For the Record: Vaccines for toddlers rolling out in Wisconsin this week

Also on For the Record: New federal standards for dangerous manmade chemicals; Historic storm damage in Dane County

June 20, 2022 10:33 AM

Naomi Kowles,

Posted: June 20, 2022 10:33 AM

Updated: June 21, 2022 3:19 PM

by Naomi Kowles

FTR: Vaccines for toddlers reach key approvals; shots could begin this week

Over the weekend, Covid vaccines for children ages 6 months through 5 years old were approved by the Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as a final stamp of approval in Wisconsin from the Department of Health Services.

That opens the way for the last remaining group of people to start getting their Covid vaccine in Wisconsin and across the country this week.

SSM Health’s Mo Kharbat joined For the Record this Sunday to address a litany of concerns, questions, and logistics related to how the rollout will happen in Wisconsin and the vaccine’s safety for children.

Watch the full interview above.

FTR: Historic outages after severe storm damage in Dane County–and how to prepare for the next round

Wisconsin was hit by two rounds of severe storms this week, with the first round initially leaving more than 20,000 MG&E customers without power–and hundreds more waiting for days to get it restored. As of Friday, the National Weather Service had confirmed at least six tornadoes in Wisconsin for the second round of storms on June 15.

John McLellan from Dane County Emergency Management joined For the Record to discuss the week’s impact in storms. Thankfully, he noted, the health impacts from record heat temperatures early in the week were minimal — and no injuries from the storms themselves reported.

“Preparedness is a continuum; it’s not a stairstep, it’s a continuum. You’re either more prepared or less prepared, and it’s based on the hazard,” Mclellan said. “Change your batteries in your smoke detectors every six months. Get a weather radio. Make sure you have it programmed appropriately, and pay attention to that. Download the app from Channel 3 here, so you’re aware of weather. Make sure you can communicate.”

Watch his full interview above.

FTR: New federal standards for PFAS, just as Wisconsin adopts old federal guidelines

The Environmental Protection Agency warned this week that certain manmade chemicals found in water and products everywhere are far more dangerous than previously known, setting new guidelines thousands of times lower than previous federal safety guidelines. The move came just a day after Wisconsin allowed the DNR to adopt guidelines that aligned with the previous federal guidelines–after a years-long political battle.

The compounds known as polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are sometimes referred to as “forever chemicals” because of how long they remain in the environment or the human body. The new guidance dropped the health action limits for the two most common substances from 70 parts per trillion to .004 and .02 parts per trillion, levels drastically lower than before.

“That’s less than one drop of water in an Olympic-sized swimming pool,” Schulte explained.

“PFAS are really dangerous to us because they are so pervasive in our environment. They’ve been used in a lot of products throughout the years. Non-stick pans, non-staining carpet or furniture, your raingear if it is, you know, waterproof or water-resistant. It’s even in wrappers for fast food.”

Watch her full interview above.