susrust.bsky.social
Susanne Rust
@susrust.bsky.social
5.5K followers 1.2K following 290 posts
Reporter, LA Times. Enviro/Sci/Health. I cover #H5N1 #BirdFlu and Plastic. And other stuff, too (Valley Fever, Octopus rights, wild pigs, and more). Located in SF Bay area.
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susrust.bsky.social
Susanne Rust @susrust.bsky.social · 5d
Historic number of marine mammals died along CA coast this year. Anomaly? Or a sign that our oceans are changing too fast to support these guys? Hats off to the exhausted and traumatized volunteers working tirelessly since spring #marinemammalcenter #strandingnetwork www.latimes.com/environment/...
Marine mammals are dying in record numbers along the California coast
It's been a doozy of a year for marine mammals, who have been dying in record numbers along the California coast. Volunteer rescue crews are traumatized and fatigued, but refuse to give up.
www.latimes.com
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susrust.bsky.social
Susanne Rust @susrust.bsky.social · Sep 3
And maybe a few in OR, too -- migration? (Also one in NJ)
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susrust.bsky.social
Susanne Rust @susrust.bsky.social · Sep 3
No biggie, but noticing a few #H5N1 #BirdFlu wastewater "hits" in the SF Bay Area: Palo Alto, San Jose and Sunnyvale. 🤔
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susrust.bsky.social
Susanne Rust @susrust.bsky.social · Sep 1
The parasite that causes Chagas disease, which kills more people in Latin America than malaria, is here in the U.S. The disease's symptoms generally don't show up for decades: heart attack, stroke, death. Have we been ignoring a potential source of #CVD ? www.latimes.com/science/stor...
Chagas disease, long considered only a threat abroad, is established in California and the Southern U.S.
Chagas disease is deadly, pervasive and more prevalent in the U.S. than you'd think. It's not just brought here by people from nations where the disease is endemic, but by bloodsucking kissing bugs na...
www.latimes.com
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susrust.bsky.social
Susanne Rust @susrust.bsky.social · Aug 1
You can't sell or produce foie gras in Calfiornia. So what is the bird liver delicacy doing on store shelves? www.latimes.com/science/stor...
Foie gras still on some store shelves in California, despite state ban
California banned the sale of foie gras -- the French delicacy made from the livers of goose and duck. So why can it still be found on store shelves?
www.latimes.com
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Reposted by Susanne Rust
angierasmussen.bsky.social
Angie Rasmussen @angierasmussen.bsky.social · Jul 28
I talked to @susrust.bsky.social @latimes.com about the USDA compensation program for dairies with H5N1-infected herds.

