Loren Santiago - MPH 632: Environmental Health

As we know, plastic was has built up over time and polluted our oceans and our land. What makes plastic so wasteful is that it never breaks down completely, building up as we continue to manufacture more and more products. Fortunately, with technology and great minds today, there is research being conducted to refine plastic. Jianbo Zhu, a polymer chemist, and his team at Colorado State University in Fort Collins are working on creating a plastic that can be reused again and again. They have been working on this process and have found that by adding another ring to a previous creation allowed for the monomers to stick together at room temperature into polymer chains that are heat-stable. The polymers can hold their shape and stability, but then when they are exposed to higher heat levels or mild chemicals, they will revert to their original monomer molecules. In other words, this means that this plastic can be reused and recycled again and again, which is different (and better) than t...

This article provides information on how to recycle e-waste materials. These materials include mostly technology, like cell phones, laptops, tablets, televisions, and batteries. I found this article interesting because I myself, like many others in the world, have many products that I have no idea what to do with, once I "upgrade" them. Like the iPhone or a laptop... as a student, I tend to upgrade these things. I'm also a photographer, and I have three DSLR cameras... so this article caught my eye because I was interesting in knowing how to recycle these items I do not use anymore. We are unable to throw e-waste into the regular garbage (aka landfills) because they have hazardous materials which can be released into the environment and be a problem for the planet as well as for our health. Sometimes, some places or organizations have recycling drives, but the recycler they may be contracted with do not dispose of the items in an environmentally friendly way. This is ev...

a.) As we begin to think about being active and prepared,  explore this website  (Links to an external site.) Links to an external site.  and the links that are specific to your region or area of interest to learn more about health (physical and psychosocial) and environmental impacts or preparedness needs for these disaster precipitators. This website from the National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health is a great resource for those looking for increase their knowledge about disaster prevention and awareness. On this website, there are curriculum plans for all ages from pediatrics to geriatrics. There are resources provided for those who educate the community on various topics including influenza, earthquakes, tornadoes, winter weather, wildfires, and more. There are also competencies available, research and reports, and current news and events. Having all of this information available will be that much more helpful in preparing the community for a disaste...

There is a small environmental organization, called Deutsche Umwelt Hilfe (DUH) or Environmental Action Germany, that is advocating for reducing air pollution in the European Union. In February, the German Federal Administrative Court banned older diesel fueled cars in certain cities and areas in Germany. This is a big step for the EU as diesel powered cars are used more than gasoline cars. According to the article, diesel cars are a major contributor to air pollution: 60% of nitrogen dioxide in Germany comes from motor vehicles, with three-quarters of that from diesel. Nitrogen dioxide levels and particulate matter levels are almost double the EU limits in cities like Munich. This pollution creates carcinogens and is associated with premature deaths, cardio-pulmonary diseases. Some say that this is the beginning of the end of diesel in the EU. "Paris, Copenhagen, London, and Madrid had already announced they are considering bans on some diesel cars beginning in 2020. " Whi...

1) Consider your workplace or a workplace of one of your family members. Are there chemical, biological, radiological or ergonomic issues? Using the industrial hygiene hierarchy of controls, how might you address the issues? How are they being addressed in reality? Working in the hospital, there are multiple chemical, biological, radiological or ergonomic issues present. The industrial hygiene hierarchy of controls is as pictured:  Here are some examples of how the hierarchy of controls is used to address some issues that may be present in a hospital. Chemical - working with chemotherapy medications or other hazardous medications require the use of PPE. Administrative controls also play a part, as nurses learn how to handle, administer, and dispose of these meds. Biological - working with bodily fluids such as blood requires using PPE and training on how to handle these products. PPE is also used when patients are isolated with certain infectious diseases, such as ...

In northern Minnesota, a company called American Peat Technology has reported a new way to potentially clean up polluted water, specifically water polluted with heavy metals. This is all done with something called peat. Peat is a type of decomposing plant material. There is a large amount in Minnesota, and the process to clean water is cheap and does not require any fancy technology. Minnesota has been using this method to extract mercury and sulfates from their water. American Peat says that peat is reusable and the University of Minnesota Duluth has worked to refine the process. Urban Accessories in Washington state purchased the peat to clean up copper polluted run-off -- according to Dan Jones, the company's safety and environmental compliance manager, they simply stuffed women's tights with peat and the copper was absorbed from the water into the peat. The cost was $400. The use of peat sounds promising. If it truly can help clean polluted water, then we should utilize t...