EnvironAndOccupHealth

Pneumoconiosis is the general term for the inflammation of the lungs caused from inhaling dust particles, such as silica, coal dust or asbestos. Black Lung Disease is caused by the accumulation of coal dust particles, which can turn the lungs black-colored.  Coal dust is made up of carbon-containing particles and coal miners are most at risk of inhaling it. A person may not have any symptoms but some may exhibit signs such as shortness of breath, coughing, chest tightness or even hypoxemia (low oxygen blood levels). If exposure is long enough or intense, a person can develop more severe respiratory symptoms. Sometimes coal miners are also exposed to silica or graphite-containing dust, which can lead to similar health issues. The disease is still common among coal miners, with 10% of workers acquiring the disease if they've worked 25+ years. In some parts of the country such as Kentucky, Virginia and W. Virginia, nearly 20% of workers have the disease, which is the highest recor...

I looked up the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health or NIOSH. The organization ensures that worker health and safety is being improved and implemented, with two major areas of research and practice. The program that puts their findings into practice is called the Research to Practice program (r2p). They collaborate with organizations, stakeholders and partners on educating them on how to begin to implement better practices based on their research. One example included working with the US-Mexico Border Health Commission and the Mexican Foreign Ministry's health program on addressing the fatality rates of Latino immigrant workers. The rate of 5.9 per 100,000 persons is 50% higher than other workers. In partnership, they were able to create specific educational materials, such as pamphlets, videos and posters to raise awareness among Spanish-speaking immigrant workers. They provided tools and extra assistance to any workers who sought more help. The project not o...

I work in a typical office setting. One of the chemicals found on the MSDS was fluorotelomer alcohol, which can be used in manufacturing things such like furnishings, paper packaging and textiles. The chemical has been associated with skin and eye irritation and there is not enough data that shows whether or not it is a carcinogen. Studies have also shown these chemicals exist 3-5x higher in office environments than in homes and can affect lipid metabolism, liver health, reproduction and the immune system. Most consumers will not encounter the chemical in its pure, undiluted form, which requires more protective equipment. But precaution should still be taken when exposed to the chemical, including having well-ventilated areas, working in outdoor areas and using toxin-clearing plants into the office space.

The 12 principles of green chemistry sounds amazing. I have never officially heard of these types of processes, although it seems like common sense. Because we have technologies and the capacity to perform steps like this, things like plastic and Styrofoam should be phased out. Although, change takes a lot of time, especially since it is such a huge part of our lives. And manufacturers of these products would also have to change, which could be difficult since money is involved.  It would be beneficial if the government provided more incentives for companies that are using green chemistry. If something like this were implemented prior to the invention of plastic, the Great Pacific garbage patch might not have existed, along with all of the other environmental impacts these chemicals are having on our health. It is really hard to believe that plastic never breaks down, and that is accumulating on our planet every day.

In my work, I sometimes get to perform housing inspections that must meet federal standards. One of these is the lead standard and if a certain amount of paint is peeling/cracking inside a home older than 1978, then it must go through remediation. But, it does not if it's just a small amount. It makes me think about how many children will grow up with the continued risk of being contaminated. After reading these articles, it was interesting to learn how older homes with lead paint are the single largest cause of lead poisoning. The health effects it can have on the body are concerning, especially for children. In the research reviewed, I wonder what other chemicals were tested for besides lead, like asbestos, etc.? Because, learning about the vast amount in our systems, there could also be compounding of potential health issues.

Highly Flourinated Chemicals    This class of chemicals is found in 98% of Americans and stay in the environment forever. I believe that we as consumers have been so brainwashed and lied to about what we are buying. These are man-made, and as we consume non-stop, the government has not done their part to protect the public's health. It is encouraging though to see some companies like IKEA and H&M using the six-classes approach. Antimicrobials    It amazes me how many products antimicrobials are used in, even though benefits have not been proven. It just shows how companies are not using it help human health but instead to sell "new and better" products. Flame Retardants    It was interesting to learn that these chemicals are not very effective in preventing fire, but instead make the environment even more toxic as it burns. The impact it has on the environment and animals is disturbing, especially because they were found in crustaceans livin...

A good policy chemical prioritizes the problem or public health concern, while addressing the major effects it has on people or the environment. Another element of a good policy is specific action steps, such as the numbers or outcomes expected from implementing the policy. It is supported by sound evidence, and takes into account current best practices but also addresses the limitations of each. Lastly, it should include the evaluation and regulation part to ensure the policy is working and being complied with. An example of a policy with good evaluation is the European Union's (EU) regulation that prevents any pesticide from being released onto the market without it being proven safe for consumption and does not harm the environment. The two-step approval process involves both the EU and the individual member states. To ensure the regulation is being followed after approval, there is a monitoring program that measures levels of pesticides against limits set by the European Foo...

