Environmental Health (EH)

Purpose of the Study:

Pacific Northwest wildfire smoke events have been increasing in prevalence and severity over the past three decades, resulting in documented negative health outcomes in adults. However, when examining the effect of wildfire smoke on pediatric health, the literature is scarce.

Despite the Washington State Environmental Health Disparities Map and the Duwamish Valley Cumulative Health Impacts Analysis assessments being resources for communities to access environmental threats and social vulnerabilities, there is no single map that includes all factors associated with potential chemical mobilization and flood risks.

The Bristol Bay, Alaska drift gillnet fishery is unique due to its intensity and short time frame. Spanning just eight weeks, gillnet fishers participate in the world’s largest sockeye salmon run. The days are long and the conditions extremely variable, but fishers return season after season. As an industry, commercial fishing is one of the most dangerous occupations.

Staphylococcus aureus are both human commensal bacteria and potential pathogens. The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) from coastal beach and river waters, anchialine pools, sand, and wastewater on the Island of Hawaiʻi, Hawaiʻi.

Typhoid fever continues to be a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality, especially in developing countries with limited access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the persistence of poliovirus type 2 (PV2) and type 3 (PV3) in domestic wastewater and sediment.

Cryptosporidium and giardia are diarrhea-causing microscopic parasites transmitted through ingestion of fecally contaminated water. Both parasites can have a significant impact on the health and financial burden of communities.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 6,939 deaths and 477,000 emergency department visits annually during 2009 to 2013 were attributed to 13 waterborne pathogens. The annual cost of hospitalization and treatment associated with these diseases totaled $3.8 billion.

Ultraviolet disinfection (UVD) units provide advanced onsite wastewater treatment, which is essential in regions where soils are unsuitable for conventional onsite sewage systems (OSSs). Although UVD treatment systems provide high-quality effluent under testing conditions, field effectiveness of UVD units is poorly understood.

Background: Chlorpyrifos is among the most heavily used conventional insecticides in the United States. The public is chronically exposed to low levels of chlorpyrifos in food crop residues and drinking water.

University of Washington Abstract Enteric Virus Surveillance and Microbial Source Tracking in Fresh and Marine Waters of the Seattle Area Elena Jaffer Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Dr. John Scott Meschke Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Introduction: (Part I.) Bacterial indicators, including fecal coliforms, E.

Human enteric viruses are responsible for the majority of acute waterborn

Background: Climate change is increasing allergens and environmental degr

Introduction: Agricultural water, in particular irrigation and cooling water, has been identified as a potential route for introduction of microbial contamination to apples.

In vitro assessments of 14C-benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) absorption through human epidermis were conducted with the sub-63-µm fraction of four test soils, containing different amounts of organic and black carbon. Soils were artificially weathered and applied to epidermis at BaP concentrations of 3 and 10 mg/kg for 8 or 24 h.

Many commercial textiles (clothing, linens, upholstery, furniture) are impregnated, or may be contaminated with, chemicals capable of penetrating the skin. Several researchers have detected high concentrations of metals, pesticides, flame-retardants, phthalates, and optical brighteners in children and adult clothing items.

Background: Oral swab PCR (OSP) has been proposed as an alternative to sputum-based TB diagnosis of tuberculosis because it uses a non-invasive, convenient sample. Sputum can be difficult to obtain and handle, and an alternative sample could enable faster and less expensive PCR detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) bacilli in patient samples.

In-vehicle exposures to traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) may be an important part of an individual’s overall exposure to pollutants. Prior epidemiological and exposure assessment studies used outdoor NO2 concentrations as a surrogate for individual TRAP exposures and generally did not explicitly account for in-vehicle exposures.

The agricultural industry is recognized as having injury prone occupations. In the United States this industry consistently demonstrates one of the highest occupational injury and death rates when compared to all other major industries (CDC MMWR 2001; Bureau of Labor Statistics 2003; National Safety Council 2000).

The consumption of microbiologically contaminated food products in the United States results in a large number of otherwise preventable illnesses and deaths. Monetary losses from food borne diseases are significant and impact the economy in the form of decreased worker productivity and product recalls.

Approaches to assessment of potential exposures to contaminants in the environment are evolving with advances in analytical chemistry, computing power and the methodologies available to researchers.

Asthma is a chronic disease hat can severely burden the quality of life of an asthmatic and their family. Burden includes medical costs, activity limitation, trips to the emergency room or hospital, missed school and work days, and poor health status. The economic impact of asthma is high for public heath systems, worker compensation systems, Medicaid/Medicare, and industry.

Fish consumption advisories are a form of intended risk reduction that aim to warn the public of possible dangers from consuming certain species of finfish and shellfish (herein referred to simply as 'fish'). While developing fetuses and children are particularly susceptible to toxicants in fish, fish also contain valuable nutrients such as Omega-3 fatty acids that promote neurodevelopment.

Clostridium perfringens is one of the most widely spread bacteria found in soil, water, food as well as animal and human feces. C. perfringens has been reported to carry a number of resistance genes, however its ability to serve as a reservoir is not well understood. In this study, the prevalence and distribution of acquired antibiotic resistance genes was examined in C.

As residential areas grow and expand into once solely agricultural areas, pesticide application practices that result in pesticide drift or the deposition of a pesticide off taret are causing concern over the health of those living in nearby communities, particularly high risk populations like children.

Rapid progress has been made in the development of molecular methods for detection of pathogens of public health significance. However, applicability to environmental samples remain limited due to difficulty in recovery and concentration of these pathogens from environmental media.