AUT 2009/WIN 2010

department of Environmental and occupational Health Sciences environmental health news

Impacts of climate change on health 2

Impacts of scientific evidence to support ozone limits 3

Stimulus funds 4

Superfund re-funded 6

Taking care of those who take care of us 8

Age friendly workplace advocate Michael Silverstein 10

Lucio Costa: My (first) 30 years in neurotoxicology 11

Hewlett-Packard gift 13

Contributing to the dialogue 13

Conference highlights 14

Continuing education 16

People & places 17 OUR DEPARTMENT IS ABOUT… clean air

Investments IN public health Researchers in our department aim to better understand and help manage occupational health risks and the effects of the environment on human health. In this issue of Research done Environmental Health News, we:

in our department n Announce our participation in a climate change study and describe how its findings can A U T 2009/wi N 2010

be used to develop effective public health interventions.

at the University ■

n Explain how research on air pollution’s effect on human health provides scientific of Washington evidence for federal and state legislation, such as the US Environmental Protection benefits the state Agency’s proposed ozone limits. n Highlight the federal stimulus package that supports training opportunities for students, and beyond. teachers, and state workers, and that contributes to advancing environmental health

Photo: Gerry Croteau research. n Showcase the impacts of continued federal and state investment in critical programs, such as the Superfund Research Program and the OSHA training program.

n Share the results of projects that deliver occupational health resources to Washington

state workers. h Ne wS H e alt Environm e ntal 1 UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON n S C H o o l o f p u B l i c H e a l t H 2 Environmental Health News ■ AUT 2009/wiN 2010 IMPACTS ...of climate changonhealth intheP related deathsin Washington stateintheyears tocome. also predicted significantlymore heat-and airpollution- the greater Seattle area over thepast25years. Theauthors duringheateventsmented higherlevels in ofmortality author oftheclimatechangereport sectionthatdocu- Pacific Northwest. population density, whichare allcharacteristicofthe milder summers,lessairconditioning,andhigher the highestimpactwillbeincitiesthatcurrently have and longerlastinginthe21stcentury. Some speculate these events willbecomemore frequent, more intense, deaths inEurope. Climatechangeprojections suggest in theUnited States andCanadathousandsof 30 years have beenresponsible forhundreds ofdeaths air quality. withincreasedand mortality temperatures andworsening change projections, and,inparticular, theratesofillness assessed publichealthconcernsassociatedwithclimate Scientist ColeFitzpatrick were amongthescientistswho Adjunct AssistantProfessor CatherineKarr, andResearch our region. Professors Michael Yost andRichard Fenske, up-to-date findingsontheimpactsofclimatechangein sity of Washington released themostcompleteand (UW) worst-case scenarios. determine practiceswe cansetinplacenow toavoid future conditionsinthePacific andto Northwest, leaders andpolicymakerstobetterunderstandpotential isworking andtheglobe.Our with department country from communitytoacrosswill vary the adverse effects onhumanhealth. consequences, suchaseroding naturalresources and tant dilemmas—climatechange—becauseofitsinevitable world leaderstodiscussoneofthiscentury’s mostimpor- Last December, President Barack Obama metwithother Preparing forclimatechangeisessentialatthestate Fenske, wassenior actingchairofourdepartment, Relatively butintenseheatwaves over short thelast Last year, theClimateImpacts Group attheUniver- Researchers predict thattheimpactsofclimatechange

discussions.” munity are ofmodelingandcommunity includedaspart and circumstances ofthedifferent groups inthecom- the project. “We wanttomakesure risks theparticular inshapingtheresearchpartners from thefirststagesof their own community.” action toprotect healthwhentheyhave dataspecificto ofHealthin theDepartment Services. Center forPublic Health Practice andassociateprofessor project withSusan Allan,director oftheUWNorthwest change,” saidFenske, whowilllead theCDC-funded of actiontoprevent healthrisksassociatedwithclimate “empower publichealthofficialstodevelop specificplans but withnocleardirection onhow toprepare.” near future. Andtheclaimsleave thepublicapprehensive, health impactsare occurringorare likelytooccurinthe evidence,” saidFenske. “Thepublic istoldthatthese of climatechangetendstobebroad andwithoutsolid those risks. to develop strategiesforhow communitiesmightreduce health risksthatwilllikelyoccurinthenext35years and researchers willwork withlocalcommunitiestostudy nearly onemilliondollarsover thenextthree years. The Healthdepartment, andAtmospheric Services, Sciences UW researchers from our tion (CDC)awarded ateamof climate change. implement changesthatmayreduce thefuture impactsof consequences. Significant timeis required todevelop and and locallevel becausetoday’s choiceswillhave long-term The Washington ClimateChange Impacts Assessment For furtherreading Allan notedthatlocalcommunitieswillbeactive According toAllan,“People are more likelytotake The evidence-basedforecast ofhealthimpactswill “The informationpeoplehearabouthealthimpacts Last fall,theCentersforDisease Control andPreven- edu/cig/files/waccia/wacciaexecsummary.pdf Conference Executive Summary: http://cses.washington. acific Northwest n

...of scientific evidence to support PROPOSED ozone limits

This year, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standard is set at 60 parts per billion. Failing to comply with proposed strengthening national ground-level ozone limits. EPA standards triggers costly development of detailed plans Ozone at ground level is one of the major air pollutants to attain compliance in the future and could result in loss characteristic of large urban centers. High concentrations of federal funding. of ozone are caused by human activities, in particular, the In our department, research on air pollution and its combustion of gasoline- or diesel-fuel engines that run impact on human health is ongoing and central to the cars, trucks, and ships. The EPA’s action would replace the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and Air Pollution primary and secondary standards set in 2008, which were (MESA-Air), the National Particle Components Toxicity criticized for not offering enough protection to human (NPACT) Initiative, and the Disease Investigation through health or vegetation by many stakeholders, including the Specialized Clinically Oriented Ventures in Environmental EPA’s Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee. Research (DISCOVER) Center, which among its projects Professor Sverre Vedal, a pulmonary physician and epi- includes experiments to study cardiovascular responses demiologist in our department, serves on the committee’s to diesel exposure. These efforts, in addition to faculty Ozone Review Panel. He says scientific evidence clearly participation on key scientific committees, will continue documents ozone’s impact on human lung function, coun- to help inform policy and regulations that are based on tering charges from oil and gas industry representatives that sound science. the EPA’s move to strengthen the standard “lacks scientific justification.” Exposure to air pollutants has been linked to For further reading a number of serious health problems, including asthma and Nadadur SS, Miller CA, Hopke PK, Gordon T, Vedal S, cardiovascular disease. According to the EPA, lowering the Vandenberg JJ, Costa DL. The complexities of air ozone limit from 75 parts per billion to 70 parts per billion pollution regulation: The need for an integrated research will yield billions of dollars in health benefits by helping to and regulatory perspective. Toxicol Sci 2007;100(2): reduce hospital and emergency visits, premature deaths, 318–27. n and missed work and school days. In addition to changing the primary standard that targets public health, the 2010 proposal introduced a secondary standard designed to protect sensitive vegetation and ecosystems. Vedal noted that the secondary standard is A U T 2009/wi N 2010

