Social Determinants of Environmental Health

According to a 2016 World Health Organization report, it is estimated that 12.6 million deaths around the world are due to living and working in unhealthy environments. Unfortunately, individuals and communities most affected by environmental factors are marginalized populations who bear the brunt of the impact of environmental health hazards.

“Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks.” (Healthy People 2030)

Environmental factors can influence human health, including physical, chemical, and biological factors that are external to a person, and all related behaviors. Collectively, these are referred to as environmental determinants of health (EDHs). Threats to any one of the EDHs can have an adverse impact on the health and well-being of the population. These environmental threats can occur naturally, human-made, or because of social conditions and ways people live. Addressing these EDHs will directly improve the health of the population.

This guide is an accompaniment to the Social Determinants of Environmental Health webinar series. Each session has its own tab with information about the presenter(s) and related resources to the presentation topic.

This is not meant to be a comprehensive guide but to help you and your organization or library on this journey to raise awareness and provide information to better understand the factors and issues involved in environmental health and considering next steps. Additional resources:

March 5, 2024 Presentation Information

Session link includes slides and recording (scroll down to Class Resources): Environmental Health Literacy: An Engaged Framework for Understanding and Action 

Anna Hoover Goodman, M.A., PhD, Associate Professor and Vice-Chair for Education, Dept. of Epidemiology & Environmental Health, University of Kentucky College of Public Health

Anna Goodman Hoover is a public health researcher and participatory communication scientist. Dr. Hoover studies health and risk communication strategies designed to ensure that the best available scientific evidence informs individual, community, policy, and practice decisions. She also works directly with local stakeholders on research projects intended to improve environmental health literacy and strengthen communication. A native Appalachian, Dr. Hoover centers both her research and her teaching on ensuring stakeholder-engaged and audience-centered environmental health communication supports community-engaged, evidence-informed health decisions.

Selected Publications:

Hoover A. G. (2023). Invited Perspective: Making the Implicit Explicit-Connecting Environmental Health Literacy and Exposure Report-Back. Environmental health perspectives, 131(9), 91301. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP13493

Hoover, A.G. (2019). Defining Environmental Health Literacy. In: Finn, S., O'Fallon, L. (eds) Environmental Health Literacy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94108-0_1

Environmental Health Literacy

Definitions, Dictionaries, and Articles:

Silent Spring Institute: “Environmental Health Literacy (EHL) is the capacity for people to make informed decisions about environmental exposures that can affect health and to engage in community and public policy debate on the subject.”

NIH National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Environmental Health Sciences Glossary

CDC Environmental Health Thesaurus, to provide plain language communication

HHS Office of Climate Change and Health Equity, Glossary of Terms

Lindsey, M., Chen, S. R., Ben, R., Manoogian, M., & Spradlin, J. (2021). Defining Environmental Health Literacy. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(21), 11626. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1409337 

Finn, S., & O'Fallon, L. (2017). The Emergence of Environmental Health Literacy-From Its Roots to Its Future Potential. Environmental health perspectives, 125(4), 495–501. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1409337

Additional Resources from Presenter

William D. Nowling & Matthew W. Seeger (2020) Sensemaking and crisis revisited: the failure of sensemaking during the Flint water crisis, Journal of Applied Communication Research, 48:2, 270-289, https://doi.org/10.1080/00909882.2020.1734224 

Weick, Karl E. “The Collapse of Sensemaking in Organizations: The Mann Gulch Disaster.” Administrative Science Quarterly 38, no. 4 (1993): 628–52. https://doi.org/10.2307/2393339 

CDC’s National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network 
EPA’s Environmental Justice Screen
CDC’s Environmental Justice Index
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry contaminant specific fact sheets, ToxFAQs
Children’s Environmental Health Network 

NNLM related classes

Environmental Health and Justice: a brief primer
This self-paced online class provides an introduction to environmental health and environmental justice and presents 3 resources you can use to find data and statistics about environmental health disparities in your community.

