Environmental Health: Thoughts & Reflections

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 ...

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...

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...