Public Health

Clouds in the sky.

Earth Day Update: Midwest Cities Still Have Air Quality Problems

Although dangerous ozone levels have declined, an air quality study by the American Lung Association notes that soot from western wildfires remains a problem.

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KC Water's chief plant operator Kevin Herman gives a tour of the "Sludge House" and machinery that sifts through the waste. (Vicky Diaz-Camacho | Flatland)

Inside the Sludge: How Experts Run COVID Wastewater Testing

Flatland takes you behind the scenes of a two-year project that tracks COVID in wastewater.

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A room in a sleep clinic shows a lamp, a twin bed with white sheets flipped open. On the nightstand is a phone, stethoscope and a mask. The American Psychological Association called sleep disorders an "epidemic." COVID-19 made things worse.

An Epidemic of Sleep Disorders: Here’s What KC Experts Suggest

Sleep disorders are rising, more now than ever before. Learn why experts say it’s important to connect the dots between sleep, health and mental wellness.

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Person with rainbow fan

In Kansas City, LGBTQ+ Support Systems Are Emerging Slowly

Kansas City has made progress in terms of making itself a more welcoming place for the LGBTQ community. But progress has been painfully slow, and may be at risk.

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An individual holds a lead pipe, a steel pipe and a lead pipe treated with protective orthophosphate.

‘Time Bomb’ Lead Pipes Set to be Removed. But First Water Utilities Have to Find Them

Water utilities have never been required to thoroughly inventory lead pipes except in a crisis. Health experts warn problems with these ‘underground poisonous straws’ can arise out of the blue

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