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America Promises Safe Schools, So Why Are Children Still Exposed to Toxic Pesticides?
In 1998, my 6-year-old son walked onto his Los Angeles elementary school campus and into a preventable crisis. A school gardener wearing a full hazardous materials suit was spraying pesticides, unaware that children were nearby. My son, unprotected, was sprayed directly in the face with a toxic pesticide. Within minutes, he struggled to breathe and suffered a severe asthma attack.
He recovered. But one question stayed with both of us: How could this happen at a school? The contradiction was impossible to ignore: If the pesticide required an adult applicator to wear full protective equipment, why was it considered safe to use where children could be exposed? Children are not simply smaller adults. Pound for pound, they breathe more air; consume more food and water; and their brains, lungs, immune systems, and endocrine systems are still developing. These differences make them uniquely vulnerable to environmental chemicals.
Research has linked exposure to certain pesticides with asthma, learning and developmental problems, neurological effects, endocrine disruption, and other long-term health concerns. Children cannot choose where they spend their days, nor can they protect themselves from environmental hazards created by adults. That responsibility belongs to us.
Jury Selection Begins in Meta Youth Harms Trial in California Federal Court
U.S. News & World Report reported:
Jury selection began Wednesday in Meta’s federal trial over claims its platforms have harmed youth mental health and also track children in violation of federal law. The trial scheduled to begin next week is expected to last six to eight weeks. Meta faces 29 states in the federal multidistrict lawsuit filed in 2023, but the Oakland trial will only include the first four — California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey.
Eight states, including Tennessee where a trial is ongoing, filed lawsuits in their own state courts. The 2023 lawsuit, filed in federal court in Oakland, California, claims that Meta routinely collects data on children under 13 without their parents’ consent, in violation of federal law.
“Meta has harnessed powerful and unprecedented technologies to entice, engage, and ultimately ensnare youth and teens. Its motive is profit, and in seeking to maximize its financial gains, Meta has repeatedly misled the public about the substantial dangers of its social media platforms,” the complaint says. “It has concealed the ways in which these platforms exploit and manipulate its most vulnerable consumers: teenagers and children.”
Maine CDC Says It Will Not Follow Trump Administration Vaccine Guidelines for Children
The Maine CDC says it will continue to follow guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics on childhood vaccine recommendations, not President Donald Trump, who signed an executive order Monday.
The administration’s new policy recommends only 12 vaccines, including chicken pox, tetanus, HPV and polio. The order also recommends the MMR vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella, but it will now be split into three vaccines given at three different times.
RSV and hepatitis vaccines will only be recommended for high-risk groups.
A doctor from the University of New England says the new rules will only lead to confusion for families and put children at risk.
VA.’s Vaccine Recommendations, Requirements Won’t Change After Trump Order, Officials Say
After President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday to alter childhood vaccine guidance, Virginia’s Department of Health on Tuesday reaffirmed the state’s requirements and recommendations for all children to be vaccinated. VDH Commissioner Dr. Cameron Webb said that Virginia families should trust the state’s decisions to be “grounded in the best available science.”
“The evidence supporting the (American Academy of Pediatrics) immunization schedule is extensive, and we remain confident that following it is one of the best ways to protect children from serious, preventable diseases,” Webb said. Trump’s order recommends all children receive immunizations for 11 diseases — measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, Haemophilus influenza type B, pneumococcal disease, human papillomavirus, and varicella.
It also suggests high-risk populations get vaccinated for “respiratory syncytial virus monoclonal antibodies, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, meningococcal B, meningococcal ACWY, and dengue.” The order lists vaccines for diseases like influenza and COVID-19 as immunizations “based on shared clinical decision-making.”
Medicaid to Stop Covering Gender-Affirming Care for Transgender Kids
The federal agency that runs Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program will no longer pay for gender-affirming care for minors who don’t identify with the sex they were assigned at birth. The Department of Health and Human Services announced Aug. 12 that it finalized a rule after more than a year of taking steps to use the federal government’s power to limit this type of medical care.
“We are not going to pay for our innocent children to undergo these barbaric surgeries and practices, which result in unthinkable and irreversible harm to their young bodies,” President Donald Trump wrote in a social media post.
More than 30 major medical associations and health organizations worldwide support health care for transgender adults and youth, which they say can help prevent suicide in this vulnerable population.
Online AI Breastfeeding Advice Causes Dangerous Delays in Infant Care
For sleep-deprived nursing moms, artificial intelligence may feel like a lifeline.
In fact, a new national survey from Orlando Health reveals if women ages 18 to 44 had an urgent breastfeeding question or concern:
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- Half (51%) of them would first turn to an AI chatbot, social media or a search engine
- 29% would first ask a healthcare professional (doctor or lactation consultant)
- 21% would first reach out to a family member or friend
About a third of the moms who come to Dr. Bowers with breastfeeding questions have received bad advice from AI, including the exact amount to feed their babies and how often. “Not all babies are the same,” Dr. Bowers said. “Not all babies will eat as frequently. Not all babies will take as much.”
Dr. Bowers warns parents about relying strictly on advice from an online search. It can inadvertently lead to delays in care for baby and mom. “There are certain questions that can’t be answered by AI. AI can’t look at their growth charts. AI can’t assess their latch. AI can’t see if there’s any oral motor dysfunction that the child is having, which may be contributing to difficulty breastfeeding.” – Erynne Bowers, M.D., pediatrician with Orlando Health Physician Associates – Lake Mary Pediatrics
