Bits and Pieces

How to Save

Both Money and Lives

by Julie DeGraw and Thomas H. Hatfield

What’s the biggest misconception about environmental health? Perhaps it is the belief that our job is to save the rainforests, or perhaps it is the ignorance that we exist in the first place (by the way, I have nothing against the rainforests…). But in these troubled economic times, I submit that the greatest misconception about our field is the belief that we make up costly programs that do nothing to improve the economy.

That is a dangerous misconception. As we developed this issue of Bits and Pieces, our original purpose was not to identify the costs savings from environmental health. But without even trying, we are struck by the many stories about environmental health professionals offering new strategies to save both money and lives. At pennies on the health care dollar, we are a bargain worthy of a second look. And when the costs of illness, injury, and death are considered, we are the essential maintenance to any economic engine.

By going to our web site located at http://www.csun.edu/~vchsc006/bp2.htm, you can click on the numbered items below and be transferred to the original site where this information was found. Enjoy…

Food Safety:

1. CDC surveillance data on Foodborne Disease Outbreaks: A total of 1,270 FBDOs were reported in 2006, resulting in 27,634 cases and 11 deaths. Among the 624 FBDOs with a confirmed etiology, norovirus was the most common cause, accounting for 54% of outbreaks, followed by Salmonella (18% of outbreaks). Among the 11 reported deaths, 10 were attributed to bacterial etiologies (six from E. coli O157:H7), and one was attributed to a chemical (mushroom toxin). Among outbreaks caused by a single food vehicle, the most common food commodities to which outbreak-related cases were attributed were poultry (21%), leafy vegetables (17%), and fruits/nuts (16%).  

2. FSNet becomes BITEs in April 2009: The former FS Net is now called BITEs. To get daily food safety digest subscribe to barfblog.com by visiting the website or by sending an e-mail to: listserv@listserv.ksu.edu. Leave the subject line blank in the body of the message type: subscribe bites-L firstname lastname (i.e. subscribe bites-L Doug Powell)

3. Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs): During the past three decades, animal production in the United States has become increasingly specialized. Many farms function as links in the chain of animal production, housing and feeding cattle and poultry.

4. Asphyxiation Due to Dry Ice in a Walk-in Freezer: A 59-year-old man was found in cardiac arrest shortly after entering a recently repaired walk-in freezer that contained dry ice. First responders and bystanders did not recognize the hazardous environment but were fortunately uninjured. A careful Emergency Department history coupled with investigation by the Medical Examiner's Office led to the determination of the cause of death and the elimination of the ongoing hazard. This case illustrates the lethal consequences of improper storage of dry ice. (Journal of Emergency Medicine 36:4(353-356).

Air, Housing:

 
5. Should You Have the Air Ducts in Your Home Cleaned? Knowledge about air duct cleaning is in its early stages, so a blanket recommendation cannot be offered as to whether you should have your air ducts in your home cleaned.  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) urges you to read this document in its entirety as it provides important information on the subject. Duct cleaning has never been shown to actually prevent health problems. Neither do studies conclusively demonstrate that particle (e.g., dust) levels in homes increase because of dirty air ducts.  This is because much of the dirt in air ducts adheres to duct surfaces and does not necessarily enter the living space.  It is important to keep in mind that dirty air ducts are only one of many possible sources of particles that are present in homes.  Pollutants that enter the home both from outdoors and indoor activities such as cooking, cleaning, smoking, or just moving around can cause greater exposure to contaminants than dirty air ducts.  Moreover, there is no evidence that a light amount of household dust or other particulate mater in air ducts poses any risk to your health.
6. Guide to Air Cleaners in the Home: Indoor air pollution is among the top five environmental health risks. Usually the best way to address this risk is to control or eliminate the sources of pollutants, and to ventilate a home with clean outdoor air. The ventilation method may, however, be limited by weather conditions or undesirable levels of contaminants contained in outdoor air. If these measures are insufficient, an air cleaning device may be useful. Air cleaning devices are intended to remove pollutants from indoor air. Some air cleaning devices are designed to be installed in the ductwork of a home’s central heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system to clean the air in the whole house. Portable room air cleaners can be used to clean the air in a single room or specific areas, but they are not intended for whole-house filtration. The following pages will provide information on different types of air cleaning devices and how they work. EPA neither certifies nor recommends particular brands of home air cleaning devices. 
7. An Office Building Occupant's Guide to Indoor Air Quality: This guide is intended to help people who work in office buildings learn about the factors that contribute to indoor air quality and comfort problems and the roles of building managers and occupants in maintaining a good indoor environment. Because good indoor air quality depends on the actions of everyone in the building, a partnership between building management and occupants is the best way to maintain a healthy and productive work space. Key recommendations include: Don’t block air vents or grilles; Comply with office smoking policy, maintain office plants properly, dispose of garbage promptly and properly, store food properly, avoid bringing harmful products into the building, and notify your building or facility manager immediately if you suspect an indoor air quality problem. 

