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Air Pollution and Our Health

My literature review will center on the impact of air pollution on fetal development. For the purposes of this blog, I looked into the following: 

Placer County Air Pollution District (PCAPD)
The PCAPD’s vision is to achieve and maintain clean air standards throughout Placer County by reducing air pollutants and recognizing air pollutants’ impact on health. To this end, PCAPD aims to regulate air pollutant emissions from stationary sources; reduce air pollutants released within the county; investigate noncompliant sources of air pollution to better enforce regulations; collaborate with other groups with similar goals; promote the PCAPD’s positive impacts on the county’s air quality; and develop emission reduction strategies and initiatives.

CDPH Environmental Health Branch (CDPH EHB)
In accordance with Healthy People 2020, the CDPH EHB aims to improve environmental health by addressing outdoor air quality, surface and ground water quality, toxic substances and hazardous wastes, homes and communities, infrastructure and surveillance, and global environmental health. The department is critical to analyzing health risks and developing policies that take into consideration the social determinants of health and collaborates with other groups and individuals to resolve these issues.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
The NIEHS expands and accelerates its contributions to scientific knowledge of human health and the environment, as well as to the health and wellbeing of people. Its mission is to discover how the environment impacts people to improve their lives and aims to lead innovative research in disease and disability prevention. Its 2018-2023 strategic plan focuses on basic biological research, individual susceptibility, microbiome, exposome, co-exposures, predictive toxicology, and data science and big data.

World Health Organization (WHO)
The WHO aims for a world with better health for everyone, working in 150 countries and coordinating international health within the United Nations system. It focuses on addressing health systems, health throughout the lifespan, communicable and noncommunicable diseases, preparedness and surveillance, and corporate services. In order to do so, it collaborates with various countries, groups, and leaders to successfully meet health objectives, as well as create health policies and strategies.

Each of these departments and organizations play a vital role in improving environmental health, particularly to reduce air pollutants, gas emissions, and more to protect air quality. As these organizations move from a local to an international scope, the environmental health focuses broaden but within their goals still exist the objective to preserve the air we breathe because air toxicants both have immediate and long-lasting impacts on the health of children, women, men, families, and nations.

Comments

  1. JudyJudeOctober 7, 2018 at 5:37 PM

    I'm interested in learning more about your literature review, the implications of external environments that affect fetal development. What was once the safe haven for unborn children has become just as dangerous, if not more than postpartum.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Antonio SorianoNovember 9, 2018 at 5:41 PM

    I'm also looking into air pollution, but with alternative forms of transformation. What fascinates me is that, Placer County has an entity designated to combat air pollution. It's important to address the global issue of air pollution and narrow it's focus to positive implementation at the local level.

    ReplyDelete

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