Suchergebnisse

Environmental health (EH) professionals provide critical services and respond to complex and multifaceted public health threats. The role of these professionals is continually re-emphasized by emergencies requiring rapid and effective responses to address environmental issues and ensure protection of the public's health. Given the prominence of the EH profession within the public health framework, assessing the governmental health department workforce, practice, and current and future challenges is crucial to ensure EH professionals are fully equipped and prepared to protect the nation's health. Such an understanding of the EH profession is lacking; therefore, we initiated Understanding the Needs, Challenges, Opportunities, Vision, and Emerging Roles in Environmental Health (UNCOVER EH). Through a web-based survey, we identified EH professional demographics, characteristics, education, practice areas, and aspects of leadership and satisfaction. We distributed the survey to a convenience sample of EH professionals working in health departments, limiting the generalizability of results to the entire EH workforce. The results were strengthened, however, by purposive sampling strategies to represent varied professional and workforce characteristics in the respondent universe. The UNCOVER EH initiative provides a primary source of data to inform EH workforce development initiatives, improve the practice, and establish uniform benchmarks and professional competencies.

Abstract
Background
Though anatoxin-a (antx-a) is a globally important cyanobacterial neurotoxin in inland waters, information on sublethal toxicological responses of aquatic organisms is limited. We examined influences of (±) antx-a (11–3490 µg/L) on photolocomotor behavioral responses and gene transcription associated with neurotoxicity, oxidative stress and hepatotoxicity, in two of the most common alternative vertebrate and fish models, Danio rerio (zebrafish) and Pimephales promelas (fathead minnow). We selected environmentally relevant treatment levels from probabilistic exposure distributions, employed standardized experimental designs, and analytically verified treatment levels using isotope-dilution liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Caffeine was examined as a positive control.

Results
Caffeine influences on fish behavior responses were similar to previous studies. Following exposure to (±) antx-a, no significant photolocomotor effects were observed during light and dark transitions for either species. Though zebrafish behavioral responses profiles were not significantly affected by (±) antx-a at the environmentally relevant treatment levels examined, fathead minnow stimulatory behavior was significantly reduced in the 145–1960 µg/L treatment levels. In addition, no significant changes in transcription of target genes were observed in zebrafish; however, elavl3 and sod1 were upregulated and gst and cyp3a126 were significantly downregulated in fathead minnows.

Conclusion
We observed differential influences of (±) antx-a on swimming behavior and gene transcription in two of the most common larval fish models employed for prospective and retrospective assessment of environmental contaminants and water quality conditions. Sublethal responses of fathead minnows were consistently more sensitive than zebrafish to this neurotoxin at the environmentally relevant concentrations examined. Future studies are needed to understand such interspecies differences, the enantioselective toxicity of this compound, molecular initiation events within adverse outcome pathways, and subsequent individual and population risks for this emerging water quality threat.

Abstract
School closures during the COVID-19 pandemic compromised access to essential meals for many children. In response, a public/private partnership known as the Emergency Meals-to-You program was established to deliver meals in affected rural areas of the United States. This study builds on this using a scorecard approach adapted from the United Nations Ten Essentials for Making Cities Resilient to identify and prioritize actions for strengthening food system resilience. A pilot food system resilience scorecard facilitated data collection from five workshops with professionals familiar with the program, emergency management, public health, or food systems. Data analysis and interpretation identified nine priority actions. These included integrating the food sector and schools within emergency management, mapping local food sector capacities, working with schools to receive de-identified data about nutritional, allergy and other health needs, developing disaster plans for sustaining food access at the school district level, and protecting ecosystem services and agricultural areas. There is an urgent need to embed the food sector and schools within emergency management. These systems are local, designed to coordinate complicated tasks in crises, multidisciplinary, and are used in many countries. Providing a ready-made framework for locally driven initiatives to strengthen food systems now and into the future.

Background: Over the past 10-15 years, a substantial amount of work has been done by the scientific, regulatory, and business communities to elucidate the effects and risks of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in the environment. Objective: This review was undertaken to identify key outstanding issues regarding the effects of PPCPs on human and ecological health in order to ensure that future resources will be focused on the most important areas. Data sources: To better understand and manage the risks of PPCPs in the environment, we used the "key question" approach to identify the principle issues that need to be addressed. Initially, questions were solicited from academic, government, and business communities around the world. A list of 101 questions was then discussed at an international expert workshop, and a top-20 list was developed. Following the workshop, workshop attendees ranked the 20 questions by importance. Data synthesis: The top 20 priority questions fell into seven categories: a) prioritization of substances for assessment, b) pathways of exposure, c) bioavailability and uptake, d) effects characterization, e) risk and relative risk, f) antibiotic resistance, and g) risk management. Conclusions: A large body of information is now available on PPCPs in the environment. This exercise prioritized the most critical questions to aid in development of future research programs on the topic. ; Centro de Investigaciones del Medioambiente

