Wildfire pollution widens asthma inequities on Long Island

In the final episode of season two, we delve into how housing — and today’s housing crisis — intersects with health care. We also explore how racial discrimination has played a part in causing this crisis, as well as present-day housing segregation on Long Island. We speak with Olivia Winslow, a demographic reporter at Newsday who investigated widespread housing discrimination by real estate agents on Long Island. We also talk with Alina Schnake-Mahl, an assistant professor of health management and policy at Drexel University, who tells us about how housing is health care and what that means in the suburbs — especially during a housing crisis.

Early geneticists were convinced they could use genetics to reshape society to their ideals and believed that the human race could be improved through selective breeding. An early seat for eugenics in the U.S. was Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on Long Island. As the lab’s influence began to extend to the halls of Congress, the Supreme Court, and internationally, Cold Spring Harbor became known as the eugenics capital of the world.

When the Covid-19 pandemic began in 2020, Some experts assumed the virus would affect everyone even-handedly, regardless of their race or socioeconomic background. But the reality of Covid proved to be far from the “great equalizer” – Black and brown communities had higher rates of infection and death. Among the factors exacerbating Covid-19’s impact is America’s legacy of racial and economic segregation.

Wyandanch is a proud, resilient community on Long Island. Like much of the northeastern U.S., it has been impacted by heavy wildfire smoke blowing in from Canada. But particularly distressing for this community is that Wyandanch has some of the highest rates of asthma and the highest rate of pediatric asthma ER visits on Long Island. Asthma is exacerbated by poor air quality, which can be caused by smoke and industrial pollution.

"Excited delirium” is a controversial term that is used by some to describe a person who experiences an acute, extreme disruption in their behavior and ability to think, and often comes up in relation to people who have died in police custody. Last season, we turned to my colleague Isabella Cueto, a Sharon Begley science reporting fellow at STAT. She traveled to Miami to learn more about the historical roots the term has in the medical examiner’s office there. We're bringing this episode back today and will return with a new one next time.

About two dozen communities on Long Island is a food desert, meaning fresh, nutritious groceries are difficult to access. In this episode, we speak with Jon Stepanian, president and CEO of Community Solidarity, and volunteers like Boone who work together to address food insecurity on Long Island. Jessica Rosati, the Chief Program Officer for Long Island Cares Inc, tells us about the state of food insecurity. And Tambra Raye Stevenson, founder and CEO for WANDA: Women Advancing Nutrition Dietetics and Agriculture, provides us with context about how systemic racism impacts the U.S. food system, creating what she refers to as “food apartheid.”