There has never been enough of an investment in containment. Compensation without support to change practices will not end the outbreak of moo flu.
www.latimes.com/science/stor...
California dairy farmers got millions to cover bird flu losses. Critics say that's part of the problem
Dairies say the USDA relief money helped them sustain operations as bird flu decimated milk production, but critics say the aid perpetuates industrial farming practices that make herds vulnerable to d...
www.latimes.com
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susrust.bsky.social
Susanne Rust @susrust.bsky.social · Jul 18
It's not just the #H5N1 #birdflu cuts across the federal government, but the Trump admin's targeting of immigrants that could trigger a pandemic. They're our front-line livestock workers -- and when the birds start flying south in the fall... www.latimes.com/science/stor...
Immigration crackdown could stymie efforts to fight bird flu outbreak, experts fear
Farm workers facing possible arrest would likely resist getting tested for bird flu should there be a resurgence this fall, as many anticipate
www.latimes.com
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susrust.bsky.social
Susanne Rust @susrust.bsky.social · Jul 17
#GroundSquirrelInvasion? At least 14 in my back yard. I’ve never seen it like this.
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susrust.bsky.social
Susanne Rust @susrust.bsky.social · Jul 17
Dead gray whale washes up in Richmond. Marine Mammal Center says ship strike is probable cause. Gray whale numbers are on the decline -- never recovering from the steep drop off that started in 2019. abc7news.com/post/gray-wh...
Gray whale washes up in Richmond, the 17th spotted in the Bay Area this year
The gray whale was up against rocks along Point Isabel in Richmond.
abc7news.com
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susrust.bsky.social
Susanne Rust @susrust.bsky.social · Jul 16
CalRecycle now has a portal for people to report illegal sales of expanded polystyrene food ware and packaging in stores and restaurants -- 6+months after the products were banned: calrecycle.ca.gov/packaging/pa...
Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act: EPS Food Service Ware Notification Portal
calrecycle.ca.gov
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susrust.bsky.social
Susanne Rust @susrust.bsky.social · Jul 8
What happened in TX was tragic; it could happen here, too. @ianjames.bsky.social www.latimes.com/environment/...
Like Texas, California faces major dangers when extreme floods come
The flood disaster in Texas claimed dozens of lives. Extreme floods also bring dangers in parts of California, although experts say there are differences.
www.latimes.com
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susrust.bsky.social
Susanne Rust @susrust.bsky.social · Jul 3
Make America Rake Again -- Trump and Newsom battle over wildfire funding @nohaggerty.bsky.social www.latimes.com/environment/...
Newsom calls on Trump to boost wildfire preparedness and 'make America rake again'
Gov. Newsom challenged the Trump administration to match the state's investments in wildfire preparedness. In response, the administration criticized Newsom's own funding cuts.
www.latimes.com
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susrust.bsky.social
Susanne Rust @susrust.bsky.social · Jul 3
EPA Workers Face Retaliation Over Dissent Declaration
www.importantcontext.news/p/epa-worker...
EPA Workers Face Retaliation Over Dissent Declaration
On Monday, hundreds of EPA workers published a Declaration of Dissent criticizing their leadership. Now, they’re getting placed on leave pending review.
www.importantcontext.news
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susrust.bsky.social
Susanne Rust @susrust.bsky.social · Jul 3
And read @sammyroth.bsky.social 's latest on the Trump bill. It's a disaster for the planet. www.latimes.com/environment/...
Commentary: Republican budget bill would slaughter America's cleanest, cheapest energy
It's hard to find reasons for optimism. But we're not doomed.
www.latimes.com
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susrust.bsky.social
Susanne Rust @susrust.bsky.social · Jul 3
This story by @corinnepurtill.bsky.social makes me want to simultaneously cry and scream www.latimes.com/science/stor...
'Chaotic and deeply frightening': Once a global gold standard, U.S. government health guidance is falling apart
Government-provided health information now comes with disclaimers that the government can't be trusted.
www.latimes.com
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susrust.bsky.social
Susanne Rust @susrust.bsky.social · Jul 3
Asbestos-laden fire debris hauled by fed contractors to non-hazardous waste landfills. What could be the problem?? @tonybrisco
www.latimes.com/environment/...
Federal contractors improperly dumped wildfire-related asbestos waste at L.A. area landfills
Cleanup crews contracted by the Army Corp of Engineers dumped asbestos-tainted wildfire debris in landfills that they shouldn't have, according to government records.
www.latimes.com
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Reposted by Susanne Rust
drmaligator.medsky.social
drmaligator.medsky.social @drmaligator.medsky.social · Jun 28
#NewMexico with #measles outbreak in a prison

“measles outbreak at a correctional facility in Deming, after five detainees tested positive