I looked at the policy reform statement about the public's right to know and the right to participate. The background paper was thorough in explaining why it is important the public has this type of information regarding chemicals and the opportunity to act on those findings. The paper explained different methods that the government could share this information. One of the examples used was the "Beach Pollution Right-to-Know," in which the EPA notifies people when coastal water swimming conditions have unsafe levels of contamination. The law requires both warning signage on the actual beach and also on their national database, although the database can be difficult to search. The paper listed many more examples, showing the pros and cons of each, but that it is possible to create a widespread, effective way to communicate to the public. There were also explanations of ways that people could participate. The authors presented the arguments against a policy like this, a...

Last night, I ate an eggplant stir-fry dish from a Thai restaurant. It had eggplant, tofu, onions, broccoli, carrots, Thai basil, spices/sauce, along with brown rice. I thought this was a pretty healthy dish, but after reading the pesticides that might have possibly been on these items, I'm not sure so: Pesticide numbers Carrot: 27 Eggplant: 18 Broccoli: 33 Soybean: 14 Rice: 15 Broccoli had the highest number with 33 different pesticides. Some were suspected hormone disruptors, or toxins to our reproductive and developmental systems. Not all had negative effects on humans (at least those that had been studied), but were instead toxic to bees. I think this number is extremely high. But I got curious, and just started looking up other items. I think there were some that were disturbingly high, such as cherry tomatoes with 69 and peaches with 62. The highest I found were cucumbers with 86! I think I will be buying organic cucumbers from now on. This is definitely a publ...

For my topic, I am looking at the impact of indoor air quality on health. On average, Americans spend more than 65% of their time indoors. Some homes have been shown to have lower air quality than health-based standards for acute and chronic exposures. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is the primary enforcer of air quality. They have guidelines and standards on everything from asbestos to mold. But the U.S. EPA and the California Environmental Protection Agency have (CalEPA) have released standards to long-term exposure to reduce cancer and non-cancer related illnesses.  Each state also has a regional office, that is responsible for carrying out the agency's programs relating to indoor air quality. The main framework to protect air quality at the national, state and local level is outlined in The Clean Air Act.

I looked at the National Institute of Health and their role in protecting the environment. They are part of the Department of Health and Human Services and help prevent and protect against illness. It is very wide-reaching in that they perform research, implement health interventions and develop tools that improve health. They focus on things like chronic diseases and infectious diseases, and have developed things like vaccines and new therapies to address them. One area I found interesting was their categorization of depression as a chronic disease. They identified it as a disorder to the brain and showed how they have technologies like brain scans to show this. But, even though so many people suffer from depression, I'm not sure the awareness and accessibility to therapies and brain scans are as available as they could be.

Sacramento County has an Environmental Health Division, which oversees management of a variety of services, including waste management, food protection and recreational health. The division's responsibilities are not just regulatory, although it does require permits and certifications, but also offers things like educational classes and exams. I was surprised by some of the services they regulate, such as body art (ie-tattooing, piercing, etc.) practitioners who must submit plans and fees to be approved prior to opening. I would have thought this would be under a different governmental division, even though it does involve injecting chemicals, and items into the body. Or maybe it has some environmental impact I'm unaware of.

I had heard about the vanishing bees and colony collapse disorder a few years back, and its link to pesticides. The details in this video gave a more in-depth background of the problem and possible solutions. I thought it was surprising and somewhat disturbing that they artificially inseminate the queen bees and replace the original mother with younger foreign mothers, despite queen bees lasting 5-6 years. The long travel bees go through to be transported to other farms across the country is also harmful to the colonies. All of these unnatural ways of beekeeping, in addition to the use of systemic pesticides, should not make us wonder why bees are leaving their homes or dying. The largest collapse of over 2 billion bees was alarming and all of these signs should be a wake up call. I was glad to see that they made the link between the use of systemic pesticides and colony collapse disorder, and banned the use of its application, but more needs to be done as pesticides continue to be...

The use of antibiotics in factory farms is concerning, considering that it is not regulated. I guess I am not surprised since the chemical industry has not been very regulated prior to the Safe Chemical Act, but I'm beginning to see how lax or corrupt the government has been about monitoring these hazards. I was surprised that the use of antibiotics is being used to prevent and promote growth in animals and not just for treating sick animals.  It is contradictory that when humans take it for treating illnesses, a prescription is needed, but when we feed it to animals there is no regulation. The idea also that bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics is also a big public health concern. When we do need to use specific medicines to kill certain bacteria in humans, it will become more difficult, which was the case with multi-drug resistant strains of tuberculosis. What other diseases will not be treatable with antibiotics? This is similar to the use of antimicrobial soaps a...