Environmental and Occupational Health Issues in Public Health

1) Consider your workplace or a workplace of one of your family members. Are there chemical, biological, radiological or ergonomic issues? Using the industrial hygiene hierarchy of controls, how might you address the issues? How are they being addressed in reality? Our use of cleaning products is our only chemical exposure at work. I find it difficult to find biological and radiological issues in a restaurant. As far as ergonomics is concerned, the one thing that I can think of is the cash register is located on a lowered counter. It's not a big hindrance to me even as someone who is tall. However, I think it would be better if it were higher so I wouldn't have to bend over or sit down to use the register effectively.  2) What might be the barriers to workers exercising their rights to a healthy and safe workplace? I think not knowing what their rights are is a big hindrance for workers to remain healthy and safe in the workplace. I can see a lot of people just accepting...

Byssinosis or brown lung disease primarily affects workers in the cotton, hemp or flax industries. It causes asthma-like breathing difficulty and can lead to lung damage similar to that caused by irreversible chronic obstructive lung disease. In the 1960s, the disease was deemed nonexistent in the United States. It was not recognized by the scientific community in the United States until 1970. IT was after this point that the Occupational Safety and Health Act was developed to address byssinosis as well as other occupational diseases. The OSHA recognizes cotton dust as a hazard. As of now, the OSHA proposes having a cotton dust manual to solidify the policies and procedures to enforce the manufacturing operations. They also have a paper that talks about the effects of cotton dust exposure and lays down several options that can be used to reduce illness.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has a public safety program that focuses on reducing or elimination injuries, illnesses, and deaths among public safety workers. Fire service, law enforcement, corrections, emergency medical service, and wildland fire service are all under this program. They cover many areas for public safety workers, which include 1) cancer, reproductive, cardiovascular and other chronic disease prevention, 2) immune, infectious and dermal disease prevention, 3) respiratory health, 4) traumatic injury prevention, and 5) health work design and well-being. One thing the site takes note of is that addressing these issues for one population is essentially addressing them for the entire community. Even though I am not a public safety worker, I can be certain that all the research going into making public safety workers safer and healthier will also be utilized to make me safer and healthier as well.

A product that we use very often for cleaning the floors at the restaurant I work at is Pine-Sol. I used two safety data sheets to answer the following questions. One was solely on Pine-Sol. The other was more on pine odor disinfectants as a whole. The former only mentions alcohols as the composition since the exact percentages are a trade secret. The latter lists chemicals such as benzododecinium chloride and benzenemethanaminium chloride as ingredients of pine odor disinfectant. What are the health risks associated with this chemical? Health risks include irritation of the respiratory tract, eyes, and skin. In the event of ingestion, it can cause irritation of the mucous membranes and gastrointestinal tract, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Is the chemical a carcinogen? Both sources report the ingredients of the product not being carcinogenic. What personal protective equipment or special precautions should be taken when working with this chemical? Protective gloves, cloth...

One thing that continues to frustrate me after reading these articles is that children are the most vulnerable to the negative health effects of lead and yet it took the government so long before something is done. What adds to the frustration is reading about industrial representatives saying that the relationship between lead and IQ being untrue, even when the research says the contrary. It's sad to see so many supposedly intelligent people playing dumb just to make sure they don't lose money. Amidst these frustrations, there is at least hope that changes can be made. It may take awhile, but a collective effort from residents and organizations can lobby for change. We just have to keep at it and continue to seek the changes we want to be made for the good of ourselves and our environment.

I like that green chemistry seeks to target the problem at the source or at the beginning. While there is still definitely a need for clean-up in the environment, green chemistry focuses on making sure that there isn't a need for clean-up in the first place. I found the 12 principles of green chemistry very interesting and relevant. They all connect back to the goal of green chemistry, which is to reduce the travel of chemical waste in the environment as much as possible. Many of these principles involve developing and using safer alternatives to minimize waste. I particularly like that one of their principles is to design chemicals and products that degrade after use. Many of the chemicals in the environment now can remain for long periods of time. Developing degrading chemical waste would prove to be a significant discovery.

Highly Fluorinated Highly fluorinated chemicals can lead to many health problems. What makes them even more of a concern is that they are man-made and do not decompose in the environment. In essence, we are contaminating ourselves. It affects children in that their vaccinations can become less effective, which is scary. These highly fluorinated chemicals that the industries are producing put children even more at risk. Since these chemicals do not decompose, it allows them to slowly travel and contaminate even the most remote places on the planet. I like the question the video poses when weighing one's options. That is, is the convenience of water- and stain-repellent covered products worth the potential for harm that these chemicals can do? It's an important question that we all should start asking ourselves and our government officials. Antimicrobials While the purpose of antimicrobials may be to do good, they may be doing more harm than good. It's funny that antimi...

An ideal chemical policy, like any policy, needs the science to back it up. The results of scientific studies are what can convince policy makes and government officials to to address health issues. Information on the effects, whether positive or negative, of chemical substances should be shared with the public and presented in a way that they can easily understand. This allows them to be more aware and informed about what chemicals that they are frequently exposed to. However, it is sad to see that many higher officials blind themselves to what is going on in the environment. From a public health protection perspective, I think a big challenge is how to translate scientific information into words that ordinary citizens can understand and digest. I have trouble reading and remembering these long scientific names of chemicals and substances. While there are more common names for them, it is still difficult to maintain that information about all these substances. Using a language that ...

