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.