Libraries as Hubs for Citizen Science: Partnering with Academia to Improve the Health of Communities (November 2022 webinar with recording available)

Environmental Health Education Resources

MedlinePlus

Environmental Health, health topic page broadly covering environmental health and includes additional links in the Related Health Topics box such as air pollution, drinking water, occupational health, and more.

NIH National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

NIEHS seeks to invest in the future of environmental health science by increasing awareness of the link between the environment and human health. Their Health and Education website provides educators, students and scientists access to reliable tools, resources and classroom materials.

NIEH Environmental Health Chat podcast 

United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Environmental Topics

Resources for Educators

Learning and Teaching about the Environment

Additional Resources

American Public Health Association, Environmental Health

Tribal Climate Health Project, Climate Change and Health 101

HHS, The Office of Climate Change and Health Equity (OCCHE)

CDC, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Education and Training

 

March 6, 2024 Presentation Information

Session link includes slides and recording (scroll down to Class Resources): Counting Every Death When Every Death Counts: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Hurricane Michael Excess Mortality

Disasters disproportionately impact vulnerable populations, and vulnerable communities are likelier to experience secondary disasters such as economic downturns and excess mortality. The purpose of this study was to determine if the area impacted by Hurricane Michael (2018) experienced excess mortality and what were the root causes of those changes in health.

Presenter

Blake Scott, PhD, MPH is a researcher at the College of Public Health at the University of South Florida, where she recently completed her doctorate in public health. Her research has focused on disaster resilience and the long-term public health impacts of hurricanes. Prior to her studies at USF, she worked for the Florida Department of Health as an arbovirus and acute infectious disease surveillance epidemiologist and was part of the public health response to Hurricanes Matthew, Irma, and Michael.

Resources

Slides (3.8 MB)

CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), uses 16 U.S. census variables to help local officials identify communities that may need support before, during, or after disasters.

Scott, B. L., Thomas, N., Kirby, R. S., Reader, S., L Merlo, K., & Marshall, J. (2023). Employment impacts and industry workforce shifts in the Florida Panhandle post-Hurricane Michael. International Journal of Mass Emergencies & Disasters, 41(1), 85-93. https://doi.org/10.1177/02807270231171572

March 12, 2024 Presentation Information

Session link includes slides and recording (scroll down to Class Resources): Blue Marble Librarians: Libraries Helping Their Communities Prepare for Extreme Weather and Foster Socially and Ecologically Conscious Culture

Blue Marble Librarians

The Blue Marble Librarians is a network of Massachusetts library workers committed to climate change resilience and community building.

Activities:

  • Reach out to Massachusetts libraries to encourage participation in CPW

  • Create webinars to support libraries participation in CPW and Climate Resilience Hubs

  • Press relations: blogs, interviews, announcements, social media

  • Co-design CPW programming with CREW

  • Offer tech support for CPW programming 

  • Host periodic "meet and greets" for library workers, inviting their input and involvement

Michelle Eberle is a Consultant for the Massachusetts Library System (MLS), a non-profit which fosters innovation, communication, and collaboration among libraries of all types. Her specializations include strategic planning consultation, providing professional development, and coordinating statewide public health and mental health partnerships. Serving as one of the leaders of the Blue Marble Librarians has been a great joy of her work at MLS.

Madeleine Charney is a librarian at the UMass Amherst Libraries. Her subject areas center on the built/natural environment and working landscapes. Her climate resilience activism includes learning and teaching practices (e.g. Council circle) to weave strong social fabric so we may face the challenges ahead with kindness and creativity. Her favorite pastime lately is growing and sharing medicinal herbs. She is grateful to all the librarians who make up the vibrant network that is Blue Marble Librarians! 

Gabrielle Griffis works as a youth services librarian at Brewster Ladies' Library. She has been coordinating and advocating for Repair Events in libraries since 2018 as well as socially and environmentally just communities since 2016. Her writing on this topic appears in Repair Revolution: How Fixers are Transforming Our Throwaway Culture, Libraries and Sustainability: Programs and Practices for Community Impact, 25 Ready-to-Use Sustainable Living Library Programs, as well as How Public Libraries Build Sustainable Communities in the 21st Century.  She has been a leading member of the Blue Marble Librarians since 2019 and enjoys managing their social media and blog.

