in drinking water.

Treating water for PFAS won't be cheap

Webb, a Democrat, said the Republican-dominated legislature should consider providing more funding to water systems in the next two-year budget, especially with the pending federal limit on PFAS.

Sen. Brandon Smith, R-Hazard, asked Hatton if forever chemicals had been seen in fish caught in Kentucky waters; the commissioner replied that a state report found PFAS in all of the 98 fish samples taken throughout the state.

Past Democrat-led efforts to regulate PFAS through state legislation have gained little traction. Rep. Nima Kulkarni, D-Louisville, has been the primary sponsor of bills the past three years to set maximum limits in drinking water and discharge limits into state waters. A version of the legislation in 2023 was not even assigned to a House committee.

Hatton said PFAS can be filtered out at water utilities, but treatment is expensive. He said the city of Leitchfield, which draws water from Rough River Lake, is asking the state for financial help to the tune of $1 million to implement a granular activated-carbon filter.

Activted carbon is “great stuff, but once the receptors get filled, it doesn’t want to hold on to anything anymore, you have to regenerate it or replace it. So there’s gonna be ongoing costs,” Hatton said.

He said the state is focusing on how to treat drinking water systems for PFAS before addressing the other “complex” aspects of the issue, including the sources of forever chemicals.

Sen. Cassie Chambers-Armstrong, D-Louisville, urged officials to also address potential sources of PFAS exposure, for example, in children’s products, in addition to focusing on drinking water.

New Kentucky website provides data, maps and charts on how the environment affects human health, county by county

The website's address is Healthtracking.ky.gov.

The state Department for Public Health has launched a new resource for tracking a variety of topics that affect health in Kentucky. 

The website Healthtracking.ky.gov not only includes information and data about how the environment affects human health in a number of ways, but also presents data in map, chart or table formats for subcategories in each topic area. 

For example, under the category of heart disease and stroke, the site also provides information about the age-adjusted rate of hospitalization for heart attacks in each county, the crude rate of hospitalizations for heart attack in each county, and the number of hospitalizations for heart attack in each county. 

Other topics include: air quality, asthma, birth defects, cancer, childhood lead poisoning, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), carbon-monoxide poisoning, climate and weather, drinking water, heat-related illness, radon (a naturally occuring, cancer-causing gas) and reproductive and birth outcomes. 

Data on the new site comes from several counrse, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Kentucky Cancer Registry, state and local Health Departments and many others. Data can be examined at a state or county level.

The site also offers online maps with information about local health departments, prescription assistance, social vulnerability, and community vulnerability to Covid-19. It is managed by the health department's Environmental Public Health Tracking Program.

Ky. Covid-19 death trend at new high; new cases keep falling but 7-day average is 7th in U.S.; positive-test percentage falls again

New York Times chart, labeled by Kentucky Health News; it is updated daily on the Times site.

By Al Cross
Kentucky Health News

Kentucky's Covid-19 death trend reached a new high Friday, but the percentage of Kentuckians testing positive for the novel coronavirus dropped to a level not seen for five and a half weeks. Meanwhile, the number of daily new cases kept falling but remained one of the highest in the nation.

State officials listed 50 more deaths from the disease, 43 confirmed and seven probable, raising Kentucky's death toll to 3,971.

The daily death count was the third highest of the pandemic, but daily figures are for deaths that are listed after case reviews that can take weeks. A better measure is the 14-day rolling average of deaths, which reached 45.3, the highest yet. Nationally, daily deaths topped 5,000 for the first time.

The state reported 2,261 new cases of the coronavirus, lowering its seven-day rolling average to 2,262, the lowest since Dec. 30. However, most other states' new-case numbers have also been declining, so Kentucky's average was the seventh highest in the country, according to The New York Times. The state's seven-day death average ranked 23rd.

In a press release, Gov. Andy Beshear reminded Kentuckians to keep their Super Bowl gatherings small and safe.

“No matter who you’re rooting for on Sunday, let’s make sure we hold on to our progress against this virus as Team Kentucky,” he said. “We’ve already vaccinated 10% of our population and every day we get closer to the finish line we’ve all been waiting for. Hang in there and do what it takes to protect each other a little bit longer.”

Hospital measures of the pandemic declined. Kentucky hospitals reported 1,318 Covid-19 patients, the fewest since Nov. 12; 330 of those were in intensive care and 167 of those were on ventilators.

