UCLA in the News lists selected mentions of UCLA in the world’s news media. Some articles may require registration or a subscription. See more UCLA in the News.
Toxic ash from the fires could get into food | KABC-TV
“I’m very concerned about metals and toxic pollutants in that ash, so the ash has to be removed before anyone can resume their normal activities in that area. It’s very toxic,” said Sanjay Mohanty, a UCLA associate professor. “It can cause many diseases people will develop over years. There’s a risk.”
Fact check: Los Angeles reservoirs and the fires | USA Today
The 117-million-gallon Santa Ynez Reservoir was drained in February 2024 because a floating cover installed in 2011 to comply with environmental regulations tore, making it possible for bird droppings and other contaminants to get into the water. Allowing that water to enter the city’s drinking water supply, the same supply drawn on for fire hydrants, would violate the Safe Drinking Water Act, according to Greg Pierce, director of the UCLA Water Resources Center.
Environmental damage following Palisades Fire | Santa Monica Daily Press
“It’s not just about obvious pollutants, heavy metals, man-made chemicals, [particularly hazardous substances], carcinogens and dioxins, but also even more natural things, the carbon, sediments, the nutrients, all of those components that are eroding that wouldn’t normally erode because of the burn, they would have the potential to affect all organisms, whether they’re in that water or in the sediments,” said Rebecca Shipe, adjunct associate professor at the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability.
Gen Z seeks safety above all else | The Conversation
(Commentary by UCLA’s Yalda Uhls) After many years of partisan politics, increasingly divisive language, finger-pointing and inflammatory speech have contributed to an environment of fear and uncertainty, affecting not just political dynamics but also the priorities and perceptions of young people.
Trump’s efforts to stifle gender-affirming care | The Conversation
“Twenty-six states have already restricted gender-affirming care for minors or banned it outright. So, the order seeks to extend restrictions to the rest of the country using the weight of the executive branch,” said UCLA’s Elana Redfield (Redfield was interviewed.)
Trump TikTok strategy stretches executive power | United Press International
UCLA law professor Andrew Verstein told UPI the ambiguity or “opacity” around TikTok reflects the concerns Congress and national security experts had about the app in the first place. But as the occupant of the White House had changed, so too has the level of outward concern about the app as a national security threat.
How Kash Patel’s charity aided Trump, and Patel himself | New York Times
“It’s always a potential conflict of interest when you have a director doing this,” said Ellen Aprill, a senior scholar-in-residence studying nonprofit law at UCLA. Aprill said she would advise the nonprofit to survey the market before choosing Patel’s company: “You need to make sure they’re not raiding the charity, by getting more than fair market value for what they are selling.”
This stat can help you tell if you’re hitting fitness goals | Women’s Health
“BMI is not an accurate measure of body composition,” says Dana Ellis Hunnes, professor at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. “You can have a BMI of 36 and be a bodybuilder with 10 percent body fat or less or you can have a BMI of 36 and be 40 percent fat,” she says.
What is a ‘morning shed’ routine, and does it actually work? | HuffPost
“If you have any kind of respiratory disturbances while you sleep at night — if you have nasal congestion [or] sleep apnea — there’s actually concern that it could be dangerous if you tape your mouth closed at night,” said Jennifer Martin, a professor-in-residence at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
Wildfires and mental health: community first, then therapy | Web MD
… analyzed data from the [UCLA] California Health Interview Survey, which in 2021 added questions about exposure to extreme weather events and mental health. More than half, 53%, reported being affected by climate events such as wildfires. Of those, 22.8% reported a negative impact on their mental health.
