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environmental health
Our health is integrally connected to the health of our planet. In Environmental Health, we examine that connection to the world around us in an effort to protect you and your family from the dangers of environmental pollutants.
May 12, 2005
Too much noise
More than 30 million Americans are exposed to hazardous sound levels on a regular basis. In factories, at rock concerts, even at home, high noise pollution levels can cause irreversible damage to the human ear. Dr. Siegfried Soli heads up the Department of Communications Sciences and Devices at the House Ear Institute in Los Angeles California, and is a fellow of the Acoustical Society of America. He spoke with The Health Show's Dr. David Carpenter about common causes of noise induced hearing loss and how it can be prevented.
listen to this story in RealAudio 5:01
March 10, 2005
Pollution in breast milk
A 2003 phone survey of new mothers in the US reported that 65 percent of them were breast feeding their infants. The benefits of breast feeding to a newborn are well known, but what if the mother’s body is carrying toxic contaminants? Judith Schreiber is a senior public health scientist with the New York State Attorney General’s office who has done considerable research on exposures to toxic substances and breast milk. Schreiber spoke with The Health Show’s Dr. David Carpenter.
January 27, 2005
The air in there
How healthy is the air in your home? Dr. Joseph Ponessa is a housing and energy specialist with the Rutgers co-operative extension. He is working in conjunction with the EPA on the Healthy Indoor Air for America’s Homes project. Dr. Ponessa spoke with The Health Show’s Dr. David Carpenter about potential air quality problems in homes and how to avoid them.
December 2, 2004
Bottled up
A World Wildlife Fund survey indicates that Americans consume about 13 billion liters of bottled water in a year, a number that continues to rise. But is bottled water any safer than what comes out of the tap? Joel Schwartz is a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health who specializes in safe drinking water. He spoke with The Health Shows Dr. David Carpenter as part of our occasional series on environmental health.
September 23, 2004
Environmental health starts at home
When you think of threats to environmental health, you probably think of toxic waste dumps or leaky oil tankers. But according to Dr. John Urbanetti, environmental health begins at home. Dr. Urbanetti is a consultant to U.S. Army Medical Research Institute for Chemical Defense, and a clinical assistant professor of medicine and pulmonary diseases at Yale University. He spoke with The Health Show's Dr. David Carpenter for this installment of our occasional series on environmental health.
April 8, 2004
Charting a course for eating fish
New labels are not the only source of new information about our diet. Doctors often recommend eating fish for the health benefits, especially the omega 3 fatty acids that are good for the heart. But at the same time, there are concerns about the contamination of fish by toxins and chemicals. Now, a website has been set up by an environmental organization to help inform people who are concerned about the safety of fish in their diet. The Health Show's Brian Shields reports.
April 1, 2004
The medical fallout of nuclear testing
The Marshall Islands is a nation of more than 50,000 people living on 29 coral atolls and 5 small low-lying islands in the central Pacific, mid-way between Hawaii and Australia. During the cold war the United States evacuated some of those islands for nuclear testing. Over the years, many Marshallese have returned home to the islands, but others have settled in the US. This community of immigrant Marshall Islanders poses a unique challenge to regional health care institutions around the country. Islanders suffer not only with long-term radiation exposure, but other deadly diseases as well. Northwest Arkansas has the largest population of Marshall Islanders outside of the islands themselves and health care providers there are doing their best to serve these immigrants and their families. Jacqueline Froelich reports from Fayetteville.
April 1, 2004
Genetic susceptibility and disease
Why do some people get a particular disease while others, who live or work in the same conditions, do not? It's a question that has puzzled doctors for years and one that continues to be researched. In our continuing series on environmental health, Dr. David Carpenter explores that question with Dr. Kenneth Olden, Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and director of the National Toxicology Program.
February 5, 2004
"We were told the school was safe"
In September of 2001 Paul Edwards' son was a student at Stuyvesant High School, just four blocks from the site of the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan. Today Mr. Edwards is the treasurer of the Stuyvesant High School Parents Association. Mr. Edwards shares an account of what happened to the students at Stuyvesant following the 9-11 attacks, and his concerns that the students were allowed to return to the area without the proper cleanup of environmental contaminants.
February 5, 2004
Did EPA do enough?
The parents at Stuyvesant High School are not alone in their concerns about air quality and environmental contamination in lower Manhattan. Joining us today for a look at what we know about those contaminants and what efforts have been made to clean the area is The Health Show's environmental health expert Dr. David Carpenter. Dr. Carpenter is joined by two scientists who have been key players in the cleanup effort, EPA's Dr. Cate Jenkins, and Dr. Paul Lioy, of the Occupational Health Sciences Institute at Rutgers University.
December 4, 2003
Law changes irk health advocates
Factories, refineries, and power plants are among the biggest air polluters in the US. The Clean Air Act requires these businesses to take significant steps to decrease emissions that have negative environmental and health impacts, but some recent rollbacks in those regulations have health and environmental advocates upset. The Health Show's Pat Bradley explains the changes in a part of the Clean Air Act known as New Source Review (NSR) and what those changes could mean to you.