Only two hospital-readiness regions reported more than 80 percent of their intensive-care beds full: Lake Cumberland, 95.6%, and the easternmost region, from Lee to Pike counties, 85.3%.

The 50 additional fatalities were an Allen County woman, 87; an Anderson County woman, 74, a Bath County man, 57; a Boone County man, 64; two Campbell County men, 72 and 90; a Casey County woman, 63; a Clay County man, 76; a Daviess County woman, 69; three Fayette County men, 76, 88 and 94; a Grayson County woman, 88; a Hardin County woman, 78; two Hardin County men, 59 and 88; five Jefferson County women, 55, 61, 72, 81 and 87; five Jefferson County men, 52, 62, 62, 65 and 70; three Kenton County women, 68, 75 and 76; a Kenton County man, 71; a Knott County woman, 85; a LaRue County man, 65; two Letcher County women, 76 and 88; a Letcher County man, 84; a Lincoln County man, 92; a McLean County man, 68; a Marshall County woman, 87; a Meade County woman, 64; a Menifee County woman, 86; two Nelson County men, 49 and 66; an Ohio County woman, 82; two Perry County women, 79 and 89; a Pike County man, 89; a Pulaski County man, 63; a Robertson County man, 82; a Rowan County woman, 58; and a Shelby County man, 78.

Counties with 10 or more new cases were: Jefferson, 394; Fayette, 135; Boone, 115; Kenton, 112; Daviess, 68; Campbell, 64; Warren, 64; Pulaski, 54; Christian, 53; Hardin, 52; Webster, 45; Laurel, 43; Nelson, 39; Graves, 34; Bullitt, 31; Jessamine, 31; McCracken, 30; Scott, 30; Madison, 29; Grant, 26; Floyd, Franklin, Henderson and Oldham, 24; Hopkins and Pike, 22; Anderson and Barren, 21; Clark, 20; Boyd and Whitley, 17; Knox, Marshall and Ohio, 16; Bell, Greenup, Mason, Shelby and Woodford, 15; Allen, Johnson and Logan, 14; Clay, Marion, Meade and Taylor, 13; Muhlenberg and Russell, 12; Perry, 11; and Calloway, Hart, Mercer, Montgomery and Morgan, 10.

In other coronavirus news Friday:

• Black Kentuckians' share of coronavirus cases and deaths continued to decline, according to the state's daily report. They are 8.5% of cases, equal to their share of the state's population, and 8.6% of deaths. Early in the pandemic, those rates were double or almost double the population percentage.
• After years of declining drug-overdose deaths in Fayette County, it had more than ever last year, the Lexington Herald-Leader reports. That reflects the preliminary report from the state drug-policy director that when the cases are reviewed and compiled, 2020 will be a record year for overdoses in Kentucky. Jeremy Chisenall, citing substance-abuse official Amy Baker, reports: "Restrictions put in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus meant many face-to-face support meetings and other therapies were stopped or curtailed."
• In rate cases, the state Public Service Commission is ordering utilities to drop surcharges for late payment of bills, saying they have “no material effect on the percentage of customers paying on time,” by freshman Rep. Josh Bray, R-Mt. Vernon, has a bill to let them charge the fees no matter what the PSC says, John Cheves reports for the Herald-Leader.

Algal bloom warning issued for Ohio River above Louisville

The state Division of Water and Department for Public Health are warning people not to swim, wade or ski in the Ohio River from the McAlpine Dam at Louisville upstream to the Greenup Dam because several sections of the river have toxic algal blooms.

"Water ingested during recreational activities in this area may increase the risk of gastrointestinal symptoms such as stomach pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea," the warning says. "Skin, eye, and throat irritation and/or breathing difficulties, skin rashes, as well as numbness or tingling of limbs may also occur after contact."

The state said toxins in the Cincinnati area "were well above the advisory threshold. Toxin-producing blooms that exceeded the advisory threshold were also identified on the Ohio River near Dover, and near Towhead Island in Louisville -- and additionally at Briggs Lake in Logan County," which was also included in the warning.

"Bloom conditions can change rapidly," the state advises, giving tips to avoid exposure to harmful algal blooms (HABs):
• Avoid direct contact, including swimming, wading, paddling, diving, and water skiing, with affected water that has a visible bloom, unusual color, or algal scum.
• People who are prone to respiratory allergies or asthma should avoid areas with HABs. Children may be particularly at risk.
• If contact has been made with water containing blue-green algae, wash off with fresh water. In some cases, skin irritation will appear after prolonged exposure. If symptoms persist, consult your health care provider.
• If fishing in affected waters, fish fillets (not internal organs) may be consumed after the fillets have been rinsed in clean, potable water.
• Prevent pets and livestock from coming into contact with water where HABs are apparent.

