The Human Health Impacts and Environmental Implications of Floods in Northern Ireland (Poster)

Flooding is now the most frequent type of major disaster globally. During the past 30 years, floods have resulted in 200,000 fatalities and affected more than 2.8 billion others worldwide. It should be recognised that flood events do not necessarily need to be large in scale or be physically destructive to have a detrimental impact on homes and livelihoods, as minor floods can still have potentially large cumulative effects. Estimates suggest that if no preventative measures are taken, flooding will affect 250 000–400 000 additional people annually in Europe by 2080.

Flooding has become a major problem in the United Kingdom, as demonstrated in 2007 in England which resulted in flooding of 55,000 properties, evacuation of approximately 7,000 people and 13 fatalities. The problem extends to Northern Ireland, where climate change is likely to result in higher average temperatures and more frequent extreme weather events, such as floods. In recent years, in Northern Ireland, there have been numerous flooding incidents that have caused devastation to local communities.

The environmental impacts of flooding can be quite wide-ranging, from the dispersion of low-level household wastes into the fluvial system to contamination of community water supplies. The impact of floods on human health is under-researched even though flooding has obvious direct impacts i.e. morbidity, injuries, diseases and also more indirect impacts such as mental health conditions due to the long-term consequences of flooding. This study will undertake measurements and characterisation of water contaminants, after a flooding event, with a view to evaluating the impact on water quality. It will also explore the human health impacts of floods, using surveys and interviews to investigate the physical and psychological health problems inflicted on individuals, subsequent to flooding.

The results will assist agencies to mitigate the long-term health impacts of flooding, provide beneficial information on the risk to water quality from flooding and help agencies response efficiently during the recovery stage of a flooding event, providing the community with an appropriate level of support.

Levels of Heavy Metals in Traffic-Related Particulate Matter along a Major Motorway in Ibadan North-East Local Government Area, Nigeria (20m Lecture)

 Background: Traffic-related particulate matter contributes extensively to ambient air pollution especially in urban centres. Hence, Populations found along major urban motorways are at higher risk of various health effects. This study was therefore designed to determine levels of heavy metals in the air along IdiApe-Iwo road motorway in Ibadan North-East Local Government Area.

Methods: Descriptive study design involving air sampling and particulate analysis for selected heavy metals was used. At all five sampling locations, levels of particulate matter (PM10) at intervals of 10, 20 and 30 metres away from the motorway were measured using calibrated fine particulate matter sampler. Measurements were done in the morning (7-10am) and afternoon (1-4pm) for 10 weeks. Filter papers obtained from the sampler from SL were digested and analysed for Lead (Pb), Iron (Fe), Copper (Cu), Cadmium (Cd), Zinc (Zn), Chromium (Cr) and Nickel (Ni) using atomic absorption spectrophotometry according to standard methods. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, ANOVA and Pearson correlation test at p <0.05.

Results: Daily PM10 level at each sampling location were AB (100.5 ± 36.3µg/m3), IA (96.3 ± 42.1µg/m3), BA (84.6 ± 41.7µg/m3), AL (110.1 ± 48.4µg/m3), and HJ (121.6 ± 59.8µg/m3) was 4-6times above the PM10 guideline limit of 20µg/m3. The mean levels of heavy metals were Pb (161.1 ± 108.3mg/m3), Fe (2.54 ± 1.09mg/m3), Cu (0.91 ± 0.31mg/m3), Cd (52.5 ± 30.7mg/m3), Zn (0.52 ± 0.39mg/m3), and Cr (0.19 ± 0.03mg /m3). Spatial variations in PM10 and heavy metal concentrations were found to reduce with distance further away from traffic by 23.5% and 18.7% respectively.

Conclusion: Levels of heavy metals at all sampling locations along Idi-Ape-Iwo road motorway exceeded permissible guideline limits for urban centres. Periodic air monitoring of motorways should be instituted. This should be targeted at reducing traffic-related particulate matter concentrations on our motorways especially from exhaust emissions.

RECALIBRATING ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH TO MEET 21st CENTURY NEEDS (50m Lecture)

This presentation will demonstrate how public environmental health priorities have changed over the past century and identify a new set of emerging threats to population health. A case will be made for the environmental health profession to engage more aggressively in addressing these threats.
Improvements in water supply, sanitation and housing conditions in the U.S. are among the greatest public health achievements of the 20th century, and credited with major reductions in death and disability from infectious disease. In developed nations “new age” conditions are contributing to increases in chronic disease, which now account for 70 percent of all deaths. These conditions include sedentary lifestyles, poor diet, and exposure to toxic chemicals in ambient air and consumer products. Water scarcity has also emerged as key challenge to public health in the decades ahead, as has climate change which is arguably the greatest public health threat ever faced.Effective public health leadership can mitigate these emerging crises, and at the same time help to ensure a healthier and more sustainable future. 

The environmental health profession is well suited to expand its scope of practice to support this broader public health mission. The expansion is best guided by the “determinants of health approach” and focused on efforts to influence improvements in the physical and social environments, and healthy public choices and behaviors. These include land use decisions affecting the built and natural environments, support of integrated water management, access to healthy, locally-produced foods, reduced exposure to toxic substances, and access to information supporting healthy choices and behaviors.

