Occupational Health

Formaldehyde was the most commonly exposed toxic chemical during my working days at hospital settings. This is most commonly used as a disinfectant and sterilizing agent for  medical equipment's. It is commonly used as aqueous solution which has pungent odor. The recommended level is 0.75pp over an 8 hour working day for an employee. Most common mode of entry is through accidental spillage of the chemical in hospital settings.

Potential Acute Health Effects:

Very hazardous in case of eye contact (irritant), of Ingestion. Hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant, sensitizer, permeator), of eye contact (corrosive). Slightly hazardous in case of skin contact (corrosive). Severe over-exposure can result in death. Inflammation of the eye is characterized by redness, watering and itching.

Potential Chronic Health Effects:

Hazardous in case of skin contact (sensitizer).

CARCINOGENIC EFFECTS: Classified A2 (Suspected for human) by ACGIH (American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists), 2A (Probable for human.) by IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer).

Special Remarks on other Toxic Effects on Humans:  

Contact with liquid causes severe eye irritation and burns. It may cause irreversible eye damage (Severe corneal Solutions containing low formaldehyde concentrations may produce transient discomfort and irritation).

Inhalation: Causes irritation of the respiratory tract (nose, throat, airways). Symptoms may include dry and sore mouth and throat, thirst, and sleep disturbances, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, coughing, sneezing, wheezing rhinitis, chest tightness, pulmonary edema, bronchitis.

Behavior/central nervous system: (excitement, central nervous system depression, somnolence, convulsions, stupor, aggression, headache, weakness, dizziness, drowsiness, coma).

May also affect the liver(jaundice), urinary system/kidneys (difficulty urinating,  ), blood, endocrine system.

Exposure Controls/Personal Protection:

Engineering Controls: Provide exhaust ventilation or other engineering controls to keep the airborne concentrations of vapors below their respective threshold limit value. Ensure that eyewash stations and safety showers are proximal to the work-station location.

Personal Protection: Safety glasses. Lab coat. Vapor respirator.  Use of an approved/certified respirator or equivalent. Gloves (impervious).

Personal Protection in Case of a Large Spill: Splash goggles. Full suit. Vapor respirator. Boots. Gloves. A self contained breathing apparatus should be used to avoid inhalation of the product. Suggested protective clothing might not be sufficient; consult a specialist BEFORE handling this product.

Ideal Chemical Policy

After going through the “ Smart policy Reform Website“,  I feel Act on Early Warnings , is one of the important element to be considered while framing a policy for any new chemical .The ideal examples in this context will be Insecticides, Pesticides, Toxic  elements near  nuclear power plants, radioactive  landfill related chemicals. I feel that in the context of “Right to Know”, every citizen has the right to know the chemicals to which they may be exposed in their daily living.

Gathering early warning signs of these harmful substances will help to take immediate actions, to protect the communities or workers. Policies and programs should support and reinforce the community involvement in taking essential precautionary actions.

More attention should be showered over the health problems related to chemicals in order to act upon on early warnings, signs and symptoms. The gap between Federal and State protective policies should be addressed to protect the community from the chemical hazards in the environment.

 

Clean Water and Safe Drinking Water Act

The “Clean Water Act” legislation passed in 1970s by US Congress was a great mile stone in the field of water pollution throughout the country. I was very impressed after looking at the objectives under CWA. It focuses on restoring the chemical, physical and biological integrity of nation’s water sources by exercising on both point and non-point water pollution sources. The Clean Water Act abandoned the approach lead by state and other local governments which were preliminarily responsible for ensuring water quality. 

It introduced new technique of dealing with water pollution by setting water quality criteria, water quality standard and policy implementation for all the states.

After twenty-five years, the Act continues to provide a clear path for clean water and a solid foundation for an effective national water program.  Today, two-thirds of our waters are safe for swimming and recreational activities, the loss of wetlands is only 70,000-90,000 acres, the amount of soil loss to agricultural runoff has been cut by a billion tons annually and modern wastewater treatment facilities serve 173 million people.

