Environmental Health: Thoughts & Reflections

After a quick Google search, I found that there are plentiful facilities that treat sewage/waste water in Placer County. While there are a lot in the general area, there are a handful of facilities that are particularly close to where I live: City of Lincoln Wastewater Treatment Facility, Placer County Waste Waster Treatment Plant, Roseville Water Treatment Plant, and Pleasant Grove Waste Water. As seen in the image below, there is a wealth of agencies and treatment plants in the community. Having a visual of where these facilities are located helps give peace of mind that there is a process for water after use and that several plants manage the wider communities needs.

The daily recommendation for water intake is 8-11 glasses each day. It is detrimental to human health to have access to drinkable water because if not, then the body will become dehydrated and thus reducing its regular functions. If I were to develop a campaign to encourage nationwide use of tap water, I would call it #BackToTap. Prior to the rise of bottled water, people survived sufficiently with water from the tap. So, let’s get #BackToTap and use bottles for repeated use. If people go #BackToTap, we reduce the manufactured demand for bottled water, which help to also reduce plastic waste. This will also encourage consumers to fill their reusable bottles with the amount they can drink. This campaign will benefit many aspects of environmental health from waste reduction and water conservation. Join me in the fight for #BackToTap!

Placer County water is primarily from Folsom Lake but is also supplied by other sources. This area’s water originates from the Sierra snowpack and the American River’s surface water, which flows into Folsom Lake, then supplies the Placer County Water Agency (PCWA) Bianchi service area. Chemicals found in Placer County water that were higher than expected include: fluoride, total trihalomethane, and total haloacetic acids. Trihalomethane and haloacetic acids were an unexpected discovery for me, but after my quick search about them helped me understood they were categories for disinfectants of drinking water. Using the ToxNet database, I found that these groups of chemicals could have serious reproductive and developmental effects on humans. Upon looking into the consumer confidence report, I realized the water quality in Placer County is not terrible, but some of the chemicals found were near the higher end of the spectrum of the maximum levels allowed. Our family uses a filter for o...

The Clean Water Act of 1972 is the US law that regulates water pollutants and surface water quality. It is a significant accomplishment for public health because the government recognized the need to protect our water from industrial runoff, sewage, and other substances that pollute bodies of water, and that these unwanted substances must be separated from clean, clear water to keep it “clean.” Although the Earth consists mainly of water, the exponential growth of the human population and need for clean water is much greater. In order to sustain and meet this need, it is our human responsibility to create and follow governmental policies and actively protect our water from pollution. Animals who live and/or highly depend on these waters are greatly impacted. If their ecosystem is polluted, these creatures can become sick, genetically mutated, and/or die. This is an added factor that could also affect human health because many people rely and consume these creatures and the waters they...

Background : A national survey revealed that 30% of the public have some sensitivity to fragrances and 27% of asthmatics note that their conditions are aggravated (Flegel & Martin, 2015). Fragrance is often used as a general term to describe the concoction of chemicals that are thought to give a product a “natural smelling scent.” An example of this is found in hospitals when they use fragrances to mute or control odor, given that hospitals house concentrated populations of the unwell individuals. However this poses an issue, particularly with individuals who have asthma. Therefore, hospital and employees alike must be required to adhere to a fragrance-free policy. To ensure that patients are provided with the best care, this policy must be implemented in order to mitigate or eradicate any additional external stressors that may impede recovery or trigger unwanted asthma attacks. Policy : Effective January 2019, the fragrance-free hospital policy will require all patient areas wi...

Leveraging the technological age, I will develop a national awareness campaign by using social media to raise awareness about radon using and will introduce a new hashtag: #ridradon. I will also collaborate with apartment renters, facilities, landlords, facility managers; local home inspectors and health departments; and the National Radon Hotline to help plan, initiate, implement, and evaluate the campaign. Identify target population Apartment renters who use social media for news and information Gain interest Use the slogan Rid Radon and hashtag #ridradon to introduce the campaign to the public Use eye-catching flyers with information about radon and ways for renters to request or access tests Develop concern Provide facts about radon, particularly morbidity and mortality information Provide information Provide options for renters to help identify whether their homes are safe/unsafe Request for landlords/facility managers to provide documentation regarding r...

Using the NIH NLM ToxNet Database I searched the following terms: “urea formaldehyde” and “bleach.” Since urea formaldehyde foam is inexpensive, requires easy-install, and provides efficient insulation, many homes are built with this type of insulation. Unfortunately, reports demonstrate that inhabitants of these homes experience minor immobilizing symptoms due to formaldehyde exposure, but long-term health effects from this chemical exposure have yet to be studied. This source also compares polyurethane foam insulation to the urea formaldehyde foam, and it’s somewhat reassuring that no inhabitant toxicities have occurred thus far. On the other hand, bleach is a product more well-known to consumers for cleaning and sanitizing purposes. With such a powerful, distinguishable scent, I’m not surprised to learn that research has been done to study the daily use of bleach for cleaning and asthma symptoms/diagnoses. It was useful to search bleach toxicity because I have relatives with ...

