Environmental Public Health Impacts of Disasters Hurricane Katrina: Workshop Summary (2007) / Chapter Skim
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7 Research to Address Gaps in Environmental Health Assessments During Disasters
7 Research to Address Gaps in Environmental Health Assessments During Disasters
Pages 55-67
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From page 55... ...
Burke noted that two key findings from this report were important during the response to Hurricane Katrina. First, environmental public health services are vulnerable during times of budget shortfalls or unexpected emergencies, as no dedicated funding for core environmental public health services exists (IOM, 1988)
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From page 56... ...
The 2000 Pew Environmental Health Commission report reaffirmed the findings of this IOM report and further stated that the United States lacks a cohesive national strategy to iden tify environmental hazards, meaOne way to start the process to ensure sure population exposures, and track that environmental health scientists health conditions as they relate to the meet the needs of the practitioners and environment (Environmental Health the community and provide a basis for Tracking Project, 2000)
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From page 57... ...
Exposure Assessment During the workshop, Burke noted that many speakers discussed the need to consider how to assess exposure and its potential health implications. The traditional way is to compare the levels with standard benchmarks.
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From page 58... ...
Similarly, 2002 data derived from the Louisiana Childhood Blood Lead Surveillance System indicate that children with elevated lead levels were disproportionately affected by the flooding. To facilitate crisis decision making, data depicted by flood contour maps similar to Figures 7-1 and 7-2 were compared with key sociodemographic factors to define potentially susceptible populations.
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From page 59... ...
5-1 Percent African American Race, 2000 U.S. Census Lichtveld, is a collective commitment to generate the appropriate data aimed at characterizing and addressing real risks to those most vulnerable.
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From page 60... ...
0 - 19% 50 - 79% 20 - 49% 80 - 100% FIGURE 7-2 Flood locations in Orleans Parish on September 6, 2005, in relation to the percentage of Caucasians in each New Orleans census tract (2000 U.S. Census)
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From page 61... ...
Scientists have put considerable effort into hazard identification of individual chemicals, including complex mixtures. It was not Epidemiology Hazard Identification Lifetime rodent bioassays Short-term, in vitro/in vivo tests Structure/Activity Potency (dose/response)
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From page 62... ...
Scientists can focus on the well-known risks before they begin to address the unknowns, which will be a long-term agenda. As men tioned earlier, there are some resources to aid in the process by drawing from the established databases, such as the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, to give some benchmarks and baselines on body burdens related to vari
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From page 63... ...
Validated CLINICAL DISEASE Animal (Public Health Burden) Informatics Models Pre-Clinical Disease Over Time Early Pathobiology in Tissues Over Time Molecular Stress Responses in Tissues Over Time Hazard-Induced Molecular Modifications in Tissues Exposure to Environmental Hazards/Stressors Environmental Human Behavior, Metabolic Detoxification Uptake and Monitoring: Fate Exposure Activation and Toxicokinetics and Transport/ Measurements and Tissue Elimination Bioavailability Concentration FIGURE 7-4 A disease-oriented approach to exposure research.
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From page 64... ...
, noted Omenn. The environmental sensors would be devices to detect and quantify priority expo sures, including continuous monitoring with multiplexed sensors and analytical tools to link data across multiple scales -- from the macro environmental level to the personal.
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From page 65... ...
sensors, and data management for such devices. Furthermore, they could be used for body burden assays based on improved methods of sample preparation and analysis, improved sample matrix, higher sensitivity and selectivity, assessment of biologically effective doses, and linked analysis of environmental levels, observed Omenn.
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From page 66... ...
Furthermore, it may be possible to examine a range of genetic backgrounds and environmental exposures while including a family-based com ponent. The characteristics of a desirable gene-environment cohort study, now in the planning stages at NIEHS and the National Human Genome Research Institute of the National Institutes of Health, would include sophisticated dietary, lifestyle, and environmental exposure data, collection and storage of biologi cal specimens, a sophisticated data management system, access to mate We should be much better prepared, more rial and data by all researchers, and knowledgeable, with better tools and better goals that are not hypothesis limited, connected with the questions that people Omenn asserted.
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From page 67... ...
We must learn, he emphasized, how to support on a continuing basis the local, state, and federal public health agencies. Otherwise we will be facing similar challenges, with even more chaos for the people involved, in the years ahead.
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