Polluting industries are more likely to be located in low-income communities of color who also experience greater social stressors that may make them more vulnerable than others to the health impacts of toxic chemical exposures. This research describes recent developments in assessing pollutant exposures and health threats posed by industrial facilities using or releasing synthetic chemicals to nearby communities in the U.S. Read more about JPB Fellow Lara Cushing research.
‘Take-Home’ Exposures Are Public Health Hazard
A new review co-authored by School of Public Health researchers at Boston University calls for recognition of “take-home” exposures—exposures to toxic contaminants inadvertently brought home from a family member’s work—as a public health hazard. The review was published in Annals of Work Exposures and Health, and was supported by the Harvard JPB Environmental Health Fellowship. Take-home exposures often fall into a regulatory blind spot, says corresponding author and Senior JPB…
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JPB Fellow Selected for Michigan’s First Environmental Justice Advisory Council
Dr. Reames and 20 Others Selected for Michigan’s First Environmental Justice Advisory Council Twenty-one Michiganders have been selected to the state’s first Michigan Advisory Council for Environmental Justice (MAC EJ) under the direction of Governor Gretchen Whitmer, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) announced today. Read more.
CU Anschutz and CSU team up to fund inter-institutional health innovation projects
One of the pillars of the Colorado School of Public Health is its collaborative model that leverages the unique strengths of three Colorado universities into one school. Comprising the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Colorado State University and the University of Northern Colorado, the collaboration now also manifests as internally-funded, inter-institutional research projects, thanks to a new jointly-funded grant program. One of the three studies funded is about public…
CU Boulder team helps show climate change already harming public health
Climate change is already harming the health of people around the world and it will only get worse without intervention, according to a new report co-authored by University of Colorado Boulder faculty. With contributions from 120 experts at 35 institutions around the world, the 2019 Lancet Countdown report paints a grim picture of what the world will look like without a drastic change in the consumption of fossil fuels. Though…
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A look at three women who are working to make people with low incomes healthier.
Poverty Impacts Access to Health Care. These Women Are Trying to Change That, JPB Senior Fellow Diana Hernandez is one of them. In the United States, wealth buys health. Consider: In 2000, in Boston’s upscale Back Bay community, a typical resident could expect to live nearly 92 years. But just a few miles away in the South Boston and Roxbury neighborhoods, the average person could not expect to celebrate a 59th…
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Article: Exposure of nail salon workers to phthalates, di(2-ethylhexyl) terephthalate, and organophosphate esters: A pilot study.
Relatively little is known about exposure of nail technicians to semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in nail salons. We collected pre- and post-shift urine samples and silicone wrist bands (SWBs) worn on lapels and wrists from 10 female nail technicians in the Boston area in 2016-17. We analyzed samples for phthalates, phthalate alternatives, and organophosphate esters (OPEs) or their metabolites. Post-shift urine concentrations were generally higher than pre-shift for SVOC metabolites;…
Article: One-Hour Pilot Training to Prevent Workers From Taking Home Workplace Contaminants
Workers can accidentally transport chemical hazards from the workplace to the home, known as “take-home exposures.” Recent take-home lead-poisoning cases highlight the need for effective prevention training. A one-hour take-home prevention training was developed in partnership with a nonprofit. The training was administered and evaluated during two training sessions with twenty-one trainees. The training was composed of a lecture and interactive activities. An illustrated poster was used with different prevention…
Atlanta Researcher Looks To Trees To Help Ease Highway Air Pollution
Plenty of Atlantans spend time on highways, speeding or inching or swerving along. But many people spend a lot of time near the highways, too: at their homes, schools or workplaces. And that’s not great for their health. In addition to greenhouse gases that cause climate change, car and truck emissions have been linked to heart and lung problems. So a Georgia State University public health professor is studying how…
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Article: Heatwave Events and Mortality Outcomes in Memphis, Tennessee: Testing Effect Modification by Socioeconomic Status and Urbanicity
Heatwave studies typically estimate heat-related mortality and morbidity risks at the city level; few have addressed the heterogeneous risks by socioeconomic status (SES) and location within a city. This study aimed to examine the impacts of heatwaves on mortality outcomes in Memphis, Tennessee, a Mid-South metropolitan area top-ranked in morbidity and poverty rates, and to investigate the effects of SES and urbanicity. Mortality data were retrieved from the death records…