August 29, 2026
This week’s photo is courtesy of WellJet HPC- Camarillo, CA, USA
Health Focus
Part 2 of 2: Your Lungs
Yesterday covered risk and warning signs. Today covers the screening test that can reduce lung-cancer deaths in people at high risk, plus what to do with that information.
That test is low-dose CT, or LDCT, a low-radiation scan of the chest. It is the only recommended screening test shown to reduce lung-cancer deaths in high-risk groups. In the two major trials behind today’s guidance, LDCT reduced lung-cancer mortality by about 20% in the National Lung Screening Trial and about 25% in the NELSON trial. It can find lung cancer before symptoms appear, when treatment is more likely to be successful.
So who should ask about it? The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends annual LDCT screening for adults who meet all three conditions: they are 50 to 80 years old, have a 20 pack-year smoking history, and currently smoke or quit within the past 15 years. A pack-year means smoking an average of one pack a day for one year. One pack a day for 20 years, or two packs a day for 10 years, both equal 20 pack-years.
Under USPSTF guidance, screening ends once a person has gone 15 years without smoking or develops a health condition that substantially limits life expectancy or the ability or willingness to undergo curative treatment. If you are close to those lines, bring your smoking history to a clinician and have the conversation.
Two important caveats: Screening is intended for people without symptoms. If you have a lasting or worsening cough, cough up blood, have ongoing shortness of breath, chest pain, hoarseness, repeated chest infections, unexplained weight loss, or unusual fatigue, talk with a clinician promptly instead of waiting for a routine screening cycle.
And screening is not a substitute for quitting. The USPSTF recommends smoking-cessation support for people who currently smoke and enter a screening program. Quitting smoking remains essential, whether or not screening is part of the plan.
Know your risk, recognize symptoms, and ask whether annual LDCT screening fits your situation. This is general health information, not medical advice; screening decisions should be made with a clinician.
Key Takeaways:
• Low-dose CT is the only recommended screening test shown to reduce lung-cancer deaths in high-risk groups.
• USPSTF recommends yearly LDCT for adults ages 50 to 80 with at least a 20 pack-year smoking history who currently smoke or quit within the past 15 years.
• A 20 pack-year history can equal one pack a day for 20 years or two packs a day for 10 years.
• Screening is for people without symptoms; symptoms deserve a prompt conversation with a clinician.
• Screening and quitting work together. Smoking-cessation support remains an essential part of lung-cancer prevention.
Sources:
• USPSTF: Lung Cancer: Screening Recommendation
• American Lung Association: Lung Cancer Screening Guidelines
• American Cancer Society: Updated USPSTF Lung Cancer Screening Guidelines
Industry Updates
Texas: Four Months of Rain, and Central Texas Is Still in Exceptional Drought
Central Texas got meaningful rain from April through July, and it helped. The Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District's two drought triggers, Barton Springs flow and the Lovelady monitor well, actually recovered into Stage 2 levels. Even so, at its August 13 meeting the District chose to stay in Stage 3 Exceptional Drought. The reason is a lesson for anyone reading a gauge: the indicators are already trending back down in the late-summer heat, and the District expects them to cross back into Stage 3 territory by September. For all of us, the takeaway holds. A few good months do not end a drought. Watch the trend across springflow and monitor-well levels, not the last rain total.
Source:
Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District: The District Remains in Stage 3 Exceptional Drought
Ireland: A Hard Drought Has Farmers Looking Underground
Ireland just recorded its driest July on record, and it has landowners weighing private wells. Met Eireann logged absolute drought at 20 of its 25 weather stations, and the national utility Uisce Eireann put a hosepipe ban in place. As of late August that ban was lifted across 13 mostly northwestern counties where conditions eased, and extended to the end of September across 13 counties in the drier east and south. With mains supplies stretched, Irish farm coverage shows landowners looking at drilling their own. It is the same chain American drillers know: drought lowers reliability, reliability drives demand, and demand lands on the drilling contractor. The mechanics of a dry season do not care about the map; a failing supply in Carlow prompts the same call a failing supply in West Texas does.
Sources:
Met Eireann: Climate Statement for July 2026
Oklahoma: Guymon Drills Toward Drought Resilience Over the Ogallala
Guymon is drilling toward drought resilience over the Ogallala. The Oklahoma panhandle city's Mesa Water Project has cleared bidding on its Phase II production well field. Oklahoma DEQ approved the construction plans, more than 30 drilling and construction firms were invited to bid, and in late August the city issued its Notice to Proceed, with construction set to begin September 1. The driver is depletion the city states plainly. Guymon runs at the ceiling of its existing 14 water wells, hitting days near maximum capacity this summer, and City Manager Mike Shannon says the city has lost nearly a third of its daily production since building its current field in the early 2000s. For contractors, it is also opportunity: a large municipal well field moving to construction in a region where the aquifer's decline guarantees more of this work.
Sources:
City of Guymon: Mesa Water Project Continues to Progress Through Phase II
MyHighPlains: Guymon City Manager Updates Residents on Water
Industry Events
Event Highlight: National Drilling Association Drill Expo
The National Drilling Association brings its biggest event of the year to Nashville, and it is built for the people turning the bit. Drill Expo gathers contractors, manufacturers, and crews from the water well, geotechnical, environmental, and mineral exploration sides of the trade for two days of equipment, hands-on education, and shop talk you cannot get online. If you run a rig or a small drilling business, it is a rare chance to see the newest tooling in person, compare notes with drillers from other regions, and earn continuing education without leaving the drilling world. Register early, because the host hotel block and the best rates go first.
National Drilling Association: Drill Expo 2026
September 17 to 18, 2026; Nashville, TN
Information and Registration: Drill Expo 2026
National Rural Water Association: WaterPro Conference
September 14 to 16, 2026; Phoenix, AZ
Information and Registration: WaterPro Conference 2026
International Association of Hydrogeologists: 53rd World Groundwater Congress
September 14 to 18, 2026; Budapest, Hungary
Information and Registration: IAH 2026 Budapest
National Ground Water Association: Meeting the Challenges of Groundwater in Fractured Rock Conference
September 21 to 22, 2026; Burlington, VT
Information and Registration: Fractured Rock Conference
National Ground Water Association: Groundwater Week
December 8 to 10, 2026; Las Vegas, NV
Information and Registration: Groundwater Week 2026
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