Matthew Tarape MPH 632 Environmental & Occupational Health Blog

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. ...

The lead poisoning article was informative of facts I haven't heard of before. It's crazy that people in Rome had gotten sick and called it lead colic because of the lead in wine as far back as the second century B.C. People, especially children need to be protected from lead toxicity because of how dangerous it is to the central nervous system as well as how much it affects behavior. It's great that it was removed from gasoline and that it reduced blood levels in the U.S. significantly, but now it needs to be addressed in the leaded paint in older homes. The article on the lead poisoning in Nigeria relates to the class discussion we had about soil contamination. I'm glad that there were humanitarian efforts to have a emergency health and environmental response to this outbreak. I feel that there should be more of these programs across the U.S. and world not only with lead but with other harmful toxins that take the same approach in providing exposure reduction, bui...

I had never heard of Green Chemistry before this module actually, but I had assumed it had something good to do with the environment and being safer. After reading more about it, I think that it is what the world needs to start aiming for both the health of this planet and of people. The fact that it prevents pollution instead of adding to it, reduces the negative impacts of chemical products and processes on human health and the environment, and more is an amazing thing. Just like how the world should all transfer to using electric cars, green chemistry is what we all should aim for. The 12 principles of green chemistry is, in my opinion the future because it prevents waste (this world does not need anymore waste), designs substances with little to no toxicity that are safer, while increasing energy efficiency, avoids chemical derivatives, analyzes in real time prevention, and minimizes potential for accidents.

One of the six chemical classes I chose to explore were the Bisphenols & Phthlates, which are hormone disruptors. I thought the headline statement of the page was very strong. "These hormone disrupting chemicals are so widely used that we are constantly exposed. They can harm our health even at very low levels. I knew a bit about BPA being in plastics and canned food liners, but I had no idea that phthalates were found in PVC plastics, glues, and air fresheners. I like how this website gave tips on "What Can You Do?" and said to "Tell regulators and manufacturers that you want products without bisphenols and phthalates when possible. I think that this Six Classes website and information should be more known publicly because there are a lot of people that are a lot more exposed than others that need to realize how harmful these products are. http://www.sixclasses.org/videos/bisphenols-phthalates http://www.sixclasses.org

After watching all of the provided videos and reading material, essential elements of an ideal chemical policy would be putting the health of the public first and putting more responsibility on the EPA. This would include first reforming the policies and bills for stricter standards of chemicals, and also more enforcement of the policies. One example is using the same policy/standard of "reasonable certainty of no harm" for pesticides on food on the policy/standard for toxic chemicals instead of the current "no unreasonable risk of harm". From a public health protection perspective, state health departments should be able to do more in an ideal chemical policy such as allowing states to enforce their own strict clean water and air laws and set more protective standards. This also could include states doing their own safety reviews of chemicals if they would like to. An ideal chemical policy puts the health of the public first, as well as actually enforces standa...

The Louisville Charter for Safer chemicals is a great charter that should be more publicized and known everywhere so that awareness is spread for the health of people, environment, and ecosystem. The background paper I read what Background Paper #6, which is to Take Immediate Action to Protect Communities and Workers. The paper has a lot to do with environmental justice, in that industrial, military, and agricultural facilities and operations are putting people (especially low-income and minorities)at risk due to toxic chemical exposures whether it is in the air, water, or soil pollution. With federal environmental laws not being strictly enforced by these facilities, the gaol of the charter is to protect all at risk communities and workers from chemical exposures now by implementing the Hierarchy of Health and Safety Controls, improving and coordinating by the EPA, Emergency Management Association, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, CDC, and state government agencies and l...

Last night, I ate chicken (thigh) with carrots and rice. I eat this combination of food a lot because I would think that it's a healthy meal, but after looking what pesticides may be on it, I am starting to question a lot of healthy foods. According to whatsonmyfood.org, pesticide residue found in carrots include Linuron, Trifuralin, Pyraclostrobin, and more. Pesticide residue found in rice include Piperonyl butoxide and MGK-264, and the pesticide residue found in chicken (poultry thigh) include DDE, Carbaryl, and Fipronil. In terms of public health, a lot more should be done to make almost all foods organic and non-gmo because these pesticides are harmful to our bodies. It doesn't make sense for healthy foods to have chemicals and harmful pesticides that are known or probable carcinogens, hormone disruptors, neurotoxins, and more.