Background: Over the past 10-15 years, a substantial amount of work has been done by the scientific, regulatory, and business communities to elucidate the effects and risks of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in the environment. Objective: This review was undertaken to identify key outstanding issues regarding the effects of PPCPs on human and ecological health in order to ensure that future resources will be focused on the most important areas. Data sources: To better understand and manage the risks of PPCPs in the environment, we used the "key question" approach to identify the principle issues that need to be addressed. Initially, questions were solicited from academic, government, and business communities around the world. A list of 101 questions was then discussed at an international expert workshop, and a top-20 list was developed. Following the workshop, workshop attendees ranked the 20 questions by importance. Data synthesis: The top 20 priority questions fell into seven categories: a) prioritization of substances for assessment, b) pathways of exposure, c) bioavailability and uptake, d) effects characterization, e) risk and relative risk, f) antibiotic resistance, and g) risk management. Conclusions: A large body of information is now available on PPCPs in the environment. This exercise prioritized the most critical questions to aid in development of future research programs on the topic. ; Fil: Boxall, Alistair B. A. University of York; Reino Unido ; Fil: Rudd, Murray A. University of York; Reino Unido ; Fil: Brooks, Bryan W. Baylor University; Estados Unidos ; Fil: Caldwell, Daniel J. Johnson & Johnson; Estados Unidos ; Fil: Choi, Kyungho. Seoul National University; Corea del Sur ; Fil: Hickmann, Silke. Umweltbundesamt; Alemania ; Fil: Innes, Elizabeth. Health Canada; Canadá ; Fil: Ostapyk, Kim. Health Canada; Canadá ; Fil: Staveley, Jane P. Exponent; Estados Unidos ; Fil: Verslycke, Tim. Gradient; Estados Unidos ; Fil: Ankley, Gerald T. United States Environmental Protection Agency; Estados Unidos ; Fil: Beazley, Karen F. Dalhousie University Halifax; Canadá ; Fil: Belanger, Scott E. Procter And Gamble; Estados Unidos ; Fil: Berninger, Jason P. Baylor University; Estados Unidos ; Fil: Carriquiriborde, Pedro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Departamento de Química. Centro de Investigaciones del Medio Ambiente; Argentina ; Fil: Coors, Anja. Ect Oekotoxikologie Gmbh; Alemania ; Fil: DeLeo, Paul C. American Cleaning Institute; Estados Unidos ; Fil: Dyer, Scott D. Procter And Gamble; Estados Unidos ; Fil: Ericson, Jon F. Pfizer Inc.; Estados Unidos ; Fil: Gagné, François. Environment Canada; Canadá ; Fil: Giesy, John P. University of Saskatchewan; Canadá ; Fil: Gouin, Todd. Unilever; Reino Unido ; Fil: Hallstrom, Lars. University of Alberta; Canadá ; Fil: Karlsson, Maja V. University of York; Reino Unido ; Fil: Joakim Larsson, D.G. University of Göteborg; Alemania ; Fil: Lazorchak, James M. United States Environmental Protection Agency; Estados Unidos ; Fil: Mastrocco, Frank. Pfizer Inc.; Estados Unidos ; Fil: McLaughlin, Alison. Health Canada; Canadá ; Fil: McMaster, Mark E. Environment Canada; Canadá ; Fil: Meyerhoff, Roger D. Eli Lilly And Company; Estados Unidos ; Fil: Moore, Roberta. Health Canada; Canadá ; Fil: Parrott, Joanne L. Environment Canada; Canadá ; Fil: Snape, Jason R. AstraZeneca UK Ltd.; Reino Unido ; Fil: Murray-Smith, Richard. AstraZeneca UK Ltd.; Reino Unido ; Fil: Servos, Mark R. University of Waterloo; Canadá ; Fil: Sibley, Paul K. University of Guelph; Canadá ; Fil: Straub, Jürg Oliver. F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.; Suiza ; Fil: Szabo, Nora D. University of Ottawa; Canadá ; Fil: Topp, Edward. Agriculture Et Agroalimentaire Canada; Canadá ; Fil: Tetreault, Gerald R. University of Waterloo; Canadá ; Fil: Trudeau, Vance L. University of Ottawa; Canadá ; Fil: Van Der Kraak, Glen. University of Guelph; Canadá