Corey Farrenkopf is a librarian and writer living on Cape Cod. He is a Staff Librarian at Eastham Public Library, a member of the Blue Marble Librarians, and a CREW Climate Hub Advisor. His short stories have been published in numerous venues including Smokelong Quarterly, Catapult, The Southwest Review, Three-Lobed Burning Eye, Bourbon Penn, and elsewhere. His debut novel, Living in Cemeteries, will be released from JournalStone Publishing in April of 2024. To learn more, follow him on twitter @CoreyFarrenkopf on TikTok at @CoreyFarrenkopf or on the web at CoreyFarrenkopf.com.

Resources

Blue Marble Librarians

Communities Responding to Extreme Heat (CREW)

ALA Sustainability Roundtable

March 13, 2024 Presentation Information

Session link includes slides and recording (scroll down to Class Resources): Understanding Environmental Health: A Social-Ecological Model

Dr. Laundette Jones received her BS in Chemistry from Morgan State University, a PhD in Environmental Health Sciences from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, and her MPH from the University of Maryland.  She is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) where training, education, and research are among her professional activities.  While her early research career focused primarily at the laboratory bench, studying genetic and environmental causes of breast cancer, she always had a heart for community connections.   Her unique background and training in the biomedical sciences and Public health guides her current research efforts to address health disparities through understanding the interplay of biological, environmental, and social factors.   Currently, she leads a Transdisciplinary research lab that seeks to build meaningful and trusting relationships between diverse groups who seek to co-generate knowledge to produce comprehensive and context-specific strategies for reducing health disparities.

Abstract

Clean, safe, and stable natural and built environments are all prerequisites for good health. Yet, certain populations are more susceptible to poorer environmental conditions and associated health disparities.  In this session, we will use a social-ecological model to understand how the quality and impacts of the environment are often affected by a complex interplay between individual, community, and societal factors. 

Objectives 

  1. Discuss how the social-ecological model is used to understand the complex interplay between individual, social and environmental factors that impact health.  

  2. Examine why integrating interventions to reduce environmental health disparities into a multilevel social-ecological model is most effective. 

Resources

CDC Social-Ecological Model: A Framework for Prevention

AAMC Center for Health Justice

Frameworks Institute Climate Change & Environment

Penn Medicine Center for Health Justice 

Simmons, B. (2018). Community Engagement: Guidelines for Excellence. “This set of guidelines focuses on community wellness and is designed to help environmental educators create inclusive environments that support effective partnerships and collaborations.”

Gay, T. (2022). Reimagining Food Justice: A Digital Toolkit Exploring Community Approaches to Food Activism and Advocacy. Intersectional Environmentalist. This toolkit presents environmental health & justice in a broader context which includes food justice.

Gee, G. C., & Payne-Sturges, D. C. (2004). Environmental health disparities: a framework integrating psychosocial and environmental concepts. Environmental health perspectives, 112(17), 1645–1653. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.7074 

March 19, 2024 Presentation Information

Session link includes slides and recording (scroll down to Class Resources): Climate Change and Health in Alaska: Addressing Inequities and Building Resilience

Sarah Yoder, Senior Epidemiologist, Center for Climate and Health, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium

Sarah Yoder grew up in rural Colorado and received her bachelor's and master's degrees in environmental health from Colorado State University. She worked for the Alaska Department of Health for over ten years in roles that included managing the state’s Health Impact Assessment and Environmental Public Health Programs. Sarah has recently taken on a new role with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC), where she leads the Center for Climate and Health and is working with communities to understand the connections between climate change and community health and to provide support to when planning for or responding to impacts.

Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) Community Environment & Health

ANTHC report, The Unmet Needs of Environmentally Threatened Alaska Native Villages: Assessment and Recommendations

Leo Network

Alaska and Arctic Environmental Health Resources

MedlinePlus, American Indian and Alaska Native Health

UAA, Arctic Health

UA Fairbanks, Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center

CDC, Regional Health Effects - Alaska

NOAA, Arctic Report Card

U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit, Addressing Links Between Climate and Public Health in Alaska Native Villages

Tribal Climate Health Project

Oregon Climate Change Research Institute, Tribal Climate Adaptation Handbook

March 20, 2024 Presentation Information

Session link includes slides and recording (scroll down to Class Resources): Social and Economic Determinants and Environmental Health

Sandro Galea, MD, MPD, DrPH, Dean and Robert A Knox Professor, Boston University School of Public Health

Sandro Galea is Dean and Robert A. Knox Professor at the Boston University School of Public Health. He has been named an epidemiology innovator by Time, a top voice in healthcare by LinkedIn, and is one of the most cited social scientists in the world. His writing and work are featured regularly in national and global public media. A native of Malta, he has served as a field physician for Doctors Without Borders and has held academic positions at Columbia University, University of Michigan, and the New York Academy of Medicine.

Selected Publications

Dyer, Z., Alcusky, M. J., Galea, S., & Ash, A. (2023). Measuring The Enduring Imprint Of Structural Racism On American Neighborhoods. Health affairs (Project Hope), 42(10), 1374–1382. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2023.00659

Galea S. (2022). Moving Beyond the Social Determinants of Health. International journal of health services : planning, administration, evaluation, 52(4), 423–427. https://doi.org/10.1177/00207314221119425 

Galea, S., Merchant, R. M., & Lurie, N. (2020). The Mental Health Consequences of COVID-19 and Physical Distancing: The Need for Prevention and Early Intervention. JAMA internal medicine, 180(6), 817–818. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2764404 

Galea S. (2023). Within Reason: A Liberal Public Health for an Illiberal Time. University of Chicago Press.

Galea S. (2022). The Contagion next time. Oxford University Press.

Galea S. (2019). Well : what we need to talk about when we talk about health. University Press.

Social Factors of Environmental Health Resources

EPA, Environmental Justice

Healthy People 2030, Environmental Conditions

NIH National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Environmental Health Disparities and Environmental Justice

U.S. Playbook to Address Social Determinants of Health

HHS Call to Action: Addressing Health-Related Social Needs in Communities Across the Nation

APHA policy statement, Addressing Environmental Justice to Achieve Health Equity

March 26, 2024 Presentation Information

Presentation: PFAS and Environmental Health: Information and Tools for Public Health Practitioners and Information Specialists

Abstract

There are currently 86,000 synthetic chemicals in U.S. commerce, most of which have not been tested for toxicity [1]. Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of an estimated 12,000 or more different compounds that we are exposed to daily [2]. PFAS are widely used for their stain and water-resistant properties in a variety of industrial and consumer products, including fire-fighting foam, food contact materials, dental floss, clothing, furniture, and textiles [3]. They are called “forever chemicals” because of their extreme environmental persistence which is attributed to their strong carbon-fluorine bonds [4]. As a result, PFAS are detected in the vast majority (98%) of U.S. residents [5]. They have been linked to numerous adverse health outcomes across the life course, including immune system effects, reproductive toxicity, cancer, and cardiometabolic disorders [2], [6]–[9]. The PFAS Project Lab is a multi-disciplinary research group that studies social, scientific, and political factors related to PFAS ( ). We produce rigorous, accessible research about the PFAS contamination crisis through collaborations with impacted communities, leading interdisciplinary researchers, and nonprofits. In this presentation, we will discuss resources and databases offered by the PFAS Project Lab, including how public health practitioners and information specialists can use these resources to inform diverse stakeholders about PFAS exposure, health impacts, and policy implications. We will also provide overviews of multiple publicly available datasets on PFAS research, contamination, and state and community action.
References: 
[1]        O. US EPA, “About the TSCA Chemical Substance Inventory.” Accessed: Nov. 02, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.epa.gov/tsca-inventory/about-tsca-chemical-substance-inventory

[2]        National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Guidance on PFAS Exposure, Testing, and Clinical Follow-Up. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26156/guidance-on-pfas-exposure-testing-and-clinical-follow-up.

