Noisy Work, Hurting Heart?

Here's what we're reading today:

Whooping Cough: In the wake of California's worst pertussis epidemic in 60 years, a new state law requires kids aged 12-17 to get vaccinated for the disease before they enter school in 2011, reports Rong-Gong Lin II of the Los Angeles Times.

Noise: Never mind your boss' ability to raise your blood pressure. Workplace noise is a newly documented potential threat to the health of your heart. U.S. News and World Report's Kurtis Hiatt has the story.

Health Reform: The feds are already weakening health reform requirements for some 30 employers and health insurers, including McDonald's, in a bid to keep them from dropping health insurance for workers, the New York Times' Reed Abelson reports, and Critical Condition blogger Ken Terry, a former editor at Medical Economics, critiques Abelson's coverage.

Blog? Not!: Veteran health journalist Mary Knudson writes candidly about her decision not to pen a heart health blog for U.S. News and World Report. (Hat tip to Gary Schwitzer for the link.)

Drugged: Young people in detention are being given anti-psychotic drugs even when they haven't been diagnosed with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, according to a Youth Today investigation by John Kelly.