MPH 632- Emebet's Blog

Why I live a zero waste life Are there changes that you might be able to make in your life to live a zero waste life and enter your thoughts/ideas into your blog. I would be interested in changing over to a zero waste life. In order to do that I    would need to begin to compost and begin to make my own products. I really identified with the end of her talk, when she mentions that you can start small. I    personally make small strides toward the zero waste life by using reusable bags, etc.  I need to evaluate what kinds of waste I    have in my home and then create a plan to reduce my waste. 

Blog:  1) Consider your workplace or a workplace of one of your family members. Are there chemical, biological, radiological or ergonomic issues? Using the industrial hygiene hierarchy of controls, how might you address the issues? How are they being addressed in reality? There aren't any challenges that I can identify at this time. I do think that my organization does a pretty good job at controlling and correcting issues that arise. I am proud of the institution I work for and the standards they have created in order to protect and care for their community.  2) What might be the barriers to workers exercising their rights to a healthy and safe workplace? I think a barrier would be employees not knowing their rights or not knowing how environmental factors affect their overall health. It is imperative that these individuals are better educated so they can contribute effectively to our communities. 

CHOOSE ONE of the following organizations/agencies: OSHA, CAL/OSHA, NIOSH, ILO, WHO, AFL-CIO Go to their website. Each of these occupational safety and health or labor organizations support a range of occupational health and safety programs. Select a health and safety program sponsored by one of these organizations, read about it. Provide a short summary on your BLOG and how it might relate to your health and safety. I chose to examine NIOSH and the occupational health and safety programs they offer. Looking at the  website  the programs organized by the NIOSH primarily focus on making a difference through research. An offshoot of NIOSH is NORA, established in 1996, NORA is a partnership program to stimulate innovative research and improved workplace practices. I believe the creation of NORA has drastically helped the ways in which occupational health and safety programs function. I think our occupational sectors are better for it since the founding of the organizatio...

Obtain a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) from your workplace or from the workplace of a family member or friend.   Material Safety Data Sheets are chemical information sheets created by chemical manufacturers that all employers are required to obtain and keep for any potentially hazardous chemicals in the workplace. Look up  the chemical using the ToxNet databases you mastered while viewing the enviRN-EVIDENCE program. Were there any discrepancies regarding the potential health effects  noted in the MSDS? In your  BLOG , write about your findings - about the potential dangers associated with the chemical/product you looked up. Was the MSDS an adequate tool for a worker to use to gain an understanding of the potential health risks and how to protect him/herself? My friend works for Texas Gateway and I looked at the MSDS for their organization. You can find it  here.   Review  the MSDS and answer the following questions: What are...

There are a number of classic occupational diseases.    Byssinosis  (Brown Lung),  Pneumoconiosis  (Black Lung),  Asbestosis  (White Lung) are among them.   Each of these diseases still affects many workers today.   Over the years there have been major public health campaigns to address them.  Organized labor has often lead the campaigns.  Select one of these diseases and search the web to learn about the history  of the public health campaigns and the  current status  of the disease and related occupational health policies.   (What are the OSHA or MSHA regulations regarding the exposures that cause the disease that you selected to review?)    Feature a short blurb on your blog regarding your selected occupationally-related disease. Asbestosis, also known as white lung disease is a lung disease that is caused by prolonged inhalation of asbestos fibers. An occupational disease and a me...

Lead Poisoning by Hebert Needleman Hebert Needleman explores the changes in research that moved from examining high lead levels due to infrequent but high intensity exposures that caused many effects, versus frequent exposures with little to no side effects. This juxtaposition of cases allows researchers to understand how and in what amounts lead affects the system. In either case; small or large amounts, lead exposure is responsible for fundamental changes in many different living organisms. The article further explores the ways in which we deal with lead poisoning when exposures can not be measured by symptoms. In these asymptomatic cases how do we monitor and treat those who have been exposed. The article also explores the ways in which preventative methods can lead to economic  relief. It is important to recognize that health crises not only harm the health of our society but it also greatly affects the economic livelihood of many individuals and communities. An environme...

BLOG  about your thoughts on green chemistry. Have you heard of or seen any examples of green chemistry in your work or in daily life? What are your thoughts on the 12 principles of green chemistry?  Blog chemistry seems like a very proactive strategy that addresses the ways in which we  interact with our environment. I  think if we were to consider implementing more processes that follow the 12 principles of green chemistry our Earth would be significantly more vibrant. Considering what is in the environment currently and what will be added to the environment if we continue down this path, I    think it could only be helpful for us to examine using the green chemistry principles to find another way to improve our ecosystem.  I was unfamiliar with green chemistry before watching the video posted in the module. I    am happy that I    have had an opportunity to look more into what...

