Category Archives: CDC

Residential traffic pollution associated with rising incidence of childhood leukemia

Posted on March 23, 2014 by tbach

A new meta-analysis report by the CDC published in the April 2014 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine concludes the following: “Exposure to elevated concentrations of traffic-related air pollutants in the near-road environment is associated with numerous adverse … Continue reading →

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Good and Bad News on Phthalates in the U.S.

Posted on January 31, 2014 by tbach

This study recently published in Environmental Health Perspectives, the monthly peer-reviewed journal supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, concluded that phthalate exposure in the … Continue reading →

Posted in carcinogens, CDC, chemical safety regulation, congress, consumer pressure, label laws, NHANES, NIEHS, phthalates, synthetic chemicals | Comments Off on Good and Bad News on Phthalates in the U.S.

Public Health Campaign of the Month

Posted on November 20, 2013 by tbach

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s New Public Health program has named the “Don’t Mess with Mercury” campaign by the ATSDR and CDC as the public health campaign of the month.  Mercury is a notable – sole? – area of environmental public … Continue reading →

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Addressing asthma in the U.S.

Posted on October 15, 2013 by tbach

Yesterday’s NYT special report on asthma, The Soaring Cost of a Simple Breath, chronicles how the disease drives pharmaceutical costs.  Asthma is the most common chronic disease in the U.S., affecting some 40 million adults and children.  Medical research has … Continue reading →

Posted in asthma, ATSDR, CDC, environmental health, EPA, Fine Air Particulates, indoor air pollution, NIH | Comments Off on Addressing asthma in the U.S.

Health Impact Assessments: A Tool to Determine the Health Impacts of Government Policies

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Emily Dupraz

As individuals, we tend to consider all of consequences before we make an important decision. When we buy a car, for example, we consider how much we want to spend, where we plan to drive, who we plan to transport, … Continue reading →

Posted in built environment, CDC, environmental health, environmental health law, environmental justice, international law, public health, public health law, public participation process, risk assessment, risk management, WHO | Comments Off on Health Impact Assessments: A Tool to Determine the Health Impacts of Government Policies

Worker Safety and the Federal Rulemaking Process

Posted on February 10, 2013 by caitlin

Crystalline silica, a mineral in the earth’s crust, is a common component of sand, stone, concrete, and brick.  When workers cut, saw, or drill these materials—mainly during construction work and mining operations—the silica is aerosolized, exposing workers to fine particulate … Continue reading →

Posted in carcinogens, CDC, Clean Air Act, environmental health, environmental health law, EPA, Fine Air Particulates, hydraulic fracturing, NACOSH, NIEHS, NIH, OMB, OSHA, pollution control standards, public health, routes of exposure | Comments Off on Worker Safety and the Federal Rulemaking Process

Regulating Naturally Occurring Heavy Metals: How do Genetics, Behavior and the Environment Affect Toxicity?

Posted on January 27, 2013 by caitlin

Substances affecting human health are often analyzed in a vacuum.  Even though exposure is never limited to a single substance, the interactions between chemicals and the effects of small doses over time are largely ignored when setting limits for exposure.  … Continue reading →

Posted in CDC, drinking water, environmental health, environmental health law, environmental law, EPA, NIEHS, public health, public health law, risk assessment, risk management, routes of exposure | Comments Off on Regulating Naturally Occurring Heavy Metals: How do Genetics, Behavior and the Environment Affect Toxicity?

What is Environmental Health Law?

Posted on January 21, 2013 by tbach

The term environmental health has been around for awhile.  In the World Health Organization (WHO)‘s words, “environmental health addresses all the physical, chemical, and biological factors external to a person, and all the related factors impacting  behaviours. It encompasses the … Continue reading →

Posted in CDC, environmental health, environmental health law, environmental law, EPA, NCEH, NIEHS, NIH, public health, public health law | Comments Off on What is Environmental Health Law?