Background Paper #1 - Require Safer Substitutes and Solutions I agree that the best step to take when dealing with dangerous chemicals is to find alternatives that are safer. I find that it is good that this is part of the Louisville Charter. However, I understand that it's one endeavor to find alternatives and another one to transition from the current dangerous chemicals to safer ones. A lot of politics goes into it, and, of course, this can make the whole research and implementation process take longer than needed. The background paper lays down the steps that government should take to meet the need for safer alternatives. Much like finding safer alternative forms of energy, there is a great need to find safer alternative chemicals and substances before it's too late.

Last night, we had Popeye's for dinner. I found it interesting that pesticides are found even in the meat we consume. After what we've learned so far, it's no longer surprising for me to discover things like this. The chickens could be consuming grain and other plant parts that were treated with pesticides. Hence, pesticides were found in their meat. From a public health perspective, I think there is a need for farmers and those working in agriculture to be more conscious about numerous things. These include the use of pesticides and having animals near plants that have been treated with pesticides. Being more in control of these factors can help reduce the transfer of pesticides from plants and animals to humans.

What agencies at the local, state, federal, and/or international level provide information, regulatory oversight, or are otherwise implicated in addressing that topic? My topic is on urban planning (good, bad, or lack thereof) and how it affects the health outcomes of the community, particularly in developing countries. An example of agencies that play an important role in addressing the topic include the Department of Housing and Urban Planning, the World Urban Campaign, and the Department of Health and Human Services. It is important to recognize that the two departments mentioned are present in the United States and the World Urban Campaign is internationally known platform. Developing countries may have different names for departments relating to urban planning and health. Some may have specific departments for them, similar to the United States. Others may have departments that cover these aspects and more. For example, the Philippines has the Department of Environment and Natu...

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is part of the United States Department of Energy. Its mission is to create and support American leadership in the move to a global clean energy economy. It sees an America being powered by clean, affordable, and secure energy. There are five offices: energy efficiency, renewable power, sustainable transportation, business operations, and strategic programs. Each looks into different ways that alternative sources of energy and renewable power can be utilized to help the environment. For example, the website has entries on geothermal, solar, wind, and water as sources of renewable power. There are also entries on bioenergy, hydrogen and fuel cells, and vehicles to further the discussion on sustainable transportation.

On the main page of the San Mateo County Health Department, there is a section on preventing lead poisoning. The page gives a few steps parents can take to protect their children against and address lead poisoning. These include having your child or you (if you're pregnant) tested for lead. In the event that your child has an alarming level of lead in his or her blood, the San Mateo County Health Department will work alongside the family to ascertain that the home is made safe and children are protected from lead poisoning. The page also provides several resources on lead testing, how to file a complaint, safe house remodeling, and lead-safe toys. These resources have both English and Spanish versions. The San Mateo Health Department also has an Environmental Health Services page. It includes a blog that shares the latest news and information from the Environmental Health Services division. The programs under the Environmental Health Services division are the following: Body A...

According to SF Environment (https://sfenvironment.org/vegetables-fruits-in-season-bay-area), apples, avocados, dates, figs, grapefruits, and pears are the fruits that are currently in season for October. Arugula, kale, collard greens, Swiss chard, bok choy, brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant, fennel, okra, snap peas, tomatoes and winter squash are vegetables currently in season. I like the idea of seasonal/local foods. I feel it could add a sense of anticipation, since consumers will have to wait for a specific time for these specific foods to come out on the market. The article also states that supporting seasonal and local foods means that food is tastier and more fresh since they don't have to travel long distances to get to one's plate. This also promotes food safety for the same reasons. Food providers won't have to use too many preservatives to help maintain the food's freshness. It also allows consumers to support their local community, which I thi...

I was oblivious to what antibiotic resistance was before starting this program. While I learned about antibiotic resistance in the field of medication prescription, it was only now that I learned about it in the field of agriculture. The first two articles introduced me to antibiotic resistance in farm animals. While antibiotics with good intentions such as disease prevention, it is most likely causing more harm than good. This is because the bacteria advance and evolve and are not killed off by antibiotics. We then need a higher dosage of the antibiotics for them to be effective. The process keeps repeating until the antibiotics are no longer effective. In relation to antimicrobials, I was surprised to read about how they are used with good intention, but ultimately may be doing more harm than good much like antibiotics. One thing I think confuses a lot of people is that there is such a thing as good bacteria. Usually, when we think of bacteria, we see it as something bad, something...

I think that Vanishing of the Bees and Dirt!: The Movie put into perspective how there are so many things in our environment that we take for granted, we overlook, and we don't really think about. After watching Vanishing of the Bees, I thought "Oh yeah,  bees do that. They help pollinate our crops. They help provide for us." It was an idea I knew, but never gave any importance to. While watching Dirt!: The Movie, I was reminded of humans find their origins in dirt. As a Catholic, I admire and appreciate the concept because it speaks of humility. We come from dirt, and yet we think so lowly of dirt. Like the bees, we get so much from the dirt that we don't know of, or we overlook. In San Mateo county, there aren't any factory farms. Once you go to Marin County, Santa Cruz County, and Solano County, that's where factory farms start to pop up. I wasn't even aware of what factory farms are. After reading the definition, I thought it was all part of busines...