Matthew Tarape MPH 632 Environmental & Occupational Health Blog

What I find most troubling about climate change is that it is causing our planet to destabilize, affecting almost every aspect of people's lives whether it is losing homes to fire or hurricanes, air pollution filled with pm2.5, changes in food security, or affecting water. With the increased fires, increased storm and hurricane activities, and more leading to increased morbidity and mortality, our current government still doesn't acknowledge how much it has/is/will affect everyone (Especially today's Camp Fire becoming the most destructive wildfire in CA history, and Trump just blaming it on "mismanagement of the forests"). As a public health professional, what I think needs the greatest attention right now is educating more people with ways that climate change affects our present and future and also the ways that people of low-income are affected the most. What should happen is promoting and publicizing ways to protect yourself from today's climate chang...

After watching the zero waste life TED Talk, I was amazed at how little Lauren was able to reduce her waste. Over the years, I have made a couple of changes to reduce waste, such as using reusable bags for groceries, using a reusable water bottle to no longer use plastic water bottles, using glass tupperware instead of plastic, and other ways. But I had never thought of different ways until now, such as using not using a plastic straw, buying bulk ingredients to make on-the-go snacks instead of protein and granola bars that use plastic wraps, instead of buying new clothes buying second-hand clothes, not using single-use coffee cups, switching to a bamboo toothbrush with a compostable handle, making your own cleaning solutions, and using a lot less disposable paper towels. http://trashisfortossers.com/category/easy-changes/

According to APHA, as early as 1898, the British government factory inspectors recognized adverse health effects associated with exposure to asbestos fibers. Irving Selikoff's study of insulation workers in 1964 made the evidence of carcinogenicity undoubtable. From 1968 to 2005, asbestosis (white lung) was identified as the underlying cause of death for 9,024 people. Asbestosis is a chronically progressive, disabling, and fatal disease that cannot be cured and continues to affect workers in the U.S. and around the globe to this day, with 2,200 metric tons of asbestos used annually in U.S. manufacturing. "Countries such as Canada mine and manufacture asbestos for exportation to developing countries, while banning it for local use because of its health hazards". Currently more than 60 industrialized countries have banned asbestos, recognizing a ban would save lives. However, the U.S. has struggled to implement an absolute and complete asbestos ban, with the U.S. legally im...

One of the occupational health and safety programs that the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) sponsors is the Health Work Design and Well-Being Program. This program's mission is to protect and advance worker safety, health, and well-being by improving the design of work, management practices, and the physical and psychosocial work environment with a. holistic perspective. The HWD program focuses on how work affects overall health and well-being including physical, psychological, social, and economic aspects through basic, surveillance, intervention, and translation research related to systems, programs, policies, and practices to improve the health of workers. Their current focal areas of the program examines the health and safety effects of working hours and fatigue, non-standard work arrangements, occupational stress, and more. This might relate to my health and safety in addressing the psychosocial work environment, as well as the stress that comes...

At certain elementary schools, there are asphalt top coatings below asphalt overall at play yards that contain 5% chrysotile asbestos, window glazing compounds and panels that range from 10-15% chrysotile asbestos, and floor tiles ranging from 1-5% chrysotile asbestos. Chrysotile asbestos is carcinogenic/ known to be a human carcinogen. As an after school teacher, there were no training/education information that was given to me about any risks associated with this chemical, but day-time school teachers may have. Some effects from ToxNet include interstitial fibrosis and cancer of the lung, mesothelioma, cancers of the digestive tract, and more. Just a note that this inspection was done about 2 years ago, before the elementary school was renovated just in the past year, so many of these things may have been replaced with safer alternatives. http://www.sfusd.edu/en/assets/sfusd-staff/JSerra%20ES%20Misc%20Site%20Work_CUPCCAA_Attachment%20B2.pdf

In my workplace (an elementary school), there are ergonomic issues that include could include hurting/straining your back when working in the classroom, chemical exposures of the products used to clean the classrooms daily, and biological exposures of bacteria and viruses being spread from sick students. Using the industrial hygiene hierarchy of controls, some ways to address the issues could include eliminating hazardous cleaning chemicals and using more natural and safer cleaning products, administrative controls to change the way workers carry or use things that would strain/hurt their back, and more. Barriers to workers exercising their rights to a healthy and safe workplace might include companies/administrative officials not informing workers of the potential chemical, biological, and ergonomic hazards including labels, adequate training, and a safety data sheet being accessible, and workers not knowing their resources such as where to report their worries and complaints. ...