. >>> and ktvu's john fowler is live in berkeley. >> reporter: i'm at the popular sea salt restaurant in berkeley known for it's sustainable seafood. 45% of americans unwilling to eat gulf seafood, with the oil stopped, and an industry on the bubble, the government is eager to convince people that worry is unfounded. >> the real suffering is yet to come financially for fishermen. if we stop buying prematurely, it compounds everything. >> reporter: seafood is thighly regulated. the first sign of defense is a specially trained people take the seafood and smell it for the aroma. but scientists say there's a better way. scientists were doing tests. selected by the government. this is their first shipment. they say they can detect with certainty the smallest sign of chemicals. >> they are being extremely careful. >> reporter: though the menu rarely features sead food, that could change. >> because there are so many of courses out there, it is probably important for us to buy seafood while it is still available. >> reporter: federal regulators at this hour are preparing to lift the ban on s

john fowler is live from a vineyard in sonoma with our story. >> reporter: these wine are among 6,000- 63,000 grapes. an industrial, as always, at the mercy of the weather. >> asthma nature presents the next obstacle, we have to deal with it. >> reporter: this man says two months of ten-degree-cooler- than-average temperatures has meant grapes remain green. usually these would be mostly red. we are probably a good three weeks behind what you would call an average year. growers say they will pick some grapes and let them rot on the ground and let them improve -- and let them stay on the vine longer. >> which is idea for the economic times right help reduce the supply and help stabilize the prices. >> reporter: this man says the vintage, especially, will benefit from long hang time. >> we should see absolute fantastic flavors in those wines. >> reporter: but for earlier harvesters such as cabernet or merlot -- >> we could catch up quite a bit and get back on track. >> reporter: you're optimistic. >> i am. i need to be, to be in this by. >> reporter: also optimistic are dozens of small g

john fowler is live in san francisco with this report. john? >> reporter: i feel like i need a parka. san francisco just this month has been 4 degrees cooler. should i say colder than normal. people here are bundled up like it's winter. >> freezele. i have on three layers. i just came from texas and it's 105. >> reporter: unseasonable hardly describes it. for some bay area cities, one of the coldest summers in 40 years. >> i've been away from here since probably 1970. i don't ever remember being this cold. >> it was 104 at home yesterday. now we come down here and we're shivering. >> reporter: inland areas such as the diablo valley also much cooler. concord today, almost 0 degrees we low -- below normal -- almost 10 degrees below normal. this you taw couple had to buy ski caps. >> we're used to this cold but not in july. >> reporter: for san francisco natives it's bizarre. >> i don't know what's going on. it's july. >> we've sort of had this persistent trough of low pressure over the west coast. >> reporter: bringing cool air down the pacific c

ktvu health and science editor john fowler is live in san francisco tonight with the story. john?>> reporter: this is the law requiring wheelchair ramps. curb cuts that are convenient like this and those blue placard parking spots. the americans are disabilities act outlaws discrimination and requires access to public buildings, hotels, businesses, housing schools and jobs. at a texas city hall celebration, disabled rights activists say the biggest access has been opportunity. >> doors that were closed are suddenly open. not only in public education but unemployment. now having the kind of life that i chose, not one that was prescribed for me -- i'm a concern that was born blind. i'm a concern that's been employed by entire adult life, paying taxes. >> she uses an iphone, yes, there is an ap for the -- an app for the blind. although telephone systems and some the computer software allows vision by the impaired, many still do not. >> there's still a lot of work to be done. >> businesses bear the cost to provide handicapped access and on this two-block stretch of church street betwe

but it's turning up in some surprising places, john fowler is here now with the story, john. >> reporterit's called bpa, and endocrin disrupter. it may be in your store receipts. paper print outs like this one. when you check out of your favori store, your receipt may have a surprise. a very low doze of bpa. has been linked to reproductive problem, even cancer. >> over 30% of the receipts we collected contained bpa. >> reporter: receipts from some mcdonalds,cvs, whole foods, even the postoffice tested positive. a receipt in this store from berkeley contained the highest concentration of all tested, almost 3% bpa. >> i want to throw it away. i don't want to touch it. this has to be changed. >> reporter: safeway declined to comment. a recent study found bpa can leak into the skin but at very low levels. levels allowed by federal law. >> low levels can be setting the stage for breast or prostate cancer even diabetes. >> reporter: studies found bpa in 30% of americans. still retailers have options. >> there's a lot of companies out there that make register paper that doesn't have bpa paper i

john fowler is live in concord tonight with more on how bay area health officials are responding to this, john. >> contra costa county health officials are planning a free immunization clinic here. people we talked to say they plan to attend. >> i take it very serious, i'm a mom of three. keep these little ones healthy is very important to me. >> reporter: at thursday's regular farmer's market and concert now free vaccinations for anyone over the age of 7. >> we're really encouraging grandparents, siblings, care givers, health care workers to all get vaccinated to protect the babies in our country. >> reporter: while many have already had the vaccine, protection dies off. >> they are so small, all that inflammation is too much for them and they die. >> reporter: infectious disease specialist dr. swarburg says parents refusing vaccines are terribly misinformed. >> the risk of getting whooping cough are far greater than the consequences any bad consequences of the vaccine. >> reporter: contra costa county has had 66 cases this year up from 19 last year. it also has many more children who a

