Healthy People 2010Topic 8: Environmental Health

Shanti Zunes-Wolfe Cori Garcia Hansen

The Goal of Environmental Health

Promote health for all through a healthy environment.1

http://www.healthypeople.gov/Document/HTML/Volume1/08Environmental.htm#_Toc490564699

Approximately 25% of preventable illnesses worldwide can be attributed to poor environmental quality.

In the United States, air pollution alone is estimated to be associated with 50,000 premature deaths and an estimated $40 to $50 billion in health-related costs annually.2

According to the World Health Organization3

“In its broadest sense, environmental health comprises those aspects of – human health, – disease, – and injury

that are determined or influenced by factors in the environment.”

World Health Organization (WHO). Indicators for Policy and Decision Making in EnvironmentalHealth. (Draft). Geneva, Switzerland: WHO, 1997.

Health of the broad physical and social environment includes:3

Agriculture

Housing

Urban Development

Land-use

Transportation

Environmental Health

Industry

World Health Organization (WHO). Indicators for Policy and Decision Making in EnvironmentalHealth. (Draft). Geneva, Switzerland: WHO, 1997.

Core Environmental Public Health Indicators4

http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/indicators/summary.htm

•Hazard Indicators (potential for exposure to contaminants or hazardous conditions)

•Health Effect Indicators (occurrence of morbidity or mortality attributed to exposure)

•Intervention Indicators (programs or official policies addressing environmental hazards)

CDC Biomonitoring Overview

Environmental Health Topics1

1. Outdoor Air Quality

2. Water Quality

3. Toxics and Waste

4. Healthy Homes and Healthy Communities

5. Infrastructure and Surveillance

6. Global Environmental Health

Some New Programs Developed From HP2010 Topic 8

•Environmental Public Health Tracking Program (EPHT)

•EPA's Clean Air Interstate Rule and clean Air Mercury Rule

•National Biomonitoring Program (BMP)

•The Genes and Environment Initiative (GEI)

(A component is the NIEHS-led Exposure Biology Program)

Toxics and Waste1

• 8-11–Elevated blood lead levels in

children

• 8-12–Risks posed by hazardous sites

Blood Lead Levels1

• Goal: Completely eliminate all elevated blood lead levels in children ages 1 to 6.

• Elevated blood lead levels in children is anything above 10µg/dl.

• Goal has not been met, but has significantly improved.

Elevated Blood Lead Levels• Highest risk on developing brain, but adults can

be affected as well.6

• Disparities still a problem: risk is higher for those with low income, living in older housing, and belonging to certain racial and ethnic groups.

• From 1980s to 1990s: 2-3 million children with elevated BLLs down to 900,000 by 1994.

• “Spread the word” campaigns, including screening measures and effective community action.1

National Organizations• Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention

Program (CDC)7

– National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week– Childhood Blood Lead Registry

• Let’s Make Lead History8

– Upstate New York

Washington and Whatcom• BLLs in children is very low compared to

other states, but people remain at risk for contamination.

• Whatcom has some of worst risk factors.9

• Washington State Department of Health10

• Northwest Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (UW)11

• Elevated lead levels in water fountain at Western12

Hazardous Sites1

• 8-12a. National Priority List sites– Brownfield properties formally designated

under EPA’s Superfund program.• Pose a significant threat to health of people

and/or the environment.• 8-12d. Brownfield Properties

– managed through state and local programs.

Statistics1

• 1,200 National Priority List sites• 1,500 Brownfield properties• Goal: Clean up 98%• All Superfund sites from 1998 baseline

have been cleaned up. Goal met.• More brownfield have been added to the

NPL since then.

Brownfields• 1997 Tax Payer Relief Act: incentive for

cleanup & redevelopment of brownfields.13

• Environmental Protection Agency14

• Brownfields Redevelopment Toolbox for Disadvantaged Communities

• Washington Department of Ecology15

– Model Toxics Control Act• Brownfields Coalition16

• Bellingham: Holly Street Landfill17and Waterway Cleanup.9

Whatcom Counts9

Measurement Period Value (number of waste sites in county)

2006 482007 53

Feb. 2008 54

Aug. 2008 59

Now in “red zone” for hazardous waste zones.

Oeser Co.• Bellingham claims a Superfund site.9

• Near Bellingham Technical College.• Oeser was a wood treatment plant for forty

years until closed in 1970’s.• Discovered in 1979, not inspected until

1988. • Put on National Priorities List in 1997 and

removal began in 1998.• Remedial action still taking place.18

Outdoor Air Quality1

HP 2010: Objective 8-1Reduce the proportion of persons

exposed to air that does not meet the U.S. EPA’s health based standards for harmful air pollutants.

