M10 News: Save the world with chocolate

It is a very "in" thing to be environmentally sustainable right now. In fact, the idea of going green is so expanding that many of my friends and peers are talking about switching to all organic products from face serums to shampoos to the food they eat. In this article, chocolate is explored by how to choose the best cocoa when pesticides and massive amounts of water are used to grow them. However, farms with a fairtrade certification prevent any of the typical environmental problems and are best to by chocolate from. Chocolate is global because more and more people are becoming local producers. In 2015/2016 there were almost 4000 ton of cocoa produced! So this Easter, we can shop organic for our cocoa eggs!

Reference: Edis, R., Singh, K., & Markham, R. (2018). Sustainable shopping: save the world one chocolate at a time. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/sustainable-shopping-save-the-world-one-chocolate-at-a-time-93844

M10.5 World Health Organization

I decided to research further in the the global plan of action for children's environmental health through the World Health Organization. There were over 1.7 million deaths that occur worldwide to children under the age of 5 due to air pollution, sanitation, clean water, hazardous chemicals and other environmental factors in 2012. The WHO is creating a sustainable plan with a goal to reduce these numbers. In order to ensure sustainability, the WHO needs to ensure they have strong ties with collaborating organizations in order to be successful in their efforts. Children's environmental health efforts are directly linked to activities such as primary health care efforts, disaster risk reduction, school activities, emergency response, housing, and a variety of other activities. The collaborating institutions work together to create awareness and creating interventions that reduce exposure or prevent/decrease the burden of disease. My hopes are that they can work together and make a strong impact for the children and people of this world.

M10.2 MSDS & ToxNet for Liquid Bleach

Liquid bleach is sometimes used at the Community Wellness Center at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital so I retrieved the MSDS for liquid bleach. 

• What are the health risks associated with this chemical?

The health risks associated with liquid bleach is irritation to eyes and skin and contact with acid liberates toxic gas.

• Is the chemical a carcinogen?

Liquid bleach is not considered a carcinogen for humans.

• What personal protective equipment or special precautions should be taken when working with this chemicals.

It is recommended to prevent contact from skin and eyes and breathing vapors. The use of protective equipment is under discretion. However, goggles, face shield, plastic apron and boots, and gloves. 

• If this is a chemical found in your workplace, what training/education were you given about any risks associated with this chemical?

I wasn't given any training or education at the center regarding liquid bleach because it is such a common product used in so many various places. 

ToxNet had very similar information regarding sodium hydrochlorite (liquid bleach). It went further into detail regarding how much effect it has on the human body. ToxNet also goes further into discussing the studies related to animal toxicity which isn't important in a hospital setting, but is important about the product itself. 

M9 News: Plastic in Great Pacific

It is very sad that plastic is more than three times the size of France in the Pacific Ocean. There are so many legislative changes that are being made in California to reduce plastic pollution. However, some may not understand the depth of the issue. The size of this area in the pacific is so large it is now called the "Garbage Patch" which shows the importance of the issue. This large area with a high volume of plastic is a wide variety of debris from fishermans nets to plastic bottles from the shore. It seems that the mass of it is increasing more than the overall size which still is a huge problem. However, this article discusses more about the severity and underlying problem of the issue rather than how they are going to solve it. I think there needs to be an ocean clean up team out to the specific area to clean up as much of the floating debris as possible before they sink to the bottom and do damage that way.

Reference:
Mooney, Chris. (2018). Plastic within the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is 'increasing exponentially', scientists find. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2018/03/22/plastic-within-the-great-pacific-garbage-patch-is-increasing-exponentially-scientists-find/?utm_campaign=400e6943bd-Science_saturday&utm_medium=email&utm_source=EHN&utm_term=.cb7dc0ad9976

M9.4 Heavy Metals

Lead is a very large environmental entity that has been shown to be harmful in adults and children. As the years have passed, it seems that the focus is primarily on the children. Bartem discussed the 4 year intervention on children to reduce lead levels. There are a few steps the Nigerian authorities and local leaders did to make a difference for lead levels in children. The steps they took significantly reduced blood lead levels in children and will help in preventing this occurrence again. Needleman's article discusses the history of lead poisoning in the past three decades. Understanding this history is key in prevention and it is key in honing in on children now. Legislation are doing what they can to reduce and completely eliminate lead exposure. One of the major exposure sources was by lead housing and paint. The most shocking was that in the second century B.C., lead was used as a sweetener in wines and was a vital part of Roman diet. Learning about lead toxicity is a vital component in prevention and elimination of lead in many products now. It has particularly been eliminated in children's products because it has been shown to have developmental delays and behavioral problems.