“Health officials are sending personal protective equipment, test kits, and measles vaccine to the prison, which houses 400 inmates and employs 100 staff”
Measles outbreak strikes New Mexico jail as US total climbs
www.cidrap.umn.edu
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Reposted by Susanne Rust
helenbranswell.bsky.social
Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · Jun 27
Wow! The pediatric death toll for the 2024-25 flu season keeps climbing. #CDC was informed of +3 deaths last week; they occurred between early Feb & mid April.
The total is now 253 pediatric deaths (& more reports could still come). 90% of these kids weren't vaxed.
www.cdc.gov/fluview/surv...
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susrust.bsky.social
Susanne Rust @susrust.bsky.social · Jun 21
Here's a screenshot of the video clip Newsom's comms shop sent me -- the one they threatened to send to my editor if I proceeded with this story. They searched for a video/photo of me with a water bottle, found one, then circled it in red. They never provided a response to my questions.
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susrust.bsky.social
Susanne Rust @susrust.bsky.social · Jun 21
Strange thing about this story: Newsom's comms team's response to my questions about his ever-present-plastic-water-bottle was to: 1) not answer any q's; but 2) instead threaten to send my editor a video of me near a plastic water bottle. www.latimes.com/environment/...
Newsom's podcast sidekick: a single-use plastic water bottle
Newsom has called for a future free of plastic waste, yet a single-use plastic bottle is usually by his side during his podcasts.
www.latimes.com
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susrust.bsky.social
Susanne Rust @susrust.bsky.social · Jun 11
Another example of a well-intentioned CA law causing environmental damage: Compost law feeding into rampant dumping in SoCal's desert Antelope Valley. #SB1383 #CalRecycle @latimes www.latimes.com/environment/...
Why L.A.’s food and yard waste is being dumped in the Antelope Valley
A state law that mandated diversion of organic waste from landfills is being blamed for exacerbating illegal dumping in remote desert areas.
www.latimes.com
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Reposted by Susanne Rust
ianjames.bsky.social
Ian James @ianjames.bsky.social · Jun 11
Dozens of illegal dump sites in the Antelope Valley: ‘It’s gotten markedly worse.’

A California law aimed at reducing the amount of greenhouse gases at landfills is exacerbating the problem, local officials and residents say. @susrust.bsky.social www.latimes.com/environment/... @latimes.com
State composting law took aim at greenhouse gases. Illegal dumping was a byproduct
A state law that mandated diversion of organic waste from landfills is being blamed for exacerbating illegal dumping in remote desert areas.
www.latimes.com
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Reposted by Susanne Rust
drmaligator.medsky.social
drmaligator.medsky.social @drmaligator.medsky.social · Jun 9
#US removing ALL experts in #vaccines

“Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday said he is “retiring” all 17 members of a crucial government panel of vaccine advisors”

“The group reviews vaccine data and makes recommendations that determine who is eligible for shots and whether insurers should cover them”
RFK Jr. removes all members of CDC panel advising U.S. on vaccines
It's the latest move by Kennedy – a prominent vaccine skeptic – to change and potentially undermine vaccinations in the U.S. since he took the helm at HHS.
www.cnbc.com
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susrust.bsky.social
Susanne Rust @susrust.bsky.social · May 31
#SB54 shenanigans continue: 23 lawmakers say #CalRecycle exceeded its authority in the new draft regs for the state's landmark plastic legislation and undermined the law. www.latimes.com/environment/...
Lawmakers ask Newsom and waste agency to follow the law on plastic legislation
More than two dozen lawmakers signed a letter urging the governor and CalRecycle to toss regulations drafted to implement landmark plastic legislation they say ignores the law.
www.latimes.com
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susrust.bsky.social
Susanne Rust @susrust.bsky.social · May 30
In the continuing saga of CA's plastic law, CalRecycle introduced draft regs re chem recycling based on a report you can't access unless you pay $187 -which is kind of a scam, bc no standards or guidelines are in report. 🤷‍♀️ #plasticwaste @gavinnewsom.bsky.social #SB54 www.latimes.com/environment/...
Want to understand CalRecycle's chemical recycling rules? You'll need to pay
CalRecycle's latest attempt at rules to implement the state's plastic waste law is under fire — including for its decision to use ISO guidelines on hazardous waste that cost nearly $200 to access.
www.latimes.com
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