If you are concerned that you have symptoms that are a result of exposure to HABs, please see your doctor and call your local health department. For additional information about harmful algal blooms in Kentucky, visit the Division of Water’s HAB webage.

"Blue-green algae occur naturally in the environment and are a vital part of the ecosystem," the state says. "Harmful algal blooms arise when there are excess nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen), sunny conditions, warm temperatures, and low-flow or low-water conditions. The more typical green algae, which do not produce toxins, come in many forms.

"Harmful algal blooms, on the other hand, appear as slicks of opaque, bright-green paint, but closer inspection often reveals the grainy, sawdust-like appearance of individual colonies. The color of the algae may also appear red or brown."

Environmental group lists Ky. among top 5 states for number of people affected by violations of safe drinking water regulations

Kentucky is ranked in the top five states for the number of people affected by health-based violations of federal drinking water laws, Erica Peterson reports for WFPL in Louisville, drawing on a report from the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group.

The NRDC identified water systems with at least one reported violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act. Most of the violations involved disinfection byproducts, coliform bacteria, pathogens, nitrates, nitrites, lead and copper. The violations are estimated to affect more than 1.5 million Kentuckians.

“What our review of EPA data found is that nearly 77 million Americans are served by community water systems that have violations,” Erik Olson, NRDC health program director and co-author of the report, told Peterson. “That represents about one in four Americans.”

State officials disagreed with the non-profit’s characterization of violations. In an statement In an emailed statement to WFPL, Energy and Environment Cabinet spokesman John Mura said the safety of drinking water in the commonwealth is a top priority for regulators and that the NRDC report was not based in fact, Peterson reports.

“NRDC’s characterization of public drinking water is irresponsible and does not promote meaningful dialogue regarding the important concerns of safe drinking water and drinking water infrastructure investment,” Mura wrote.

Peterson writes that NRDC's "estimate of violations is lower than the actual figures" in an Energy and Environment Cabinet report, which shows Kentucky water systems had nearly a thousand violations of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act in 2015; and 142 of them, or 14 percent, are listed as resolved. The NRDC says this lack of enforcement is a national trend.

Statewide and county-level data that list the number of people served by each water system and the number of violations is available on the NRDC website on an interactive map. The report notes that most of the drinking water violations occur in rural areas, and "systems serving less than 500 people accounted for nearly 70 percent of all violations and a little over half of all health-based violations."

Most of Kentucky's water violations of the Combined Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts rule, which establishes health standards for water systems that add disinfectants, like chlorine, to their water. Adding chemicals to disinfect water has established benefits, but they can react with naturally occurring chemicals in water to create byproducts that can harm human health if not managed properly.

A $500 million program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture has been available for infrastructure improvements for rural water systems, and was fully funded in the latest federal spending agreement that goes through September, but its future could be uncertain because President Donald Trump originally eliminated this funding in his budget proposal.

Water remains the best way to keep kids hydrated while playing sports; sports and energy drinks not necessary

                                       manhoodtv.com

Sports drinks start flying off the shelf as the heat of summer and outdoor sporting activities begin, but health experts say water, not sugar-filled sports drinks, is the best choice for hydration -- especially for children.

“Sports drinks can replenish some of what you lost during exercise, but you really need to be exercising for more than 45 minutes to an hour before you would consider that,” Dr. Matthew Silvis, director of primary-care sports medicine at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, said in a "Medical Minute" news release. “Many of our kids are not doing enough to warrant it.”

And with most 20 ounce sports drinks having about 9 teaspoons or 3 tablespoons of added sugar in them, the release notes that this only adds to the nation's childhood obesity epidemic. The American Heart Association recommends that children and teens should consume less than 6 teaspoons of added sugars a day (4 grams of sugar equals 1 teaspoon).

Thirty-six percent of Kentucky's children are either overweight or obese, and studies show that overweight children are likely to become overweight adults.

“Kids and adolescents really should not be using these drinks,” Dr. Katie Gloyer, a primary care sports medicine physician at Penn State Medical Group in State College, said in the release. “Water is the best method of hydration.”

Another concern is the emergence of energy drinks, which are loaded with caffeine and other stimulants.