Environmental justice is defined as the fair treatment and involvement of everyone regardless of race, nationality, color, or income as they pertain to environmental law development, implementation, and enforcement. At the People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit, the 17 principles of environmental justice were created which helped to environmental justice and ways people can attain it. Environmental justice can be connected with the “Black Lives Matter” movement because both emphasize the fair and equal treatment of people, but obviously the movement in question particularly fights for Black rights. Another connection is evidenced by the article in Atlanta Black Star, which demonstrated that Black communities are vulnerable populations due to their race/ethnicity being historically being in the lower income bracket. Playing a role here are the social determinants of health which include: economic stability, education, social and community context, health and healthcare, an...

I’m particularly interested in how certain environmental exposures influence a woman’s reproductive health and the health of her future children. This module introduces the concept of upstream public health in order to move away from “sick” care to achieve the full potential of “health” care. The beauty of public/environmental health is that they are fields that recognize the complexity of health and disease. It’s crucial to seek the root causes of illness in order to more comprehensively address the issues at hand. In the case of reproductive health and pregnancy, it is greatly distressing that chemical exposures from a deep past can linger and transfer onto later generations, which can sometimes lead to genetic mutations that are harmful to mother and baby. Given this, the field of environmental public health is critical to protecting the health and wellness of future generations.  Women trying to conceive, pregnant women, fetuses, and young children are all vulnerable to th...

Air pollution is not something I regularly think about because I feel that it isn't a grave concern in the area where I live. This exercise led me to some very useful resources and I was able to assess the current status of environmental health in the 95661 zip code. Using scorecard.org and epa.gov/enviro/ I found the following: Who and what are the top polluters in your zipcode? In the 95661 zip code, the top polluters are shown below. Smog and Soot: among the worst at 10% Air Pollutants: among the worst at 10% Toxic Chemical Release: among the worst at 20% What percent of the homes in your zip code have lead-based paint? Based on Scorecard there are 0% homes with lead-based paint. Are there Superfund sites in your zip?   Superfund sites are pieces of land in the US that have been contaminated by hazardous waste and pose risks to human health and/or the environment. In this zipcode, there are no sites on the national priority list. However, t...

Residing in Roseville, CA there is little opportunity for me to take public transportation. However, I’ve lived and traveled in cities where public transportation was well-promoted and highly used.  During my undergraduate years, I didn’t own a car and heavily relied on the school’s public transit and ride share system, as well as the carpooling system between me and my friends who had cars. Given the circumstances, I was motivated to walk most places I needed or wanted to visit, which was beneficial for my physical health as it gave me a reason to exercise. This was also my contribution to protecting the environment as it helped to reduce air pollution by limiting my car usage. Additionally, I was one less person on the road adding to traffic, which helped to decrease self-induced or situation-induced stress. Although my life has become more convenient now that I have a car, being carless then was a healthier option because it allowed me to remain active and appreciate the ou...

It’s been a week since I went to see my primary care doctor for a general checkup. Today, I received a message with the results of my blood and urine tests. What seemed to be a normal day, suddenly turned dark. Heart racing. Confused. Worried. What does it all mean? The doctor listed more than a handful of chemicals that were found to be in my system at unsafe levels. Along with that he also mentioned several effects these chemicals could potentially have on my health. As far as I know, I don’t go to any places, do anything, or eat anything that would pose such harm. I messaged back to arrange a follow up appointment in order to discuss my health in more detail and request for recommendations for minimizing, or possibly reversing, the damage that these chemicals have done to my body. I have many more questions, but I want to do my own research prior to meeting my physician. The following is what I found according to my quick search of the first few chemicals: 93% of dioxin exp...

Using the National Library of Medicine’s Household Products Database, I searched the Softsoap antibacterial liquid hand soap and the original Mr. Clean magic eraser. Prior to learning the actual health effects of both items, I had a good instinct of where they might stand on the hazardous to non-hazardous scale, thus I was not surprised with the search results for these household items. I agree with the minimally hazardous ratings across the board for the soap and the slightly to moderately hazardous ratings for the magic eraser. With the hand soap being used frequently and presenting minimal health risks, I don’t anticipate changing products or even brands. Seeing the results of its health effects only confirmed that this is an effective product and holds little to none negative health effects. On the other hand, the magic eraser is seldom used and only for especially tough cleaning needs (mainly in the bathroom). Given this, I’m not too concerned with the rare usage of this product....

Using the Safe Cosmetics Database, I searched up the Crest Multi-Benefit Whitening + Scope toothpaste and the Origins Checks & Balances face wash, which were rated based on relatively fair and limited data respectively. Scoring a 3, it was reassuring to see that the toothpaste had minor ingredient concerns and was not cancerous. But, it did bring some slight concern since it presented as moderately hazardous with concerns for additive exposure sources and organ system toxicity. On the other hand, I was disappointed that my favorite face wash scored a 4 and was shown to be moderately hazardous. It also  presented  similar concerns as the toothpaste, but also had ingredient concerns relevant to allergies and immunotoxicity.  For a product that claimed to use natural ingredients, I expected my face wash to have ingredients that are less toxic or irritating for diverse consumer skin types. My search findings have encouraged a desire to more thoroughly research my oth...