Environmental Public Health Commons^™

Evaluating And Regulating Lead In Artificial Turf, Gregory Van Ulirsch, Kevin Gleason, Shawn Gerstenberger, Deaphne B. Moffett, Glenn Pulliam, Tariq Ahmed, Jerald Fagliano

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

Background: In 2007, a synthetic turf recreational field in Newark, New Jersey, was closed because lead was found in synthetic turf fibers and in surface dust at concentrations exceeding hazard criteria. Consequently, public health professionals across the country began testing synthetic turf to determine whether it represented a lead hazard. Currently, no standardized methods exist to test for lead in synthetic turf or to assess lead hazards.

Objectives: Our objectives were to increase awareness of potential lead exposure from synthetic turf by presenting data showing elevated lead in fibers and turf-derived dust; identify risk assessment uncertainties; recommend that federal and/or …

Pollution And Public Health In A Shrinking World: Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations As A Paradigm For Emergent Needs In Environmental And Public Health Policy, Leland Stillman

Self-Designed Majors Honors Papers

Environmental factors play a major part in human health. Environmental pollutants are often as poisonous to humans as the environment. Presently, much time and energy is dedicated to keeping pollution apart from human society, with varying success. But as global population densities rise, current levels of pollution will become inviable due to public health concerns. An emergent example of this is in the concentration of livestock operations. Recent changes in the structure of U.S. hog farming have resulted in an industry-wide shift from small or medium production farms to high capacity, “concentrated animal feeding operations” (CAFO). These operations have become …

Agenda: World Energy Justice Conference And Appropriate Technology Arcade, University Of Colorado Boulder. Center For Energy & Environmental Security, University Of Colorado Boulder. School Of Law

World Energy Justice Conference (October 23-24)

The 2009 CEES Energy Justice Conference took place at the University of Colorado Law School on October 23rd and 24th, 2009. It featured 11 sessions, more than 40 speakers, and attracted over 200 attendees. The Conference brought together leading international and U.S. decision-makers in politics, engineering, public health, law, business, economics, and innovators in the sciences to explore how best to address the critical needs of the energy-oppressed poor (EOP) through long-term interdisciplinary action, information sharing, and deployment of appropriate sustainable energy technologies (ASETs).

The Colorado Journal of International Environmental Law & Policy (CJIELP) at the University of Colorado Law …

La Calidad Del Agua Potable En Arica, Con Respecto A La Salud, Emily Lubell

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Water is essential to sustain life, and the availability of safe drinking water is a concern throughout the world. This study examines the potential negative health effects related to drinking the potable water in Arica, Chile. It also looks at who has access to purified water. This study was implemented over a span of four weeks in which information was collected from different local resources including, the potable water distributor, private water vendors, professors, and public health service workers. In comparison with 2001, 2009 levels of boron, total hardness and total dissolved solids are higher in concentration. In both 2001 …

E-85 Vs. Regular Gasoline: Effects On Engine Performance, Fuel Efficiency, And Exhaust Emissions, Jordan W. Steinhaus, Donald M. Johnson, George W. Wardlow

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

This study compared the performance, fuel efficiency, and exhaust emissions of a 2.61 kW engine fueled with regular unleaded gasoline (87 octane) and an 85% ethanol blend (E85) under two load conditions. Four 1-h tests were conducted with each fuel at both governor’s maximum (3400 rpm) and peak torque (2800 rpm) conditions for a total of 16 tests. At governor’s maximum engine speed, there were no significant differences (p>0.05) between fuels for engine torque, power, specific carbon dioxide (sCO2 ), specific carbon monoxide (sCO), specific hydrocarbons (sHC), or specific oxides of nitrogen (sNOX) emissions. However, there was a significant …

Measurement Of Transient Smoke Emissions From Diesel And Biodiesel Fuel Blends In An Agricultural Tractor, Kristin M. Pennington, Sonia R. Munoz, Donald M. Johnson, George Wardlow

