Environmental Health Resources

Environmental exposures of concern for health include biological, chemical, and radiological hazards, both naturally occurring and as a result of human activity. The NW PEHSU has compiled a list of links to national and regional resources on environmental health issues to help navigate this expansive and diverse field. This is not intended to be a comprehensive list, but rather a selection of websites, educational tools, and informational documents that serve as key or regionally specific resources. 

 

Common abbreviations:

ATSDR- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

CDC-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

DOH- Department of Health       

EPA- the United States Environmental Protection Agency

FDA- Food and Drug Administration

HA- Health Authority

NIEHS- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

NIH- National Institutes of Health

PEHSU- Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit

 

KEY RESOURCES

Wildfire Smoke Resources

PFAS Resources

Occrepro Resources

Safer Disinfection Resources

Lead Resources

Pediatric environmental health toolkit

The online Pediatric Health Toolkit is a key resource for clinicians and health professionals for assessing and addressing the most common environmental health hazards children face at different developmental ages.

 

ATSDR Case Studies in Environmental Medicine

Self-paced, continuing-education primers designed to increase primary care providers’ knowledge of hazardous substances and aid in the evaluation of patients potentially exposed to hazardous substances. Courses are available through the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and include topics such as environmental triggers of asthma; taking a pediatric environmental history; lead; and, arsenic. CE is available for many topics

 

PEHSU National Classroom

The PEHSU program has collaborated with subject matter experts across the United States to develop interactive, self-paced e-Learning courses on a range of topics, such as endocrine disruptors; pesticides and health; environmental exposures and cancer; taking an exposure history; and, the toxicology of hydraulic fracking. Many of the courses qualify for CME, CNE, CEU, or CECH. The PEHSU program also hosts regularly scheduled live scientific webinars on topics relevant to pediatric environmental health. Past webinars may be viewed on-demand. All webinars offer CE credits for attendees.

 

Little Things Matter: The Impact of Toxins on the Developing Brain

This short video illustrates the prevalence and impact of common toxins in children’s environment, with tips from the Canadian Environmental Health Atlas on reducing everyday exposures.

 

Protecting Children’s Environmental Health

This comprehensive website on Children's Environmental Health from the EPA contains information for healthcare professionals, clinicians, scientists, and the general public. The site includes information on the basics of children’s environmental health; journal articles; research projects and findings; current standards and regulations; and, tools for providers.

 

Environmental Health Perspectives

A monthly peer-reviewed journal of research and news published with support from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), NIH, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that serves as a forum for the discussion of the interrelationships between the environment and human health by publishing high-quality research and news of the field. With an impact factor of 9.78, EHP is one of the most highly ranked journals in Toxicology, Public, Environmental and Occupational Health, and Environmental Sciences.. EHP is open access, and all content is available for free online.

 

Pediatric Environmental Health 4th Edition, “Green Book”

This textbook is the American Academy of Pediatrics comprehensive policy manual on the identification, prevention, and treatment of pediatric environmental health problems.

 

Environmental Health Student Portal

A website from the National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health that connects school-aged children and their teachers with information about environmental health issues through web content, videos, games, lesson plans, and activities.

 

Recognition and Management of Pesticide Poisoning 6th Edition

The Recognition and Management of Pesticide Poisonings: 6th Edition manual gives healthcare providers a reference resource for the best toxicology and treatment information for patients with pesticide exposures. This manual also guides clinicians on how to conduct environmental and occupational exposure screening on patients, report exposure incidents, and locate a wealth of available resources.

 

National Pesticide Information Center

NPIC is an organization that provides objective, science-based information about pesticides and pesticide-related topics to enable people to make informed decisions.  The website offers a wealth of resources for healthcare professionals and the general public, including factsheets with health effects, guidance on managing pests, a searchable database for pesticide ingredients and their toxicity, and links to local resources.   

 

REGIONAL RESOURCES

Alaska

Alaska State Lead Program (AK DHSS)

Radon (AK DHSS)

    Alaska- Wildfires (AK DHSS)

 

Idaho

Idaho State Lead Program (ID DOH)

Nitrates in Well Water pdf (ID DOH)

Well Water Safety: Maintaining safe water for you and your family  (ID DOH)

    Wildfire Smoke and Your Health  (ID DOH)

 

Oregon

Air Toxics and Child Health in Portland, for health professionals (NW PEHSU)

Drinking Water Contaminants Fact Sheet (General) (OR OHA)

Nitrates in Drinking Water (OR OHA)

Oregon Domestic Well Safety Program (OR OHA)

Oregon State Lead Program (OR HA)

Pesticide Exposure, Safety and Tracking Program (OR OHA)

Wildfires and Smoke (OHA)

Oregon Environmental Health Tracker: Provides data at state, county, and sub-county levels involving issues of environmental quality, environmental

justice, and health outcomes.  (OR HA)

 

Washington

 A Targeted Approach to Blood Lead Screening in Children (PDF) (WA DOH)

Clinical Algorithm for Targeted Childhood Lead Testing (PDF) (WA DOH)

Environmental Chemicals and Prenatal Care (WA DOH)

Renters, Landlords, and Mold (WA DOH)

Resources for Schools on Environmental Health (WA DOH)

UW Press Release: Diet contributes to phthalate and bisphenol A exposure  (UW)

UW Article: Risk of lead poisoning from urban gardening is low (UW Today)

Washington State- Lead Program (WA DOH)

Wildfire Smoke: Improving Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality During Wildfire Smoke Events (WA DOH)

Washington Tracking Network: A public website where users can find data and information about environmental health hazards, population characteristics, and health outcomes. Users can view information on issues such as health disparities and socioeconomic determinants of health, as well as detailed data on individual topics such as radon, air quality, drinking water contaminants, or birth outcomes. The site includes a Lead Risk and Exposure mapping tool which allows clinicians to visualize areas of high risk for lead exposure in the communities they serve.

 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

 

Commercial and Consumer Products

Household Products Database

This searchable database from the US Department of Health and Human Services lists the ingredients and associated safety information and health effects of over 15,000 consumer brands of commercial household products.

 

Environmental Working Group

The EWG is a consumer advocacy group that offers information to the public about what chemicals are present in different consumer products, such as sunscreen, bug repellents, and cosmetics. Their guide to pesticides in produce, The Dirty Dozen, is a helpful tool for consumers who are interested in purchasing organic foods to lower pesticide exposures.

Webinars, Presentations, and Miscellaneous 

 2012 Symposium on Children’s Environmental Health Research at UC Berkeley

 Videos of presentations discussing research findings and implications. Presentations range in topic and include such titles as:

  • Using house dust to measure chemicals affecting children.
  • Effects of air pollution on immune function and asthma.
  • Towards autism: Exposures affecting neuroexcitability and oxidative stress.
  • Environmental exposures, childhood leukemia and the role of DNA methylation.
EPA & NIEHS Children's Centers Webinar Series

The Centers for Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research ("Children's Centers") were established in 1998 to explore ways to reduce children's health risks from environmental factors. This Webinar series was designed to share research progress and significant findings from the Children's Centers. The PowerPoint PDFs from past webinars are available starting in 2015. Check the current year for upcoming webinars.

60 MiNueTs Toxic

A compilation of Youtube videos satirizing the format of 60 Minutes that discuss issues facing the American Public regarding exposures to toxins in the environment. Created by the University of California San Fransisco's Environmental Health Initiative Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment. Videos are 2-3 minutes long and feature scientists and physicians from Columbia, Harvard, Mt, Sinai Medical Center, Boston Children's Hospital and the University of California,

To suggest a resource for this page, email us at pehsu@uw.edu.