The release notes that energy drinks are not regulated, contain harmful products and easily exceed safe levels of caffeine and other stimulants, adding that they "can elevate blood pressure and cause cardiac problems such as palpitations and arrhythmias, not to mention giving the user headaches, an upset stomach and a general jittery or nervous feeling."

"For children and adolescents, energy drinks can be downright dangerous," it says.

“If they are playing 30- or 45-minute halves, they should have a water break and maybe add fresh orange slices or a granola bar to add a bit of sugar and/or protein at an appropriate level,” Silvis suggested.

And for post-workout recovery, he said either low-fat or whole chocolate milk works just as well – if not better – than the fancy recovery drinks now on the market.

However, he added that if weight loss is the goal, water is always the best choice: “Otherwise you can end up drinking more calories than you burned while exercising.”

Tips for staying healthy and safe on Kentucky's waters

Brad Molnar on Taylorsville Lake
(Courier-Journal file photo, 2003)

The state Division of Water and Department for Public Health offer tips to help Kentuckians stay safe and healthy as they go boating, fishing, swimming or otherwise recreate in the state's waterways this summer:

• Avoid ingesting or inhaling the water.
• Thoroughly clean hands and other areas that have come in contact with the water.
• Avoid allowing open wounds to have direct contact with the water.
• Avoid areas where swimming or harmful algal bloom advisories have been issued.
• Avoid water with obvious odors or surface scums.
• Avoid getting in water after heavy rainfall, especially in dense residential, urban and agricultural areas.
• Avoid areas below wastewater-treatment outfalls, animal feedlots, straight pipes or other obvious sources of pollution.
• Restrict pets and livestock from drinking the water if a bright green or blue-green surface scum is present.

James Bruggers, environmental reporter for The Courier-Journal, reminds us: "The Clean Water Act of 1972 declared that all waterways in the United States were to be 'fishable and swimmable' by 1985. We've made progress, but we have a long way to go. Be safe out there."

Mercury levels prompt warning to eat top-predator fish no more than once a month, other Ky. fish no more than once a week

All Kentuckians should limit consumption of fish from the state's waters because they are too contaminated with mercury, according to the latest official advisories.

Previously, only children 6 or younger and women of childbearing age were advised to take care eating Kentucky fish. "State officials have found more fish in more waterways with higher levels of mercury, so they've tightened up their consumption warnings," explains James Bruggers, environmental writer for The Courier-Journal. Mercury comes largely from coal-fired power plants; Kentucky gets about 90 percent of its electricity from coal.

“Contaminants, like mercury, can be harmful to the brain and nervous system if a person is exposed to too much of them," Kathy Fowler, director of the Division of Public Health Protection and Safety, said in a news release. "We ask that Kentuckians be mindful of the kinds and amounts of fish they consume, particularly more sensitive populations such as infants, young children and pregnant women.”

The advisories are not as strong for panfish (bluegill, crappie, rock bass and sunfish) and bottom-feeders (buffalo, carp, most catfish, creek chub, drum, redhorse, sturgeon and sucker); as they are for top predators, where mercury can accumulate through the food chain. Those include bass, blue and flathead catfish, gar, muskie, sauger and walleye.

The general public is advised to eat no more than one meal per month of predatory fish and no more than one meal per week of panfish and bottom feeder fish. Sensitive populations (women of childbearing age and children 6 and younger) are advised to eat no more than six meals per year of predatory fish and no more than one meal per month of panfish and bottom feeder fish. A meal for a 150-pound person is considered to be 8 ounces. Here's a chart:

Special advisories remain in effect for certain bodies of water that have been contaminated for years, such as the Mud River, ruined by polychlorinated biphenyls from the Rockwell International plant in Russellville. Here is that chart:

Zika virus, which can cause small heads and brains in newborns, will get to Kentucky, but experts disagree on its likely impact

The Zika virus that has been linked to birth defects (abnormally small heads and brains in newborns) is exploding in South America and will eventually show up in Kentucky, but its impact in the state is hard to predict.

The virus, for which there is no cure or vaccine, "seems destined to reach the United States, and probably sooner rather than later," Lena H. Sun and Brady Dennis report for The Washington Post. "What is far less certain, say public health and infectious disease experts, is Zika’s potential reach and impact here. The South is seen as especially vulnerable because of its warm, humid climate and pockets of poverty where more people live without air conditioning or proper window screens. Plus, the region is already home to mosquitoes that can transmit the virus."

The mosquito of main concern, the Asian tiger mosquito, has been reported many times in Kentucky; one of potential concern, the yellow-fever mosquito, has been reported in Indiana.