Again it encourages and ensures healthy tap water consumption all over the nation.

Santa Clara Waste Water Treatment

Santa Clara Waste Water Treatment

Every day, 365 days a year, the San José-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility cleans Silicon Valley’s wastewater to very high national standards, protecting public health and the environment, and supporting the economy. Using a process that simulates the way nature cleans water, the Facility treats an average of 110 million gallons of wastewater per day (mgd), with a capacity of up to 167 mgd.

After wastewater enters the San José-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility (Facility), it undergoes a three-step treatment process to remove solids, pollutants, and pathogenic bacteria. Machinery and gravity separate solids from the wastewater. Added bacteria clean the water pollutants before the flow enters the advanced filter process. The treatment process produces water that is 99% purified and is subsequently discharged into the Bay.

Pretreatment

Large bar screens remove rags, sticks, rocks, and other debris that could otherwise clog machinery. The debris is then transported to the landfill.

Primary Treatment

This 24-hour physical process removes about 50 percent of wastewater contaminants. In large tanks, the flow is slowed to allow gravity to separate large particles. This process mimics the natural processes of creeks and rivers, where sediments settle to the bottom. Fiberglass bars, or flights, move across the tank surface to skim off fats, oils, and grease. Flights gradually rotate from the top to the bottom and the settled solid particles are moved into the digesters.

Digesters: The pollutants and solid material removed during the three treatment steps are separated from the liquid flows in digester tanks. It takes 25 to 30 days for anaerobic bacteria to stabilize unwanted material and reduce the pathogens and other disease-causing organisms in the solids. Anaerobic bacteria operate best without oxygen and at about 98 degrees. Digesters produce methane gas, which meets 35% of the Facility's energy needs.

Secondary Treatment

Aeration:  Aeration is a biological process that produces 95% clean water by pumping air into the flow. The oxygen-rich (aerobic) environment nurtures the growth of naturally-occurring aerobic bacteria.

Clarifiers: After aeration, the flow is piped into clarifiers where the aerobic bacteria settle to the bottom. Treated water remains in the clarifiers for one to three hours. Mechanical arms move slowly around the tank to collect scum and bacteria for the digesters. Some bacteria are then sent back to the aeration tanks to repeat the process.

Tertiary Treatment

Tertiary treatment is the third and final process. During tertiary treatment, wastewater flows through several filter beds composed of gravel, sand and anthracite coal. This step is also known as "advanced" treatment because few communities undertake it. The three treatment plants located in South San Francisco Bay require tertiary treatment because their water discharges into shallow waters with little tidal action.

 The "advanced" treatment is needed to ensure that our water meets state and federal water quality regulations. Water is 99% pure after tertiary treatment. Following filtration, liquid hypochlorite solution is used to purify the water further. Before being discharged into the Bay, a second chemical is added to neutralize the chlorine, which could otherwise harm aquatic life.

After tertiary treatment, about 90% of the treated water is piped to the outfall channel. From here, it flows to Artesian Slough, through Coyote Creek, and eventually into the Bay. Many birds and fish are found at the outfall channel, including stripers, black bass, and salmon.

The remaining 10% of the treated water is sent to South Bay Water Recycling and used to irrigate food crops, parks, schools, golf courses, street medians, and business park landscaping.

Santa Clara County Water

The City of Santa Clara has three separate sources of drinking water.35% of our water was treated surface water purchased from the Santa Clara Valley Water District, imported from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and from the San Francisco Public Utility Commission’s Hetch-Hetchy System, imported from the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The remaining 65% is pumped from the City’s system of 27 deep wells serving the rest of Santa Clara.

The chemicals that were found in my drinking water meets primary and secondary standards which are enforced by state water resources control board California. The drinking water in my area is fluoridated water. Constant intake of fluoridated water in pediatric age group (under 6 years) will result in dental fluorosis. The levels of contaminants are within the range based on MCL’s for substances (lead, copper, coliforms, halo acetic acids and trihalomethanes) in water.  

