Materials in the Environment

In this section we will learn about the health effects of various materials or “stuff” humans have added to or changed the distribution of in the environment. We will also systematically focus on issues of Environmental Justice and continue our theme of Health Disparities.

—> Here is a list of terms and concepts that are important for this section of the course:Terms Material in the Environment

Tues Jan 14

Introduction to this section!

• • Read as an introduction to this material. Chemicals within UsNG08 (this is an older paper but still good). Pay attention to all the different materials he describes. I highly recommend you start a list of compounds and where they are found, how we are exposed and how they affect us.
  • The handout for today’s class asks you to visit this website: https://www.epa.gov/superfund/search-superfund-sites-where-you-live  and to create slides in a google slideshow in our class folder.
  • In class I will assign partners for you to introduce us to a list of “Materials in the Environment”  (Kind of the same as the pathogen presentations you did.) That slide show is in our Google Folder!

Wed Jan 15

Lead, Water and Kids

• • Listen to the following and take notes…. https://www.revealnews.org/episodes/do-not-drink-the-water-crisis-in-flint-michigan/
  • Listen to this…https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/trp010112/ (7 min podcast about mixtures!)
  • Links from our handout from today: https://mndatamaps.web.health.state.mn.us/interactive/leadtract.html and https://geopub.epa.gov/DWWidgetApp/ and https://apps.npr.org/find-lead-pipes-in-your-home/en/#intro
  • Link to ppt for today: Water+LeadIntro25 With Nfld Well Info Water+LeadIntro With Nfld Well Info
    

Thur Jan 16

Air Pollution and Socioeconomic Status

• • Watch this compelling short video on the Great London Smog of 1952 https://vimeo.com/61103947
  • Read this article. SESCardiovDisAirPollutEHP16 (focus on Intro, Figures and Discussion)
  • NOTE: We will re-visit particulates and air pollution in the next section of the course when we will look over some of the material below. No need to “Know it” for the exam on this section.
  • This is a site where you can access maps on how nitrogen oxide emissions change over time (we will actually look at this more closely in the next section of the course) …https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/new-nasa-satellite-maps-show-human-fingerprint-on-global-air-quality 
  • For fun NYTimes Particulates Interactive
  • For class today (actually this only worked periodically so we did not do this): https://ejscreen.epa.gov/mapper/
  • This website has Air Quality info (we will likely look at this again in the next section of the class)…https://air.plumelabs.com/air-quality-map as does this one  https://www.airnow.gov/national-maps/

Fri Jan 17

Air Pollution, Epigenetics and Kids

• Listen to this and take notes…https://www.revealnews.org/episodes/school-haze/
• Read this in detail: Wallack+Thornburg2016DevelopmentalOriginsEpigenetic
• Here is a super simple graphic the goes over epigenetics and children (it is also on your handout for today)
• You will NOT be responsible for this material but I thought it was interesting! Theygesen et al 2020 Air Pollution and ADHD
• Please check out during class and find your school if you can: https://publicintegrity.org/environment/is-your-school-near-a-busy-road-and-its-air-pollution/
• You might check out this website for current global air pollution stats (we will look at it more closely in the next section of the course when we talk about energy production): https://waqi.info/#/c/20.398/69.663/3.2z

 Mon Jan 20

MLK Day!

Tues Jan 21

PFAS

• Please read the introduction and discussion of this article: PfasLevelsInWisconsinResidents
• Listen to OR read this article: https://www.propublica.org/article/3m-forever-chemicals-pfas-pfos-inside-story
• Here are some links shared on the handout for today.
• You might look up new legislation called “Amara’s Law” passed in MN! What does it do? https://www.pca.state.mn.us/news-and-stories/eco-living-pfas-in-products
• Also visit this map of PFAS contaminated public water supplies. Anyone live in a community with contaminated water? https://www.ewg.org/interactive-maps/pfas_contamination/map/
• Several Minnesota Public Radio Stories for fun.
• https://www.mprnews.org/story/2021/03/18/forever-chemicals-found-in-groundwater-at-dozens-of-minn-landfills
• https://www.mprnews.org/story/2021/11/08/minn-lakes-with-forever-chemicals-added-to-states-list-of-troubled-waters

 

And here are the expectations for your “Final Project”-apologies for the title Final Project-I couldn’t find a better title!  Final Project EH25

Wed Jan 22

–>>Exam<<–

• Do review this-y’all often get this confused! Bioconcentration occurs when an animal absorbs a material faster than it can get rid of or excrete that material. Bioaccumulation is the result of bioconcentration over a lifetime. And if an individual is bioaccumulating it is possible biomagnification will happen since materials are passed up the food chain!
• You will not be responsible for the “Air” section from the “Terms” handout. We will review that material at the start of the next section of the course when we talk more about air pollution.

Did you review:

• The “Materials in the Environment” Slides you all made? (be able to compare and contrast them and/or find ways to connect them, what do they have in common or how are they different?)
• Make sure to review the “Terms” handout posted at the top of this section-but skip the part on Air.
• Epigenetics-the “Moving Upstream” article and graphic from the handout
• Kids-why are they more susceptible?
• Backstory of Flint-why was there a water problem?
• 3 Podcasts (Flint/School Haze/3M Karen Hansen Story-be familiar with basic stories of each-what were the issues, why did they exist, what was the outcome?
• Air pollution, CVD and SES and the concept of confounding! Are you comfortable with the term confounding? (Are you comfortable looking at those giant tables and what to focus on?)
• Mixtures and the term synergistic-you should have listened to a podcast!
• London smog video was just an introduction to air pollution-we will pick up on that in the next section of the course.