Environmental Public Health Commons^™

Re-Engineering Environmental Health For Challenging Times, R. Konkel, Tony Lewis, Sian Buckley, Polly Rodirguez

Steve Konkel

Times are challenging, irrespective of whether the landscape is viewed from an economic, political, or social perspective. NEHA Presidents have challenged the profession to look at workforce development issues, and raised the question as to what the future of environmental health practice looks like. Does Environmental Health need to be re-defined or refined every five years or so? After attending this session you will understand some of the current challenges to the environmental health practice, and be able to define characteristics of threshold concepts and how they might be applied in a variety of environmental health contexts.

A Journey With A Clear Destination: Environmental Health Research, R. Konkel, David Evans, M. Mulcahy

Steve Konkel

Research is vital if we are to improve the health of the population on the island of Ireland and provide better qualtiy and access to services. Yet all too often, research can be a neglected and overlooked component of evironmental health.

When Every Drops Counts: The Public Health Impact Of Drought, R. Konkel, Mark Miller, Robert Blake, Valeria Carlson

Steve Konkel

What are the public health effects of drought? What is the role of public health and environmental health in planning for drought? What are the political implications of drought and need for public health to be involved in drought planning? How can we reshape environmental health involvement in drought planning?

Using An Innovative Electronic Interface To Develop A Public Health Guidance Document, R. Konkel

Steve Konkel

This is part of a presentation given at the NEHA (National Environmental Health Association) 2009 conference in the Atlanta Enterprise Center June 21-24 in Atlanta Georgia.

Developing An International Competence-Based Curriculum For Environmental Health, R. Konkel, Maurice Brennan, Tony Lewis

Steve Konkel

In 1998, the International Federation of Environmental Health (IEFH) commissioned the International Faculty Forum (IFF) of environmental health educators to develop an international curriculum for environmental health. In commissioning such a curriculum, IFEH implicitly recognised and sought to address the ongoing issues of professional identity, status and the transportability of qualifications for Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs). A draft model for an international curriculum based on competence was proposed by Brennan, Konkel anad Lewis and developed and supported by IFF members when they met in May 2008 in Brisbane, Australia. Development of the model and its underpinning concepts of 'environmental healthness' …

Rural Utility Cooperative (Ruc) Final Evaulation Report: Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (Anthc), R. Konkel

Steve Konkel

The Rural Utility Cooperative (RUC) Final Evaluation is designed to answer several interrelated

questions:

• Is the RUC working as envisioned?

• Is it making an impact in the RUC Communities?

• Are the RUC Communities better off than the Non-RUC communities?

Strategic Planning For Environmental Stewardship At Eastern Kentucky University, Steven Konkel, Dr. Robert Weise, Dr. Alan Banks, Dr. Danita Lasage, Professor Joseph Beck, James Street, Dr. Charles Elliott, Professor Barbara Szubinska, Dr. Robert Frederick, Dr. Melinda Wilder, Dr. Robert Huston, Rebecca Jones, Dr. Alice Jones, Kyle Moon

Steve Konkel

The 2006-2010 Strategic Plan for Eastern Kentucky University, under Strategic Direction 5.4, mandates the formulation of a plan to guide the University toward greater environmental stewardship. The creation and implementation of that plan is the charge of the Eastern Committee on Responsible Environmental Stewardship (ECRES), which was formed in September of 2005. On October 27th, 2006, ECRES hosted a Strategic Planning Workshop. This workshop brought together a wide range of paticipants, including elected officials, college and university representatives, and interested citizens. The result was a broad consenus in the identification of environmental goals and objectives toward which EKU should strive.

An Integrated Approach To Educating Working Environmental Health Practitioners, R. Konkel, Joe Beck

Steve Konkel

No abstract provided.

Environmental Health As The Safety Net For Influenza Immunizations--Protecting The Population Or The Individual At Risk: The U.S. Public Health Dilemma, R. Konkel, Joe Beck

Steve Konkel

No abstract provided.

Energy Efficiency, R. Konkel

Steve Konkel

Using energy efficiently can reduce the cost of heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning, which account for a significant part of the overall cost of housing. Energy costs recur month-to-month and are hard to reduce after a home has been designed and built. The development of an energy-efficient home or building must be thought through using a systems approach

Musculoskeletal Injuries Associated With Selected University Staff And Faculty In An Office Environment, R. Konkel, Thomas Fisher, Carolyn Harvey

Steve Konkel

A research team with backgrounds in occupational therapy, rehabilitation, policy and rulemaking, and prevention programs affecting occupational health and safety designed, validated, and analyzed an ergonomics survey of university staff and faculty. The purpose of the study was to validate identified risk factors from the literature contributing to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMDs) in an office setting within a university setting. The study was also designed to determine differences between faculty and staff in the university setting and their exposure to physical risk factors to WRMDs. The results suggest faculty have their keyboard in awkward positions more frequently than staff, and …