Water Quality:

8. Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs): Algae are vitally important to marine and fresh-water ecosystems, and most species of algae are not harmful. However, a harmful algal bloom (HAB) can occur when certain types of microscopic algae grow quickly in water, forming visible patches that may harm the health of the environment, plants, or animals.

9. Consumer Product Safety Commission Virginia Graeme Baker (VGB) website The Pool and Spa Safety Act was written so the federal requirements outlined in the law would serve as a minimum standard. States and counties are permitted to be more restrictive as long as such restriction does not hinder the intent of the P&SS Act or make complying with the federal requirements difficult or impossible.

General:

10. Climate Change and Public Health CDC leads efforts to anticipate the health effects of climate change, to assure that systems are in place to detect and track them, and to take steps to prepare for, respond to, and manage associated risks. The various health effects associated with climate change are detailed on this page

11. Healthy Community Design Streaming Video Dr. Howard Frumkin, Director of NCEH/ATSDR discusses the benefits of walkable communities as they relate to health, the environment, and social interaction.

12. NEHA offers e-Learning: NEHA has free, online classes for non-members that have the option of receiving credit or a certificate of completion. Courses include: CDC0701: Environmental Health Training in Emergency Response; CDC0703: Performance Standards Workshop; CDC0702: Biology and Control of Insects and Rodents; Tracking 101A
13. CDC’s National Environmental Public Health Tracking Program The Tracking Program is a nationwide network that integrates health data and environmental data. Over the last four years, CDC’s Tracking Program has laid the foundation of this national system by making grants to state and local health departments, and four schools of public health. CDC has also awarded funding to professional national organizations to develop educational materials and tools to build environmental public health tracking capacity. 
14. Health Practices on Cruise Ships: Training for Employees  The Health Practices on Cruise Ships: Training for Employees videos series was created for cruise ship employees or anyone interested in the following topics. VSP does not recommend using the videos as a stand alone training program but rather as a tool for an existing training program. For a more comprehensive training program, cruise ship employees can register for a VSP training seminar.   

Pests and Pesticides:

 
15. Tips for Housing Managers (for controlling pests): This EPA site provides seven essential components of good facilities management: monitoring, reduce access to and through buildings, reduce sources of water, manage your recycling program, manage your garbage, remove pests without pesticides, and solicit the support and cooperation of building residents
16. Pesticide Container Recycling in California: Recycling programs must be in compliance with the American National Standard Institute (ANSI) American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) Standard S596, Recycling Plastic Containers from Pesticides and Pesticide-Related Products, published in February 2006. Copies of ANSI-ASABE Standard S596 are available from the ASABE website at www.asabe.org The new law applies to products packaged in a rigid, non-refillable, high-density (HDPE) container of 55 gallons or less. Food and Agricultural Code (FAC) section 12841.4 (a) requires that companies and individuals who are the first to sell these types of agricultural-use or structural-use pesticide products for use in California must establish a recycling program or demonstrate that they participate in a recycling program. 

Solid and Hazardous Wastes:

17. ToxFAQs™: Chemical Agent Briefing Sheets (CABS): The ToxFAQs™ CABS provide current and relevant scientific information on specific high profile chemicals for public officials, business leaders, concerned citizens, and others to use in their work. The series presents a detailed overview of high profile hazardous materials that people may encounter during daily activities. The information provided in the ToxFAQs™ CABS can facilitate factual review and public discussion about these chemicals so that appropriate protective actions and potential research can be considered or undertaken to safeguard the physical environment and the public's health.

18. Minimal Risk Levels (MRLs) for Hazardous Substances: ATSDR chose to adopt a practice similar to that of the EPA's Reference Dose (RfD) and Reference Concentration (RfC) for deriving substance specific health guidance levels for non neoplastic endpoints. An MRL is an estimate of the daily human exposure to a hazardous substance that is likely to be without appreciable risk of adverse noncancer health effects over a specified duration of exposure. These estimates are intended to serve as screening levels -- MRLs are not intended to define clean up or action levels for ATSDR or other Agencies.