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Transient smoke emissions pose potential hazards to human health and the environment. With the increased popularity of biodiesel, there is a need to determine if these fuels produce different levels of particulate matter in exhaust emissions. This study examined the transient smoke emissions of three fuels: No. 2 petroleum diesel fuel (D2, ASTM D 975), a blend of 20% biodiesel and 80% petroleum diesel (B20, ASTM 6751), and a 100% pure biodiesel derived from animal fats (B100, ASTM D 6751). Measurements of smoke emissions were taken using the SAE J1677 snap acceleration test procedure on a John Deere 3203 compact …

Plymouth-Carver Sole Source Aquifer: Regional Open Space Plan, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

The second largest sole source aquifer in Massachusetts, the Plymouth-Carver Sole Source Aquifer (the Aquifer) covers 140 square miles underlying the towns of Plymouth, Carver, Kingston, Wareham, Plympton, Middleborough, and Bourne. The Aquifer contains over 500 billion gallons of fresh water (USGS 1992), and serves as a critical water resource for residential, commercial, and agricultural uses in the area. Though its resources are vast, they are not unlimited, nor are they unaffected by contamination.

On August 7, 1990, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a notice announcing that the Plymouth-Carver Aquifer satisfies all criteria for designation as a sole source …

The Guacamole Fund Presents...

Native American Forum on Nuclear Issues

Special Bonnie Raitt Benefit Tickets

Nuclear Energy, Steve Kraft

Native American Forum on Nuclear Issues

Abstract:

-Why Nuclear Energy?

-The lesson of the last 20 years in U.S. electricity policy:

– Diversified fuel and technology portfolio is essential

– All fuels and technologies (nuclear, coal, natural gas, renewables, efficiency) have a legitimate role

-The challenge for the future:

– Preserving/restoring diversified portfolio

– Ensuring resource adequacy, particularly in competitive markets

-Expanded use of nuclear energy is part of the answer

– Integrated used fuel management supports nuclear competitiveness

Nrc’S Decision Process: Judging The Safety Of A Proposed Repository, Janet Kotra

Native American Forum on Nuclear Issues

Abstract:

-Provide an overview of the role of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) at Yucca Mountain

-Describe the process NRC will use to decide whether or not to authorize construction of a repository at Yucca Mountain

-Explain options and highlight important milestones that apply to Tribes as potential participants in NRC’s process

Native American Forum On Nuclear Issues Meet And Greet, Slideshow, And Attendance List

Native American Forum on Nuclear Issues

Slideshow, 58 PowerPoint slides & Attendance list

Yucca Mountain- Could The End Be Near?, Steve Frishman

Native American Forum on Nuclear Issues

Presentation & Biography

Fighting Nuclear Waste At Skull Valley, Margene Bullcreek

Native American Forum on Nuclear Issues

Abstract:

-Reasons We Oppose Nuclear Waste

-Sovereignty

-Traditional values must be protected

-Protect sacredness of our culture, plants,

animals, air, and water

-Affects on community health

-Protect reservation and homeland

-To protect the air and water

-To protect future generations

-Environmental Justice

Native American Forum On Nuclear Issues Agenda

Native American Forum on Nuclear Issues

Conference agenda

Sponsored by: UNLV Department of Environmental Studies, UNLV Libraries, UNLV Department of History, UNLV Department of Sociology and the Native Community Action Council

Concurrent Panel Session 2: Health Challenges Facing Las Vegas, Carlos Brandenburg, Shawn Gerstenberger, Zaven Khachaturian, John Mcdonald, Dennis Pirages, Thom Reilly, Kathy Silver, Bonnie Sorenson, Carolyn B. Yucha, Maurizio Trevisan

Shaping the Future of Southern Nevada: Economic, Environmental, and Social Sustainability

Moderator: Marcia Turner, NSHE Health Science System Scribe: Candace Griffith, UNLV Department of Sociology Conference white paper & Full summary of panel session, 8 pages

Human Development And Resources Use In The Coastal Zone: Influences On Human Health, Robert E. Bowen, Anamarija Frankic, Mary E. Davis

Environmental, Earth, and Ocean Sciences Faculty Publication Series

Coastal watersheds and nearshore marine areas are the most valuable and dynamic places on Earth. Human population growth is great in these regions, which are home to some of the most sensitive habitats in the world. Coastal areas provide more than half of the overall service value derived from the global environment (Costanza et al., 1997). Natural (e.g., hurricanes and tsunamis) and human pressures on this environment require it to constantly adjust. More than any other area, the global coast has defined the progress of human culture and continues to be a singular influence in how humans connect to the …