Discuss  each of the 6 half-hour webinars in a single blog post, separating the post by inserting each webinar's title before discussing that webinar. Highly Fluorinated- These products provide stain and water repellency. These man made products are very dangerous to our health and often stay around for much longer than needed. These chemicals are found in 98% of people in our world. High and continuous exposure to these chemicals can lead to different kinds of cancers and affect the ways in which vaccines protect our children. Antimicrobials A class of chemicals that are supposed to stunt or kill microorganisms. These chemicals are often included in soaps, clothing, fitness maps, food storage containers, etc. Continued exposure to antimicrobials can result in decreased immune system and decreased functioning. While the use of antimicrobials might seem helpful these chemicals are rather dangerous and hurtful. Flame Retardants Flame retardants are supposed to slow or stop f...

After watching all of the provided videos and reading material blog about what you think is essential for an ideal chemical policy and then elaborate on one of the elements from a public health protection perspective. Ideally chemical policies should address the concerns of the public in collaboration with the research in order to address challenges efficiently. More and more research is describing more chemicals in our air, food, water, and overall environment. Chemical policies need to address how chemicals affect development throughout the lifespan in order to help the largest amount of people. Many times these topics focus on a specific group of people, but the presence of harmful toxins not only affect adults, or children, but they affect both groups and the over arching  environment.  From the public health protection perspective I    would develop a chemical policy that addresses these challenges systematically. In this system...

In the article above, read through the headers in RED (h3 for screen readers). . On the left- side bar there are background papers for each of the elements. Choose one or more of the background subjects to blog about. Using Background Paper #4: Act on Early Warnings According to the authors two conditions create settings in which provoke action in terms of scientific uncertainty. The discussion in this paper is essentially about how to reduce harm with early intervention of chemical reform policies. Policies that promote early intervention incorporate one of these pieces: Thorough measures to gather and evaluate evidence that a chemical is likely to have harmful side effects; Specific thresholds and standards for acting to prevent harm; and The development of systems that avoid reliance on toxic chemicals. The authors then describe six recommendations for policy development which include:  1. Require safer substitutes 2.  Phase Out Persistent...

Recall your last night's meal.  Go to the  What's on my Food website  (Links to an external site.) Links to an external site.  and enter the foods that comprised your meal. The information on the site is based on foods that are NOT "organic". What did you find out about the pesticide residues that may be in or on your food? What do you think about this? What should we be doing about this in terms of public health, not just in terms of our personal choices? I    had asparagus last night and I am really shocked at the number of pesticides we can find on fresh produce. I think it is scary and is such a public health challenge. This kind of information gives me a lot to think about when considering what I    am going to bring home, but its also makes me think about how these pesticides affect our daily lives. Especially for populations that have less access to organic foods. 

Consider your topic of interest for your literature review.  What agencies at the local, state, federal, and/or international level provide information, regulatory oversight, or are otherwise implicated in addressing that topic? I  am interested in looking at cigarette smoke and its effect on maternal and child health. At local, state and federal levels, each department of public health has a department for maternal and child health. Maternal and child health is a very important public health concern because without healthy mothers we won't be able to have healthy children. Both mothers and children represent huge portions of our current and future populations.  I  am interested in learning about how tobacco products, specifically cigarettes effect the development of children and how that in turn effects our overall environment. When we look at tobacco use and how tobacco use effects our environment it is no wonder that pregnant women are advised to stay ...

BLOG:   Choose one of the major federal agencies  OTHER THAN THE EPA  and identify a way in which the agency has an impact on environmental quality. I took a look at the Department of Energy to see what information they can provide about climate change. Here is the link to the website:  https://www.energy.gov/science-innovation/climate-change The Department of Energy speaks about the number of changes they are hoping to make in order to improve the lives of all Americans. In order to do so, they are looking at creating domestic renewable energy sources and minimizing the use of fossil fuels. While this seems like a redundant conversation, it seems like more and more  individuals  are recognizing the effect of climate change on the way we are able to live. It is the hope of the DoE to make large strides to ensure that America remains a leader in the environmental health realm.    

Review your local (city or county) health department's website and list the services that you would consider Environmental Health Services.  In your  BLOG , note the environmental health services. Here is the link to the Santa Clara environmental program: http://santaclaraca.gov/government/departments/public-works/environmental-programs  The services specifically mentioned on the website are:  Residential Garbage & Recycling  Commercial garbage & recycling  Construction and demolition debris Urban runoff pollution prevention Green business resources  Resident Resources  For example some resident resources are: alternative transportation, energy and conservation efficiency, water efficiency and conservation, gardening and compositing resources, sustainability education, etc.  I think all of them are considered environmental health services. It is really cool to see that Santa Clara is making strides at p...