Environmental Health

·        Y our thoughts about the vanishing of bees (what else have you heard/seen about this issue?) Vanishing bees made me very sad!!! It was interesting to hear how honey bees contribute to the food that is put on our table. Also hearing that there has been missing bees around the world from Taiwan to Italy to the United States they are disappearing and no one knows why. I thought it was interesting how honey was used as medicine in ancient times. It was very sad to hear how one method of treating bees is how they are given some sort of sugar syrup and taking their honey away and generations of bees are being fed the equivalent of junk food. ·        Dirt!: The Movie  Overall, I thought the movie was interesting. I learned some new things in regards to compost and others freshened up my memory. It was interesting to hear how the back of a pick-up turned into a lush green garden. After months of ju...

Utilizing the first article, discuss what is locally grown and what is currently in season in your area. What is locally growing and in season in my area are: Avocados, blood oranges, blueberries, cranberries, dates, dragon fruit, figs, grapefruit, , guavas, lemons, limes, , longan, melons, oranges, passion fruit, pawpaws, pears, persimmons, pomegranates, sapote, starfruit.  Discuss your thoughts on seasonal/local foods and hospital menus.  I think it is a great idea to use season/local foods in hospitals. I currently work in a hospital and everyday for lunch they have a seasonal/local veggies on the menu. I feel it encourages employees and patients to try different foods and when they grocery shop they can add those foods to their household pantries.  Find a Harvest Calendar for your state (or a state you are interested in) utilizing the link in the first article (found underneath the example Harvest Calendar for New York State).  The state I chose...

In reading each four articles, the common theme was antibiotics and antibacterials. Both combating diseases whether it be in animals and humans. The first article Antibiotic resistance 101 both taught me and expanded more on what I knew in regards to feeding antibiotics to animals. One piece of information that was new to me was the discovery of growth when providing a small dose of hormones everyday. When providing small doses animals grow at a rapid rate; gets the consumer thinking what kind of antibiotics are being given to the animals. What also expanded my knowledge was exactly why antibiotics are given to the animals. In a way it makes sense that we want to target the host of potential spread of viruses, yet over time it has been proven that more harm that good has come out of this method. By having factories/farms have control of using antibiotics they are putting our foods and our health's in danger and the FDA needs to continue monitoring and find alternative methods to gi...

What is the source of your drinking water? Where does your water ORIGINATE?  (It is treated at a water treatment plant, but what watershed or aquifer is the sources of the water?) I tried looking for my source of water on the CCR from the EPA page but no information was available. I do know the water source from San Francisco comes from the Hetch Hetchy reservoir which is situated on the Tuolumne River in Yosemite National Park. 85% of the water comes from the Sierra Nevada snowmelt.  What chemicals were found in your water that were higher than expected? Chemicals were found at where they should be. Hetch Hetchy is known to have some of the cleanest water in the country.  What chemicals did you NOT expect to find in your water? Lead was found in the water. Not at high quantities but none the less it is there.  Are there associated health risks with the chemicals found in your water?  (sources for this last question include the EPA, CDC, ATSD...

The importance of the Clean Water Act of 1972 is highly significant. It was made to better control water pollution across the United States.  Before it's enactment cooperation's were able to dump toxins and chemicals into water ways such as those in Chicago. Without this act, chemicals and toxins would freely roam around in our waters which would cause marine life to become extremely contaminated and we could not use it for extracurricular activities such as swimming and other water sports. The Clean water Act also helps setting standards on industries; limiting their toxic dump to only certain locations. As started earlier, Chicago's water Lake Michigan, was heavily used as a dumping site polluting it's water and fish. It was believed they would not be able to swim or even consume  the water. Without this act our oceans and lakes would be polluted to the point that there would be no way to enjoy them because all we would see is trash and, sewage dump and chemicals. It ...

I live in San Francisco, therefore the 3 sewage facilities are San Francisco Southeast Treatment, Treasure Island Waste Water Treatment Plant and Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant.

If you were to develop a nationwide campaign to get people to drink tap water instead of bottled water, what would be your campaign slogan? In order to make a campaign slogan to get the country to drink tap water instead of bottled water; there would need to be proof indicating tap water is safe to drink. Data and pictures would need to be put together to demonstrate that tap water is at safe levels to drink. One campaign would be commercials. Commercials would explain why tap water is a better alternative to bottled water with graphics and opinions from citizens around the country to testify too that tap water in different cities is safe to drink. A community I can think of that would need extra attention to persuade to drink tap water are those in Flint, Michigan. We know their situation that tap water is not safe to drink therefore they need bottled water. It may take many years for them to drink tap water again and be able to trust the government that it is safe due...

In your blog groups, share your ideas for what the elements of an ideal chemical/fragrance policy should be. How would your policies eliminate/decrease our body burdens and exposures?   As we know fragrance in products is what sells. People enjoy a nice smelling soap, lotion and of course perfume. Although these products can bring a smile to our face they are also bringing harm to our health. Some policies that can be implemented are having fragrance free products with natural smelling odors. For example, if soaps are made using rose or lavender there should be ways to include the scent without having to add harsh chemicals. It might be expensive but it would be for the benefit of our health. I think hospitals already supply patients with non-fragrant or less scented products. With patients who come in sick and yet need to keep clean they are not as exposed to harsh chemicals as their bodies are healing from the aliments that have in the hospital. Po...