[3]        ATSDR, “Toxicological Profile: Perfluoroalkyls,” Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Division of Toxicology and Human Health Sciences, Jun. 2018. Accessed: Oct. 23, 2019. [Online]. Available:  https://wwwn.cdc.gov/TSP/ToxProfiles/ToxProfiles.aspx?id=1117&tid=237

[4]        K. Prevedouros, I. T. Cousins, R. C. Buck, and S. H. Korzeniowski, “Sources, Fate and Transport of Perfluorocarboxylates,” Environ. Sci. Technol., vol. 40, no. 1, pp. 32–44, Jan. 2006, doi: 10.1021/es0512475.

[5]        A. M. Calafat, L.-Y. Wong, Z. Kuklenyik, J. A. Reidy, and L. L. Needham, “Polyfluoroalkyl Chemicals in the U.S. Population: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003–2004 and Comparisons with NHANES 1999–2000,” Environ Health Perspect, vol. 115, no. 11, pp. 1596–1602, Nov. 2007, doi: 10.1289/ehp.10598.

[6]        S. E. Fenton et al., “Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Toxicity and Human Health Review: Current State of Knowledge and Strategies for Informing Future Research,” Environ Toxicol Chem, vol. 40, no. 3, pp. 606–630, Mar. 2021, doi: 10.1002/etc.4890.

[7]        J. Varshavsky et al., “Heightened susceptibility: A review of how pregnancy and chemical exposures influence maternal health,” Reprod. Toxicol., Mar. 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2019.04.004.

[8]        NTP (National Toxicology Program), “Monograph on Immunotoxicity Associated with Exposure to Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS),” National Toxicology Program, Research Triangle Park, NC, 2016. Accessed: Nov. 12, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/ohat/pfoa_pfos/pfoa_pfosmonograph_508.pdf

[9]        E. M. Sunderland, X. C. Hu, C. Dassuncao, A. K. Tokranov, C. C. Wagner, and J. G. Allen, “A review of the pathways of human exposure to poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and present understanding of health effects,” J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 131–147, Mar. 2019, doi: 10.1038/s41370-018-0094-1.

 

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to identify sources of PFAS and other environmental toxicants.

Participants will be able to discuss the health consequences of PFAS and other toxicant exposures.

Participants will be able to identify reliable resources to increase environmental health knowledge and inform diverse stakeholders on PFAS exposures, health impacts, and policy implications.

 

Presenters:

Alissa Cordner, MA, PhD, Associate Professor of Sociology and Garrett Fellow, Chair, Whitman College, WA; Co-Director, The PFAS Project, Northeastern University, MA

Alissa Cordner is Associate Professor of Sociology and Paul Garrett Fellow at Whitman College. She teaches courses in sociology and environmental studies, including Environmental Sociology, Environmental Health, Social Research Methods, Sociology of Health and Illness and Environmental Justice.

Professor Cordner’s research focuses on environmental sociology, the sociology of risk and disasters, environmental health and justice, and politics and participation. Her two major areas of research are the social and political aspects of wildfire risk management and the social and scientific discoveries of perfluorinated chemicals.

Her award-winning 2016 book, Toxic Safety: Flame Retardants, Chemical Controversies, and Environmental Health, examines how environmental health risks are defined and contested, in the face of unavoidable scientific uncertainty and competing, powerful stakeholders. Drawing on in-depth qualitative research on a controversial class of chemicals used as flame retardants, Toxic Safety shows that stakeholders' strategic interpretations and presentations of scientific rationality, uncertainty and evidence directly impact environmental and public health.

Professor Cordner is the co-director of the PFAS Project Lab (PFAS are per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) with researchers at Northeastern University. The lab focuses on social and scientific questions related to perfluorinated chemicals. This project engages Whitman students every year as research assistants. Alissa also serves on the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Management (NASEM) Standing Committee on the Use of Emerging Science for Environmental Health Decisions.

Professor Cordner has published articles in numerous journals, including Environmental Sociology, The American Journal of Sociology, Health Affairs, Social Movement Studies, Environmental Science & Technology, Social Studies of Science, the Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Teaching Sociology and Social Science & Medicine. She has also collaborated with a team at Brown University and New York University on a multi-sited collective ethnography in Providence, RI. Their 2014 book, The Civic Imagination: Making a Difference in American Political Life, focuses on civic engagement in Providence, Rhode Island.

