Environmental Health

Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are detoxification enzymes important in cellular protection through their metabolism of endogenous and exogenous substrates such as chemotherapeutic agents, insecticides, herbicides, and byproducts of oxidative stress.

Background: Dengue fever (DF) is the most common mosquito-borne viral disease, with an estimated 390 million infections a year, globally. In 1994, Saudi Arabia reported their first confirmed case of DF in the western coastal city of Jeddah.

Climate change is increasing the frequency, intensity, and duration of wildfires. To reduce personal exposure to wildfire smoke and resulting adverse health effects, N95 respirators are increasingly used by the general public to filter out fine particles (PM2.5) present in smoke.

Neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementias (ADRD), affect over 47 million people worldwide, and this number is anticipated to reach 131.5 million by 2050.

Decisions made in the energy and natural resources sector can affect public health. This report reviews the characteristics and assesses the effectiveness of health impact assessments (HIAs) conducted in this sector. A total of 30 HIAs conducted in 14 states in the United States were identified using a targeted literature search.

Global oceans play an important role in many aspects of human life. We build our homes on the shores, take our food from the waters, and create our economies from the wealth of resources in marine waters.

Objectives: Suicide and unintentional deaths related to firearms are a problem in the United States. Findings cited by the National Center for Health Statistics show a 33% increase in the U.S. suicide rate over the past two decades.

Background: Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) as a process for natural gas extraction has potential to expose nearby residents to environmental hazards, but the extent of the hazard remains poorly understood.

Introduction: The incidence rates of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) and cutaneous malignant melanoma are rapidly increasing. While inhaled particulate matter (PM) has been classified as a lung carcinogen, the associations between ambient PM (either PM2.5 and PM10) and skin cancers have not been studied thoroughly.

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.

Introduction

The purpose of the document I helped create within my practicum project was to facilitate environmental protection-related connections and advance shared action to ensure customary and traditional subsistence activities can be maintained, improved, and sustained for generations to come.

Since time immemorial, First Nations shaped the environment around them to create and maintain highly productive societies. Today with the growing threats of a changing climate and continued nearshore development, important traditional resources may not be available for future generations.

Using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), this research analyzed human cadaver hair for gadolinium and mice hair samples for cadmium. This project combined fundamental bench science (analytical chemistry and animal studies), and insight into exposures to an emerging contaminant.

Background: The efficacy of the high-efficiency particle arresting (HEPA) air cleaner and its related health benefits have gotten some attention, yet the number of studies on this topic is still modest.

Background: The US Safe Drinking Water Act does not regulate private wells, leaving over 42 million US residents with little regulatory oversight of their water quality. Trends in public water systems suggest that private wells in Latinx communities may have higher nitrate concentrations than wells in other communities.

Purpose of the Study: Older adults are more susceptible to adverse health outcomes during and after a disaster compared with their younger counterparts.

With current evidence of increased chemical contamination and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in environmental samples from the Salish Sea, it is important to examine its resident wildlife to further investigate the detrimental effects of these anthropogenic pressures.

Background: Worldwide, dengue fever is the most common arboviral disease in humans with an estimated 50–100 million dengue infections annually.

Pediatric care guidelines recommend assessment of children for lead exposure during routine child care in the first two years of life. In Washington State, pediatric lead screening rates are among the lowest in the nation.

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

Background: The built environment affects the health of a community in a multitude of ways. One of those ways is through changing an individual’s exposure to environmental contaminants, such as bacterial pathogens. Another is through the availability of food.

In early February 2018, a contractor performing restoration work on a communications tower in Seattle, 

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an immune-mediated inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract. As of 2015, about 3 million adults in the United States suffer from IBD. Health care costs in IBD patients are about 4 times more than in non-IBD patients.

Risk communication is an essential element to promoting disaster preparedness and building community resilience to disasters, which pose a serious and growing threat to public health and well-being due to climate change.

The Washington State Department of Health (WADOH) Public Health Laboratories (PHL) processes hundreds of animal specimens each year for rabies testing. These specimens include bats, squirrels, cats, dogs, ferrets and other mammals. Although most specimens in Washington test negative for rabies, suspected rabies exposures are a notifiable condition and resources are put into rabies testing.

Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP) is dedicated to the conservation of mountain gorillas in East Africa, using an intensive emergency veterinary approach to support the recovery of this highly endangered species. Based on the concern that gorilla health is threatened by exposure to human pathogens, MGVP launched a program to fill critical health service gaps for its employees.

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.

Cadmium (Cd) is a ubiquitous toxic heavy metal of high interest to the Superfund initiative. It causes toxic effects to many organs, including kidney, liver, lung, and bone. Cd is also a potential neurotoxicant.

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.