a vital addition. Continued exposure to ground-level ozone ■ reduces plant growth and increases susceptibility to disease, which can detrimentally affect agricultural productivity. Compliance with the proposed standards will be a prob- lem for many areas of the United States. In Washington, Enumclaw was cited last year by the state’s Department of Ecology for ozone levels that exceeded the current standard of 75 parts per billion. If the standard is set at 70 parts per billion, King County and other areas of the Puget Sound will likely fail to attain this level, and Spokane and Portland- Vancouver will be added to the nonattainment list if the Photos: Kathy Hall; top of page: ©2010 www.photos.com h Ne wS H e alt Environm e ntal 3 4 Environmental Health News ■ AUT 2009/wiN 2010 stimulu fund Apprenticeship Construction Training program whoare workers enrolled intheSeattle Vocational Institute Pre- the ContinuingEducation (CE)program’s totrain efforts building. protected from hazards amulti-story asthoseconstructing jobs, suchasbuildingwindturbines,shouldbewell ensure theirsafetyandhealth. Workers involved ingreen purposeful safeguards mustbeputinplaceforworkers to traditional jobfieldsbecome “greener,” careful and tional Safety andHealth (NIOSH),cautionthatas solar panels. energy-efficient resources, suchaswindturbinesand green jobsincludebuilding,installing,andmaintaining pollution, orgreenhouse gasemissions.Examples of materialsthatminimize oravoidand constructing waste, environmentally friendlyandinvolve manufacturing nationwide attention.Theyare occupationsthatare rises. conservation increase substantiallyasARRAspendingonenergyand out theeconomy. to opportunities Theyexpectnew another11,000jobsthrough- energy jobsandsupported directly saved orcreated approximately 52,000clean Advisers estimatedthatthefundsdisseminatedhave months afterARRA’s inception,theCouncilofEconomic job creation inthisarea. By theendof2009,nearlyten to expandandadoptcleanenergyinitiatives andtofoster Ten percent ofthenationalARRAbudgetwasallocated Green jobs which isbeingusedtotrainstudents,teachers,andWashington stateworkers. stimulate futuregrowth.Ourdepartmentreceivedmorethan$400,000fromthefederalstimuluspackage, awards targetedatcreatingnewjobs,retainingcurrentandadvancingpublichealthresearchto Obama inFebruary2009, the University of Washington hasreceivednearly$200 million ineconomicstimulus Thanks totheAmericanRecoveryandeinvestmentct(ARRA),signedintolawbyPresidentBarack investment innvironmntal andoccupational In our department, an ARRA supplement supports In anARRA supplementsupports ourdepartment, Agencies, suchastheNational Institute forOccupa- “Green-collar” or“green” jobshave beengaining instructor. andSpaceof Earth Sciences,isalsoacollaboratorand green projects certification. Marcia Baker, UW Professor Leadership inEnergy andEnvironmental Design (LEED) on criteriawiththeUSGreen Building Councilforthe aleaderinsustainablepracticesthatworked struction, withSellenteach thecourses,CEispartnering Con- courses tostudentspreparing towork ingreen jobs. To hazards. recognize andbetterprotect themselves from potential ing criticalhealthandsafetyissues,sothatworkers can department’s facultyand staffare identifyingandaddress- impacts. and thereby reduce oreliminatenegative environmental ucts, have nontoxic componentsandimproved efficiency, chemicals andchemicalprocesses thatreduce wasteprod- consistsofusingandproducing example, green chemistry occupations, injuriesandillnessescanbeprevented. For “designing out” orminimizinghazards andrisksinnew US Environmental Protection Agency(EPA). By initially ment ledby anumberoffederalagencies,includingthe “Prevention through Design,” amove- of which ispart strategies, andgreen chemistry. building systems,healthandsafetyhazards, prevention Angeles andUC-Berkeley, toteachworkers aboutgreen theUniversity partners, sortium ofCalifornia(UC)-Los retrofits. CEstaffhave developed curriculumwithcon- preparing forjobsthatinvolve green buildingandenergy In February, CEbeganoffering healthandsafety As workers are beingtrainedforgreen jobs,our Green isoneofthe“design chemistry out” strategies, n health opportunitiesforworkers investment in environmental and occupational health opportunities for workers

Research experience for future workforce (MRSA) in urban areas and on Puget Sound recreational In the last 50 years, environmental health responsibilities beaches. MRSA is an opportunistic pathogen that is spread have significantly expanded. Skilled professionals are via contact with infected surfaces or persons, and it has needed to adequately respond to complex environmental become a major health concern in hospitals and in health conditions that affect millions of people. And yet, communities. “ample evidence indicates that the environmental public Another student collected air filter samples from health workforce is too small to meet its responsibilities,” firefighters in Georgia performing prescribed burns. stated the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Woodsmoke is made up of a variety of different gases and its 2003 report, “National Strategy to Revitalize Environ- particles, which makes it difficult to assess exposures to mental Public Health Services.” specific components of concern, such as 2.5 micrometers Between 1998 and 2008, environmental sciences or smaller particles. The student was testing the accuracy graduate degree programs at 40 accredited schools of of a woodsmoke biomarker to assess the firefighters’ public health had a 20% decrease in the number of occupational exposures. students earning advanced degrees, according to the This program is supported by a five-year grant from Association of Schools of Public Health. To help better the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. prepare and retain students in the field, our department With a supplemental grant from ARRA, the 2010 summer has developed the Environmental Health Research program will be able to fund a total of 10 trainees and two Experience Program, a nine-week, summer internship science educators from other colleges. that offers select undergraduates first-hand experience in the laboratories of leading environmental and For further reading occupational health researchers. This program targets Executive Office of the President Council of Economic outstanding students from disadvantaged or under- Advisers: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/ represented groups and offers them a stipend to complete microsites/100113-economic-impact-arra-second- a substantial research project. quarterly-report.pdf Students work with researchers who are investigating DEOHS Continuing Education Program: environmental and occupational health issues. For http://osha.washington.edu example, in 2009, two students investigated the preva- Environmental Health Research Experience Program: lence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus http://depts.washington.edu/ehug/ehrep/ n A U T 2009/wi N 2010

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2009 Environmental Health Research Experience undergraduates (l to r): Kelsey Smith, Luke Swart, Ann Roubal, Ashley Hammerbeck, Mehak Ahluwalia, Mark Crippen, Dominique Bibbin

Photos right: Sarah Fish above: ©2010 www.photos.com h Ne wS H e alt Environm e ntal 5 6 Environmental Health News ■ AUT 2009/wiN 2010 important toadvancelearning.”important working alone, but working together isalso solutions,” says Sherwood. “We’re usedto don’t understandandwork togethertocreate they say or it about talk can they struggling, answers toproblems. “Whenstudentsare with up come to peers their with work where peopleare willingtotake risksand community a creates method the feels She used by theUWscientistsinherclassroom. scientists collaborate. how and skills research learned she because Rather, shefound theexperiencevaluable conceptsshelearnedtoherstudents.biology wasn’tlaboratory aboutteachingtheneuro- in life for careers. HerexperienceinXia’s early students preparing in role important an predilections.” Therefore, asateacher, shehas undifferentiated intermsoftheirskillsand explains thatstudentsinherclassare “fairly Lowell SchoolinSeattle. Elementary She years, andcurrently teachesfirstgradeat take thistraining backtotheclassroom. based research experienceandwasableto summer 2009.Sherwood gainedlaboratory- Sherwood during towork inherlaboratory schoolteacher Xia hired elementary Teresa Zhengui Professor funding, ARRA Using Scienc Educat Ion Arr FUNDS Professor ZhenguiXiainthelab. Josh student graduate Sherwood, r: to l She hopestoapply thecollegialmethod four for educator an been has Sherwood E lementary school teacher teacher school lementary