M9.3 Green Chemistry

I am really fond of the idea of green chemistry because it removes the source of environmental pollutions. Rather than limiting the exposure or use of pollutions, it tries to target the issue specifically. If we had utilized green chemistry from the beginning, then we may have saved so much of our wild life and sea animals. Also, air pollution would be minimized as well because toxic chemicals would not have been used. On a day to day basis, I am seeing more and more products that are biodegradable such as biodegradable coffee cups. The principles of green chemistry is a great way to move forward and build on to create a more environmentally sound world. To prevent pollution and stop it from the source, and having that knowledge to do those things, is a huge gift to preventing further global warming.

M9.2: Six Classes

Highly Fluorinated Chemicals
It is not a surprise to me that highly fluorinated chemicals are manmade. The surprising nature of this class of chemicals is how easily it can get into our air and water systems. If it is present, it is because of us and we can do so many things to prevent it. I was shocked to find out if children have high amounts of fluorination in their system, then vaccinations are less likely to work. I will definitely be taking precautions by reading labels on products that use fluorinated chemicals.

Antimicrobials
I remember reading about antimicrobials not being particularly beneficial. I didn't know how toxic the chemicals such as triclosan is. I already try to stay away from products that state they are anti-microbials or other replacement products because it seems they are so unnecessary. If trying to wash your hands, regular soap and water works too. On another note, alternatives such as non-silver is used for products in which it is unnecessary. I have heard of nano-silver being used on pillowcases to  reduce microbes on your pillow and treat acne. This seems like a very bad idea because it will just bring the antimicrobial chemical closer to your face.

Flame Retardants
Flame retardants are the most scary of the first three classes we have reviewed. Mostly because it is so harmful to our health and are found higher in children. This prevents us to keep our children safe. I also noticed, many of the products babies use such as baby mattresses and car seats have flame retardants in them. It irritates me that these products even have such products in them and what the use is in having flame retardants in the product.

Bisphenols and phthalates
Bisphenols are the most common and well known class of chemical for me. I was aware they are found in water bottles and that this was why we should not drink hot liquids from plastic waterbottles. I was surprised to learn that phthalates are mostly found in toys and are typically a plastic softener. I am glad to learn a little bit more about the harmful effects because I can be more serious about staying away from such products, particularly for my future children.

Some Solvents
"Some solvents" is such a broad term. Solvents can definitely be avoided since they are typically absorbed by skin or in the air. A lot of these products that use solvents are makeup and nail polish remover. These are products I use on a daily basis! Solvents have so many various health effects particularly because they are in such a broader category. I am happy to learn there are so many alternatives that can be used. It seems that water based products are the most safe choices to reduce the use of toxic solvents.

Certain Metals
I was aware that mercury, arsenic, cadmium and lead are harmful to our health. Mercury can be found in fishes and arsenic can be found in some waters, and lead sometimes is also found in water. This is a crazy way for metals to get into our system. I was not aware that some acne medication used mercury. I am a user of these products and have been for years. I will be looking into making sure my current acne products do not use mercury. Arsenic is scary because as a middle easter person, my main food group is rice. I have been trying to limit my rice ingestion. It is hard to know when cadmium is in our areas. I always try to limit cigarette smoke, but I cannot know when it is in my jewelry. Lead is something that is most talked about and has been removed from paint and many other things, such as gas.

M8 News: China stops fertilizer use

As most of us are aware of China's pollution problem and the legislation that is being brought to mind to reduce air pollutions. Well now, farmers in China are understanding the greenhouse gas emissions thanks to a 10 year long study. Chinese farmers are using more than 300 kg or nitrogen per hectare per year which is 4 times the global average. This is extremely alarming. With the study having been done, they realize that much fertilizer does not need to be used to yield maize, wheat, or rice. There have been many other recommendations for timing of the applications. Now farmers have a variety of different management practices for their agriculture and they will begin to use to hopefully reduce the nitrogen being used due to fertilizer.


