Environmental Health - MPH632 Fall 2018

There is no MSDS at my current workplace. I however worked at several hospitals for my dietetic technician fieldwork, and know each of the facilities had an MSDS area/location in the kitchen. I found a sample MSDS online of a restore akaline cleaner.  The health risks associated with this chemical is respiratory irritation, severe irritation to mouth, throat and stomach, eye irritation, tissue damage,   skin irritation, contains a material that can cause adverse blood effects, and prolonged exposure can lead to kidney damage .  No it is not a carcinogen. It does not cause cancer.  What personal protective equipment or special precautions should be taken when working with this chemical? - Information not available  If this is a chemical found in your workplace, what training/education were you given about any risks associated with this chemical? - Information not available

Asbestos is a known human carcinogen and can cause chronic lung disease as well as lung and other cancers. Symptoms and/or cancer may take many years to develop following exposure. (from OSHA website) Workplace Standards:  Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for asbestos is 0.1 fiber per cubic centimeter of air as an eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA), with an excursion limit (EL) of 1.0 asbestos fibers per cubic centimeter over a 30-minute period. The employer must ensure that no one is exposed above these limits Assessment Monitoring If exposure above the PEL or EL , there are procols to engineering controls and work practices that need to be executed. Proper respiratory protecting needs ot mee the PEL standard. Separate decontamination and lunch areas Training  Medical Surveillance Records

AFL-CIO stands for the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations.  They exist to ensure that all working people are treated fairly, with decent paychecks and benefits, safe jobs, dignity and equal opportunities. Unions are essential to provide a safe workplace and where people are able to feel social and economically safe from injustices.  It is important that we put the care of ourselves in the hands of responsible organizations or companies that listen, respect and value their employees. We want to know that we are covered if any issues, emergencies or problems arise. 

Currently I work at a dance studio in San Francisco. I teach a class every Wednesday night and when I get there I immediately enter a room that has had 8 dance classes throughout the course of the day. No one is regulating the use of street shoes and dance shoes, and or bare feet use in the studio. Also, no one mops or cleans the floors in between classes. I am actually not sure what the cleaning schedule is but know there is usually sweat, sometimes dirt, and occasionally dry blood. This to me is a chemical, or a hygienic hazard and worries me because in my class we get down to do floor work, and use our hands to dance on the floor. I make sure to wash my hands before and after class, but the facility needs to take these precautions into consideration.  The only barriers I feel may exist is the fact that the classes are stacked one after the other, and no one can go in a wipe down the floors. I have already reached out the the front desk personel but because there is no managem...

Article # 1 - Lead Poisoning - Herbert Needleman After the removal of lead from gasoline, the amount of lead in our environment dramatically decreased but the lead issue in paint remains at large as many older buildings are full of lead based paints. Lead’s toxicity can be attributed to distortion of enzymes and structural proteins, and affects neuronal signaling.  Lead affects children a lot more than adults and can have developmental effects. We need to continue to prevent lead poisoning, and because it is still present in many of our manufactured products, and make-up we gotta take a stand and really be careful with what we are around. Article #2- An environmental health response to a severe outbreak of childhood lead poisoning in Nigeria - Casey Bartrem It makes me sad to think that in just 2010, a major incident in Nigeria took place where over 400 children under the age of 5 died from lead poisoning. It breaks my heart to know that in some 3rd world countries, the qual...

In an ideal world, green chemistry could save us all from the harmful effects of every day products and pollutants. But consumerism is apart of life and relies on multiple products that contribute to the toxic  environment. I have heard of green chemistry, but to be completely honest I have no example to share about a type of green chemistry  The 12 principles of green chemistry  seem ambitious. In order to fulfill all 12 principals an extreme amount of resources (money and time) need to be utilized. Is there a green chemistry team that can help facilitate and monitor the proper use these principals in real life? 

Highly Fluorinated  -found in man-made items - manufactured and made into our products -we are exposed at home and work. 98% of humans have it in their body -related to many diseases and body functions - C8-PFOA - was phased out, but have been replaced with C6, C4 & C3 similar products but risk and contents are kept a secret. Antimicrobials -kill micro organisms or inhibit their growth -can hurt beneficial organisms and living things - Triclosan / Triclocarban - cause health issues -water, food and breastmilk -banned but in building material, QUATS, or nanosilver. -safety hazard - avoid anti-microbials Flame Retardants -made to slow or stop fires -make fires more dangerous -can harm children brains and development and are more susceptible. -PentaBDE -can accumulate and go up food chain, travel in nature -many products Bisphenols and Phthalates -hormone disruptors -many consumer products and building materials -make plastics stronger an more flexible ...

There are six key elements to the Louisville Charter for Safer Chemicals Require Safer Substitutes and Solutions Phase Out Persistent, Bioaccumulative, or Highly Toxic Chemicals Give the Public and Workers the Full Right-to-Know and Participate Act on Early Warnings Require Comprehensive Safety Data for All Chemicals Take Immediate Action to Protect Communities and Workers Each of these elements are important aspects to creating a solid and safe chemical policy. I believe elements number 1 and 2 are the most important. If we can regulate or monitor chemicals from the start it would be advisable. If there are risks or unsafe hazards from current chemical products, it should be made aware, and be replaced with safer alternatives. Or we just phase out the unsafe chemicals out all together.  The point of this is to create a more Green process. Both Green chemistry and clean production are the goals. I really think an effective policy has to consider ...