Cordner grew up in Oregon's Willamette Valley. She attended Bowdoin College and majored in sociology and French. After graduating, she taught English and history courses at a university in France, worked as an environmental organizer in Oregon and she worked in youth wilderness programs in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. She joined the faculty at Whitman in 2013. In addition to her academic research, she is a volunteer wildland firefighter with Walla Walla County Fire District #4.

Julia Varshavsky, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Environmental Health, Northeastern University, MA

Julia Varshavsky is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Health at Northeastern University, with a joint appointment in the Department of Health Sciences, Bouvé College of Health Sciences, and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering. Julia previously worked at the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) in the California Environmental Protection Agency as a research scientist in epidemiology and biostatistics to conduct biomonitoring studies of health-related chemical exposures. Julia’s most recent position prior to joining OEHHA was as a postdoctoral researcher in environmental epidemiology and biostatistics for the Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment (PRHE) at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), where she conducted biologically-based population-level studies on exposure and health risks associated with endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), per- and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs), and organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs). Specifically, her recent work highlights maternal-fetal exposure to PBDEs, PFASs, and OPFRs during mid-gestation in relation to biomarkers of placental development and disease that are associated with maternal and fetal health complications.

Julia aims to improve public health by studying reproductive and developmental health impacts related to EDCs commonly found in consumer and personal care products and identifying opportunities to reduce exposure and associated health risks among vulnerable populations. Julia earned her MPH and PhD in environmental health sciences at the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health. Her dissertation research focused on developing methods for; characterizing disparities in; and evaluating dietary sources of cumulative phthalates exposure. Prior to graduate school, Julia facilitated scientific dialogue and research translation around developmental impacts of environmental contaminants as the reproductive health working group coordinator for the Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE). Julia studied molecular biology as an undergraduate and contributed to laboratory research that improved chemical screening methods in water through microarray development.
 

Resources

PFAS Project Lab Resources

General information about PFAS Project Lab projects and collaborators

https://pfasproject.com

PFAS-TOX Database

Systematic evidence map >1,000 PFAS health and toxicology studies

https://pfastoxdatabase.org

PFAS Contamination Tracker

PFAS Contamination and Community Resources Map

https://pfasproject.com/pfas-sites-and-community-resources/

PFAS Governance Tracker

U.S. PFAS Policy and government actions

https://pfasproject.com/pfas-governance-tracker-2/

Research and Innovations
Article covering systematic review of PFAS with an erratum.

Systematic Evidence Map for Over One Hundred and Fifty Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)

Evidence found that nearly all cosmetics tested did not list PFAS as ingredients on product labels.

Fluorinated Compounds in North American Cosmetics

Basic science research describing potential process of PFAS water decontamination

Efficient Photocatalytic PFOA Degradation over Boron Nitride

Federal and Local Agency Information

EPA Regulations being proposed on PFAS levels in drinking water in the U.S.

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) | US (EPA)

General Information about PFAS and your health from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

Learn about PFAS | ATSDR

Maps and GIS Data

Environmental Working Group U.S. PFAS Contamination Map:

Interactive Map: PFAS Contamination Crisis: New Data Show 5,021 Sites in 50 States

Michigan Department of Environment with a few different searchable maps on PFAS sites in Michigan

ArcGIS Web Application

National and Local Advocacy Organizations

PFAS-Exchange

Many online resources and fact sheets about PFAS

https://pfas-exchange.org/

Silent Sprint Institute

"Detox Me" App, tip sheets avoiding exposure

https://https://silentspring.org/detox-me-app-tips-healthier-living

Green Scient Policy Institute

Science-Policy information about environmental health with a focus on toxic chemicals

https://greensciencepolicy.org

NASEM "Guidance on PFAS Testing and Health Outcomes"

Consensus document on health effects and screening recommendations

https://www.nationalacademic.org/our-work/guidance-on-pfas-testing-and-health-outcomes

National PFAS Contamination Coalition

A group of leaders from many advocacy organizations focusing on the eliminating PFAS and PFAS exposures.