Reference:
Hauptman, Hannah (2018). Decade-Long study helps 21 million Chinese farmers cut fertilizer use. Retrieved from https://e360.yale.edu/digest/decade-long-study-helps-21-million-chinese-farmers-cut-fertilizer-use

M8.5 Ideal Chemical Policy

An ideal chemical policy would include the following;

• Ban or find healthy substitutes to very harmful chemicals
• Pretest all market chemicals
• Have no secrets, all chemicals should be labeled for what they are
• The public will be provided education and information about the chemicals
• There should be an EPA certification program for all chemical

These are only some of the most important chemical policies that should take place in an ideal case. I think one of the most important is giving the rights to the public and the ban on harmful chemicals. If not a ban, then at least for the EPA to find and certify substitutes that should be used instead. Based on the Louisville Charter, one of their options was to find safer substitutes or solutions. I want to take it a step further and ban those toxic chemicals that have safer substitutes. This will probably involve the EPA and systems and products may need to be reproduced. However, the end result will be much worth it. 

M8.4 Chemical Policy Refornm

In an ideal chemical policy, it is important to note where the chemicals are being used and who/what they are harming. I think this is one of the most important things to note. It is also important to note any healthier substitutions that can be used. For example, using lavender essential oils as a bug repellant instead of commercial bug repellants. Looking at the Louisville Charter for Safer Chemicals, the policy is very much on point with my thoughts. I particularly agree with the first heading, "Require safer substitutes and solutions". This means that if there is an alternative, we should always use them because we want to take away the risk of the chemical diffusing into the air. I also think phasing out persistent, bioaccumulative, or highly toxic chemicals is one of the most important things that can be done. However, all of the Louisville Charters are great options for a healthier environment and to bring innovation to the way we see chemicals.

M8.3: Blog Pesticides

My meal last night was white rice, an egg, romaine lettuce, cabbage, green onions, and carrots all mixed together in a rice bowl.

I was in shock with how many pesticides were left on every single one of these had pesticides left on them! The eggs I have were organic but I think everything else I had was not organic so this worries me. While cabbage had 11 pesticide residues, lettuce at 52 pesticide residues! Many of which were harmful to bees, but a good portion of them were harmful carcinogens, neurotoxins, or hormone disrupters. It is also alarming that lettuce had the most number of pesticide residues on them. Green onions have 31 pesticide residues and carrots have 26! Many of these pesticide residues are hormone disrupters, have development/reproductive toxins, or are neurotoxins. The thing that may have shocked me the most is rice has the most harmful toxins for humans. Rice only have 15 pesticide residues which is far less than other vegetables. Most of the pesticide residues actually have hormone disrupters, some level of carcinogens, developmental/reproductive toxins, and toxins for bees.

There should be far more legislation about pesticides in the United States. While there is lots of regulations that have arose from the bee vanishing situation, there is still a long way to go. Many local farms are still using pesticides and law makers should create a stronger argument against pesticides.

M7.8 Topic of Interest - Greener Hospitals

I was thinking of writing my literature review on the movement hospitals are making to be more environmentally friendly and green. This triggered my interest after the previous modules' lecture on seasonal menus at hospitals and the information that was provided regarding Healthcare without Harm. It led me to wonder if there were other initiatives hospitals take in creating a healthier and clean environment for their patients and employees. A new Kaiser Permanente hospital in San Diego is one of the leading innovations for cultivating a healthy environment and being a smart hospital. It is LEED certified. It also includes new landscape, with improved walking areas and a meditation room. The hospital also has seasonal menus through their cafeteria. This is just such an interesting topic because while we can talk about smart futuristic cities, those also include the healthcare systems within them.

M7 News: Cheap Water Filter

Bangladesh is a community in which millions of people are exposed to arsenic through drinking water. A water filtration system has been created that is both cheap and easy to use, known as mesopaper. The biggest cost is in providing the community an education on why and how to use this easy filtration paper. Luckily this filter paper is placed over any bottle of water and as water pours in, it traps the bad stuff in the mesopaper. Once the paper cannot filter anymore, water can't pass through so it is very easy to use. Mesopaper is made up of 3 layers of bamboo fiber with ceramic granules inbetween. In so many other communities, particularly ones like Flint, Michigan, these papers can be used to filter the tap water. In larger quantities, these could be used at water treatment plants. The best part about them is that they are cheap!