Washington Post graphic emendated by Kentucky Health News

"Nearly three dozen cases have been confirmed to date in 11 states and the District of Columbia," but the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "acknowledges that the number is growing rapidly," the Post notes. "In each, the person was believed to have been infected while out of the country." The CDC has extended its travel warning northward to the Caribbean.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, "is playing down the potential for a significant eruption of Zika here," the Post reports. "He notes that dengue and chikungunya, diseases transmitted by the same kinds of mosquitoes, are widespread in Latin America, but their foothold in the United States has been controlled, with only small clusters of cases."

However, Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, told the Post, “I think we’re in for real trouble in the United States,” because Zika can spread quickly. "He focuses on conditions throughout the Gulf Coast, where stagnant water sources — in uncollected garbage, discarded tires, untended bird baths — can be ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes much of the year."

West Virginia researcher says mountaintop-removal mining correlates with poor health in Central Appalachia, including Ky.

Michael Hendryx

By Tim Mandell
Kentucky Health News

No apparent health disparity exists in Appalachia except in areas where mountaintop removal is occurring, said Michael Hendryx, professor at the School of Public Health at Indiana University, during a lecture Thursday at the University of Kentucky. Hendrix's lecture, "Mountaintop Mining and Public Health," examined scientific research—conducted by him and others—into health effects in Appalachia since large-scale mountaintop removal was introduced in the 1990s. Hendrix, who was part of a 2010 study that called for an end of mountaintop removal, did most of his research in West Virginia, which shares most of the Central Applachian coalfield with Kentucky.

Hendrix presented data comparing Appalachian areas that have mountaintop removal with Appalachian areas without it, showing that heart, lung and kidney disease, cardiovascular and respiratory disease, and birth defects are all typically more common in areas with mountaintop removal. Also, air and drinking-water pollution—consisting of both well water and public water—are usually higher in mountaintop removal areas.

Hendryx said politicians have stood in the way of eliminating mountaintop removal, despite plenty of scientific evidence of its negative impact on public health. "It's surprising the political and economic power that the coal industry still has," he said. "It doesn't produce the jobs that it used to. It's clearly in decline. Yet it seems to me that politicians will still fall all over each to see who's more pro-coal, and that still seems to influence voters."

While some have called efforts for clean energy a "war on coal," Hendryx argues that coal-depressed communities can find other ways to improve local economies. "Some of the regions have coal; some don't," he said. "They're hilly, they're forested, they're rural . . . the places that didn't have coal developed other ways for people to make a living. . . . If you look at the data, it's clear that the areas that have the heaviest mining have the highest unemployment rates, the highest poverty rates, the lowest income levels. The other areas that didn't have coal developed better alternatives to generate better economies."

Asked for a reply, Kentucky Coal Association President Bill Bissett said, “Anti-coal ideologue Michael Hendryx continues his road show against coal production and use by, once again, committing sins of commission in discussing his research. He won’t tell you that he gathers his data by employing environmental groups, like Restore Eden, to do his interviews, so should we expect any result than one that agrees with this anti-coal agenda?"

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)

29 Kentucky water systems violated health-related standards for drinking water in 2013; here's a detailed list

Twenty-nine Kentucky water systems committed health-related violations of federal drinking-water rules in 2013. Each public water system is required to give its customers an annual report on its adherence to the federal Safe Drinking Water Act and state regulations implementing it, but the notices usually produce few news stories, even when they are published in local newspapers.

The reports from the state Division of Water to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency report the violations in the aggregate, not the specific, so Kentucky Health News asked the division for a list. The most common violations were for compounds that are usually a byproduct of drinking-water chlorination: trihalomethanes, some of which can cause cancer, and haloacetic acids, which are suspected of being carcinogenic but have not been proven to be so. Other violations were for the presence of coliform bacteria, which are common in the feces of warm-blooded animals, and turbidity, which has no direct effects but can make water more susceptible to contamination.

