 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
|
| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Robin B. DeHate, MPH, Kelly S. Waggoner, MPH, Paul C. Grivas, MPH, Sola Oluwole, MD, and Raymond D. Harbison, PhD. Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of South Florida, College of Public Health, 13201 Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, MDC 56, Tampa, FL 33612-3805, 813-974-2137, rdehate@hsc.usf.edu
Biomonitoring, the direct measurement of toxins, toxicants and their metabolites in human tissues, provides the public health practitioner a tool to assess the likelihood of environmental exposures. The air, water, soil, and food are all potential pathways for human exposures to hazardous agents. These exposures, if the dose is sufficient, may adversely affect an individual’s quality of life and health. The growing public awareness of environmental hazards creates new concerns and public health issues. The implementation of a biomonitoring program requires identification of potential environmental contaminants, the human health risks posed by these contaminants, the identification of biological half-lives to assess the feasibility of monitoring, and the implementation of actual sample collection and analysis. A public health practitioner must evaluate these data to identify potential adverse health outcomes. A major goal of Healthy People 2010 is to increase the quality, availability, and effectiveness of educational and community-based programs designed to prevent disease and improve health and quality of life. The use of reliable measurements of body levels of selected chemicals can: 1) allay fears and remove uncertainty about future illness due to selected exposures, 2) reduce the consumption of health care resources for medical monitoring, and 3) protect public health.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Environmental Exposures, Risk Assessment
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Centers for Disease Control
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.