Resource:
Peters, A. (2018). These cheap paper water filters remove lead, arsenic, and bacteria. Retrieved from https://www.fastcompany.com/40537758/these-cheap-paper-water-filters-remove-lead-arsenic-and-bacteria

M7.7 NOAA's National Ocean Services

Because of my love for the ocean and all bodies of water, it is only natural that I was intrigued by the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration's National Ocean Service. Some of the things that they do is hurricane response, marine navigation, oil and chemical spills, marine debris, and so many other initiatives. The National Ocean Service is the one agency that is in charge of making sure there is safe and efficient transportation and commerce. Since some of the most important trading and ports are located in the United States, these ships are monitored for safety and efficiency by the NOS. One of the most important tasks associated with the environmental health would be risk reduction and natural disaster preparedness. Events such as hurricanes or high tide floods are important to have plans for. The NOS maintains the network of coastal sensors. This becomes particularly helpful when we are detecting harmful agents in the coastal waters such as harmful algal blooms and chemical spills. The NOS is ultimately keeping our waters safe. Since our planet is made up of 70% water, we need someone to take care of it!

M7.4 Local Environmental Services

I looked up the environmental services in Contra Costa County. The Contra Costa Health Services page has various services. The Environmental Health and Hazardous Materials sections are the most prevalent for including the environmental services that are available within the county. Within the Environmental health services section, the goal is to promote the health of the people through safe food, water, recreation, and waste management. One thing I was not expecting was the "Body Art Program" which ensures sanitary use and waste of body piercing and tattooing equipment. This does fall under the category of environmental services because its management of the equipment and the shops so there is no spread of disease. Seeing "Recreational Health" is an important one too, but I was not expecting to see it. This is keeping the recreational use areas safe to specific environmental standards. The Hazardous Material section is very relevant to environmental services. This section helps protect the health of the environment by promoting pollution prevention, responding to environmental incidents, and enforcing programs. I would expect there to be a county HazMat service to address any incidents that occur. I didn't know that the HazMat team also promotes prevention programs like the Lead Poisoning Prevention program.

M6 News: Pesticide that harms bees

After watching the movie Vanishing Bees in this module I ran into this article that related neonictinoids, a pesticide used in Europe, has been shown to harm bees. The European Union will soon ban all insecticides on outdoor crops. The agencies discovered that bees are exposed to harmful and residual amount of insecticides that could be related to the disappearance of bees. There were three neonictinoids that were of most concern, and most studied. The agencies reviewed over 1500 studies published from a variety of trusting resources including NGOs, chemical companies, beekeepers and farmers associates, and academia. I am in hopes that this continues to move forward so that America can learn from the Europeans. 

Resource: Butler, Declan. (2018). EU expected to vote on pesticide ban after major scientific review. Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-02639-1. 

M6.7: Obesogens

Currently, in a farm near Concord, CA in season and locally grown are kiwis, grapefruits, lemons, mandarins, oranges, tangerines, broccoli, celery, and sweet potatoes are some fruits and vegetables. Seasonal menus for hospitals is a wonderful idea. Bringing seasonal fruits and vegetables in hospital menus, and incorporating cooking demonstrations with them would be a great way to save the planet, reduce harmful exposure to the crops, and encourage patients to cook meals with locally grown foods. This also makes the food at the hospital much healthier than the reputation makes it out to be. 

Here is the Bay Area Harvest Calendar for Northern California. 

I have not heard of obesogens before reading this article. I do agree that various forms of obesogens do exist and should be taken more seriously by the media and educating. One of the most familiar obesogens is cigarette smoke exposure while in utero. I think this type of article is important to read no matter what age group because it may give one information that is useful in the future. 

After reading about DES (diethylstilbestrol), a synthetic estrogen given to pregnant women, and its association with obesity. It was prescribed during pregnancy in 1941-1971. DES was used as an animal growth promoter for years. With this study, it shows that DES exposure is associated with a small increase in adult obesity. 

Resource: 

Hatch, E. E., Troisi, R., Palmer, J.R., WIse, L.A., Titus, L., Strohsnitter, W.C... Hoover, R.N. (2015). Prenatal diethylstilbestrol exposure and risk of obesity in adult women. J Dev Orig Health Dis, 6(3), 201-2017.