T Photo: Elizabeth Sharpe eresa eresa P n

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UW SUPERFUND our department anddirectedour department by Professor Checkoway. Harvey and todevelop methodsforremediating toxic exposures. and environmental hazards associatedwithSuperfund chemicals (SRP), whosetwofoldmissionistoconductresearch intohuman sity-based research through theSuperfund Research Program mental Health Sciences(NIEHS)provides fundingforuniver- The public healthinterventions. National Institute of Environ- human, animal,andenvironmental healthiscriticaltotargeting fund sitesandtodeterminetheriskthesesubstancespose long time. site chemicalsare notnew, butpersistintheenvironment fora Oregon have 250designatedSuperfund sites.Some ofthewaste state andtribalgovernments. Alaska, Washington, Idaho, and sites. TheEPA administers theprogram, incooperationwith was passedin1980toenforce thecleanupofhazardous waste tion, andLiabilityAct, commonlyreferred toas“Superfund,” fish from thesewaters. of Health advisesagainsteating crab, shellfish,andmostkindsof to theriver’s pollutionlevels, the Washington State Department Superfund National Priority Listforremediation activities.Due which isusedby several speciesofPacific salmon,isontheEPA fish, andeven inus. For example,thelower Duwamish River, ous pollutants. Yet, contaminantsstillshow upinourrivers, in for protecting theenvironment andpublichealthfrom hazard- The US Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) is responsible In 2009,NIEHSrenewed fundingfortheSRPhousedin How toeffectively monitorthesechemicalsfoundat Super- The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensa- UW SUPERFUND research program re-funded

This federal funding has supported our program’s critical reduce the risk of adverse biological outcomes associated with research on environmental pollutants for 23 years. chemical exposures. One of 15 nationally, the SRP at the University of SRP researchers share relevant research findings and work Washington (UW) began in 1986 as a basic laboratory with community and tribal groups who are concerned about program to identify biomarkers that may reflect chemical hazardous waste. These include groups affiliated with the exposures, biological damage, or an increased susceptibility lower Duwamish waterway, Bunker Hill in Idaho, and the to disease or injury in humans. Later, SRP’s emphasis shifted Midnite Mine on the Spokane Indian Reservation. SRP also to applying basic research in real-life settings, namely, the works with various regional non-profits, which are involved effects of neurotoxicants, or chemicals that affect the in cleaning up hazardous waste sites in and near their nervous system, on human health and the environment. impacted communities. In humans, the amount of exposure to these chemicals can In another project, scientists are investigating the role trigger a range of effects, from commonly occurring and of two genes (PON1 and PON2) in various neurodegenera- reversible symptoms, such as dizziness or headaches, to tive diseases, including Parkinson’s disease and cholinesterase irreversible nervous system damage that can result in inhibition from pesticide exposure in farm workers. Depres- debilitating neurodevelopmental disorders or chronic sion of the enzyme cholinesterase by certain pesticides can neurodegenerative diseases, such as parkinsonism. affect the normal transmission of nerve signals and result in Mixtures of environmental chemicals are present in local continuous stimulation of the nervous system, manifested Superfund sites, such as the lower Duwamish waterway. as muscle twitching, hypersecretion, nausea, and headaches. Several species of Puget Sound salmon encounter low levels PON1 and PON2 are also enzymes, and play an important of pesticides and toxic trace metals during their migrations role in breaking down certain pesticides into less toxic forms. from fresh to salt water. Although some compounds are at Checkoway and Associate Professor Jing Zhang (UW levels not considered harmful, they can still interfere with Department of Pathology) lead other SRP projects. They are the salmon’s ability to detect predators and prey and to conducting research on a cohort of professional welders. locate their natal streams. Professor Evan Gallagher, deputy Checkoway is involved with an epidemiological study to director of the UW SRP, is studying how certain Superfund assess the effects of chronic exposure to manganese and pollutants interfere with salmon olfaction, which is the other metals with risk, severity, and progression of clinically method salmon use to detect chemical cues in the water. determined parkinsonism. Zhang is developing blood plasma Using a combination of molecular biology and bio- biomarkers of parkinsonism among the welders, which may chemical and physiological methods, his research team is ultimately be used for early disease detection and preven- developing biomarkers that can identify salmon populations tion. Research Professor Stuart Strand (UW School of Forest A U T 2009/wi N 2010

undergoing olfactory injury in polluted environments. These Resources) is directing a project that develops poplar trees ■ biomarkers will also be able to delineate areas where salmon that are able to remove solvents and neurotoxic pesticides may be at risk of olfactory injury during their migrations. from the soil. The work being done by Gallagher and other SRP Ongoing research and outreach will ultimately contribute researchers will be used to develop genetic, ecological, and to an improved understanding of risks posed by hazardous engineering methods to monitor environmental exposures, waste chemicals. identify species and individuals at risk, and ultimately to For further reading UW Superfund Research Program: Aerial view of the Duwamish River in Seattle and a warning http://www.superfund.washington.edu sign posted by the Washington State Department of Health National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences:

