暗黑爆料

Medical resources are stretched in southern California amid the ongoing wildfires. Nurses from a large hospital system in our region are headed out to help alleviate the crunch.

More than 30 states have Fair Access to Insurance Requirements (FAIR) plans, which are state-run programs backed by private insurers that offer coverage for high-risk properties.

In the Western U.S., extreme wildfires are damaging tribal lands. Climate change has only made the situation more dire. That鈥檚 why the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California is working to reintroduce intentional, cultural fire. These are once-banned burning practices they use to restore the health of their forests and plants.

Marshall Together, a grassroots nonprofit created by survivors of the devastating Colorado wildfire, are sharing advice and raising funds to assist those affected by the fires in L.A.

That decision by the Department of Labor was based on a review of evidence that concluded that 鈥渇emale firefighters, more likely than not, face heightened risks for breast, uterine and ovarian cancers鈥� due to the toxic exposures they face in their work.鈥�

The news cycle hit a fever pitch in 2024 with the election, and some big stories in Colorado, such as wildfires and the long-awaited verdict in the Boulder King Soopers mass shooting. But those weren't the only events providing the most powerful moments on In The NoCo this year.

Wildland firefighters and their advocates pushed hard for permanent pay raises before Congress鈥� holiday recess. What firefighters got instead was yet another last-minute extension of temporary raises.

Researchers pored over roughly four dozen papers that assessed exposure to various carcinogens on the fireline. They identified 31 carcinogens 鈥� including asbestos, volatile organic compounds like benzene and crystalline silica.

Researchers were looking at PM 2.5 pollution, made up of particles with diameters at least 30 times smaller than human hair. They found that for every additional microgram from wildfires per cubic meter of air on average over rolling 3-year periods, patients faced an 18% increase in the odds of a dementia diagnosis. The figure for non-wildfire PM 2.5 was just 1%.

Wildfires are often talked about in terms of the acres they burn, or the number of structures they destroy. New research is bringing attention to their speed 鈥� and evidence that they鈥檙e accelerating.