Environmental Health

Living a life of zero waste seems extremely difficult. It is extremely difficult given the way that producing waste and using plastic has become so engrained in our culture that it is hardly ever questioned. Going through this weeks module and viewing the content on plastic waste, pharmaceutical waste, food waste, and hazardous waste I begin to think about how lazy I can be when it comes to properly disposing of the waste I produce in my household. Not only that, but also how in America our waste doesn't just "disappear" when the garbage trucks come to collect, but that waste I thought I threw away will just end up in the ocean, a land fill, or somewhere else. The thought of "out of sight, out of mind" comes to me where we are fooled into thinking our waste really does just disappear. Changes that I would want to make would have to start small. I love the way that Lauren from the Tedtalk provided simple steps that people can begin to take to reduce the waste ...

According to the EPA, asbestos is a mineral fiber that occurs in rock and soil. It is most often used in insulation materials and as a fire retardant, but can also be found in: ceiling and floor tiles; automobile clutch, brakes, and transmission parts; and packaging, gaskets, and coatings. Being exposed to asbestos can increase your risk of developing asbestosis, which is a serious progressive, long-term, non-cancer disease of the lungs. Currently there is not ban on the use of asbestos, but there are a few ways in which this chemical is regulated. In 1989 there was a partial ban on the manufacture, import, processing, and distribution of certain asbestos-containing products. This year in April, there was a final rule to ensure that asbestos products are no longer on the market cannot return to commerce. The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) continue to review the ongoing uses of asbestos and will take immediate actions to address those risks when discovered. Asbestosis as menti...

Looking through the National Institute of Occupational Health , I found a lot of interesting programs that targeted: chemical health risk assessment, noise risk assessor, safe handling of forklift trucks, confined space safety, basic rigging and slinging, and a number of other safety trainings/resources for occupational safety and health. One program specifically looked at and researched ways to reduce the prevalence of occupational hearing loss. The Hearing Loss Prevention Program provides recommendations to employers and safety professionals in identifying ototoxicants (chemicals that damage the inner ear), developing practical and cost effective solutions for the causes of occupational hearing loss, and to reduce the overall health outcomes, injuries and fatalities, and the improvement to health and well-being. This program relates to my health and safety because I work in environments where noise can become an issue. As a Pilates instructor, there is always music playing in the...

There are so many adverse health effects of lead when it comes to how much we are exposed to as adults and as children. Research has found that lead exposure leads to problems in behavioral development in children and even adults themselves. Learning about the history behind the realization of harmful effect due to lead exposure in the first article by Needleman (2004) of lead exposure opened my eyes to how little we know about the long-term effects of metals. It took centuries to discover that lead was causing infertility issues among men and women, developmental disorders in children, and increased psychosis. Reading about the effects lead poisoning  may have had on the fall of Rome is mind-boggling and makes me think about what current metal exposure are doing to Americans now in present day. The last module in the six chemical classes, discussed 4 metals that are still present in many products. The health effects of these metals look similar to that of lead, yet regulations and...

The green chemistry and their 12 guiding principles where created to prevent pollution, apply innovative solutions to real-world environmental problems, lessen or eliminate hazards from products and processes, reduce the negative impact of chemical productions (such as plastics) on human health and the environment, and works to design chemicals products and processes to reduce their intrinsic hazards. Reading about green chemistry makes me happy that there are people and communities working to solve the issues brought on by the creation of chemically made products.  I had never heard of green chemistry, but with all that we have going on in the world revolving around waste and the effects it has on our environment, it makes sense that this exists. Each of the 12 principles can be applied to help change the impact that chemically made products that more often than not turn into hazardous garbage should be known to everyone. These should be discussed more when we talk about climate c...

1. Highly Fluorinated These chemicals are found in water resistance clothing, outdoor gear, adhesives, makeup, and among other items we use. 98% of Americans have this chemical in their bodies.  Kidney cancer, elevated cholesterol, and interference with hormone function are some of the potential health effects of this class of chemical. Avoiding products made to be water- and stain- repellent, avoid foods with greaseproof packaging, avoid personal care products with "perfluor", "polyfluo", and "PTFE" on the label, and simply asking for products without highly fluorinated chemicals.  2. Antimicrobials These are a class of chemicals that are supposed to kill microorganisms or inhibit their growth. Often are unnecessary and do more harm than good. You can find this chemical on a number of item we use daily, such as: personal care products, hand soaps, yoga mats, food storage containers, keyboards, school supplies and so on. It can disrupt hormone fun...

An ideal chemical policy I feel would need to consist of rule and regulations set in place to protect before protection is needed. Making it incredibly difficult for companies to begin producing a new chemical without running rigorous tests to see what impact it will have one humans and the environment. When I look at the policies in place currently, so much of it revolves around the after effects a chemical has already produced in our environment or even our own health. In my eyes this doesn't seem logical and should be the other way around. As we have seen time and time again the effects of chemicals is unsafe for humans and our environment, we need to nip this issue in the bud before it consumes all our clean water, air, and soil.