Photos: Dcoetzee, www.wikipedia.org; Washington State Department of Health http://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/supported/srp/index.cfm n h Ne wS H e alt Environm e ntal 7 8 Environmental Health News ■ AUT 2009/wiN 2010 taking careofthose who takecareofus and LaborCommittee. Washington State House ofRepresentatives Commerce handling inhealthcare inresponse toarequest from the program investigated issuesrelated tosafepatient Assessment andResearch forPrevention (SHARP) as well astotheirpatients.TheL&I Safety and Health them, ispotentiallyhazardous tohealthcare workers Manual handlingofpatients,liftingortransferring Safe patienthandling ated withthesetwooccupations. develop resources toreduce work-related risksassoci- with Washington stateorganizationsandagenciesto ments Project (SHIP)grants,ourresearchers teamedup of Labor&Industries (L&I)Safety andHealth Invest- to care forandprotect thepublic. individuals intheseoccupationsmayaffecttheirability workplace risks.But unlikeotherjobrisks,injuriesto occupation, thesetwocomewiththeirown setsof and keepthemoutofharm’s way. Likeanyother while fire and rescue personnelprotect ourloved ones workers care forthesick,injured, theoldorinfirm, provide toourcommunities.Healthcare vitalservices Healthcare workers andfire and rescue personnel With from support Washington State Department a Culture forSafe Patient Handling.” Subsequently, committee toorganize a2008conference, “Creating Continuing Education (CE)program worked withthe unions, andSHARPwasformed toassisthospitals.Our made upofrepresentatives from hospitals,healthcare equipment purchases. provides hospitalswithataxcredit forpatienthandling equipmentand gram. Thelawalsoprescribes necessary care hospitalstoimplementasafepatient handlingpro- sionals face, a 2006 Washington state law required acute rates ofanyoccupationalgroup in Washington state. staff have amongthehighestbackandshoulderinjury other sectorscombined.SHARPreports that nursing four timeshigherthanclaimsforbackinjuriesfrom all injuries from hospitalsandnursinghomeswasnearly the numberofworkers’ compensation claimsforback patients canalsoharmthehealthcare worker. In 2003, result from manualpatienthandlingmishaps. Patient injury, suchasfrom fallsorskinscrapes,can heavier, andhave more seriousillnessisincreasing. and staffsafety. Thenumberofpatientswho are older, SHARP foundacloserelationship between patient A Safe Patient Handling Steering Committee In recognition oftherisksthathealthcare profes- Inadequate resources orprocedures toproperly lift Photo: Jeannette Murphy, St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute, Spokane, Washington under a SHIP grant, CE redesigned a central online in analytical chemistry and instrumentation to Washington who take care of us resource website and created a downloadable manual, state organizations and agencies. Submitted air samples Best Practices for Safe Patient Handling, to assist Wash- frequently failed to pass because the measured water ington hospitals in implementing cost-effective patient vapor content exceeded OSHA standards. handling programs that protect both patients and With funding from a SHIP grant, EH Lab staff healthcare employees. worked with four fire departments in Snohomish county, Yakima, and on Camano Island, and with the Global Safe breathing air Diving & Salvage, Inc. in Seattle to test six different Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) is essential commercial measurement kits. personal protective equipment used by firefighters and Water vapor is the most difficult component of breath- rescue personnel. When fire and smoke in a burning ing air to analyze accurately. Frequently, failure to pass the building make the air unsuitable to breathe, firefighters water vapor requirement is caused by the sampling itself, wear SCBA, a face mask coupled with a tank of com- concludes EH Lab Director Russell Dills. He explains that pressed air. It is also used for protection from toxic sampled breathing air can be easily exposed to ambient air, fumes or an oxygen-deficient atmosphere. Divers use a which holds a great deal more water vapor than the sample slightly different apparatus to accommodate breathing itself, and thus can contaminate the sample and distort the in deep-water operations. final measurement. For example, air on a typical 50°F day Equipment failure is relatively rare, considering the could hold anywhere between 7,600 and 12,300 ppm of number of times that SCBA is used. Yet, a technical water vapor. report issued by the US Fire Protection Service in 2001 Dills found a great deal of variety in the commercially cautions that SCBA can fail and recommends that available methods used to collect and measure breathing equipment be regularly inspected, maintained, and air samples. He plans to develop best practices guidelines upgraded. Federal regulations enforced by the Occupa- to help agencies and organizations better identify the qual- tional Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) require ity and competency of kits used to measure compressed breathing air tanks to be tested quarterly and when any breathing air. breathing air system is modified. Many fire departments test their own tanks using commercial measurement For further reading kits. Oxygen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, Safe Patient Handling in Washington state: condensed oil, and water content are all measured. http://www.washingtonsafepatienthandling.org/ Water content can become a significant issue for OSHA respiratory protection standards: http://www. rescue teams working in colder climates. Under typical osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_ conditions, breathing air from the tank cools when it id=12716&p_table=standards n expands and is released through the regulator. Water vapor may then condense, and if the temperature of A U T 2009/wi N 2010

outside air is cold enough, the condensed water can ■ freeze, slowly build up, and ultimately block the valve’s release of air. OSHA requires the water content to be less than 24 parts per million (ppm), or even lower, depending on the outside temperature where the tank is used. Our Environmental Health Laboratory (EH Lab) has been testing breathing air for 30 years. Accredited by the American Industrial Hygiene Association, the EH Lab offers a wide range of services h Ne wS H e alt Environm e ntal Photo: Marc Beaudreau 9 10

Environmental Health News ■ AUT 2009/wiN 2010 fOCUS OnFACULTY past 30years(1977–2007) Percent increaseinemploymentbyageandsexthe

Percent increase AGE FRINDL 100 150 200 50 0 the USEnvironmental Protection Agency. School ofPublic Affairsin2007. She now works for degree andtheDaniel from J.Evans ourdepartment student, Yolanda Sanchez, received ajointMPA/MS at theUniversity ofColoradoinDenver. Another Mountain andPlains Education andResearch Center mental andOccupational Health, 2009)isnow atthe successful careers. Kenneth Scott(MPH, Environ- 16+ 59 101 65+ Men 65+ 75 Y workplaceadvocate MICHAELSILVERSTIN Source: USBureau ofLaborStatistics

W in seeingformerstudents Silverstein findsgratification they alsowanttoengage.” don’t wanttomerely listen; work with brightstudentswho 2001. researchers andstudentssince rating withourdepartment’s Silverstein hasbeencollabo- Clinical Professor Michael Age 147 65+ omen He saysitis“energizing to

65–69 85 70–74 98 172 75+ http://www.agefriendlyworkplace.org/ Designing theAgeFriendly Workplace: For furtherreading He headedthesamedivisionfrom 1997to2005. developing, implementing,andenforcing regulations. workplace safetyandhealthin Washington stateby and Health Administration. Thestateagency oversees state equivalent ofthefederalOccupational Safety Safety andHealth (DOSH)atL&I.DOSHisthe Assistant Director oftheDivision ofOccupational Drozdowsky, Bruce Coulter, andLena Wang. RickGoggins,Scott aswell Sharon asL&Ipartners former Curriculum Manager andalumnusKenneth faculty membersSteven Hecker andKateStewart and ground.” drives me—addressing problems attheirbase,onthe doing front-line publichealthwork. That’s what able toapplyresearch findingstopracticesettings. Safety andHealth Investments Project, Silverstein was State ofLaborandIndustries Department (L&I) severe injuriesonthejobincrease withage. tothesephysiologicalchanges,thenumbersof in part more prevalent andphysicallimitationsincrease. Due Silverstein. Asworkers age,chronic conditionsbecome toagrayingworkforce,challenges particular explains have notdeveloped programs orpoliciestoaddress the of 65hasincreased significantly, andmanycompanies number ofpeoplewhocontinueworking aftertheage and private practiceforanagingworkforce. The place” thatwillbetterprepare laborunions,industry, workshop called“Designing theAgeFriendly Work- regional toshowcase forum aninnovative training In December 2009,Silverstein ina participated Silverstein recently acceptedthepositionof Also involved indeveloping thecurriculumwere Silverstein says,“Ihave spentmostofmycareer With thiscurriculum,fundedby the Washington n

Photo: Letty Limbach my (first) 30 years in neurotoxicology by Lucio G. Costa above: Lucio Costa’s lab, l to r: Khoi Dao, Kathryn VanDeMark, Pam EDITOR’S NOTE: Roque, Marina Guizzetti, Lucio Costa, Professor Lucio Costa delivered the UW School of Public Health’s Daniella Pizzurro, Gennaro Giordano, (SPH) Winter 2010 Distinguished Faculty Lecture. This story Jing Chen, and Candice Suping was originally published in the SPH’s February E-news.