National PFAS Contamination Coalition

PFAS Central

Created as a central repository for news, information, and data about PFAS and supported by the Green Science Policy Institute

PFAS Central

Great Lakes PFAS Project Network: Michigan

The Great Lakes PFAS Project Network is coalition centered and driven by people impacted by toxic PFAS pollution.

About — Great Lakes PFAS Action Network

Annis Water Resources Institute at Grand Valley University 
The institute focuses on research in Michigan on PFAS contaminations.

Robert B. Annis Water Resources Institute (AWRI) - Grand Valley State University
 

Testing For Pease (NH)

A community organization created when PFAS were detected in high levels at the Pease Air Force Base in Portsmouth, NH. This group is also part of the Children’s Health Study and has a leader in getting national attention to this issue.

Testing For Pease

PFAS Exchange - Children’s Health Study

The PFAS-REACH Children’s Health Study is investigating the effects of PFAS on the immune systems of children in Hyannis and at the Pease International Tradeport in Portsmouth, NH.

Children’s Health Study - PFAS Exchange


Alaska Community Action on Toxics (ACAT)

In response to requests for assistance from Alaskan individuals and communities concerned about health harms asso­ciated with environmental pollution from existing or proposed industrial, resource extraction, or mil­itary facilities the Alaska Community Action on Toxics was created in 1997.

Search Results for “PFAS” | ACAT

North Carolina PFAS Testing Network

After PFAS were found in the water of Cape Fear this organization was created between public and private entities to take on research and continue to find evidence to support remediation of contaminations.

Home - NC PFAS Testing Network

 

March 27, 2024 Presentation Information

Presentation: Advancing Climate Resilience, Sustainability, and Environmental Justice: A Public and Academic Libraries Partnership in San Diego County

Find Reliable Health Information is a resource guide from from the San Diego Circuit libraries; Circuit is a consortium of 6 public and academic libraries in San Diego County, California supporting healthy communities by enhancing information access and learning for all library users.

Climate Change and Your Health: Find Reliable Health Information

Tips for staying safe and healthy:

Climate change is causing hotter weather, poor air quality, higher sea levels, and more extreme weather. All of these changes can be harmful to our health. It's important to learn about these health risks and how to protect yourself and your family from them.

In the guide:

  • How climate change can impact your health

  • Get the facts on climate change

  • Learn about climate change risks in your area

  • Stay safe during extreme heat

  • Protect yourself from wildfires

  • Stay clear of wildfire smoke

  • Create your disaster plan

  • Get emergency alerts

Presenters Information

  • Oscar Gittemeier currently serves on the San Diego Public Library executive team as the Program Manager for the Division of Innovation & Community Engagement. He received a BA in sociology, an MA in Women’s Studies, and a master's in library and information science, with a certificate in leadership and management. Oscar is a graduate of the Georgia Public Library Service PINNACLE Leadership Institute and currently serves on the Public Library Association EDISJ Committee. When not at work you can find Oscar hiking and biking SoCa

  • Cecilia Salgado is the Adult Services Manager at San Diego County Library and a member of the San Diego Circuit Libraries Advisory Group. Her past projects include environmental sustainability programs in the City of Imperial Beach and a NaCO Award-winning Green Teen Garden at the Ramona Library. Recent projects include a collaboration with SD County Fire to deliver emergency preparedness workshops at rural libraries. She is passionate about environmental justice, education, and sustainable libraries.

  • Sarah Tribelhorn is the Sciences Librarian at San Diego State University. She has been instrumental in leading sustainability initiatives in the University Library, including the formation of a library Sustainability Committee and the Library’s participation in the Sustainable Libraries Initiative Certification Program (SLCP) for academic libraries to benchmark sustainability within the library. Other initiatives have included mapping the work being carried out in the University Library to each of the 17 United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and increased campus and community engagement in sustainability projects. Sarah’s academic profile and publications

April 2, 2024 Presentation Information

Presentation: Citizen Science Empowers Environmental Understanding through Libraries, Community-Based Organizations, and More