Environmental Health or Economic Development?: The Case of a Federal Facility in Appalachian Ohio

The Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PORTS) is the site of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) former gaseous diffusion plant at Piketon, Ohio in the heart of Appalachian Ohio. From the 1950s through the 1970s, PORTS was one of three facilities in the country that enriched uranium for use in nuclear weapons and nuclear energy production. Uranium enrichment ceased in 2001, and DOE began the process of decontamination and decommissioning the facility. As part of this process, DOE is required to obtain community input on the future of the site and researchers at Ohio University were funded to develop and implement a widespread community outreach program to gather public opinion.

Focus groups, interviews, and a telephone survey were the primary methods of data collection used to enhance understanding of community perceptions related to the plant. Community visioning teams used public opinion data and detailed environmental data to create 9 possible future use scenarios for DOE’s consideration. Results of the public outreach work suggest that there is a range of beliefs and opinions related to the history and future of the site.

However, the common theme that emerged is the importance of using the facility to create jobs for the region, which posts the highest unemployment rates in the state. The scenarios that were selected indicate that the community may be willing to consider activities on the site that might contribute to environmental degradation if there is a promise to improve the economic conditions of the region.

Methamphetamine Contamination Closes West Virginia School

This presentation illustrates an unprecedented event regarding the environmental surface contamination that resulted from an incident involving two individuals whom allegedly smoked methamphetamine inside of a school building in West Virginia, and consequently resulted in the school building being closed while remediation was completed.  The school building is a career and technical school, along with a community college.  The career and technical school enrolls both adolescent and adult students.  West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources was notified per statute WV Code 64CSR92, “The Clandestine Drug Laboratory Remediation Rule, by the West Virginia State Police regarding the above mentioned incident.  Boone County Schools, owner of school building, hired a licensed Clandestine Drug Lab Remediation Contractor to perform an assessment of the building, which included, numerous wipe samples to detect methamphetamine residue.  The State Decontamination Level is 0.1 microgram per 100 centimeters squared (1 milligram per foot squared) of surface area sampled. 

The results indicated that various classrooms and offices, along with the HVAC within the school building were contaminated with residual methamphetamine.  This meant that the school would need to be decontaminated per West Virginia regulations prior to occupancy of students, as well as, staff.  The school system hired a licensed Clandestine Drug Laboratory Remediation Contractor to perform full remediation on the entire school building.  Final wipe samples were taken and the results indicated that the building met state regulations and could be reoccupied.                     

Multivariable Risk Assessment of Swimming Pool and Spa Exposures [Poster]

The reported number of Recreational Waterborne Illness (RWI) outbreaks in the U.S. has increased from the initial reporting year in 1978.

From 2005-2006, RWI outbreaks peaked at 78 and 74% of the outbreaks were associated with treated water venues, including swimming pools and spas. The risk of ingesting pathogens during swimming in pool/spa water is influenced by four variables: swimmer behaviors (submerging head, swallowing water, etc.), pool structure (recirculation rate, disinfectant method, etc.), facility operation (chemical balance, maintenance schedule, etc.), and water contamination levels (i.e. pathogen concentrations). A comprehensive assessment that considers and combines these variables will be completed to determine the risk of contracting a waterborne disease from swimming in pool/spa water. Twelve pools and spas in Tucson, Arizona will be evaluated on structure, operation and contaminant levels by testing chemical concentrations (chlorine/bromine, pH, alkalinity and cyanuric acid) at multiple depths, assaying water samples for fecal coliform, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and heterotrophic Bacteria, and recording other relevant data. Swimmer behaviors will also be monitored using video surveillance, and swimmer ingestion rates will be quantified by comparing cyanurate concentrations in urine and pool water. The research will evaluate swimming behaviors that increase the risk of ingesting pathogens, and the influence that pool characteristics have on that risk. Data from the assessment will be modeled to determine the risk of swimming in different exposure scenarios, like lap swimming or diving, with consideration of pool water ingestion, recirculation rates, and chlorine, cyanuric acid, fecal coliform, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and heterotrophic Bacteria concentrations during the exposure period. Results from the research will be available in May, 2012.

What's Hiding in Your Sandwich?

In this presentation, we will look at the history of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) and its principles, FDA Defect Action Levels and the reasoning behind them, some of the latest technology to find defects and foreign material in food and then we'll see several actual real life examples of food adulteration. We’ll then discuss the types of contamination, the sources and how to prevent contamination and adulteration.

Tox in a Box: a Concise Training on the Health Assessment of Environmental Hazards [Learning Lab]

Have you had to interpret environmental data and make a public health determination? Have you been asked to give advice on how to reduce or eliminated exposure to a hazardous substance or condition?

Have you had to provide input on environmental sampling for an exposure investigation? If so, this 3-hour interactive session been designed for persons needing to learn how to apply exposure evaluation and risk assessment principles and methods to environmental health practice.

Attendees will learn how to evaluate environmental sampling data, discern exposure pathways, determine potential health hazards, and formulate methods to reduce or eliminate exposures. After covering basic hazard identification and exposure evaluation techniques, students will use case-studies of real environmental exposure situations to calculate health risks. The session is divided into four parts:

Part 1 – an overview of risk and public health assessment, including valuable tools of the field

Part 2 – estimating exposures including pathway identification and calculations

Part 3 – evaluating doses for potential responses using available guidelines and establishing guidelines when none are available

Part 4 – tying it all together with case studies

Rapid Evaluation and Improvement of Drinking Water Supplies in Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa presents environmental health professionals with opportunities to make meaningful public health impacts with modest investments of time and resources. UNICEF estimates that 43% of children in sub-Saharan Africa drink unsafe water. As a result, diarrheal illness is one of the leading causes of death and malnutrition for children under the age of five. It is estimated that each child in this region has five episodes of diarrhea per year. More than 800,000 of these children die annually from diarrhea and associated dehydration.

Environmental health professionals can make a significant contribution in Africa by conducting sanitary surveys and evaluating small water systems. Using simple, inexpensive biological testing methods, the safety of drinking water sources and the efficacy of water treatment devices can be evaluated in 48 hours or less. An environmental health professional can then recommend cost-effective, actionable steps to improve drinking water quality and prevent disease.

In some cases recommendations may focus on taking steps to protect the water source from contamination. In other cases, low-technology water treatment methods including the use of UV disinfection, bio-sand filters, ceramic filters, or solar stoves can be employed to significantly improve drinking water quality.

These environmental health skills can be easily taught to African nationals so that there is lasting change in drinking water quality and community health. Importantly, safer water supplies and better community health improve the standard of living, reduce deforestation due to the cutting of wood to build fires to boil water, and promote global sustainability.