After a degree in Pharmacology at the University of Milan, contribute to neurodevelopmental and the then-mandatory year in the Italian army, I chose a disorders (lead and methylmercury are postdoctoral offer from the University of Texas in Houston the two most famous examples), as well over a more lucrative one from a multinational pharmaceu- as to neurodegenerative disorders, such as tical industry. I have never regretted it, as it was the start Parkinson’s disease. Neurotoxicity issues are of my career in neurotoxicology. In Houston, I was asked also associated with substances of abuse (alcohol, to understand why animals may become tolerant to the drugs), side effects of pharmaceuticals, global pesticide neurotoxic effects of organophosphorus insecticides. We1 poisonings, and exposure to natural neurotoxins or discovered that this was due, to a great extent, to a decrease environmental contaminants. Neurotoxicology thus offers in the number of cholinergic muscarinic receptors (the a myriad of possible avenues of research projects of great proteins that bind the neurotransmitter acetylcholine) in scientific interest and relevance for public health. brain and peripheral tissues. This project started my interest Since my arrival at the University of Washington in in the nervous system and how it may be adversely affected 1983, I have been involved in a number of projects in the by chemicals. field of neurotoxicology. A central focus of my research

Neurotoxicology—the study of substances that harm has been the mechanisms involved in neurotoxic effects on A U T 2009/wi N 2010

both the mature and the developing nervous system, such ■ nerve cells and the underlying mechanisms—has a primary role in toxicology: most chemicals known to be toxic to as our studies with ethanol. It is well known that exposure humans are neurotoxic; the standards for exposure (both oc- to alcohol in utero may be associated with fetal alcohol cupational and environmental) to several chemicals are often syndrome (FAS), initially described by several UW inves- driven by neurotoxic effects; and neurotoxic chemicals may tigators. My work on cholinergic muscarinic receptors led —continued on page 12

1 I once heard that there are three types of “we”: the normal we (= us), the royal we (= I), and the scientist’s we (= they). None of the work summarized in this article would have been possible without the hard work of students and research scientists in my laboratory and the precious and indispensable collaboration of many colleagues. Space limitations are the only reason they are not mentioned. h Ne wS H e alt Environm e ntal 11 12

Environmental Health News ■ AUT 2009/wiN 2010 —continued from page11 acrylamide (glycidamide) thatismostlikelyinvolvedacrylamide inits tohemoglobinanddiscoveredof acrylamide ametaboliteof to therest ofthebody. system that transmitsinformationfrom thecentralnervous that involves damagetothevast communicationsnetwork to induceperipheralneuropathy, aformofneurotoxicity foods prepared athightemperatures. isknown Acrylamide research isalso produced laboratories.Acrylamide insome the manufacture ofglues,paper, andcosmetics;aswell asin used inthetreatment ofdrinkingwater andwastewater;in achemicalwhose polymersare our work withacrylamide, susceptibility totoxicants. Anexampleofthesestudiesis and validation ofbiomarkers, orindicatorsofexposure and pollutants. retardants, anemergingclassofwidespread environmental domoic acid,andpolybrominated diphenyletherflame (a familyofinsecticides/acaricides),themarinetoxin the mechanismsbehindneurotoxicity offormamidines seen invivo exposure. some mechanisticbasisforoftheeffectsalcohol ability tofosterneuronal differentiation, thusproviding in astrocytes. Ethanol impairstheirproliferation andtheir inhibiting theactionofacetylcholineatmuscarinicreceptors acteristic star-shapedcellsinthebrainandspinalcord, by pronounced inastrocytes,of alcoholisparticularly char- We have subsequently shown that thisbiochemicaleffect of FAS, andinhibitionofmuscarinicreceptor signaling. cause microencephaly, orasmallbrain,whichishallmark mental neurotoxicity. cholinergic systemmayunderlieatleastsomeofitsdevelop - spurred thehypothesisthatinteractionsofalcoholwith sensitive tothetoxicthat isparticularly effectsofethanol, so-called braingrowth aperiodofbraindevelopment spurt, serendipitous discovery ofanenhancedsignalingduringthe by thesereceptors, andtheirmodulationby chemicals.The to investigations ofsignaltransductionpathwaysactivated In ourresearch, we identifiedadducts(orcombinations) A secondarea ofmyresearch hasbeenthedevelopment Other projects over theyears have involved figuring out We found strong correlations between ethanol’s ability to toxicity of certain organophosphorus insecticides. organophosphorus toxicity ofcertain PON1 anddemonstrateditsrole inmodulatingtheneuro- Sciences) have ledtothemolecularcharacterizationof of Medicine [Division ofMedical Genetics] andGenome with Research Professor ClemFurlong (UWDepartments insecticides. Our more than25years ofcollaborative work expected tobemore sensitive totheneurotoxicity ofcertain Individuals witha“low activity” PON1enzymewouldbe in lipidmetabolismandhence,cardiovascular diseases. during World War role II).PON1also playsanimportant phates (aclassofinsecticidethatwasoriginallysynthesized that isinvolved organophos- inthemetabolismofcertain focusing onparaoxonase (PON1),apolymorphicenzyme duals, are anadditionalarea ofmyresearch. One project is indivi- polymorphisms, i.e.,geneticvariations incertain risks forhumans. formationinfoodanditspossible to studiesonacrylamide amide inunexposedanimalsandhumans—openedthefield - at thattime—thepresence ofhemoglobinadductsacryl well aspredict, potentialneurotoxicity. of cumulative exposure tothischemicalandcanidentify, as are anexcellenthemoglobin adductsofacrylamide indicator inChina.Our findingsindicatedthat producing factory in animalsand,later, inagroup ofworkers inanacrylamide- carcinogenic effects. We then validated thesemeasurements Costa LG, Giordano G,Guizzetti M.Neurotoxicology Costa LG, EatonDL.Gene-Environment Interactions: Aschner M,CostaLG. The Role of Glia in Neurotoxicity. Costa LG, Furlong CE.Paraoxonase (PON1)inHealth and Costa LG, Manzo L.Occupational.CRC Neurotoxicology For furtherreading Biomarkers ofsusceptibility, whichoftenreflect genetic Years later, thatwe didnotfollow someobservations up Fundamentals ofEcogenetics. Wiley, 2006. CRC Press, 2004. Publisher, 2002. Disease: Basic.Kluwer andClinicalAspects Academic Press, 1998. in Vitro: Methods andProtocols. Springer (inpress).