The systems in violation of the health-related standards were (one each unless noted): Beattyville (turbidity and coliforms), Campton (2 for haloacetic acids), Carlisle (trihaolmethanes, 2 for haloacetic acids), Cave Run Regional Water (2 for organic carbon), Christian County (coliforms), Earlington (coliforms), Falmouth (haloacetic acids), Franklin (turbidity), Hartford (3 for trihaolmethanes, 4 for haloacetic acids), Hazard (haloacetic acids), Jessamine County (coliforms), Jessamine South Elkhorn (coliforms), Kentucky-American Water Co. (turbidity), Kirksville (coliforms), Knox County (coliforms), East Laurel (coliforms), Liberty (2 for haloacetic acids), Lynch (4 for organic carbon), McKee (3 for turbidity), Martin County (trihaolmethanes, haloacetic acids), Mayking Head Start Center (trihaolmethanes), Millersburg (2 for haloacetic acids), North McLean County (turbidity, coliforms), Morehead (turbidity), Rattlesnake Ridge (coliforms), Salyersville (turbidity), Warren County (coliforms), Williamstown (turbidity), Ellis Park (coliforms) and Northpoint Training Center (haloacetic acids). For a list of the violations by category, click here.

Poll gauges Kentuckians' consumption, sources and opinions of drinking water; E. Ky. likes bottled water more than other areas

Drinking water is necessary for the human body to work properly. Because one can consume water through drinking other beverages or eating foods like lettuce, tomatoes, oranges and melons, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not recommend drinking a particular number of cups per day. However, it does recommend drinking water instead of other high-calorie beverages, especially if a person is trying to remain at a healthy weight, according to the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky's latest release of information from its 2013 Kentucky Health Issues Poll.

The poll, in October and November, gauged Kentuckians' consumption, sources and opinions of their drinking water. While 24 percent reported drinking eight or more cups of water each day, 8 percent said they don't drink water daily. Thirty-two percent said they drink one to three cups per day, and the remaining 35 percent say they drink between four and seven cups.

About half of those surveyed (52 percent) reported drinking tap water most often, and 39 percent said they drink mostly bottled water. Only 4 percent said they primarily drink well water, showing how extensive water lines have become in rural areas. Louisville-area citizens are more inclined (61 percent) to report drinking tap water than people from other areas, and Eastern Kentucky residents were most likely to report drinking bottled water (50 percent) or well water (10 percent).

Why don't some Kentuckians drink tap water? More than four in ten (43 percent) cite the taste of the water as an explanation. Some also say it seems unsafe (13 percent), that they have access to bottled water (13 percent) or that they believe chemicals are in the water (11 percent).

The poll, co-sponsored by Interact for Health of Cincinnati, has an error margin of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.

Tips to keep children safe from the dangers of summer heat

While enjoying time with family on the boat, at church picnics, in the backyard or at the beach, be sure to keep kids safe during the summer heat.

Heat can trigger three major illnesses, says Dr. Eric Kirkendall of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. “Heat stroke, heat exhaustion and heat cramps are reactions caused by exposure to high temperatures combined with high humidity.”

The most serious reaction is heatstroke, which is a life-threatening emergency that should be treated immediately by parents and then by medical professionals. Symptoms can include hot, flushed skin, high fevers (over 104° F), confusion, and even seizures.

If you notice signs of heatstroke, call 911 immediately, cool off the child as quickly as possible by sponging the entire body with cool water, elevate feet to counteract shock and have the child drink cool, not cold water, while waiting for Emergency Medical Services to arrive, said Kirkendall. Do the same if treating the child for heat exhaustion, although it is not necessary to call 911 or a physician unless symptoms continue.

Heat exhaustion is less severe, but also requires medical attention. Symptoms include lots of sweating, nausea, dizziness, fainting or weakness. Heat cramps occur mostly in the child's abdomen and legs, especially the calf or thigh muscles, but symptoms do not include a fever.

Parents can take many steps to keep children safe by keeping them hydrated with water, limiting their time outside during extremely hot weather and encouraging inside breaks when they do play outside, said Kirkendall. Click here for more information.

New report lists contaminant, treatment violations at Kentucky's 461 public water systems

Reporters can now find out if their local public water systems were recently cited with violations related to contaminants in the water or inadequate treatment.

The Kentucky Division of Water's annual compliance report was released last week. Statewide, it shows that maximum contaminant level and treatment violations decreased from 116 in 2010 to 96 in 2011. "The majority of violations at Kentucky's public water systems last year involved administrative infractions rather than problems with water treatment," said Julie Roney, coordinator of the DOW Drinking Water Program. "These results are encouraging."

There are 461 public water systems in Kentucky, which are tested on a regular basis for bacteria, nitrate and other inorganic chemicals, radiological elements and more than 100 industrial chemicals and pesticides.

The report is detailed and quite dense. Reporters can call Natalie Bruner at 502-564-3410, ext. 4987 for help interpreting the results for their water systems. (Read more)