Last night I ate Chicken and Vegetable Pho from Mint Leaf. Their website does not specify use of organic or grass-fed meats. They just mention that they use fresh and local vegetables.  The vegetables in the pho was onions, broccoli , basil, sprouts, cilantro and bok choy and a slice of lime. Then there was chicken pieces. I was only able to identify pesticides from the ingredients in BOLD .  Brocolli: Cilantro:   The amount of pesticide residues scares me. It makes me feel like I need to be even more mindful of my produce. 33 is a large number of pesticides but 68 is outrageous. I can understand how broccoli may have a high number of pesticides. Its structure is porous and probably traps in a number of toxic exposures. Cilantro scares me because it is used in a lot of foods, fresh or prepared.  I think it is important to note the produce with the highest amounts of pesticides. This is why they created the "dirty dozen" list, for consumers to be awa...

For my literature review I am thinking about investigating chemicals or chemical exposures to the population from our clothing like fabrics, chemical washes or dyes. Government agencies that I feel will be responsible include the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDD), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Federal Trade Commision (FTC).The National Council of Textile Organization (NCTO) would also be responsible. 

I chose the U.S. Chemical and Safety & Hazard Investigation Board. ( https://www.csb.gov/about-the-csb/ ) The CSB is an independent federal agency that investigates industrial chemical accidents.  This agency is responsible for identifying root causes for chemical accidents, usually caused by deficiencies in safety management systems. Other accident causes often involve equipment failures, human errors, unforeseen chemical reactions or other hazards.  The agency does not issue fines or citations, but does make recommendations to plants, regulatory agencies such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), industry organizations, and labor groups.  The CSB is located in Washington, DC. The U.S. President is responsible for appointing members of its board. 

My local health department is Alameda County. Alameda has both a Public Health Department (ACPHD) and an Environmental Health Department (ACEH). The ACPHD ( http://www.acphd.org/ ) offers a variety of programs and services aiming to build a healthier and safer community while engaging participation from residents to stay active in the process. I really like how one of the programs they offer has to do with voting and also a key program called the Urban Male Health Initiative that strives to improve the  "health outcomes for men disproportionately impacted by prostate and testicular cancers, high blood pressure, stroke, heart attacks, depression, suicide, and diabetes." On the ACEH website ( https://www.acgov.org/aceh/ ) similarly to the ACPHD website, there are a variety of programs and services surrounding the safety and overall well-being of the enivorment that Alameda county residents are living in. One interesting service that stood out to me is their "health ...

1. ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE 101: HOW ANTIBIOTIC MISUSE ON FACTORY FARMS CAN MAKE YOU SICK What to do. Live-saving drugs are starting to lose their effectiveness. Why? Because factory farms are using antibiotics "non-therapeutically" to promote growth but not to treat sick animals. The FDA reports that 80 percent of antibiotics in the US are sold for agricultural purposes. Antibiotic  resistant (AR) bacteria comes from farm animals, to humans via food and is becoming  a major cause of illness for vulnerable populations, and can lead to death. We need to start holding farms and owners of livestock accountable. The FDA does a bad job at monitoring consumer products, what makes you think they will do a good job at monitoring farms. It is quite scary, and makes me want to do more research about the farms I get my meat from. Or possibly cut meat out all together.  2. NEARBY LIVESTOCK MAY RAISE 'SUPERBUG' RISK Thankfully I do not live near livestock. According to the...

Vanishing Bee's was such an informative. My favorite quote was the old movie recording where the man says " Pollination is dependent on two factors... insects or the wind." It is sad that honey bees are becoming extinct.  Another issue that is important is honey production. Because of the loss of honey bee's, honey has become more expensive. Additionally, companies are manufacturing fake honey to make money. Most of these producers are international companies, are making a profit and should be considered crooks.  The movie Dirt! was awesome. I would love to see a sequel  that is updated to what is going on now with our world. I took away so many great messages from the movie.  "Dirt is vital to a healthy biosphere, keeping plants, animals and humans alive." This was a quote from a biologist in the movie, and is something I will remember forever. I am definitely one who takes for granted how easy it is to just be lazy, go for convenience and buy fo...

Obsogens  I never knew of this term until now. I feel quite upset and disappointed in myself that I am now just finding this out. It is interesting because I have worked in the Health and Fitness field for years and never knew there was a term for obesity risks caused by environmental exposures. The idea that chemicals in the environment could be contributing to the obesity epidemic really blows my mind.  I looked up bisphenol A (BPA) BPA is found in medical devices, in the lining of some canned foods, and in cash register receipts. This plastic monomer and plasticizer is used for manufacturing polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins, is produced at over 2.5 million metric tons per year. BPA exposure leads to severe malformations of the otic vesicle (auditory vesicle).  Using  www.localharvest.org  I was able to find local farms and the current seasonal crops grown near Oakland, CA. I found a farm in E...