EPA Announces Tighter Emission Standards for Coal-Burning Power Plants
Tighter standards for hundreds of coal-burning power plants in 28 states that take effect in 2012 will reduce emissions of soot, smog and acid rain by millions of tons, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The reductions in air pollution will prevent as many as 34,000 premature deaths, 15,000 nonfatal heart attacks, and hundreds of thousands of cases of asthma and other respiratory problems a year, The New York Times reported.
The new standards, released Thursday, will improve air quality for 240 million Americans who live in states where the pollution originates and in states downwind of coal plants, according to EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson.
"No community should have to bear the burden of another community's polluters, or be powerless to prevent air pollution that leads to asthma, heart attacks and other harmful illnesses," Jackson said, the Times reported.
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UCLA Settles Celebrity Medical Records Case
UCLA Health System has agreed to pay $865,000 to settle potential violations of federal privacy laws in connection with hospital employees accused of peeking at the medical records of celebrity patients.
A U.S. Department of Health and Humans Services investigation found that workers repeatedly accessed such patients' electronic health records between 2005 and 2008, the Associated Press reported.
Under the settlement, UCLA Health System is not required to admit liability. The names of the celebrities targeted by the employee snooping weren't released.
Over the past three years, measures have been taken to retrain staff and strengthen computer systems, UCLA said in a statement Thursday, the AP reported. As part of the settlement, the health system will inform a federal monitor on the implementation of its plan to correct privacy issues.
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Smokers Who Quit Can Have Normal-Weight Babies: Study
A female smoker who quits when she learns she's pregnant can have a baby with a normal birth weight, according to a new study.
The findings are based on data from more than 50,000 pregnant women in Southampton, England, from 2002 to 2010. The average weight of babies born to smokers who kicked the habit when they found out they were pregnant was 33 grams (10.6 ounces) more than babies born to women who kept smoking during their pregnancy, Agence France-Presse reported.
Birth weight is an important predictor of long-term health. The study was presented this week at the annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.
"Once you find out you're pregnant, it's not too late to do something about your smoking," study author Nick Macklon, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Southampton, told AFP. "If you stop smoking, you can have a baby with the same birth weight as if you'd never smoked."
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