Environmental and Occupational Health (EOH)

The aims of this study were to quantify fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) and Staphylococcus spp.

Latino day laborers experience high rates of work-related injuries and are a hard to reach group for safety interventions. This study describes the creation and implementation of safety training that uses empowerment techniques and its evaluation to address three levels in empowerment’s hierarchy of change. Pictographic pre- and post-tests were used to assess knowledge level changes.

Foodborne disease from consumption of shellfish is a significant public health concern, especially since rates of consumption continue to increase worldwide (Potasman, Paz et al. 2002).

In Nicaragua and elsewhere in the developing world, children are exposed to pesticides through various pathways. Previous research suggests that children who live in close proximity to a farm, and children whose parents are agricultural workers have higher exposures to pesticides (Simcox, 1995; Curl, 2002).

The Bacillus anthracis contamination of the Hart Senate Office Building on October 15th, 2001 highlighted the need for reliable detect-to-warn bioaerosol collection equipment. Most bacteria of concern have effective diameters of approximately 5 µm or less. Likewise, particles of 20 µm or more are of little concern because they tend to exceed the thoracic fraction of the human body.

The nematocide 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP) was widely used in the United States and abroad during the late 1960's and 1970's. Today DBCP is known to cause sterility in mean and is classified as a possible carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

The coordinator of Children's Environmental Health and Environmental Education in EPA Region 10 identified the need for a systematic collection of existing databases describing environmental hazards, health outcomes, biomarkers of exposure, and socio-demographic factors associated with the incidence of environmentally linked diseases in children.

Background

Background: The use of antibiotics in swine confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) is believed to be contributing to an increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in the swine population, and in the facilities. Antibiotic resistant bacteria in these CAFOs pose both an occupational threat and community threat.

Background Pesticide Exposure in Farmworkers

Background: The health risk to workers from pesticides used in agriculture is an important public health concern. Previous studies have shown that employees who handle pesticides have a higher risk of exposure and are also more likely to be exposed directly to concentrated pesticides.

Background: In 2009 Jon Hoffman did an analysis of risk factors for serum cholinesterase (BuChE) inhibition among agricultural pesticide handlers exposed to organophosphate (OP) and N-methyl-carbamate (CB ) insecticides using data from 2006 and 2007.

Associations between long-term particulate matter (PM) exposure and adverse health effects have been determined in several studies. The National Particle Component Toxicity (NPACT) study is utilizing data on PM chemical species to investigate the effect of PM chemical species on cardiovascular disease in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI).