Flu vaccine in transit, lemonade safety, and endocrine disruptors: The ReportingonHealth Daily Briefing

Here's what we're reading and watching today:

Air Quality: Here's one instance where wealth isn't linked to health: ScienceDaily reports on a study finding that homes in both poor and affluent California communities had similarly high levels of endocrine disruptors. These disruptors can affect the endocrine system and lead to fertility and infant development problems among other health risks.

Disparities: The sprawling city of Los Angeles is making progress against high death rates from chronic disease, according to a new city health department report covered by the Los Angeles Times, but health disparities persist. One not-so-bright spot: Blacks are still dying from diabetes at more than twice the rate of whites, just as they were in 1998.

Flu Season: West Nile virus season hasn't ended, and we're already thinking about the flu? The Baltimore Sun's health blog is, noting that flu vaccine makers already are shipping this year's doses to health providers.  Fortunately, this year we need only one shot, not two.

Genetic Privacy: CNN examines a controversial new NCAA rule requiring its Division I athletes to be screened for a genetic sickle cell trait that may increase the risk for injury during training. The rule raises questions about genetic privacy and some critics say it could expose black athletes to genetic discrimination, as African Americans are more likely to carry the sickle cell trait.

Lemonade Safety: Oh, no, they didn't. Oregon Public health inspectors shut down a 7-year-old's lemonade stand at an art fair because she didn't have a $120 permit. Don't they have some lead-tainted buildings to test or people to immunize instead?