September 25, 2003
Hungry fish fight West Nile
Much of the debate over protecting people from the West Nile virus has focused on when and how to use pesticides to get rid of the mosquitoes that transmit the disease. But one community is trying another approach: increasing stocks of native, mosquito-eating fish. Lisa Phillips reports.
July 17, 2003
And now, the West Nile forecast
Health departments across the country are prepping for the height of the West Nile season. It's thought the virus spreads most extensively during late July and August. Add in wet weather in a lot of places and some experts are saying this year's infection count could be large. The fact of the matter is, though, no one really knows what to expect. The West Nile equation has so many different variables that public health officials are faced with all sorts of uncertainty. But it might not have to be this way. The Health Show's Greg Dahlmann tells us about a project aimed at getting the jump on West Nile.
July 17, 2003
A closer look at mosquitos and disease
One thing we do know about the West Nile virus: it's spread to humans mainly through mosquito bites. Here to talk more about mosquitos and how they spread disease is Dr. Priya Sampathkumar, a consultant in infectious disease at The Mayo Clinic.
July 10, 2003
Optimism for West Nile vaccine
The West Nile Virus has become a fact of summer life in the United States. Experts are saying there's a very real possibility the mosquito-borne virus could show up in all 50 states this year. That has public health agencies trying to get the word out about ways people can protect themselves -- mainly by not getting bitten. The most effective preventive tool against West Nile would be a vaccine. The Health Show's Greg Dahlmann reports one isn't available yet, but researchers are optimistic.
June 26, 2003
Community weighs public health, local economy
The issue of lung health has a community on the shores of Lake Superior also thinking about its economy. Researchers are trying to determine whether fibers found in a type of iron ore mined nearby might cause cancer. The microscopic fibers found in some of the ore – called Taconite – are a lot like asbestos, and asbestos has been shown to cause cancer and other serious lung diseases. The question is a classic example of the uneasy balance between protecting health and creating jobs. Stephanie Hemphill reports.
May 22, 2003
Use of Teflon raises sticky issues
Teflon-coated pans have become a staple among modern kitchen tools. But what sort of environmental price are we paying for that non-stick ease? An internal report from the US Environmental Protection Agency indicates that a chemical called C-8, which DuPont uses in making Teflon products, might be harmful to young girls and women of childbearing age. That led an environmental group to ask the Consumer Public Safety Commission to require warning labels on cookware coated with Teflon and other similar non-stick materials. As Natalie Walston reports, the EPA results run contrary to what DuPont has been telling people who live near one of its Teflon plants.
May 8, 2003
Remember West Nile Virus?
Leaders across North America are concerned that West Nile Virus may strike harder, and earlier this year. Health officials in Ontario, Canada are working on a new plan to handle the virus. But some environmentalists and local public health authorities say the plan is too little, too late. Dan Karpenchuk reports.
April 10, 2003
Battling environmental health concerns
British scientists recently expressed concern about the long-term health impacts of smoke from the oil wells and trenches that have been set on fire in Iraq. And the United Nations Environment Program raised concerns about potential damage to the region's already stressed environment. But researchers in the US say the data collected from the 1991 Persian Gulf War lead them to believe there are minimal health risks to soldiers fighting in Iraq. The Health Show's Pat Bradley reports.
February 20, 2003
Spreading the word about contaminated fish
Last week on The Health Show we looked at the hazards of eating contaminated fish. But the people most at risk are often unaware that the fish they are eating are contaminated. While state governments issue advisories that recommend limited consumption of contaminated fish...getting the advisories out to the right people can be problematic. In part two of his report on contaminated fish, Lester Graham looks at how governments are working to spread the word, and how you can find out if the fish on your plate are safe enough to feed your family.
February 13, 2003
Fishing for trouble?
There are three major questions often asked when considering the environmental health of a body of water. Can you drink the water? Can you swim in it? And... can you eat the fish? Often the answer to the last question is very complicated... but for some people it has the greatest effect of their health. Reporter Lester Graham has the first report in a two-part series on the fish that ends up on your table:
The Great Lakes Radio Consortium's Lester Graham will return next week with a look at government efforts to warn the public about the contamination levels in freshwater fish.
January 24, 2003
Lead poisoning is still a problem
It's been nearly a quarter of a century since the United States government banned the use of lead-based paint in homes. Yet, more than 800,000 young children still suffer from lead poisoning. In some parts of the nation, more than one in four children under the age of six have elevated lead levels in their bloodstream. The problem is especially pressing in communities with older homes. Steve Edwards reports:
January 16, 2003
Dental mercury
Mercury has been shown to damage the nervous system and impair children's mental development. This dangerous element is showing up in fish and water supplies in communities around the nation. Where's it all coming from? It turns out those fillings in your teeth may be contributing to the problem. But dentists in Duluth, Minnesota are leading the way in reducing the amount of mercury going into the environment. Stephanie Hemphill reports...
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spotlight
Carpenter Conversations
Environmental Health Discussions 2004
Dr. David Carpenter hosts a series of disucussions with environmental health experts. Made possible by the Wallace Genetic Foundation.
Public Health Discussions 2001
Join host Dr. David Carpenter for a series of conversations with experts in public health. Made possible by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
Check out a list of links to organizations involved with environmental health issues