Science-Based Organic Farming 2006: Toward Local And Secure Food Systems, Charles A. Francis, Katja Koehler-Cole, Twyla Hansen, Peter Skelton

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

Organic farming includes growing food and fiber—animals, agronomic crops, horticultural fruits and vegetables, related products—as one dynamic and rapidly evolving component of our complex U.S. food system. Even as more farmers are moving toward organic certification and participation in an environmentally sound and economically lucrative market, questions arise about the long-term social impacts and sustainability of a set of practices that has gone from a movement to an industry. Consolidations in the organic trade have brought multinational corporations to the table, as they have observed a grassroots activity that has grown by 20% per year for the past two decades, …

Environmental Factors In Autoimmunity: Assessment Of Immunotoxicity Of Phthalates In The Induction Of Lupus-Type Anti-Dna Antibodies, So-Yon Lim

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: Little is known of the role of specific environmental factors in promoting autoimmune disorders such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The broad objective of this study was to address how exposure to phthalates, common environmental factors m foods, and biomedical devices could affect the immune functions of resistant and autoimmune-prone mice. Methods: The environmental chemical model used in this study is phthalates, which are widely used in various forms and readily occur during day-to-day human contacts. Groups of nonautoimmune-prone (BALB/c, DBA/2 and C57BL/6) and susceptible (NZB, NZB/W Fl) mice were immunized with phthalates ( ortho, meta and para) conjugated …

Population And Sustainability, Geoffrey Mcnicoll

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Sustainability refers to the preservation of human-valued natural capital—the resources that provide environmental services—at a level sufficient to assure the well-being of future generations. This Population Council working paper assess the effects on the total and per capita availability of those services. The degradation of environmental services—exemplified by the overuse of aquifers or (at a global level) of the atmospheric carbon sink—is a significant threat to sustainable development, one that is often exacerbated by population growth. The critical management issue in such cases is the design of effective governing institutions to restrain service demand and safeguard supply. Uncertainties arising from …

Production Of A Monoclonal Antibody Against Benzo[Α]Pyrene Diol Epoxide Dna Adducts, Brian Peden Austin

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Benzo[α]pyrene is a ubiquitous pollutant produced from the incomplete combustion of organic material such as fossil fuels. It is found in the workplace, urban air, drinking water, and the food supply. Recently, it has been proposed that benzo[α]pyrene may be the causative agent in the formation of lung adenocarcinomas among some Taiwanese women exposed to cooking oil fumes without adequate ventilation. In this study, calf thymus DNA was modified in vitro with benzo[α]pyrene-diol epoxide (BPDE) to a level consistent with that found in biological samples. This DNA of low modification was used as an immunogen in the production of a …

The Standardized Fish Bioassay Procedure For Detecting And Culturing Actively Toxic Pfiesteria, Used By Two Reference Laboratories For Atlantic And Gulf Coast States, Joann M. Burkholder, Harold G. Marshall, David W. Seaborn, Nora J. Deamer-Melia

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

In the absence of purified standards of toxins from Pfiesteria species, appropriately conducted fish bioassays are the "gold standard" that must be used to detect toxic strains of Pfiesteria slop. from natural estuarine water or sediment samples and to culture actively toxic Pfiesteria. In this article, we describe the standardized steps of our fish bioassay as an abbreviated term for a procedure that includes two sets of trials with fish, following the Henle-Koch postulates modified for toxic rather than infectious agents. This procedure was developed in 1991, and has been refined over more than 12 years of experience in …

The Distribution Of Airborne Coal Dust In Soil Profiles Of Norfolk, Va And Its Implication For Arsenic Loading To These Soils, William Joseph Bounds