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JAMES WOODS Photo: Adrian Purser, www.wikipedia.org Contributing HP gift supports to the dialogue: virtual keyboard study H1N1 flu vaccine

In the near future, the keyboard as our fingers know it Last year, the World Health Organization announced that may feel very different. The popularity of touchscreen a pandemic of the H1N1 flu was underway. Health officials phones with virtual keyboards is one indication that urged everyone to get vaccinated. The vaccine that the new designs may replace traditional desktop keyboards. Federal Drug Administration licensed has been criticized What will these different keyboards mean ergonomi- because the multi-dose vials contain thimerosal, a mercury- cally? With a gift from the Ergonomics Research & containing compound that is used as a preservative to Development Program at Hewlett-Packard (HP), a prevent bacterial and fungal growth. It is also used during research team led by Associate Professor Peter Johnson vaccine production to inactivate certain organisms and is piloting one of the first ergonomics studies to toxins and to maintain a sterile production line. evaluate ways people use touchscreen devices and how EH News talked to Research Professor James Woods, the device’s design may influence an individual user’s a toxicologist, about thimerosal in vaccines. comfort and efficiency. Q: Why not use another preservative? Johnson has a longstanding relationship with HP, A: Thimerosal is very effective. It does not reduce the as well as Microsoft and Logitech. He says the gift from potency of the vaccines that it protects and does not HP is a result of previous work he and his research team have done for the company to assist with the decompose as other preservatives can. design and evaluation of various new keyboards and Q: what is the concern about using thimerosal? computer mice. A: Mercury in any form is toxic to the brain, kidney, and Touchscreen devices can mimic typing by having other organs if given in high enough dosage and/or the user lightly tap on the virtual keyboard keys, and for prolonged periods. People are concerned about they also allow a wider variety of hand gestures, such thimerosal in vaccines because children receive many as a swipe to roll the text down or close an application. inoculations during the first months of life, and before The researchers engineered tools to accurately measure 2001, most of these vaccines contained thimerosal as a the ergonomic impact of operating a touchscreen vir- preservative. tual keyboard. Based on these measurements, they are studying how to optimize the design of a touchscreen Q: Has research shown a link between thimerosal and keyboard to match the user. They are also investigating autism? the physical and performance trade-offs between using A: Research to date shows no significant association

keyboards with keys and using virtual keyboards. between thimerosal exposure and autism. However, it A U T 2009/wi N 2010

An advantage of the touchscreen keyboard is the ■ remains to be determined whether mercury exposure size scalability of the virtual keys, Johnson explains. The at a critical time of neurological development might current one-size-fits-all computer keyboard may not increase the risk of developing autism or other devel- be the best fit for everyone. Their studies have shown opmental disorders in genetically susceptible children. that smaller sized devices put less strain on women and children’s wrists, arms, and shoulders. Q: Should parents avoid having their children The research team also includes Exposure Sciences vaccinated from multi-dose vials? master’s student Margaret Hughes, bioengineering A: No. The health risks of not being vaccinated for H1N1 undergraduate Lavi Aulck, researcher Erin Stamper or other infectious diseases greatly outweigh any (MPH, Environmental and Occupational Health, risks that might possibly be associated with vaccines 2009) and Senior Fellow Charlotte Lewis. n themselves. n h Ne wS H e alt Environm e ntal 13 14

Environmental Health News ■ AUT 2009/wiN 2010 highlights conference advocates, private-sector individuals,andstudents from cians, government agency representatives, environmental tribal rightsandfishconsumption. the challengingissuesinherent inthe relationship between ecologists, andnutritionists—sitside-by-side andconsider and scientists—includingfisheriesbiologists,toxicologists, sions. Rarely, however, do tribalgovernment representatives needed toinformstateandfederalgovernment-level deci- tribes. Tribal perspectives andtribalgovernment contextsare cultural, spiritual,nutritional,andceremonial resource for these communities. consumption ratesdonotaccuratelyreflect theneedsof may belimited.Asaresult, decisionsbasedoncurrent fish waters maybecontaminatedandaccesstowaterresources available tothesegroups becauserivers, lakes,andmarine oftheirtraditionalheritageanddiet.Lessfisharepart than theamountoffishnative groups onceconsumedas cleanup standards. However, current ratesare muchlower water qualitydecisionsinourregion, suchasdetermining Fish consumption ratesare frequent drivers formaking by AlisonSchererandElaineM.Faustman Tribal RightsandFishConsumptionWorkop That changedin August 2009whendozens ofacademi- Fish inthePacific Northwest represent anessential learned, and determined key issues in Washington state. state. Washington in issues Photo: Sarah Fish key lessons determined shared and studies, learned, relevant discussed Workshop Participants intheT Superfund Research Program. and theResearch Translation andOutreach Core oftheUW Northwest CenterforHuman Health andOcean Studies, Risk AnalysisandCommunication, theUWPacific tribalws/index.php?doc=home. tion totheworkshop’s website: http://depts.washington.edu/ tributed resources related totribalrightsandfishconsump- contaminated waters.Sponsors alsocon- andparticipants tribal groups inthedevelopment ofcleanupstandards for that have successfully incorporatedneedsoflocal efforts sions oftribalrightsandfishconsumptionhighlighted represented 14 tribes. sity of Washington (UW). Twenty-seven oftheparticipants forthePacificand Opportunities Northwest” atthe Univer- “Tribal RightsandFish Consumption Workshop: Issues Washington, Oregon, Idaho, andAlaskaattendedthe The workshop wassponsored by theUW Institute for The workshop covered legal,cultural,and healthdimen- ribal RightsandFishConsumption n

western migrant stream forum Better Health for Hispanic Communities in Idaho

Professor Matthew Keifer and Pacific Northwest Agricul- the participants’ risk of metabolic syndrome, indicated tural Safety and Health Center (PNASH) Research Coor- by a combination of conditions that include obesity, high dinator Rachel Schwartz described a unique educational blood pressure, and elevated glucose. outreach project at the February 2010 Western Migrant More than 500 participants have been pre-enrolled in Stream Forum sponsored by the Northwest Regional the project. Results from the first pilot of 10 families were Primary Care Association. The meeting in Seattle brought promising, and showed that participants were increasing together researchers, clinicians, and public health profes- their exercise as well as consumption of fruits and vegeta- sionals to discuss policies, clinical issues, and outreach and bles while decreasing consumption of fried and junk food. educational practices that impact farmworker health, and Fifty-three percent of the surveyed family members moved in particular, migrant farmworker health. from suboptimal to optimal health. Keifer and Schwartz are project evaluators for the The Idaho Partnership for Hispanic Health is a col- Idaho Partnership for Hispanic Health, which works to laboration among PNASH, the Mountain States Group, improve the health and well-being of Hispanics in two and the Centro de Comunidad y Justicia. The partnership rural communities in southwest Idaho. At the forum, they works with the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs, showcased Compañeros en Salud or Partners in Health, an Weiser Memorial Hospital, and Elmore Medical Center. educational wellness program taught by Ignacio Cornejo Funding for the project was provided by the National and Martha Saldivar. The aim of the project is to improve Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, which nutrition and increase physical activity in order to lower is part of the National Institutes of Health. n

ANNUal Agricultural safety day The Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center staffed educational booths for agricultural workers at the Annual Agricultural Safety Day on March 3, 2010, in Yakima, Washington. Pictured below is PhD student Jenna Armstrong, who is using florescent tracer, an educational tool to show workers how pesticide contamination can occur and to help workers evaluate their practices and protective equipment to reduce exposure. Photo: Elizabeth Sharpe A U T 2009/wi N 2010

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h Ne wS H e alt Environm e ntal 15 16

