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.

Assessment of pharmaceutical residues in watersheds of Auvergne (France) (Poster)

The emerging issue of pharmaceutical products in water environment is getting a growing attention from scientists, agencies in charge of health security and populations. Knowledge is growing fast, but remains still partial and sparse. Consequently, health security institutions (i.e., the French Regional Health Agencies, which represented the Health Ministry in administrative parts of France) may have some difficulties to answer questions on specific local situations.

In this context, a study has been initiated to assess the specific flux of pharmaceuticals in the different territories of Auvergne (France). The first step of this study was to identify the main pharmaceuticals and their origins of emission (by general population, health care facilities, agricultural practices, industries …), their relative importance and the major regional flows arising from these different sources. The second step of this study was to better understand the health issues associated with the detected pharmaceutical residues, and to identify the priorities of actions to be taken (in terms of interest of analytical campaigns, sanitary survey… ).

The assessment of pharmaceuticals in the different watersheds of Auvergne were obtained by modeling the data of pharmaceutical consumption by the population of Auvergne (i.e., assessed by the reimbursement data provided by the French Health Insurance) and the analysis of the quantitative data of pharmaceuticals used in the different hospitals of Auvergne.

In accordance with the French National Plan on Drug Residues, this approach helped to determine the predictable environmental concentrations (PEC) of forty seven molecules in the different watersheds of Auvergne. These PEC can be used to assess exposure indicators and in a second time, the health risk assessment. The worse-case method used for this study (i.e., persistence in the environment, without metabolism), has overestimated the concentrations of pharmaceuticals in watersheds. Furthermore, for each pharmaceutical, calculated concentrations (PEC) were at the nano- or microgramme per liter and the health effects seems poorly probable at these levels.

Hepatitis B Immunization of a Population of Workers (Poster)

Background/objective: Infection with Hepatitis B virus can be prevented by vaccination with HB surface antigen, which induces HBS specific antibodies and T cells. But the immunization status of workers and its relationship with occupational factors are not well documented. The goal is to examine the factors of risk and the immunization status against HBV among a population of workers.

Methods: An assessment of the vaccination and the immunization status against HBV was conducted among a miscellaneous population of French workers, recruited from a medical occupational center, during a cross-sectional study. A representative sample of a population of 3000 workers enrolled was selected.

Results: The population studied included many housemaids (18%), police officers(15%), technicians(15%), administrative agents(15%), electricians(12%) and health-care workers(6%). The overall vaccination coverage (against HBV) was 39%, with an average of 4.2 doses of vaccine per worker. But the immune status was known for 18% of the studied population of which 2/3 (12% of the whole population) were immunized against HBV. Elevated risk factor to be infected by HBS concerns 6% of the studied workers (half of them were immunized). Medium risk concerns 30% of the whole population (1/3 was immunized) and low risk enrolled 64% (nobody was immunized)

Conclusion: It is known that the high risk of infection among healthcare workers is greater than the general working population, but most workers with medium occupational risk exposure were not immunized.Vaccination programs against HBV should be enforced for this last population.

Characterization of Pathogenic Bacteria Cultures and Antibiotic-Resistant Genes in Crow Feces and their Environment (Poster)

The goal of this study is to discover the relationship between antibiotic resistance genes and bacteria found in crows and their respective environments. Crow feces were collected under UW IACUC approval at UW Bothell. Following DNA extraction PCR was performed to amplify 6 genes attributed to antibiotic resistance from 26 samples (21 crow feces (n=6 crows 2 waste water, 2 cow manure , 1 stream wetland UW Bothell). Cultures for Gram-negative bacteria resistant to ampicillin (Amp), chloramphenicol (Cm), tetracycline (Tc), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), Campylobacter spp., and Salmonella spp. were included. The cow manure was negative for all the bacteria cultures, the stream was positive for Cmr, Tcr Gram-negative bacteria and VRE, the waste water was positive for all cultured bacteria, while 6-28% of the crows were positive for each cultured bacteria. The wastewater and cow manure were positive for all antibiotic resistance genes tested by PCR. The stream was positive for the mef(A) and tet(M/O/S) complex, while 1/3 of the birds were positive for the erm(B) and mef(A) genes. The crow samples obtained at the waste water treatment plant were much more likely to carry all the cultured bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes examined than crow samples isolated from the farm but this may be due to the low sample numbers. The presence of the tet(B) and tet(M/O/S) genes in the crows were found in similar percentages from all three environments. The mef(A) gene was lower in the farm and UW Bothell site while the erm(B) gene was lower in the farm. To determine if some of these bacteria and genes are more common in birds from an environment that also carries them this will require a larger number of samples.                               

Environmental health exposure awareness among healthcare professions: A pilot study (Poster)

Health and therapy services can take place in a variety of settings, such as hospitals and clinics, nursing homes, schools, offices, homes, parks and other recreational facilities.  The professionals providing those services also vary, and can include:  medical personnel, nurses, social workers, dental hygienists, recreational therapists, and emergency response personnel.  Because these professionals may not be aware of potential environmental health exposure for themselves and their clients, this study seeks to assess the awareness of health care professionals. 

Methods:  an environmental health awareness instrument is being developed.  Upon the approval from the human subject committee, the survey will be administered to selected health care professions.  The survey instrument will contain items about areas of environmental health, including:  food safety, injury and safety prevention, noise pollution, occupational health, indoor and outdoor air quality, water quality, vector control, solid waste, toxic chemicals, and potential impacts from climate change.

Results will be used to collaborate with health professionals to provide educational materials about potential hazards and prevention measures for themselves and their clients.

Comparative Pyrethroid Exposure Assessment among the Residents Living in Bed Bug Infested Buildings in North Carolina (Poster)

The bed bug, Cimex lectularius, is now considered a serious urban pest not only in the United States, but around the globe.  Since 2007, infestation reports have nearly tripled in North Carolina and this has led to increased use of pesticides for eradication of bed bugs.

Pyrethroids are the main ingredient in most professionally and commercially used pesticides for eradication of bed bugs.  Studies have indicated that bed bugs can be resistant to these pesticides possibly leading to use of increasing amounts of the pesticide. Misuse of commercially purchased pesticides is common when dealing with a bed bug infestation and this can lead to endangerment of human health.  A protocol involving administration of a questionnaire about household pesticide use followed by collection of samples in areas of the residence using the cotton wipe method designed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and laboratory analysis of wipe extracts can be used to determine levels of exposure.  Surveys were administered and environmental samples were collected in two residential buildings which were reported to have a bed bug infestation.

The goal of this research is to raise awareness of the need to monitor the use of pesticides by examining the correlation between the results of the bed bug questionnaire and  pyrethroid exposure levels. The extent of bedbug presence influences the human behaviors (spraying pesticides easily available in many general stores) and consequently the level of exposure.