Air Pollution19

EPA Criteria Pollutants/ “Smog”

Ground-level Ozone

Sulfur Dioxide

NitrogenDioxide

Carbon Monoxide

ParticulateLead

See handout for more information

Highlighted National Programs

Environmental Protection Agency Office of Air and Radiation20

NASA’s Aura, Global Climate Change Missions: NASA’s Eyes on the Earth21, 22

Programs Working to Improve Air Quality

EPA's Office of Air and Radiation 20, 26

The Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards 23

AirData24

AirNow25

Air Quality Index(AQI) Values

Levels of Health Concern

Colors

When the AQIis in this range:

...air quality conditions are:

...as symbolized by this color:

0 to 50 Good Green51 to 100 Moderate Yellow101 to 150 Unhealthy for

Sensitive GroupsOrange

151 to 200 Unhealthy Red201 to 300 Very Unhealthy Purple

301 to 500 Hazardous Maroon

Current Outdoor Air Quality Status26

Nationwide Air Pollution has decreased from 1990-2007 percent improvement:

•

Current Outdoor Air Quality Status26

The EPA reports:

Despite clean air progress, in 2007,

158.5 million people lived in counties that exceeded any national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS)

Ground level ozone and particle pollution still present challenges in many area of the country.

NASA’s Aura: New Eye for Clean AirProvides global data collection of air pollution on a daily basis. Four instruments are used by the Satellite:

Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES)

Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS)

Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI)

High Resolution Dynamics Limb Sounder (HIRDLS)

Video29Eyes on the Earth28To Learn More27

Highlighted Washington Programs30

Environmental Public Health Tracking Program (US/WA)

Department of Ecology Air Monitoring

WA Air Monitoring

Whatcom County & RegionEPA – Puget Sound Georgia Basin Ecosystem, Region 1031

Northwest Clean Air Agency (NWCAA)32

Puget Sound Clean Air Agency33

Outdoor Air Quality1

HP 2010: Objective 8-2Increase use of alternative modes of transportation to reduce motor vehicle emissions and improve the Nation’s air quality

National Transportation and Air Quality34

• EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ) protects public health and the environment by:

– regulating air pollution from motor vehicles, engines, and the fuels used to operate them,

– and by encouraging travel choices that minimize emissions.

USDOT: Transportation Control Measures provide35:

– improved public transit,

– traffic flow improvements and high-occupancy vehicle lanes,

– shared-ride services,

– bicycle/pedestrian facilities,

– and flexible work schedules.

2004 Update of the National Bicycling and Walking Study

Summary of Walking and Bicycling Trips, 1990 to 2001

 

Walking Trips

(billion)

Walking Trips %

Bicycling Trips

(billion)

Bicycling Trips %

Combined Trips

(billion)

Combined Trips %

1990 NPTS 18 7.2 1.7 0.7 19.7 7.91995 NPTS 20.3 5.3 3.3 0.9 23.6 6.22001 NHTS 35.3 8.7 3.3 0.8 38.6 9.5

To Learn More Visit the Website: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bikeped/

Washington StateDepartment of Transportation

– Reinvent Your Commute37

-- Bicycle in Washington38

WashingtonCommute Trip Reduction Program37

2006: The Washington State Legislature passed the Commute Trip Reduction Efficiency Act

Requires that counties with the greatest automobile-related air pollution and traffic congestion……

Must develop and implement plans to reduce single-occupant vehicle trips.

• Statewide, 26,000 less vehicles on the state's roads each weekday morning in 2007  

– 7.9 million gallons less gas used, – saving commuters about $23 million– reduced criteria pollutants by

nearly 4,000 tons– and the emissions of carbon

dioxide-equivalent gases by nearly 85,600 tons.

Commute Trip Reduction Program37

Whatcom County39-46

Whatcom County Trails, Greenways, and Greenbelts.

http://www.re-sources.org/

Whatcom Smart Trips began July 1, 2006. As of 3/2/2009:

9,176 Smart Trip makers have recorded40:

170,531 walking trips

333,798 bus trips

261,993 bicycling trips

241,541 ridesharing trips

https://www.whatcomsmarttrips.org/news/default.aspx

That's 15,975,368 miles not driven AND... 40

6,492.19 tons of carbon dioxide pollution avoided

23.93 tons of hydrocarbons pollution avoided

218.17 tons of carbon monoxide pollution avoided

16.71 tons of nitrogen oxides avoided

.09 tons of particulate matter (PM10) avoided

666,173 gallons of gasoline saved

Outdoor Air Quality Disparities1

Pollutant African American

Hispanic White

Particulates 16.5% 34.0% 14.7%Carbon Monoxide

46.0% 57.1% 33.6%

Ozone 62.2% 71.2% 52.5%

Sulfur dioxide

12.1% 5.7% 7.0%

Lead 9.2% 18.5% 6.0%

Source and date

Health Disparities47

• Healthy People 2010 top priority is the elimination of health disparities.

• Minority and economically disadvantaged populations.

• Residential segregation– Minorities overrepresented in communities

with constrained economic opportunities.• Health differences

– cancer, infant and adult mortality, homicide, life expectancy, tuberculosis.

Health Disparities47

• Ambient air pollution• Particulate matter • Blood mercury levels• Scientists, health care workers, community

activists need to find better ways to measure data, address risk, incorporate the connections between exposure and disease.

• Alternative approaches for racial, ethnic, economic, and social groupings.

The End