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Happy Saturday,
Global warming has not ruined sushi for you — at least not yet. But Angus Chen’s story this week highlights the ominous prospect that levels of mercury in fish will rise — particularly in fish that currently have low levels. (Worried? The EPA has a full list of mercury levels in fish species here.) Also of particular note: Deborah Becker’s latest story on the controversial issue of whether men with substance use issues should be involuntarily committed to a jail treatment program. “Section 35" allows family members, doctors and law enforcement officials to force people into addiction treatment through a court order. Some say the coercion could save their lives; others say treatment should be in civilian settings, not jails. It’s an issue to follow in the weeks to come.
— Carey Goldberg, CommonHealth Editor
newsletters@wbur.org
The Rundown
Toxic Mercury In Seafood May Climb As Ocean Warms, Study Finds
New research suggests that warming seawater and changing ocean conditions might be causing toxic mercury concentrations to rise in many fish, including Atlantic bluefin tuna, cod and spiny dogfish.
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Where Racial Gaps In American Health Care Melt Away: Military Insurance
Quality of care measures of a common coronary artery procedure are just as good for blacks as whites in the military health care system, a new study finds.
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Most Mass. Counties Have Among The Highest Rates Of Dispensing Overdose-Reversal Drug
And doctors, street workers and police say the drug, naloxone, is the reason why Massachusetts' opioid overdose death rate is dropping.
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Mass. Sheriff Touts Success Of Involuntary Treatment Program Amid Scrutiny Of Section 35
While lawmakers review the state's forced addiction treatment efforts under Section 35, several state and federal officials are praising the Hampden County Sheriff's program.
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Pacific Standard magazine published a feature on Savanna Lafountaine-Greywind, a young, pregnant Spirit Lake Tribe woman who was murdered in 2017. Thousands of Native American women like her go missing every year, but her death triggered the creation of a bill, Savanna's Act, that could help them be found. Read it here.
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Also on WBUR
Modern Love: The Night Girl Finds A Day Boy
This week, the Modern Love podcast explores the relationship between Amanda Gefter and her husband, Justin. Amanda has a condition where she needs to be nocturnal, called delayed sleep phase syndrome. When she switched to sleeping during the day and working through the night, she said, "It was like the brain fog lifted. I could think straight, and I felt more normal."
But Justin is like the rest of us. To make things work between them, they had to find some creative solutions. Listen to it here.
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