 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Tracey J. Woodruff, PhD, MPH, Office of Policy, Economics and Innovation, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 75 Hawthorne Street (SPE-1), San Francisco, CA 94105, (415)947-4277, woodruff.tracey@epa.gov, Daniel A. Axelrad, Office of Policy, Economics and Innovation, US Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Mail Code 1809, Washington, DC 20460, and Amy D. Kyle, PhD MPH, Environmental Health Sciences Division, University of California Berkeley, School of Public Health, 322 Cortland Ave, PMB-226, San Francisco, CA 94110-5536.
Tracking the incidence or prevalence of environmentally-mediated diseases is increasingly recognized as a critical need, particularly as unexplained increases in several important diseases are being observed. Tracking can be used to identify opportunities and needs for interventions or policy changes, and can provide data that can be used in research. A framework for environmental public health tracking would address the full pathway from releases of contaminants to ambient concentrations and human exposures, and ultimately to adverse health outcomes. A critical step is to identify diseases that should be included in environmental health tracking and data sources available for these illnesses. This talk will discuss approaches for selecting diseases and data for tracking purposes, with a focus on illnesses that appear to be caused or exacerbated, at least in part, by exposure to environmental agents. Specific illustrations will be provided for respiratory diseases, cancers, and neurodevelopmental disorders in children. This talk will present approaches to considering scientific evidence that environmental contaminants are linked to health outcomes in the context of environmental health tracking, this includes assessing the available information, the level of information, and how to address lack of information. In addition, this talk will discuss evaluating and choosing appropriate data sources for monitoring trends in these illnesses.
Learning Objectives:
Related Web page: www.epa.gov/envirohealth/children
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.