Blog # 7

Childrens Environmental Health & Neurodevelopmental/Reproductive Risks

Reducing environmental hazards could potentially save over $254 million annually in direct and indirect costs to care for children with environmentally-related conditions and $13 billion over the lifetime for all children born each year in California.

Lead exposure has the greatest financial impact—between $8–11 billion for each birth cohort. Reducing environmental hazards related to asthma could reduce annual costs by over $208 million and improve asthma outcomes for over 280,000 children every year. Similarly, annual costs of childhood cancer could be reduced by $19 million, and 120 cancer diagnoses would be avoided each year.  The prevention of environmental hazards related to select child neuro-behavioral disorders could reduce annual costs by over $27 million and lifetime costs by over $2.3 billion for each birth cohort.

Data on the costs of environmental illnesses in children can help policymakers better understand the possible benefits of environmental remediation efforts. Targeting successful public health interventions to communities with the greatest risks will continue to save both money and lives.

As health care provider, by maintaining current environmental health surveillance systems, using health surveillance data to inform policies that impact health, and collecting and providing data that is accessible and relevant to stakeholder needs, so I can be engaged in supporting healthier environments.

Regarding link between ecological hazards and neurodevelopmental disorders and its negative impacts, I read few news and articles.

A recent review focused on neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly ASD, ADHD, and schizophrenia, and described that the susceptibility of neurodevelopmental disorders to toxicant exposure is not limited to the gestational period but extends into the postnatal period.

Interactions of environmental contaminants and other environmental factors may combine to increase the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders. For example, exposure to lead may have stronger effects on neurodevelopment among children with lower socioeconomic status.

As health care provider we need to educate our family, community, patients, and coworkers about the environmental toxins that we expose daily and the dangerous effects on health of children and adults. How those affect prenatal and postnatal brain, neurodevelopmental, and mental disorders.

The global rise in the rate of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) encompasses increases in diseases and conditions related to the endocrine system—e.g. low semen quality, genital malformations, preterm birth and low birth weight, neurobehavioral disorders associated with thyroid disruption, endocrinerelated cancers, early onset of breast development in young girls, and type 2 diabetes. These trends have occurred in a timeframe inconsistent with a much slower pace of changes in the human genome, indicating that the environment has shaped these disease patterns. The global health and economic burden related to toxic environmental chemicals is in excess of millions of deaths and billions of dollars every year.

Prenatal exposure to toxic chemicals in food, water, air, and consumer products is a determinant of maternal, child, and adult health worldwide. The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) in urging obstetricians, gynecologists, midwives, nurses, women’s health nurse practitioners, and other reproductive health professionals to take timely action to prevent exposure to toxic environmental chemicals. Reducing the disease burden of toxic environmental exposures from food, air, water, and other sources of pollution will contribute importantly to advancing the UN Millennium Development Goals of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, and ensuring environmental sustainability. Successful strategies for prevention involve mutually reinforcing activities at the patient, healthcare provider, healthcare institution, and societal levels. FIGO recognizes that clinical settings provide only limited time to address all the complexities of maternal and child health, and that by the time a woman sees a health professional for prenatal care, preventable exposures may have already occurred. 

I currently do not work in maternal and child health services. However, as future FNP if I would work in maternal and pediatric units, I will definitely include the recommendations of FIGO in my practice by implementing prevention strategies such as educating and encouraging the women to protect them and their childrens health from environmental chemicals.

The UCSF video lectures were wonderful and very thought-provoking. How Atrazine as chemical which can be found in agricultural pesticides can rise the rate of prostate cancer and impair the growth and developmental process in mammals. How Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) which can be found in our daily food and Teflon products can lead to LBW and adverse effects of Triclosan, BPA, and PBDES on hormones of the body. It was interesting to hear the research about increasing environmental and health literacy and reproductive system in indigenous community in Canada by using various tools, as well as another research outcomes about measuring the level of 43 chemicals in pregnant women.

As they suggested, I will advocate policies in my nursing practice and healthy food system by teaching the women community, and advocate for social justice.

The women in reproductive age-groups especially in minor and low socioeconomic communities need to be taught about the consequences of exposing to toxins on IQ of their children. They should be instructed to eat fresh and frozen food rather than canned and processed ones. To use more organic food. If they are pregnant eat fish with low levels of mercury. Maintain their old home's pipes system and avoid using pesticide around home, and clean and dust the surfaces frequently. 

Blog # 8

Environmental Justice

I first time knew about environmental racism when I was living in the east coat where the majority of people were black. They were speaking about being discriminated in terms of their skin color. Thus, they considered them as the victims of environmental injustice because not being appropriately respected and appreciated for their cultural perspectives, not receiving quality health care and proper distribution of state budget, and though their fathers being living in, laboring on, and cultivating the lands for years in the past, but they have not equally got their rights to have the lands.

I believe environmental justice is a social determinants of health. The social determinants of health involve sociodemographic indicators (income, unemployment, single-parent families, etc) of a population and talk about unequal distribution of health and well-being in national populations. It is true for environmental health conditions and for exposure to environmental risk and thus causes inequalities in exposure to – and potentially in disease resulting from – environmental conditions.

As a nurse working in health care facilities or/and educational institutes, we should provide nursing skills, education and treat our targeted population such as patients, patients' families, nursing students, and colleagues equally and fairly regardless of sex, age-group, racial and socio-economical status. We have to respect, acknowledge, and educate people in our workplaces about environmental health, hazards, and consequences.

NEWS

Jan 28, 2019

How diapers and menstrual pads are exposing babies and women to hormone-disrupting, toxic chemicals

Health advocates say the report is the latest example of products falling through regulatory cracks and an inadequate societal focus on women's reproductive health.

Brian Bienkowski

Most diapers and sanitary pads contain volatile organic compounds and phthalates and with this continued, long-term exposure a significant amount of these harmful chemicals could be absorbed via the genitals, according to a new study.

The study was spurred by an investigation from South Korean media outlets in 2017 that found new sanitary pads might be causing menstrual problems and irregularities and was broadened to the U.S. and other countries. More than 15,000 women complained and signed onto a class action lawsuit claiming harm from menstrual pads by the company Lillian. The pads were removed from the market. Women alleged rashes, infections, irregular periods and bad cramping.

Scientists and advocates say the exposure uncovers a gap in our regulation of baby's diapers and is emblematic of our society's historical unease with having productive conversations about women's reproductive health.

"The physical location of the exposure site, the high absorption rate of the genitalia for chemicals, and the long-term exposure period demand a thorough investigation on the potential impact of the exposure to VOCs and phthalates," the authors wrote in the study, which will be published in Reproductive Toxicology.

"That's chronic exposure"

The lack of research and conversation around the health impacts of menstrual products "is the historical and cultural taboo in talking about the vagina," Strausfeld said.

However, there seems to be something of a cultural shift. "There are more and more bills passed at the state and federal level to supply menstrual supplies to women who can't afford them or are in prison, or in school," she said. "We're finally starting to talk about this more."