Providing Sustainable Utilities in Alaska's Rural and Remote Villages (50m Lecture)

In 1960, Indian Health Service (IHS) began funding sanitation facilities in Alaska. In 2001-2008, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium conducted a pilot in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta demonstrating how cooperative principles could be applied to drinking water and sanitation. These communities formerly had sewage lagoons and water haul systems. Alaska Rural Utility Collaborative (ARUC) has grown to 31 villages from this initial piloting.

Changes in permafrost, freeze-thaw cycles, severe storms and coastal erosion, along with high energy prices are affecting public health. Average 2012 diesel fuel prices in rural communities averaged over $6.00 with some Arctic communities well over $8 a gallon. An emerging crisis looms in sustainable operation and maintenance and developing resources that can lower the costs of energy.

Clean water and proper sanitation have significant public health benefits. So does investing in renewable energy sources that do not have high carbon emissions or pollutants that affect air quality and human health. Given high energy costs, improving affordability requires efficiency and renewable energy investments to improve rural utility economics over dependence on expensive diesel fuel.

Facilities must also be maintained in harsh environments where qualified personnel are relatively scarce. Capability and capacity building in villages is key to integrated public health infrastructure withstanding changes in environmental conditions and future energy price spikes. Applying collaborative principles can assist in achieving more sustainable communities. Our goal remains: “Alaska Natives become among the healthiest people in the world.” We need solutions that put communities at the leading edge of public health practice.

Climate Change Impacts and Options: Case Studies in the Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska (50m Lecture)

The lifestyle, culture and subsistence activities of the Alaska Inupiat has evolved over thousands of years. Alaska has a rich history from the early contact years with the Russians, to the gold rush era to ‘black gold.’ Moving from territorial status to becoming the 49th state, a major Native land claims settlement (ANCSA of 1971) and the 1980 Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) have set the stage for how Native cultures will adapt and fare in this Alaskan portion of the Arctic.

Climate impacts in many of the villages in the NW Arctic Borough have been documented by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and others. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will have issued its 5th Assessment by the time NEHA holds its 78th AEC. In this presentation we will explore the major impacts that are resulting from changes in the climate in the Borough, including impacts on subsistence activities, which affects diet and human health. Unpredictable and unusual weather has combined with changes in permafrost and freeze-thaw cycles, impacting not only transportation, but also construction of resilient utility systems, such as drinking water plants in Kivalina. The community water supply is vulnerable to changes in the Wuluk River and watershed, as well as to changes in shorefast sea ice where erosion washed out a major water line.

Innovation is required if the residents of villages such as Kivalina, Selawik, and Point Hope are going to thrive in this time of many changes in environmental conditions. Sustainable utilities are needed to support healthy, sustainable communities. In this portion of the Arctic, the effects of climate change can already be seen. One solution is to empower local communities through a local environmental observer program. Certainly a “fit for purpose” energy policy would support lessening the dependence on expensive diesel fuel; wind generators have reduced dependence on diesel in Kotzebue. Environmental health solutions contribute to the continuation of the lifestyle, culture and subsistence that have been practiced by Native ancestors. A new era of climate change brings challenge as well as opportunity for innovation.

Protecting Vulnerable Populations from Acquiring Heat Related Illnesses During Extreme Heat Events(50m Lecture)

There is a need to provide Environmental Health or Public Health professionals with tools to help them analyze “Extreme Heat Events.” Radio and TV stations broadcast warnings about high “HEAT INDEX” levels that kill hundreds of people a year across the United States.The National Weather Service developed the “HEAT INDEX” chart which takes into consideration the effect of temperature and moisture in the air on the human body. Public Health Officials warn the public as to which precautions to take to protect themselves during these high ”HEAT INDEX” events from developing heat exhaustion, heat cramps, heat strokes and other heat related illnesses including death. Advisories are issued for people to stay out of the sun as much as possible, drink plenty or water, and use their air conditioners. For those without air conditioning, the public is reminded that they could visit their friends, neighbors and/or families or go to a shopping mall, a public library, a movie theater, an open church, a public museum, or a supermarket that’s air conditioned. This is OK for the general population who are free to move around at will, however there are some restricted movement populations such as those in jails and prisons,including death row, that are beginning to garner attention especially in state and Federal courts. In order to know what the “HEAT INDEX” is and what precautions to take to prevent heat related illnesses, one must know what the temperature and humidity levels are in these confined areas. If such readings are not being recorded at these facilities, how can legal cases be brought to the courts to protect the health of the inmates? Often there is a need to show retroactively what the temperature and humidity levels were on various dates and times but how does one acquire such information? How do you properly use the "HEAT INDEX" in court cases? You will be provided with the appropriate answers during this presentation including how to acquire data and how to get this data entered into the court records through the testimony of environmental and public health professionals. 

The Unpredictable Floods: Health Impact in Kentucky (Poster)

The Environmental Public Health Tracking Network is a federally funded program with 23 state and local participating health departments, which allows the public and policy decision makers to track exposures to environmental hazards as they relate to health conditions in their region.  This environmental public health data linkage project for Kentucky looks at the impact of flood events on the incidence of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) from 2006 to 2012 for all 120 Kentucky counties.  In our results, we observed unpredictability and annual fluctuations both in asthma/COPD hospitalizations and flood incidents.  The years with the highest hospitalization rates were 2006 and 2009, while the highest number of floods were in 2010 and 2011.  This study examined and will continue to examine the impact of flooding on asthma and COPD- related hospitalizations, as part of a partnership between the Kentucky Department for Public Health and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO).  This data linkage project is an example of the type of investigation that is possible through the use of the emerging and growing Environmental Public Health Tracking Network.