There is no evidence of lead contamination in the City of Santa Clara groundwater sources or supplies purchased from other agencies. Fluoridated drinking water benefits people of all ages by preventing tooth decay.

I don’t use filter on my water faucet. My family practices the traditional method of boiling the water before consuming it. As it has become habitual from decades, I still follow the same procedure.

I don’t use bottled water; during my course work in undergrad as well attended few workshops on hazards of bottled water. Most of water bottles are made of PET (polyethylene terephthalates), which is carcinogenic. 25 to 40 percent of the water bottles contain unfiltered tap water. If the water has been purified, it is likely that the purification process stripped the vital trace minerals which is required for human system.

References:

Advice You Can Trust. Money in Your Pocket

Clark Howard - http://www.clark.com/bottled-water-may-pose-physical-risk-your-teeth

 

Environmental Justice and Social Determinants of Health

After reading the article “8 Horrifying Examples of Corporations Mistreating Black Communities with Environmental Racism” by Nick Chiles, it is apparent that only African American people in the society are affected by environmental injustice. Race is proved to be one of the most significant factors among social determinants of health. Based on numerous live examples, this represents a consistent national pattern.

The exposure to environmental pollutants irrespective of its duration and dosages will tamper the organ system (immune system, endocrine system, reproductive system are most commonly affected) of humans by its irreversible toxic effects. The target populations in this scenario are communities with low economic status and low literacy rates. Based on our learnings in the classes and book reviews, it is evident that maternal and pediatric age groups are most vulnerable to environmental and occupational hazards resulting in high morbidity and mortality. Environmental justice calls for universal protection from disposal of toxic and hazardous wastes and poisons that threaten the fundamental right to clean air, land and water.

I believe that there should be reinforcement of environmental laws and regulations.  There should be equal opportunities for the decision making process to have healthy environment.  Environmental activists and policy makers should rethink and redefine considering all these live examples.  

Rather than taking necessary actions at the later point of time (after the onset of the health issue), it’s better to practice the interventions at early stage or primary stage of health issue.

                                                                                                                                                  

SANTA CLARA COUNTY: ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

I recently moved to Santa Clara County, California. It’s been close to year and half in this county and country. The environmental health services offered by Santa Clara County are:

- Consumer Protection Division (CPD)​

  - Drinking Water

  - Food Program
  - Pool Program

  - Tobacco and Smoking Ordinance

  - Indoor Air Quality - Radon

  - Lead Poisoning Prevention

- Hazardous Materials Compliance Division (HMCD)

  - Hazardous Materials​

  - Site Mitigation Programs

  - Underground Storage Tanks

- Solid Waste Programs (SWP)

  - Body Art​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

  - Medical Waste Management

  - Pumper Management

  - Solid Waste (LEA)

  - Waste Tire Enforcement​

Who and What are the top polluters?

AMMONIA, FORMALDEHYDE, MANGANESE COMPOUNDS, LEAD COMPOUNDS, HYDROCHLORIC ACID, MERCURY COMPOUNDS, CHROMIUM COMPOUNDS, NICKEL COMPOUNDS, STYRENE.

What percent of homes in your zip code have lead-based paint?

Are there SuperFund sites in your zip?

Superfund sites are the nation's worst toxic waste sites.

                                   What did you learn about the air quality in your zip code?

Santa Clara County ranked among the dirtiest/worst 10% of all counties in the U.S. in terms of person-days in exceedance of national air quality standard for ozone (8-hour).

How about the water quality?

How did your zip code fair on a social justice/ environmental justice basis?

Santa Clara County comprises of different races and ethnic communities with varied socio economic status. Low income groups (occupational workers) are at high risk for diseases like asthma, allergy and dermatitis.  The worst part is that, their insurance will not cover the burden of the disease. I could clearly sense it during my internship tenure at Breathe California.

I would say, screening programs for these high risk groups should be made mandatory by the policy makers and public health departments. In that way, public health issues can be narrowed marginally in high risk groups.