Population Health Initiative

Freshwater harmful cyanobacterial blooms (HCBs) present a mounting threat to public health outcomes and lake ecosystem services. The current climate crisis is expected to intensify the occurrence of freshwater HCBs in recreational water bodies, their formation of potent toxins, and resultant human exposures.

The Healthy Air, Healthy Schools Project began in 2020 to better understand the impact ofportable air cleaners as an intervention in schools to reduce particulate matter of outdoor originand improve clean air equity. Populations who experience ethnic/racial and social disparitiesbear a disproportionate burden of air pollution exposure which should be considered when

Communities across the western United States experience hazardous smoke exposures from multiple fire sources. As wildfires become more frequent and severe, smoke exposures stemming from these fires are also worsening. Prescribed burning is a promising forest management strategy that can mitigate future wildfire risk, but also contributes to biomass burning emissions and human exposure impacts.

Background: Within six weeks of the first case of COVID-19 in early Dec 2019 in Wuhan, China, the pandemic had already a foothold half-way around the world in Washington State, where the the first case of COVID-19 in the United States was confirmed on 20 Jan 2020 in a traveler returning from the index city.

King County, Washington currently ranks 3rd in the nation for the number of people experiencing homelessness. Amid an affordability housing crisis, the number of people experiencing homelessness continues to grow in Seattle. People in historically redlined communities of Seattle disproportionately experience homelessness because of gentrification.

Background: Evidence links air pollution to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The health effect of ultrafine particulate matter (UFP) air pollution is not well understood, and no community-based prospective cohort studies in older adults have evaluated the association between UFP and markers of AD neuropathology at autopsy.

Community Health Workers (CHWs) play an important role in reducing health disparities, especially in low resourced communities.

Purpose of the Study:

Exposure to per-and poly-fluorinated substances is increasingly in the public eye. The National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine released a report advising increase surveillance screening for those exposed to high levels.

We use AERMOD modeling to estimate the carbon monoxide air pollution impact by idling cars at Whitman Elementary School in the City of Tacoma.