■ Environmental Health News AUT 2009/wiN 2010 teaching theclass in Spanishisthat hesitate toask education continuing The benefitof the mendon’t questions. Javier Sarmiento Sarmiento Javier spanish-language OSHA-10classesoffrd to teach the 10- and 30-hour voluntary compliance to teachthe10-and30-hourvoluntary pares safetyprofessionals experiencedconstruction connecting harnesses. safety glassesandhard hats,wearing boots,and showing himwaystoprevent injuries,suchasusing made adifference inhisprofession, heexplains, union’s apprenticeship program. TheOSHAcourses teaching, Sarmiento tookOSHAcoursesthrough his region: Alaska,Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. authorized OSHAtrainingfacilityinourfour-state Training Center(http://osha.washington.edu),theonly pational Safety andHealth Administration (OSHA) and safetycoursesforthePacific Northwest Occu- offeredhe isteachingnewly Spanish-language health health andsafetypracticesintheworkplace. Now share ofaccidents.He of atteststotheimportance more than12years, andhasseenmore thanhisfair Javier Sarmiento hasbeenacarpenterinSeattle for In 2008,hecompletedOSHA500,whichpre- During hiscareer andlongbefore hestarted Photo: Elizabeth Sharpe on thejob. vulnerabletoinjuries work makesthemparticularly to reduce hazards encountered by daylaborers, whose cautions thatthetrainingisstill limitedinitsability and changebehaviorconcerningworkplace safety. He showobservations thattrainingcanraiseawareness or askingforthem.Dominguez sayshisfollow-up safety andpersonalprotective equipmentwiththem take actiontoreduce workplace risks,suchas carrying hazards. Thesetrainedworkers were more likelyto recognize unsafesituationsandpinpointcommon theirwork. tions andobserving askingthemques- up witheachoftheparticipants, course,Dominguezand healthconstruction follows working intheUnited States aswell overseas. to engageandcontributetheirpersonalexperiences help teachduringthetwo-daycourse. levels. He andathird instructor, Bruce Millies, also to makethematerialsaccessibledifferent literacy substantially edited.Dominguez sayshewascareful research coordinator compiledand inourdepartment, Spanish camefrom materialsCarlosDominguez, a authorized OSHA-10healthandsafetycoursein questions,” Sarmiento says. explanations theycanmore easilyunderstand. questions. In theirnative language,themenreceive Spanish, hesays,isthatthemendon’t hesitatetoask his experience.Thebenefitofteachingtheclassin are receptive tothecoursecontentandinterested in hour OSHAcard. The two-daycourseprovides witha10- participants based non-profit educationandemployment office. in Spanish todaylaborers from CasaLatina,aSeattle- November 2008,hebeganteachingOSHA-10classes safetyandhealth.Thenin courses inconstruction He ispleasedwithwhathefinds:theworkers Within twoweeks afterthe10-hourOSHAsafety Dominguez are explainsthatparticipants able Offered three onaverage months,the every “They feelmore confidentaftertheyhave asked Sarmiento saystheworkers from CasaLatina n

DEOHS people & places

David Kalman, professor and chair, is on sabbatical through Professor Evan Gallagher became the director of the depart- June 2010, and Professor Richard Fenske is the department’s ment’s Toxicology program. Susan Inman is the new under- acting chair. Fenske has been the associate chair and also graduate program manager and Sean Schmidt is the new directs the Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health manager of our Northwest Center for Occupational Health Center (PNASH). and Safety Education & Research Center (NW Center). Christopher Simpson was promoted to associate professor. In August, Professor John Kissel presented on dermal absorp- Victor Van Hee (MPH, Occupational and Environmental tion at the Workshop on Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds Medicine, 2007) accepted a joint appointment as assistant in the Residential Environment at the Indoor Air Institute in professor in our department; his primary appointment is North Carolina. Associate Professor Peter Johnson presented in the Department of Medicine. Sara Dubowsky Adar also at the World Congress of the International Ergonomics accepted a joint appointment as assistant professor; her Association in Beijing, China. At the NIOSH Agriculture, primary appointment is in the Department of Epidemiology. Forestry, Fishing Workshop held in Cincinnati, Ohio, John Garland was appointed affiliate professor, and Sheela PNASH participants Professor Matthew Keifer, Program Sathyanarayana was appointed adjunct assistant professor; Manager Marcy Harrington, Research Industrial Hygienist her primary appointment is in the Department of Pediatrics. Kit Galvin, and Affiliate Professor John Garland presented Andy Dannenberg was appointed clinical professor. and led discussion sessions. From August to November, Professor Sverre Vedal partici- Professor Elaine Faustman, assisted by Research Manager pated in a faculty exchange at the University of Bergen in Eric Vigoren, co-taught a course on chemical risk evaluation Norway, where he used survey data to study the possible in Abuja, Nigeria, in collaboration with the International relationship between occupational exposure and certain Union of Toxicologists, Nigeria’s National Agency for Food lung diseases. and Drug Administration and Control, and Aiida-4 Medical Consultants, Inc. Faustman also served on a scientific orga- Professor Lianne Sheppard received the Genentech Professor- nizing committee for the World Congress on Alternatives ship in Biostatistics. and Animal Use in the Life Sciences in Rome, Italy, where Professor Michael Rosenfeld was named chair of the Na- Xiaozhong Yu, director of IRARC’s laboratory research and tional Institutes of Health’s committee on Atherosclerosis public health translation, participated in a session on repro- and Inflammation of the Cardiovascular System. duction, development, and fertility. Lecturer Richard Gleason was awarded the Lifetime Safety In September, Senior Lecturer Charles Treser helped deliver and Health Leadership Award from the Puget Sound Safety a course to home-care practitioners at the Idaho Healthy Summit, an alliance of government, management, and labor Housing Conference in Boise. At the University of Kansas groups who develop methods and solutions to improve Medical Center, Professor David Eaton was invited to speak A U T 2009/wi N 2010

workplace safety. at the 2009 Annual John Doull Symposium. He spoke on ■

Stacey Holland Stacey Leibrant Monica Rush Jessica Fish Sarah

l to r: Richard Fenske, Elizabeth Kilcline, Susan Inman, Richard Gleason h Ne wS H e alt Environm e ntal 17 18

Environmental Health News ■ AUT 2009/wiN 2010 people &places DEOHS Boston, Massachusetts. In October, Neitzel presented on Conference onInnovations inExposure Assessmentin on exposure estimationtechniquesattheInternational Environmental andOccupational Hygiene, 2009)presented Last August, Research ScientistRickNeitzel (PhD, an environmental andoccupationalhealthassessment. from squattercommunitiesinAsuncion,Paraguay, on spent thesummerworking withunionized trashpickers tal andOccupational Health MPH/MPA degree program, Rad Cunningham, astudentintheconcurrent Environmen- graduate Program inEnvironmental Health. Training andExtern Program andtheSummer Under- mental Health Officer Junior CommissionedOfficer Student interned attheCDCover thesummerthrough theEnviron- Samantha Kantrowitz, amaster’s studentin Toxicology, a Spanish-language sessiononpracticalpesticidesafety. sure, andResearchTchong-French ScientistMaria presented presented hisresults onairmonitoringforpesticideexpo- worker Education Program in Yakima, Professor Fenske At the Washington State ofAgriculture Department Farm- departments. inperformed Washington state environmental health presented onclimatechangeandsustainabilitywork in theEnvironmental andOccupational Hygiene program, mental exposures, andTania Busch Isaksen, aPhD student Hygienist Nancy Beaudet presented onpediatricenviron- Public Health Conference inAtlanta, Georgia, Industrial Prevention (CDC)-sponsored National Environmental Also inOctober, attheCentersforDisease Control and active all-dayworkshop fornearly80highschoolstudents. the School-to-Work program, helpedcoordinate aninter- Safety andHealth Conference. Darren Linker, managerof workshop atthe Washington State Governor’s Industrial In October, theNWCentersponsored aworkplace violence capacity.surveillance aimed tobuildstate-basedoccupationalepidemiologyand tional Network Meeting heldinDenver, Colorado,which Helen Murphy inthe participated Western States Occupa- also spokeatthesymposium.PNASHOutreach Director in humanhepatocytes.” Affiliate Professor Curtis Omiecinski “Modulation ofaflatoxin-DNA binding by phytochemicals

