Environmental and Occupational Health Issues in Public Health

What do you personally find most troubling about climate change? We are experiencing disasters more and more and there is little to no changes in our behaviors. Many continue to use products that can't be recycled, chemically harmful, etc. There are a number of individuals who are fighting towards changing policy to provide more protection to our environment and stopping corporations from continuing on their destructive path. In addition, not having government to support climate change policy or recognize that it exists also hinders any progress towards improving the environment. As a public health professional, what do you think needs the greatest attention right now? As individuals who consume multiple products, I think if we focus/pressure companies to produce safer, biodegradable products (including their packaging) it would allow for the environment to be less impacted by the already existing products that cannot be decomposed. Plus, if the products are safer, ther...

In my household, there is a lot of food waste. I always tell my mother that we need to find ways to reduce the waste or to compost again. Given that my mom is cooking many vegetables, it wouldn't be a bad idea to add the leftovers into a composting bin. I think it would be a bit difficult to find chicken and beef that is not packaged in plastic and styrofoam. I know there are some meats that are sold at the counter, but they tend to be more expensive than the packaged meat - which will make it difficult to transition. One of the areas where I need more improvement is buying less bottled water. I like to buy the Costco water 1L bottles because of the taste and size. The reason I buy bottled water is because I find it difficult to wash the metal/reusable bottle due to the really small openings versus throwing a plastic bottle in the recycle bin. Knowing that not all the plastic gets recycled, it has made me aware that I need to keep attempting to find the appropriate bottle that meet...

As I think of a workplace, I think about my mother's previous job. It is a job that I do not want her to return to - she was working as a mushroom packager. There were mostly chemical and ergonomic issues that my mom had to face. Every day, she would be exposed to the cleaning chemicals used for rinsing the mushrooms before being packaged. She would also have to deal with the cold temperature when she would be in a freezer for a whole work day. I remember her telling me how she would be working so fast that she would sweat so much it would drench the clothes that were supposed to protect her from the cold. My mom was always on her feet and and her hands always moving, and she would be carrying heavy crates full of mushrooms to fill the orders. I always feared my mom would get a lung problem - she most certainly got feet problems from the intense work routine.  Considering this is the agriculture business, the industrial hygiene hierarchy of controls does not seem like it cou...

Thimerosal is an organic mercurial used as an antiseptic and as a preservative in most vaccines. I was not able to find a specific MSDS for thimerosal. However, I was able to find one on the GeneTex website and found that if inhaled, one must move to fresh air; if skin exposure one must wash hands thoroughly; and if ingested to drink lots of water and seek medical advice.  The special precautions to consider when working with this chemical (if used in large quantities) is to use an alternative chemical product, in addition to recycling any unused portion of the material or return it to the manufacturer/supplier.  The personal protective equipment that needs to be used is gloves, eye protective gear, and a respirator if used in large quantities. Since this chemical is found in the workplace through the vaccines in very, very low dosages, the training needed would be proper disposal of needles and appropriate gear such as gloves when administering vaccines. Given that the ...

The Oil and Gas Extraction Program is sponsored by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The mission of the program is to conduct research, partner with stakeholders, and develop workplace solutions to improve worker safety and health for those in the industry. The program provides leadership to control or eliminate occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities among workers which is critical to the energy infrastructure. One of their initiatives was to educate on preventing fatigue driving while working. Motor vehicle crashes cause over 40% of the work related deaths in the industry as a result of insufficient sleep, long distances travelling to well sites, and long work shifts. The strategies expressed included: limiting the number of ours worked, provide a rested driver to transport workers from sites, and more importantly providing opportunities for workers to get sufficient sleep.  While I am not working in the oil and gas extraction industry,...

According to the American Lung Association, pneumoconiosis (also known as black lung disease), is caused by dusts that are breathed in and deposited deep in the lungs causing lasting damage.  The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) was advised by the Committee to: Consider lowering the allowable exposure limit on coal mine dust Establish separate permissible exposure limits for silica (quartz) and coal mine dusts Make better checks on the effectiveness of mine operators' dust control plans before MHSA approves them Improve dust control in surface coal mines Improve miner training on dust ... and more! As of late, since August 2016, MSHA's respirable dust rule went into effect which added a number of increased protection for coal miners by: Lowering the 2.0 milligrams of dust per cubic meter of air to 1.5 milligrams at underground and surface coal mines. Lowering the 1.0 milligrams to 05 milligrams for intake air at underground mines and for part ...