Academic literature on the topic 'Environmental health|Public health'

Electronic waste or `e-waste' is a rapidly growing form of solid waste worldwide. The heavy metals present in various electronic components demand attention because such metals may leach and pose significant health and environmental hazards (U.S. EPA, 2007). Knowledge of the potential of heavy metal leaching from e-waste represents an important contribution for developing U.S. standards for classifying e-waste as hazardous waste. Hazardous elements which leach from a variety of electronics wastes were assessed in laboratory batch studies. Electronic components evaluated included PC cathode ray tubes, PC motherboards, PC mice, television remote controls, and cellular phones. Each component was disassembled and digested using the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP), EPA Method 1312, Method EA NEN 7371 (Dutch Environmental Agency), and Method DEV-S4 (Germany). The extracts were analyzed for lead, cadmium, chromium, silver, and cobalt. The TCLP consistently leached the greatest amounts of all metals; TCLP-soluble lead was extracted well beyond federal limits for several electronic devices.<br>Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- La Trobe University, 2005.<br>Research. "A Thesis submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy [to the] School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria". Includes bibliographical references (leaves 255-293). Also available via the World Wide Web.

<p>This dissertation addressed questions pertaining to mercury (Hg) fate and transport in aquatic ecosystems by applying stable Hg isotopes as a tracer. Mercury poses a public health burden worldwide. In parts of the developing world, Hg-use during artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is pointed at as the source of elevated Hg in the environment. However, Hg from other sources including soil erosion associated with land cover and land-use change (LCLUC) may also contribute to local Hg pollution. </p><p> Stable Hg isotope profiles of sediment cores, surface sediments, and soils from two aquatic ecosystems in Amap&aacute;, Brazil, one downstream artisanal gold mining (AGM) and one isolated from AGM were assessed. Although previous studies attributed elevated environmental Hg levels in this area to AGM, stable Hg isotopic evidence suggests elevated Hg downstream of AGM sites is dominantly from erosion of soils due to LCLUC. </p><p> In contrast, the impact of Hg-use during small-scale gold mining (SGM) in the Southern Andean Region of Portovelo-Zaruma, Ecuador on Hg in the trans-boundary Puyango-Tumbes River was also investigated. By comparing preliminary isotopic Hg signatures from river sediment along the Puyango-Tumbes to soil and sediment from upstream locations along the Puyango tributaries, we suggest Hg-use during SGM in this region is likely responsible for elevated Hg downstream and into Peru. Technical and policy challenges in measuring and responding to gold mining-related cumulative impacts were also reviewed in the context of Portovelo-Ecuador. </p><p> Together, the findings not only answer questions of critical importance to preventing Hg pollution in two of the world's most vulnerable ecosystems but also provide information that can be used to better target interventions to reduce environmental Hg levels and subsequent human exposures. Furthermore, the validation and application of the stable Hg isotope method to trace Hg pollution from ASGM in different aquatic ecosystems represents a critical step to the application of stable Hg isotopes to trace pollution in other complex natural environments and to address public health-related questions. </p>

In the United States (U.S.), extreme temperature-related deaths account for far more deaths than hurricanes, lightning, tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes combined. An extreme heat event (EHE) or a heat wave is a sustained period of substantially hotter and/or more humid weather. EHEs cause a wide range of health problems such as rashes, cramps, heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and, in some instances, death. Further, meteorology plays a dominant role in the formation of air pollutants. In particular, extremely high temperatures are conducive to the formation of certain air pollutants. In order to understand the adverse health impacts of extreme heat and air pollution levels prevailing during EHEs, it is necessary to define what constitutes a heat episode; however, there is a lack of scientific consensus on definitions and procedures to accurately identify EHEs. This work employs a hierarchical clustering technique to group 92 different EHE definitions into homogeneous sets and uses negative binomial rate regression approach to identify those definitions that are most strongly associated with mortality. Our findings suggest that definitions with thresholds that are either too extreme or too moderate are poorly associated with heat-related mortality for most climate regions. Additionally, the association between air pollution and health, especially mortality, is well understood. However, the role of air pollutants in modifying the relationship between EHEs and mortality is not well characterized in the U.S., yet is critical to generating accurate estimates of health burden. Our results indicate that air pollution confounds the relationship between EHE and mortality, and the extent of confounding varies with climate regions. Further, through this work, the sensitivities associated with selecting an EHE definition is taken into consideration when providing region-specific health and economic burden associated with EHEs. Ideally, the excess deaths and costs presented in this work could be useful to study and quantify the public health risk associated with EHEs, either in a prospective or a retrospective setting.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2006.<br>Title from electronic title page (viewed Oct. 10, 2007). "... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Epidemiology." Discipline: Epidemiology; Department/School: Public Health.