Environmental and Occupational Health: Issues in Public Health

For my disease selection, I chose Byssinosis or "Brown Lung". This is the first time that I heard of this illness, usually we hear more about black lung and white lung in my opinion. According to the American Lung Association, Byssinosis affects people who work in the hemp, cotton, and flax industry. Workers usually develop Byssinosis by inhaling raw cotton, hemp, flax or other textile dust. It causes asthma-like symptoms and can lead to chronic obstructive lung disease. OSHA recognizes cotton dust as a respiratory hazard and the importance of monitoring exposure and the development of Byssinosis. OSHA has several manuals detailing regulations and procedures on recognizing and handling cotton dust exposure. OSHA has also enforced standards of safety in textile mills and inspection protocols to monitor cotton dust safety. In defining exposure to cotton or textile particles, OSHA stated the following, "Cotton dust means dust present in the air during the handling or p...

For my organization, I chose to do the CAL/OSHA. CAL/OSHA focuses on protecting Californian workers by setting and enforcing standards, approving and issuing permits and licenses, and providing outreach and education services. CAL/OSHA also focuses on passenger and user safety in terms of transportation, elevator use, amusement rides, and pressure vessels. CAL/OSHA strongly emphasizes the importance of developing an injury and illness prevention plan for every organization. While looking through their website, I found the following featured safety programs:  As a person who regularly uses transportation services, elevators, and as someone who runs the risk of workplace violence at her job, I feel that CAL/OSHA is definitely a great resource on helping people prevent illness and injury. CAL/OSHA provides the tools to protect and educate employees as well as their employers to maximize productivity through the creation safe and healthy environments. My type of work could defi...

Unfortunately, while interviewing my mother on the hazards of the workplace environment internally and externally, she admitted that her school didn't have Material Safety Data Sheets. When she was hired, she never recalled getting any paperwork or meeting on the potential hazards of the workplace. When she asked the principal, her boss, about whether they had one, he had no idea what she was talking about. My mom basically said that her school is too poor to have an MSDS and the OUSD doesn't bother to spend money on developing such a thing. As for my workplace, they also seemed to be at a loss for what an MSDS was. When I was hired, the only talk of safety hazards were outside the office. We had discuss the importance of protecting ourselves against used syringes on the ground, keeping our hands clean, and getting vaccinated to protect ourselves and our homeless clients from exposure. Other than that, my boss and supervisor didn't really say much else about it. If we hap...

My mom works as a bilingual clerk at an elementary school. The school is located on 81st avenue, Oakland, which isn't really the safest area of town in terms of crime. In the surrounding area, my mother noted that there are several factories, construction and trucking companies around the school. Children and staff go outside every day for recess. Given the amount of vehicle exhaust and pollution produced by the factories and companies, children and teachers are most likely being exposed to toxic fumes. Though little can be done to eliminate or substitute the chemical hazards currently in the air, perhaps some engineering controls can be put in place to improve air quality. Improving the school's air ventilation would be one thing that can be done to ensure that children are breathing clean air in their classrooms. Wearing mask would be less effective, it would not solve anything but maybe support children who do have more respiratory issues than other children. Future eliminat...

While reading both the childhood lead poisoning case of Nigerian children and Needleman (2004)'s review on the toxic effects of lead poisoning among children and adults, I kept thinking about the future consequences that will impact their lives. Although the Nigerian children received care that lowered their lead levels, Needleman (2004) highlights the lasting neuorlogical effects that lead has on children's typical development. I wonder how these children are doing now and if they are suffering from the consequences of their exposure in terms of neuro-developmental problems and other physical health damage as they have grown older. Needlman's review also included severe physical ailments as part of lead exposure among children such as anemia, abdominal pain, and stunted growth. Given these findings, it would be interesting to see if there was any more follow up on the Nigerian children and whether researchers would have found similar findings as compared to Needleman (...

This was the first time I had ever heard of green chemistry and I am loving it! Why hasn't this already been implemented nationwide already? The most obvious answer has to do with capitalism and of course stubborn business practices. In any case, this is such a revolutionary idea and should be required of every company. I am interested in learning more about what else is being done to push the Green Chemistry initiative forward. It is wonderful to know that such a project exists! I loved reading the 12 principles, I really hope that we can make a big change with green chemistry! There are so many environmental and health benefits to this initiative. I hope future policy change and chemical regulation can come to rely on green chemistry as a healthier alternative to the toxins that we have come to rely on every day.

Highly Fluorinated Chemicals I was shocked to learn how highly fluorinated chemicals can render vaccines useless and that they exist in so many products that I use or engage with daily. I was appreciative of the fact that the video included feasible things I can do to lessen my exposure to highly fluorinated chemicals. I need to pay attention more on what I purchase, especially when it comes to personal care products. It is ridiculous to know that these chemicals last a long time and are in products that directly come in contact with children. You would think that despite the evidence of the harm they cause that they would be nowhere near children in the first place. In conclusion, I plan on being more careful with reviewing the labels of the products I purchase. Antimicrobials I have always been a huge fan of Antimicrobials. It wasn't until this class that I learned how truly bad they were for me and the environment. The fact that there isn't really much difference bet...

The ideal chemical policy in my opinion is to ban all known PBTs or persist, bioaccumulative or highly toxic chemicals. There is no excuse as to why they are still on the market given the amount of evidence that exists describing the absolute harm they bring to humans, animals, and the environment as a whole. We must push for a complete ban on these chemicals so that they do not continue to be a detriment to the health and wellbeing of communities every where. I agree that policy work must also focus on requiring alternatives or substitutes to these PBTs and furthering research on healthier options. Other than that, no exceptions. Publishing the evidence while educating communities must also be incorporated alongside policy reform, the more educated people are, the better. The public cannot continue to be exposed to these chemicals, the people must come before the profits! Enough is enough!