Environmental Health In Public Health, R. Konkel, Darryl Barnett, Joe Beck, Worley Johnson

Steve Konkel

A most intriguing question, and one that leads to many debates both inside and outside of the environmental health field, is a definition of environmental health. The answer given is often tempered by one's political slant (i.e., liberal, moderate, or conservative) and by one's professional training (e.g., public health sanitation, chemistry, nursing, ecology, planning, public administration, etc). Although agreement is needed to effectively address the challenges in the field, disagreement often centers on what constitutes environmental health and even on the name or nickname that should be applied to individuals whose primary focus is on one or many aspects of …

Environmental Planning, R. Steven Konkel

Steve Konkel

Our understanding of the importance of healthy ecosystems and the impact of people on the natural and the built environment continues to grow. The need for stewardship to preserve, protect, and enhance the natural environment and promote healthy populations is increasingly seen as a universal responsibility of environmental health and safety (EHS) professionals.

Strategic Plan, Steve Konkel, Joe Beck, Eric Barker

Steve Konkel

The Kentucky Association of Counties (KACo) strategic effort was organized under the aegis of Robert Arnold, the Executive Director of KACo. Strategic Focus, a strategic pllaning and facilitation organization, was selected to facilitate the meetings and provide consultation regarding development of the plan.

The Landscape Of Reason: A Scheme For Representing Arguments Concerning Environmental, Health And Safety Effects Of Chemical Weapons Disposal In The Us, R. Steven Konkel, Edward Liebow, Judith A. Bradbury, Kristi M. Branch, Judith Heerwagen, Jenniffer Leyson

Steve Konkel

To reduce the risk of environmental contamination and honor an international treaty, chemical weapons stored at eight locales around the US are slated for destruction. Incineration is the main choice of a National Research Council committee directed by Congress to weigh the hazards of alternative destruction technologies, but many citizens' groups remain unconvinced. The US Army, which must dispose of the dangerous chemicals, faces decisions about the choice of destruction technologies, as well as more specific questions concerning protection of environment, safety and public health once the technology choices are made. Based on more than 200 individual interviews and 40 …

Using Joint Fact-Finding To Resolve Disputes Over Cleanup Of Hazardous Waste Sites, R. Konkel

Steve Konkel

This research demonstrates how and why joint fact-finding works to break impasses in negotiations and overcome obstacles to the cleanup of hazardous waste sites. Superfund cleanup negotiations often involve multiple-party, multi-issue disputes. Disputes often arise over identification of the responsible parties, allocation of cost and liability, definition and interpretation of cleanup standards, and development of a viable settlement structure. In 1988, Marks and Susskind identified disagreements over the accuracy and validity of data as critical barriers to cleanup of Superfund and other hazardous waste sites. Disputes over data have led to delays, costly supplemental studies, and site fragmentation into multiple …

A Baseline Case: The Woburn Wells G And H Superfund Site, Steve Konkel

Steve Konkel

This section profiles the types of disputes which arose at the Woburn Wells G and H Superfund site in Woburn, Mass. The Woburn Wells G and H case serves as a baseline because it demonstrates how obstacles cause delays and impasses. This section contains an overview of what has transpired since the discovery of contaminants in two of the town municipal wells, Well G and H.

Resolving Superfund Disputes Using Mediation, R. Konkel

Steve Konkel

Superfund clean-up disputes are difficult to resolve because they involve multiple issues in addition to multiple parties. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and waste generator negotiators often disagree about how to interpret technical or scientific information. Examples of difficult issues include company shares of the clean-up cost, potential threat to groundwater, and what environmental standards apply to clean-up; "how clean is clean" is not at all well understood. Industry typically focueses on fairness of the allocation of cost and liability and the cost and responsibility for clean-up.

Risk Management In The United States: Three Case Studies Dioxin Emissions And Trash-To-Energy Plants In New York City, R. Steven Konkel

Steve Konkel

New York City, the largest US municipality with a population of 12 million, presently generates 28,000 tons of garbage per day. Its main disposal facility Fresh Kills-is expected to be the only one of four presently operating landfills still in in use in 1987, and to be filled to capacity be 2001. Institutional, economic, and environmental obstacles severely restrict landfill options within the city, and ocean disposal of municipal solid waste is not considered feasible. In short, continued reliance on landfills to absorb the City's enormous volume of municpal waste is no longer considered viable.

Overviews Of Selected Business Sectors In The Alaska Economy, Steve Konkel

Steve Konkel

No abstract provided.

Socioeconomic Data Requirements For Environmental Assessment: Coal Gasification And Liquefaction Projects, Steve Konkel

Steve Konkel

Environmental and socioeconomic monitoring are key aspects in the planning, construction, and operation of evolving coal conversion technologies.