• District of Columbia: In March, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced that the agency planned to roll back or revise over 30 major environmental regulations that target pollution from vehicles, power plants, and the oil and gas industry. In its analysis, the Associated Press (AP) examined EPA assessments, as well as eight different government and private group databases and scientific research, to determine the potential financial and health costs of rolling back the regulations. The AP also consulted multiple outside health experts who vetted the work. Overall, the AP found that if the regulations remained in place, they could help prevent around 30,000 deaths and save $275 billion a year. According to health experts, the removal of these regulations could have significant health consequences for Americans, leading to increased deaths from heat, air pollution, and more. "This is a rigorous, compelling, and much-needed analysis," said Howard Frumkin, who was the director of CDC's National Center for Environmental Health during President George W. Bush's administration. "It makes clear that regulatory rollbacks by the Trump administration will have major, direct consequences for health and well-being. Because of these regulatory rollbacks and funding cuts, Americans will die needlessly." (Frieden, MedPage Today, 3/21; Associated Press/MedPage Today, 6/5; Wildeman/Borenstein, Associated Press, 6/5)
• Maryland: FDA has upgraded a tomato recall affecting three southern states to Class I, its most severe recall designation, which means there is a "reasonable probability" that the product could cause "serious adverse health consequences or death." The recall, which affects tomatoes from Williams Farms Repack, was first announced due to potential salmonella contamination. The affected tomatoes were shipped to Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. In its initial recall announcement, FDA wrote that salmonella can cause "serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems." Some symptoms of salmonella infection are fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain, and usually start between six hours and six days after infection. Although most people will recover within four to seven days, young children, older adults, and those with weakened immune systems "may experience more severe illnesses that require medical treatment or hospitalization," CDC said. FDA has told consumers who bought the affected tomatoes to avoid consuming them and either discard them completely or return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. (Moniuszko, CBS News, 6/4)
• Michigan/Minnesota: According to a new study published in Nature Cardiovascular Research, treating donor hearts with a drug called canrenone may help improve preservation and storage time, increasing the chances of a successful transplant. Through the research, scientists from the University of Michigan and Mayo Clinic found that mineralocorticoid receptor proteins in heart cells "clump together" during cold storage, which can lead to increased inflammation and cell death. This makes the heart less likely to function effectively after a transplant. Currently, less than half of all donor hearts are used due to concerns about overexposure to cold storage. After the researchers treated donor hearts with canrenone, they found that the treated hearts were able to almost triple their pumping strength for longer than usual during cold storage compared to hearts that weren't treated with the drug. The treated hearts also had better blood flow and lower levels of cell injury. "The findings suggest canrenone may help extend the safe storage period for donor hearts [and] increase chances of a successful transplant," a news release about the study said. (Gregerson, Becker's Hospital Review, 5/19)

Health systems are tapping into green financing to access capital that can fund sustainability initiatives and cut costs. Find out what green financing is, how it benefits organizations, and what you should know if you’re considering it.