The background paper that I have selected is #2: Phase out persistent, bioaccumulative or highly toxic chemicals. As stated in the paper, it is well known how harmful chemicals such as organophosphates, flame retardants, and lead are to the human body and the environment. Despite this evidence, it is frustrating to know that they still continue to be use to this day and that the public continues to knowingly be exposed. The EPA is still limited by outdated policies and reform, I found it shocking that it has only five chemical groups of 62,000 have been restricted in 29 years. Phasing out the harmful chemicals is an excellent first step towards eventually banning them from use. Switching them out for substitutes that are less harmful to the public. I like how there have already been some statewide and local initiatives to phase out these PBTs, however, it is evident that more work needs to be done in order to enforce the phase out nationally. Pressuring corporations to move towards alt...

Pesticides in our foods and their health effects (especially on children) is actually my topic for my literature review (also found the same article on the CHARGE study for this module). I had chicken breast, whole wheat pasta with tomato sauce, and a veggie mix (broccoli, green beans, and zucchini) for dinner last night. After looking up my meal, I was quite shocked to find how much pesticide residue was actually in what I expected to be a relatively healthy dinner. The green beans alone had over 44 pesticide residues plus the additional 33 in my broccoli. I couldn't find information on my zucchini, but I selected winter squash to review and found that 64 pesticide residues were found by the USDA! In terms of my whole wheat pasta and chicken breast, I found 7 pesticide residues in poultry, 4 in the tomato paste, and 4 in wheat grain. I couldn't believe what I had found. It is ridiculous that there are so many pesticide residues in our food. Why can't we have a syst...

For my literature review, I will be exploring organophosphates, or pesticides which are commonly used in today's agricultural industry. I am looking to examine the developmental neurotoxicity of organophosphates. For my book review, I read "Raising Elijah" by Dr. Steingraber. The book had a section on neurotoxins on how they affect the growing bodies and development of children along with their association with the growing rates of autism, ADHD and other disorders. This inspired me to look further into how these pesticides are really affecting the healthy development of future generations. In researching this topic, I found the NIEHS has done significant research on the neurobehavioral effects of pesticides on children. The USDA would also be another resource in understanding the use of pesticides and their residues within the realms of food safety. EPA would also be another resource and authority in addressing the effects of pesticides on our health as well as current ...

The agency that I have selected to start with is under the US Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH in general is the national medical research agency of the United States that seeks to ultimately, "enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability". Within this agency, there are several others including the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences or NIEHS. NIEHS focuses on contributing to research on the environment and human health and well-being. Their research involves understanding the interactions of the environment and its exposures on our health in order to prevent further illness and disability. From every disease and disability, environmental exposure, environmental agents, to scientific health specialization, NIEH covers a wide range of topics in working to promote and maintain environmental health. NIEH is also very committed to health education and sharing its research with the g...

After exploring the city of San Leandro's website, I found four types of environmental health services available. According to the website, I also found out that San Leandro is a CUPA site or Certified Unified Program Agency. CUPA cities are recognized and certified by the California Secretary of Environmental Protection and manage regulatory standards that protect the health of Californians. CUPA sites manage six state mandated program: Hazardous Materials Business Plan (HMBP) Hazardous Waste Generator Program California Accidental Release Program (CalARP) Aboveground Petroleum Storage Tank Program (APSA) Underground Storage Tank Program Tiered Permitting (CE,CA, PBR) for on-site hazardous waste treatment It turns out, there a only a few cities like San Leandro in California who are CUPA. I would have expected that all cities would have been CUPA certified so it was surprising to see that this was not the case. The environmental services in particular that I found under...

The Vanishing of the Bees explored the international crisis experienced by beehive colonies: Colony Collapse Disorder. The focus of the film is figuring out why bees are abandoning their hives and are dying off at alarmingly high rates. Led by David Hackenburg, the film explores some of the reasons that may be causing bees to become ill and die out. Ultimately, it is argued that the mass death of bees everywhere is primarily due to pesticide exposure while pollinating plants. The historical impact of pesticides on the agricultural industry and present day use has severely impacted the health of the bees, who are so important in producing the crops we depend on to live. Not only do pesticides harm our pollinators on a sub-level, but they harm us as well. Though the film calls for an end to pesticide use and promotes the use of natural alternatives, there is is still much work to be done in order to create change in the farming industry which regardless, is still motivated by money/prof...

ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE 101: HOW ANTIBIOTIC MISUSE ON FACTORY FARMS CAN MAKE YOU SICK                                                "Far more antibiotics are given to livestock than to people". I was well aware that our current agricultural system relies on the use of antibiotics and other hormonal chemicals to increase growth and production to meet the demand for meat. What I did not realize was the level in which it was used, I had no idea that that antibiotics were being given much more to animals (who are NOT sick in the first place) in comparison to people. Although antibiotics are intended to be used as a preventative measure against contaminated livestock, the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria from animal to human did not occur to me as a possible consequence of this business/agricultural practice. It is scary to know how easily the AR Bacteria can s...

In the state of California, there are several fruits and vegetables currently in season. I was unable to find a single calendar encompassing all of the harvest produce in California, but found that each fruit or vegetable that came up in my search comes with its own calendar and set of recipes: In general, there are quite a few produce that are in season. These include, but are not limited to, the following: I found this site very handy, I love that it also includes recipes and the specific time frame for the harvest season of each fruit or vegetable. I am constantly looking for ways to eat healthy and get creative in the kitchen, timing is often challenging for me so I don't cook as much as I should. I really would like to eat more local foods. I think the main barriers are finances and again finding the time to cook and meal prep. I think most barriers to eating organically come down to education and affordability, most people I know want to eat healthy but...