M6.6: Use of Antibiotics

Antibiotic Resistance 101: How Antibiotic Misuse on Factory Farms Can Make you Sick. 
It is scary to think that antibiotic resistance from factory farms is even happening! The most interesting thing is that these antibiotic resistant strains would not be resistant if not used for non-therapeutic reasons. This article really helps open my eyes about the world of antibiotic resistance and what we can do to avoid exposure to these resistances, such as buying organic or looking for labels that say it has been raised without antibiotics. I remember the outbreak on Foster Farms chickens, but didn't know much about it. Since then, I don't think anyone in my family has bought anything branded with Foster Farms. The USA should also ban use of non-therapeutic antibiotics from farms just like the European Union. It looks like much of the bans listed are done through legislation, the FDA, and the USDA. They better get a move on it!

Nearby Livestock May Raise "Superbug" Risk.
MRSA is already really difficult to treat with antibiotics, and having it be antibiotic resistance should ring some major alarms for legislation. While there was no cause and effect relationship found, it is obvious that one of the major reasons is those who were directly exposed to livestock. This article makes me angry at the world around us. We have to ask the farmers if the risk is really worth it to them.

Scientists Discover that Antimicrobial Wipes and Soap May be Making you (and Society) Sick.
I have heard the use of constant hand sanitizer use is bad because it kills all (both good and bad) bacteria. This is very similar to the problem with antimicrobial soaps. Besides the harmful effects of triclosan, it is important to note that the more antimicrobial wipes we use - the less resistance we build towards a particular bacteria, thus getting sick more often. Triclosan, on another note, is extremely harmful to our environment and therefore, us. We should be more wary of the products we are using. One thing this article makes point of is that there is just not enough research yet on antimicrobial soaps. While it is a hard thing to study, more research should be done.

Antimicrobials in Hospital Furnishings: Do they Help Reduce Healthcare-Associated Infections?
I didn't know hospitals used antimicrobial hospital furnishings. While I see the superficial benefits of using antimicrobial hospital furnishings, these can definitely be bad for the environment and the population in the long term. There are so many routes infection can spread with such a long history. There are so many ways to disinfect, clean, and sterilize the hospital environment. The products that include the antimicrobials, also known as biocides, that can be a variety of things that kill unwanted bacteria. However, these can be in forms that are harmful to humans such as preservations. Just like the previous article, some hospital furnishings contain triclosan, which is toxic to our surrounding environment. I think it is best for there to be a way to regularly test the hospital environment and furnishings for effectiveness and harm on the society.

M6.4: Industrial Farming

After viewing the videos from the movies from this module, I feel that I have gained so much knowledge about the farmers and agriculture around us. Vanishing Bees was a great movie to depict the depth of the problem around the disappearance of bees. I had heard that bees were going extinct, but after watching this movie I now know the problem is slightly different but just as impactful as if bees were to be extinct. The root of the issue goes way further than beekeepers taking care of their farms. It goes into what is going on the agricultural farms and the pesticides being used. Overall, I had heard about bees disappearing but I didn't know it was called Colony Collapse Disorder and that the root cause of it is always a mystery. I also had no idea this was occurring all around the world.

Dirt! The Movie! was such an eye opening movie about what I feel I typically take for granted - dirt. I thought the movie was very informative and learned so many interesting information about dirt in all parts of the world. I really enjoyed the story told by the woman from Sudan about the hummingbird doing what little that it can while all the other animals watched the forest go down in the fire. It really rings true for all of us to do what little we can to save the dirt we have and making it more fertile by composting.

While I knew of places where there were farms around us, I wasn't sure what type of factory farms. I have seen herds of cows in some places but weren't sure if they were specific factorty farms. In Contra Costa County there is a dairy farm. The nearby counties have the majority of the factory farms. Solano County has a dairy and cattle farms. San Joaquin County has dairy, cattle, hog, broilers and layers farms. This makes me want to research if the farms around me feed antibiotics and if there have been any antibiotic resistance.

I do not personally compost. However, if composting is available at the site I am in then I do. When I was volunteering at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, they utilize compost bins in all of their departments which is wonderful! I think composting should be done in more hospitals and big industries where there may be a cafeteria or recycled food to minimize waste and recycle that residue to create healthy soil. I remember learning about composting when I was young. It is a wonderful tool and more organizations should do it. I also think that if a family has gardens in their backyard, they should try composting as well.