OES Theses and Dissertations

Norfolk, Virginia is home to the Northern Hemisphere's largest coal terminal the Lamberts Point Docks. The coal loading process of this terminal creates large amounts of coal dust, which subsequently is distributed throughout the local region by atmospheric transport and deposition. While the coal dust itself poses only minor health hazards, certain trace elements within the coal, particularly arsenic, may pose environmental as well as significant health hazards. Within coal, arsenic occurs primarily in the mineral pyrite. As pyrite in the coal dust is subsequently oxidized via exposure to the atmosphere and/or meteoric water, arsenic may be released to the …

Managing Population-Environment Systems: Problems Of Institutional Design, Geoffrey Mcnicoll

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

In population–environment systems human activity is inherently part of the system rather than something to be minimized in order to maintain or restore “natural” environmental conditions. Issues arising in managing such systems are discussed in this paper. The system’s boundaries must be identified, defining its human participants and its ecological content. Procedures for monitoring demographic and environmental change in the system must be set up and consensus must be reached on how to evaluate that change.

Media Coverage Of Epa's Draft Dioxin Reassessment Report, Sharon M. Friedman, Megan A. Fitzpatrick, Brenda P. Egolf

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Using content analysis, the authors examine the utility of news media in democratic decision making.

Designing An Analytic Deliberative Process For Environmental Health Policy Making In The U.S. Nuclear Weapons Complex, Seth Tuler, Thomas Webler

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Using a National Research Council Report as a centerpiece, Drs. Tuler and Webler evaluate the effectiveness of a conceptual approach to risk policy-making.

Review Of: Allan Mazur, A Hazardous Inquiry: The Rashomon Effect At Love Canal, Thomas G. Field Jr.

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Review of: Allan Mazur, A Hazardous Inquiry: The Rashomon Effect at Love Canal (Harvard University Press 1998). Abbreviations,, appendices: Chron- ology and The Basics of Toxicology, bibliography, chronology, figures, index, photos, references. LC 97-44639; ISBN 0-674-74833-6 [255+xiv pp. $26.00 Cloth, 79 Garden Street; Cambridge MA 02138.]

Nuclear Waste And Native America: The Mrs Siting Exercise, M. V. Rajeev Gowda, Doug Easterling

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Drs. Gowda & Easterling provide cross-cultural perspectives on issues of risk perception, equity and policy as they affect nuclear waste storage on Native American sites.

A Test Of An Alternate Calibration Matrix For Niosh Method 7300, Robert T. Vitek

Community & Environmental Health Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if the analytical results (when determining cadmium, lead, and zinc concentrations) for air sample filters prepared and analyzed according to N:OSH Method 7300, differ significantly, from those obtained when the instrument is calibrated using EPA Method 200.7 acid matrix standards. The null hypothesis was that no statistically significant difference, measured at the 95% confidence level, would exist between results obtained from the two calibration standards. Careful standard and sample preparation, the use of an internal standard, and the application of working standard and working internal standard correction factors served to isolate the …

Fish Tissue Contamination In Maine Lakes : Data Report, Jeanne Difranco, Linda Bacon, Barry Mower, David Courtemanch

Maine Collection

Fish Tissue Contamination in Maine Lakes : Data Report

by Jeanne DiFranco, Linda Bacon, Barry Mower and David Courtemanch

Regional Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (REMAP)

State of Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Land and Water Quality, Division of Environmental Assessment, State House Station 17, Augusta, Maine 04333 (September 1995).

Contents: List of Figures and Tables / I. Introduction / II. Goals and Objectives / III. Experimental Design / IV. Methods / V. Data / VI. Quality Assurance-Quality Control / Appendices A-H

The Pollution Effects Of Pleasure/Work Boat Sewage Discharges On Fecal Contamination Levels Of Waters In And Around Marinas And Other Places Where Boats Are Moored On The Eastern Shore Of Virginia, George H. Bangs

Community & Environmental Health Theses & Dissertations

Contamination of seafood harvested from and recreational areas of the Chesapeake Bay, its tributaries and the Atlantic coast inshore waters may cause health problems for people consuming the seafood or coming in contact with the waters by swimming, water skiing, or other water sports. These health problems include, but not limited to, dysentery, typhoid and hepatitis (Natchez, 1990). This is a preliminary study into the level of fecal pollution generated by sewage discharges from boats in marinas and other places where boats are moored on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Sites selected for the study included; (I) marinas and other …