health and science editor john fowler explains. >> reporter: from the top of this pacifica bluff androm below, crews today continued their battle against the crumbling cliff. but one look at this and it's clear to anyone somebody should have planned better. >> it's no good. it wasn't any good to begin with. it's taking a chance. we are taking a chance. >> reporter: all along the coast engineers say emergency protection like this actually speeds erosion, increases damage and costs. what's needed are new, long- term coast protection policies. >>> get away from some of these if he-jerk reactions like the ones we have seen at pacifica. >> reporter: the state's ocean protection council briefed engineers on a new mapping plan. 3d images of all 1200 miles of of california's coast so detailed you might make out footprints in the sand. >> pretty cool and some amazing high resolution things that people can look at. >> reporter: digital photos with a kind of radar for unprecedented 3d detail. >> that kind of resolution will really allow us to do a much better job at looking at climate change im

health and science editor john fowler explains. >> reporter: from the top of this pacifica bluff and from below, crews today continued their battle against the crumbling cliff. but one look at this and it's clear to anyone somebody should have planned better. >> it's no good. it wasn't any good to begin with. it's taking a chance. we are taking a chance. >> reporter: all along the coast engineers say emergency protection like this actually speeds erosion, increases damage and costs. what's needed are new, long- term coast protection policies. >>> get away from some of these if he-jerk reactions like the ones we have seen at pacifica. >> reporter: the state's ocean protection council briefed engineers on a new mapping plan. 3d images of all 1200 miles of of california's coast so detailed you might make out footprints in the sand. >> pretty cool and some amazing high resolution things that people can look at. >> reporter: digital photos with a kind of radar for unprecedented 3d detail. >> that kind of resolution will really allow us to do a much better job at looking at climate change

john fowler has the report. >> reporter: two women got a letter like this, each telling them routine screening of their blood donations turned up positive for west nile. west nile carrying mosquitoes in stanislaus county had apparently bitten the unidentified women. >> these cases are a reminder that the virus is getting active. >> reporter: the women had given blood and learned from blood center counselors they had been infected. they were not hospitalized and apparently recovering. less than 1% of cases cause serious illness. west nile is one of five routine tests including hiv, and syphilis. blood center doctors say because of all the tests for west nile virus and other diseases, and now even cholesterol, donors have yet another reason to do this. >> we might tell the donor that they are infected with something before they even know. and they can go to their doctor and get appropriately treated. >> reporter: dr. lynne says in san francisco the most common infection discovered is hepatitis. but in the central valley and in the delta this time of year it is west nile. >> donors can

john fowler, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> a new report shows california's senior drivers are involved inewer fatal crashes. in 1980s, seniors 70 or older were involved in 31% of fatal crashes. that number has now dropped 13%. the dmv says that is a significant decline due in part to a program that works directly with seniors to keep them safe on the road. but the dmv says, there are also other factors. >> those of us that are older seniors like myself are living longer, we're taking better care of ourselves. we're working longer which keeps us mentally prepared to do things. >>> california's dmv is the only one in the country that offers a full time program dedicated to senior drivers. >>> you might want to fill up your gas tank this weekend because prices are about to go up. crude oil prices are up due to concerns that tropical storms could disrupt supplies in the gulf of mexico. aaa says the average price for a gallon of unleaded gas is 3.17 in oakland an san jose. and 3.24 in san francisco. >>> a freemont shopping center is getting a second anchor store. nordstrom announced it will op

in tonight's special report, health and science editor john fowler investigating a loophole in the law that allows for others to get your medical records. >> reporter: david chang switching from those familiar but cumbersome paper records. he's going digital. as the federal government will require all physicians to do. >> not only was it free which was fantastic but it saved me time. >> reporter: it's service is free to $30,000 and it's growing. >> i'm just going to send me an e-mail. >> reporter: free because it legally sells the medical information. >> see if new diagnoses or conditions are popping up within that patient. it's strictly identified and >> this is nothing that we've seen before in medicine. >> reporter: many patients and doctors don't know the federal government quietly eliminated patient's medical privacy act. >> there's companies that can see and use our medical words without permission and we can be the refuse. >> reporter: with paper records you must give permission to pass information. >> the data cannot be rendered safe or private through these poll sees they clai

in tonight's special report, health and science editor john fowler investigating a loophole in the law that allows for others to get your medical records. >> reporter: david chang switching from those familiar but cumbersome paper records. he's going digital. as the federal government will require all physicians to do. >> not only was it free which was fantastic but it saved me time. >> reporter: it's service is free to $30,000 and it's growing. >> i'm just going to send me an e-mail. >> reporter: free because it legally sells the medical information. >> see if new diagnoses or conditions are popping up within that patient. it's strictly identified and >> this is nothing that we've seen before in medicine. >> reporter: many patients and doctors don't know the federal government quietly eliminated patient's medical privacy act. >> there's companies that can see and use our medical words without permission and we can be the refuse. >> reporter: with paper records you must give permission to pass information. >> the data cannot be rendered safe or private through these poll sees they clai

and our health and science editor john fowler will have that story coming up a little bit later at 5:45. >>> workers for the sonomo county water agency say they have fixed a cracked pipe. the eight-inch seal pipe is located under the creek where madrone road crosses it. workers fitted a metal sleeve around the pipe to stop the leak. then poured concrete over t. an old concrete cover had apparently eroded and debris in the creek hit the pipe causing a 3 to 4-inch crack. the water agency says it is testing the water to make sure that it is safe. >>> u.s. marines and forest service personnel tonight are battling a wildfire at camp pendleton. authorities say a training exercise on the marine base touched off that fire yesterday. it burned 3,000 acres but is 80% contained tonight. the flames have not approached any structures and no one has been hurt. >>> a brushfire that threatened homes yesterday near ventura county is also 80% contained tonight. although the flames there came within a few feet of some homes, no structures were bued. firefighters credit homeowners for clearing brush and