Environmental Health: Thoughts & Reflections

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Wildfires and Earthquakes

Wildfires have transformed into a year-round public health issue for California, while earthquakes have become an equally persistent problem due to the rising number of events related to the significant fault lines that span the state. The National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health provides several kinds of resources about these subjects: background, preparedness, health and environmental impacts, health systems impacts, evacuation, and recovery. Wildfires Wildfires are common worldwide, has been consistently linked to being a result of climate change, and little research has been done to study their health effects. and A comprehensive literature review revealed that wildfires can tremendously affect human health due to high levels of particulate matter (PM) and environmental toxicants released into the air. Some negative outcomes of wildfires include: causing or aggravating respiratory health issues, increased likelihood of burns for those victimized by ...

Climate Change

What I find most troubling about climate change is its impact on vulnerable populations, like lower income individuals and indigenous peoples. Climate change is increasing the likelihood for certain diseases to occur more frequently, resources are becoming more scarce, the environment is becoming unhealthier, and humans are more susceptible to illnesses. Vulnerable populations are already at a great disadvantage because of their poor financial standing, the deficient availability of health resources, and the lacking societal support. Media attention has already increased the attention of these global issues, however we need to focus on emergency preparedness for natural calamities. With natural disasters occurring more frequently across the globe, we need to be aware of what we are most likely affected by, then arm those communities with knowledge about these disasters and resources to best protect themselves from harm in order to increase and lengthen survival rates. Cli...

Zero Waste Life

Watching the videos and reviewing the articles helped initiate and inform my reflection about our household waste streams. Each source has provided me with additional perspective about creating and minimizing waste. Although I had prior exposure to the “zero waste” concept, watching the “Zero Waste Life” video inspired me to adopt more habits that suit this lifestyle. At this time, I don’t foresee myself making a complete transition, however I can see myself applying the three tips Lauren provided into my daily life: reviewing the trash that I am producing; picking at the low-hanging fruit of sustainable living; and learning to create your own personal and household products. Reviewing my trash is certainly not a difficult first task. It’s like a landscape review in physical, living form. It’ll help me visualize what kinds of products I’m using and how much trash I’m producing. Often times people are incredibly focused on the product and using it, but don’t think of the conse...

Pneumoconiosis

According to the American Lung Association (ALA), pneumoconiosis is any lung disease caused by inhalation of dust that has been deposited into the lungs. It is frequently called “Black Lung Disease” due to it being common among coal miners and also known as an occupational disease. Its symptoms include coughing and shortness of breath. Unfortunately, there are currently no specific treatments or medications for this disease. Pneumoconiosis has been publicly known since the 1950s, but it was not well understood. The Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 provided standards for reduced coal dust and developed the Black Lung Disability Trust. A 1995 publication from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) provided recommendations for acceptable limits for coal dust exposure. Coal mining has exhibited significant change, evidenced by the notable reduction of deaths from 29,000 people in 1990 to 25,000 in 2013. Although deaths have been...

Occupational Safety & Health Organization

The California Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal OSHA) leads several programs including the Injury & Illness Prevention Program (IIPP). Required by California law , the IIPP is a written workplace safety program. The elements of this program include: responsibility, compliance, communication, hazard assessment, accident/exposure investigation, hazard correction, training and instruction, and record keeping. The entire staff must be involved, all employee hazards must be identified, address all the identified work hazards, and the entire staff must also be trained. A comprehensive and effective IIPP can help prevent or reduce injuries and illnesses, and thus any related business and/or medical costs. The IIPP is incredibly important to me because it ensures my safety and health at my workplace. I need to know that I will be safe at work in order to be a productive employee, and that if there are hazards involved, I will be appropriately notified about them and p...

MSDS and ToxNet

There are several types of cleaning products at my workplace, but I opted to research Clorox Scentiva in Lavender. According to the 2015 revision of the safety data sheet (SDS), this product listed as “Clorox Purple” has no known significant health effects or critical hazards with eye contact, skin contact, or ingestion. However, inhalation may cause a health hazard and serious effects may be delayed after exposure. The SDS also noted that this product is non-carcinogenic. Additionally, the SDS recommends that individuals wear personal protective equipment when handling this chemical. This chemical is found in products that are at my workplace, but I have not been provided any official training with chemical exposure or accidents. Furthermore, the SDS listed titanium dioxide as an ingredient which helped inform my ToxNet search. The database provided more comprehensive information on the chemical’s toxicity. It noted that there is inadequate evidence of carcinogenicity on hum...