continued

Peruvian women. in on adverse outcomesassociatedwithplacentalabruption awarded Gates aMary Research Scholarshipforherresearch Environmental Health Association.In addition, Vivas was Vivas received scholarshipsfrom the Washington State Undergraduate studentsKendra Broadwater andAlyssa Daniell toevaluate apesticide-usereduction program. Cambodia onaproject ledby AssociateProfessor William Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In thewinter, Krenz worked in American Public Health AssociationAnnualMeeting in Occupational Health, received atravel scholarshiptothe Jennifer Krenz, amaster’s studentinEnvironmental and Washington, totheAutobody Association. Service also presented onpainters’ healthandsafetyinLeavenworth, her research onbestglove practicesforcarpainters.Ceballos Conference in Vancouver, Canada,where shealsopresented trial Hygiene Association’s Northwest Occupational Health scholarship atthePacific Northwest Section–American Indus- In October, Research ScientistDiane Ceballosreceived a which isfundedthrough theUWGraduate School. Health, received ourdepartment’s 2009 Top ScholarAward, Elizabeth amaster’s Kilcline, studentinEnvironmental specialist. Administration, where sheinternedasanenvironmental Steward Award from theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Environmental Exposure Sciencesprogram, received aGreen Julie Wagner, amaster’s studentintheOccupational and Seattle Metropolitan magazine. transit noisewasfeatured intheSeptember 2009editionof conference inEdinburgh, Scotland.His research onmass occupational noiseexposure assessmentattheEuroNoise

Susan Inman l tor:KendraBroadwater, AlyssaV

Courtesy of Alyssa Vivas ivas

Members of the Nicaraguan Ministry of Work Subcommission. Nicaragua is the first developing country to include ergo- nomics as a part of its occupational health and safety laws, legislation that Lecturer Kate Stewart (3rd from right) helped influence. In April, Stewart and Affiliate Professor Barbara Silverstein talked with the Minister of Work in Laos, who has requested information on how to legislate ergonomics, using the Nicaraguan law as a model. Photo: Courtesy of Kate Stewart

Rachel Fischer, a senior fellow trainee in the Occupational 2010 calendar or the biennial report, e-mail esharpe@u. and Environmental Medicine program, did a clinical rotation washington.edu or call 206-685-6737. in Brunei, a small country on the north coast of Borneo in On April 9–11, our faculty, staff, and students illustrated Southeast Asia. important research underway in our department at the Master’s students Jessica Kocian and Alexander Domesle Paws on Science: Huskies Weekend at the Pacific Science won Presidential Management Fellowships. The federal Center through interactive, hands-on activities. service program attracts students interested in pursuing On May 21, Student Research Day, an event showcasing positions in public policy. the research of graduating master’s students, will be held In March at the Alaska Governor’s Safety and Health Confer- in Room 316 of the UW South Campus Center. From ence, Research Industrial Hygienist Venetia Runnion pre- 12:30 to 1:20 pm, the event will feature five student pre- sented HexChEC, a video training package to raise awareness sentations, each representing one of our degree programs. of welders’ potential exposures to chrome 6, which was Then, from 1:30 to 3:00 pm, all graduating master’s developed by the Field Research and Consultation Group. students will present posters. Attendance at one or both Ryan Blood

Also at the conference, PhD student presented A U T 2009/wi N 2010

sessions is welcome. Refreshments will also be served.

results of a study on occupational vibration exposures experi­ ■ Please call the graduate program office at 206-543-3199 enced by a crew of snow removal operators from the City or e-mail [email protected] for more information. of Valdez Public Works Department; the department won a Governor’s Safety Award of Excellence for its proactive On June 21–22, the 2010 Symposium on Air Pollution approach to protecting its workforce. and Cardiovascular Disease will be held in the UW Tower. Organized by our Disease Investigation through Spe- Announcements & Upcoming Events cialized Clinically Oriented Ventures in Environmental Our department released the 2010 department calendar and Research (DISCOVER) Center and the NW Center, this the 2007–2009 biennial report. To view the biennial report symposium will bring together investigators to discuss online, please visit http://depts.washington.edu/envhlth/bien- how air pollution may cause cardiovascular disease. To nial_report/biennial_report_07_09/. For a print copy of the register, visit http://www.airpollutioncvd2010.com n h Ne wS H e alt Environm e ntal 19 20

Environmental Health News ■ AUT 2009/wiN 2010 return service requested Seattle, Washington 98195-7234 Box 357234 ofEnvironmentalDepartment andOccupational Health Sciences http://depts.washington.edu/envhlth. email: [email protected] . Visit usonlineat: environment. To subscribetothee-newsletter, to reduce wasteandhelpbettersustain ournatural of theUWGoing Green program, whichseeks We electronically, alsoofferournewsletter aspart Connect touselectronically what you think.http://www.tiny.cc/Environmental issue, pleaseuseouronlinefeedbackformtotellus Your tous.Afterreading feedbackisimportant this What doyouthinkofournewlook? standing current issuesthrough ourfaculty’s expertise. tributing totheDialogue” focusesonbetterunder- sectioncalled“Con- sections.Anew and addednew health. For more in-depthcoverage, we have modified cational activitiesinenvironmental andoccupational researchstill bringsyouofimportant news andedu- printandonlinematerials.EHNewsdepartmental case arevised design,whichreflects anew “family” of issue, Environmental Health News ispleasedtoshow- We’ve changed. With ourjointAut 2009/Win 2010 our newlook welcome to UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH of WASHINGTON n

print the fine n o i t a c i n u m m o c Elizabeth Sharpe b e w g n i t u b i r t n o c Cathy Schwartz Cathy Schwartz r e d a e r f o o r p Richard Fenske Adrienne Hidy t n e m t r a p e d Janice Camp t n a t s i s s a

Karen West l a i r o t i d e r e n g i s e d r e n g i s e d r o t c e r i d Sarah Fish c i h p a r g s r o t i d e Ly Pham g n i t c a r i a h c

recycled paperwithvegetable-based inks. Communications on100%post-consumerwaste Printed by University of Washington Creative ISSN number1548-1875 tional Health Sciences,University of Washington. ofEnvironmental© 2010Department andOccupa- material. appreciate receiving acopyofyour reprinted copyright noticegiven below isincluded. We would Reprint permissionisgranted,providing thatthe http://depts.washington.edu/envhlth Find onthe thedepartment Web at washington.edu/envhlth/newsletter/newsletter.php isalsoavailableThis newsletter onlineathttp://depts. E-mail: esharpe Phone: 206-685-6737 Seattle, WA 98195-7234 Box 357234 Environmental Health News Washington. Inquiries shouldbeaddressed to: Occupational Health SciencesattheUniversity of a year by ofEnvironmental theDepartment and Environmental Health News ispublishedthree times ® UNION

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