Urea formaldehyde is a synthetic resin that comes in a solid form of ammonia and when it is in its formaldehyde state it is a highly reactive gas from methane. Typically, Urea formaldehyde is found in pressed board, plywood and other wood products. Watery eyes, nose irritations, wheezing and coughing, fatigue, skin rash, severe allergic reactions, burning sensations in the eyes and throat, nausea, and difficulty in breathing in some humans below 1.0 ppm. When Urea formaldehyde is in the air and below 1.0 ppm there is no immediate cause for alarm. Once levels reach 3.0-5.0 ppm chances are increased one will experience respiratory irritation and exposure to cancer. The most common way people interact with Urea formaldehyde is through inhalation. People can also be exposed to it by food such as cooking or when food burns. It can also be found in makeup and lotions, which many people use on a daily basis. Which poses the question, why is this dangerous chemical at even small dosages th...

I have only heard of Radon when I took my chemistry class many years ago. Only things I know about it its a gas and it is toxic. In watching that YouTube video I learned a new fact about Radon; it is radioactive and comes from decaying Uranium from the ground. I am sure many people have not heard of Radon and having a campaign for it would be a great way to let the public know there is another toxic chemical they need to be afraid of (no pun intended). To set up a national campaign on Radon education would need to be brought to the attention of communities, more so towards those who might have radioactive decaying Uranium in the ground such as those in Utah. Tents could be set up at nationwide at walk-a-thons, marathons, local neighborhood block parties, and festivals relevant to health and of course an accessible website filled with information. The point would be to bring awareness and how to test for radon in the grounds surrounding one's home. Stakeholder's needed to help e...

The M3.2 module was a very dense and interesting one out of all this week's modules. I felt like I learned more facts than what I have been already exposed too. For example, I feel more educated now on BPA. When my daughter was born in 2007, I remember hearing about BPA from pregnancy health classes, , but as a young mother I had no idea what that was or even what it could do to my child. When she became a toddler, there were many products that were labeled BPA free. I tried to educate myself on and learned that it was a chemical that can effect the child's brain development. I started buying products that are BPA to try and minimize the contact she was from these products with these harsh chemicals. Watching Rishi Manchanda video on upstream approach sheded some new light for me. I had learned about that concept during undergrad but now I feel like I was able to grasp it more. His example on the 3 individuals and what each were trying to do to save the children made complete s...

How does this fit into the concept of "social determinants"?  How does it connect to the "Black Lives Matter" movement? Reading the article "8 horrifying Examples of Corporations Mistreating Black Communities with Environmental Racism", it made me think that what if these refineries, incinerators and other hazardous plants are , racism is very much alive more so with the Trump administration in office. Such as how Native Americans are found in reservations, unfortunately, most African communities are found near locations that are unsafe for their health. W ith social determinants  as a factor it does play a  role on determining where people live based on their location of birth, ethnicity and income.  Those who are of low income will be able to afford somewhere to live even if its by a hazardous location because they other options might not exist. For example. Richmond, CA was part of the 8 horrifying examples where predominantly  African Americ...

BLOG about your personal experience regarding transportation and its implications for your health and the health of your communities and air quality. My personal experience with transportation and health have been a unique one. I have my own vehicle and tend to use it on a daily basis. How it has affected my health is the road rage I experienced when drivers have no clue on how to drive and it makes me upset and I tend to yell or scream at the person in front of me. The anger I experience creates my heart to race which makes my blood pressure go up which is not a good thing. Stress is created in the environment of driving. Instead of becoming upset with the driver who has made me upset I try to take a deep breath before I become upset, which has its pros and cons. As for my community I live in an area where each household has 2-4 cars; which emits plenty of harsh chemicals into the air. Public transportation is down the block where 4 bus lines run. Those in the com...

Watching the youtube video, I felt like it introduced me more to air quality. I have some knowledge on it from taking some health class during undergrad, but only understanding the iceberg of it. The 10 minute video summarizes how poor air quality is made up and the effects it has on the human population and the place we call home, planet earth. It was interesting learning about how sulfuric acid is made and how other chemical compounds can wreak havoc when produced. Looking over the air quality index I learned how to read AQI levels on air quality. It connects to the poor air quality we experienced with the fires last October. To learn what numbers indicate what color to use to warn those that the air is good, moderate or poor. I also learned about the ozone, the one Earth has and the one us humans create with pollutants from cars and factories.  Who and what are the top polluters in your zip code? The top polluters in my...

In watching the Anderson Cooper segment on "Body Burdens" it was quite interesting to hear how we have so many chemicals in our body and have no idea they exist until we get tested. The short segment on the family with the two children was quite startling. To hear the children have double the amount of toxins compared to the families is scary. As we know plenty of chemicals are put into children's toys, household products such as plates and cups and even on clothing. I am assuming to get a test done like that is expensive and as we saw Anderson Cooper waited a few months to hear his results; a lengthy period of waiting. As for hearing results such as the one's posted on the table, I would be startled, confused and question what comes next. To receive news that high chemicals such as DDT, Lead, PCB's, etc. are found in my body would lead to where did exposure happen? As someone who is in the reproductive stage in life , I would like to have more children in the fut...

After watching both talks in regards to the chemicals found in everyday products that we all use, it shows how blind as a consumer that we are to not know what is being put in our everyday products. Watching the first video based on the cosmetic companies it was really interesting to hear how companies can label their products such as organic and natural without running tests indicating if they are clearly any of those indicators. Also it was interesting to hear there are no standards for cosmetic products such as those in the agriculture department surrounding food. I was pleased to hear that OPI and Sally Hansen have eliminated the toxic trio (Fomaldahyde, Toulene and Dibutyl) from their products making it more safe to paint nails. In listening to the Ken Cook video on the 10 Americans it was fascinating to hear that chemicals can still penetrate through the placenta via the umbilical cord when prior knowledge indicated that nothing can get through the placenta. Another interesting f...