My topic of interest for the literature review is bisphenol A (BPA) exposure, specifically in children and adolescents but might expand to include adults. Multiple agencies have addressed BPA as a chemical that has effects on the reproductive system, and many people are exposed to it because it is the chemical in polycarbonate plastic and linings of metal cans. California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) addressed BPA by including it in Proposition 65, which requires businesses to provide warnings about significant exposures to chemicals that cause cancer, birth defects, and other reproductive harms.  https://www.p65warnings.ca.gov/fact-sheets/bisphenol-bpa-canned-and-bottled-foods-and-beverages  The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) has research efforts that include BPA initiatives where the NIEHS and the National Toxicology Program (NTP) have developed an integrated, multi pronged, consortium-based approach to op...

The U.S. Chemical Safety & Hazard Investigation Board is an federal agency that is in charge of investigating chemical accidents. They conduct root cause investigations of chemical accidents at fixed industrial facilities. They do not issue fines or citations, but instead 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 are non-regulatory and independent of other agencies so that the investigations review the effectiveness of regulations  and regulatory enforcement. Their investigations have an impact on environmental health in that they led to new recommendations to OSHA and the EPA for regulatory changes.

The San Mateo County Department of Public Health offers the environmental health services of restaurant and housing inspection, household hazardous waste and medical waste disposal, water protection and water quality monitoring, and pollution prevention. What's interesting is that they also have a blog for the latest news and information from the Environmental Health Services division. I was surprised that San Mateo County Health offers pollution prevention, and am curious on how they go about that if someone wanted to do that. https://smcehs.wordpress.com https://www.smchealth.org/environmentalhealth

In my area, what is locally grown and in season right now are apples, avocados, dates, figs, grapefruits, pears, Brussel sprouts, broccoli, eggplant, fennel, okra, tomatoes, winter squash. Seasonal/local foods are really great, and hospital menus should definitely start incorporating locally grown organic foods because it's not only cheaper and better, but also healthier than getting frozen food from who knows where. https://www.seasonalfoodguide.org https://sfenvironment.org/vegetables-fruits-in-season-bay-area I have never heard of obesogens before, but assumed that it has something to do with a pathogen of some sort and obesity. I thought that this article on obesogens was very informing, especially now knowing that there are about 15-20 chemicals that have shown to cause weight gain, particularly MSG or monosodium glutamate, atrazine and DDE. Atrazine can have developmental effects, is an endocrine disruptor, and also harms the reproductive organs. It is a herbici...

Antibiotic Resistance 101 I had no idea that antibiotics were used to a significant extent for agricultural purposes. I understand why industrial farms want to prevent disease and growth promotion, but they should do it in a natural and healthy way instead of using it antibiotics. The fact that humans then get sicker due to antibiotic resistance is scary. I hope that the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (PAMTA) and Prevention of Antibiotic Resistance Act (PARA) get passed. Nearby Livestock May Raise Superbug Risk I had thought that MRSA was the virus that you only can get through a hospital or health care facility. The fact that people can get it just by living close to livestock makes me wonder how dangerous all these viruses will be with easier transmission, and more antibiotic resistance in the future. Antimicrobial Soaps & Wipes "There was little evidence for an additional impact of new products, such as alcohol-based hand sanitizers or antibact...

I had no idea that bees were that essential to our fruits and vegetables making up one out of every three bites of our food, and that there was such as thing as Colony Collapse Disorder. The only thing I associated with bees were honey and being stung, but before the movie I had no idea how much of an impact they make for humans. I definitely hope that the state of bees in the world has improved. Regarding Dirt! The Movie, it's interesting that as time goes on more people have begun to associate dirt more and more with germs, bacteria, and viruses. But when in reality, that we actually need dirt and need to take care of the dirt/soil on Earth. I also had no idea that there have been wars because of the amount of insufficient soil. In San Mateo county, there are currently no factory farms, but the closest one to me is probably the dairy factory farms in Marin County. I definitely think that there should be more farms near me, especially knowing that the population in San Francis...