CHEC Projects
Allegheny River Stewardship Project (ARSP)
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ARSP is an effort by leading researchers, working together with concerned citizens of the Alle-Kiski Valley river communities, to determine the sources & types of river pollutants by monitoring the levels of toxins in fish living in the river. ARSP Update 2009!Exploratory Data Report: Estrogenicity of Shad Species — By Lara Huyler, MPH (CHEC Doctoral Student) — View report» Presented are graphs from ARSP showing composites of extracted shad fish fat & flesh samples taken from both Freeport & Ford City locations & added to MCF-7 breast cancer cells. MCF-7 cell proliferation tests are exquisitely sensitive for the presence of estrogenic contaminants including birth control pills (EE2), parabens & phthalates. All graphs display sample dilution vs. calculated mean estrogenicity index. The dilutions are displayed as integers based on the multiplication factor for the particular dilution. For example, the least dilute sample was 1/4000 & is displayed as 4000; the strongest sample concentration is 1/100 & is displayed as 100. Note that a number of fish composites had estrogenicity indexes of over 4 tenths of the positive estradiol control indicating significant estrogenicity. |
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Project Duration
Actual river fishing (sampling) occurred in May & early June of 2008. ARSP is expected to last until Spring 2009, when researchers will hold a series of community meetings on outcomes of the sampling results. At that time, a strategy for community action to solve identified priority problems will be determined.
Principal Investigator
Conrad Daniel Volz, DrPH, MPH — Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental & Occupational Health, University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Volz specializes in the identification & movement of contaminants through the air & soil into water & river sediment & how to block this movement.
Graduate & Undergraduate Students,
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Funders
Academic Collaborators
Project Partners |
Project Background
Results of the Pittsburgh Fish Consumption Study (fishes sampled in the fall of 2005) indicate that extracts from the flesh & fat of catfish & white bass from the contaminated Pittsburgh Pool surrounding the City of Pittsburgh moderately proliferated the growth of MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cell lines indicating the bioaccumulation of Estrogenic Active Substances (EAS) &/or metalloestrogens in fishes. Also, significantly higher levels of mercury & selenium were found in channel catfish caught upstream at Kittanning as opposed to those caught in the Pittsburgh Pool. Twenty-three percent of fish samples from Kittanning had mercury levels above the EPA human health standard of 0.3 parts per million (ppm). Power plant emissions are a major source of mercury, selenium & arsenic into aquatic environments. The plants located on the Allegheny River may be the source of higher mercury & selenium levels in Kittanning caught catfish; similarly industrial plant & municipal (especially from sewer overflows) effluent buildup in the Pittsburgh Pool could be the source of xenoestrogenic chemicals in the fishes caught there. But these are hypothesis & to further determine the sources of both the mercury & estrogenic substances more research, directly involving river communities, is needed. Additionally the fish caught at Kittanning pose a measurable risk to the health of semi- subsistence anglers & others who consume them & the boundaries of fish that are so highly contaminated with mercury needs to be determined so that fish consumption advisories can be accurately made. We also want to determine the estrogenicity of fish at other location points in the Alle-Kiski Valley, besides the original selected point at Kittanning to see if there may be more local sources of estrogenic compounds.
Expected Short & Long Term Outcomes
- To engage river community members through EOH efforts & those of other project partners in the planning, execution & data analysis portions of the project; specifically to teach both interested teenagers & community members the procedures associated with the catch & measurement, geographic positioning, gender identification, dissection, analysis & interpretation of results of the study. Expedition members will be encouraged to be critical members of the scientific team & will keep a log of observations of environmental problems.
- To understand the different spatial concentrations, along major sections of the Allegheny River, of important contaminants (carcinogenic, EDC-estrogenicity & /or toxic) of environmental public health significance in sentinel fish species including the organic & inorganic forms of mercury & arsenic, metalloestrogens such as cadmium, selenium from flyash leeching, other heavy metals & the ability of extracts to make MCF-7 human breast cancer cell lines (proxy xenoestrogen measurement) grow by the analysis of new DNA produced & cells proliferated.
- To correlate these spatial concentrations with proximity to industrial facility effluents, power plant fallout or flyash pile leechate, & municipal sewer overflows, former industrial or known waste sites &/or areas of environmental degradation (deforestation, over development etc.).
- To identify human exposures to the contaminants found in fish either through drinking water &/or fish consumption.
- To understand the risk posed to human or ecological health from these levels of contaminants in fish.
- To begin to understand the sources of emissions of contaminants into the Allegheny River & the contaminants fate in the environment.
- To obtain data, evidence, & other information that can inform policymakers in preparing for a regional approach to water management.
- To form a strategic partnership with the Venture Outdoors, The Rachael Carson Homestead, the Alle-Kiski Health Foundation & the Heinz Endowments to energize river communities, groups, schools & individuals to become stewards of the river. To raise awareness in this area of the centrality of the river to their health & well-being, not only in the sense of drinking water or fish consumption but for aesthetic, cultural, historical & recreational values.
- To set a project in motion where the lessons learned from the project will be transformed into very long-term community environmental & specific water quality goals so that the footprint of the project widens & deepens with the passage of time.
Autism & Heavy Metal Exposure (w/Children's Institute, Pittsburgh, PA)
Dr. Volz was Co-Principal Investigator for a project to determine if there was any connection between heavy metal exposures, particularly associated with coal fired plant energy production, & autism &/or autism exacerbations. This study investigated the environment of Western Pennsylvania & its effect on the neurological development of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities.
The first portion of the study consisted of creating a database of domicile, clinical & laboratory information on children followed by the Neurodevelopmental Service at the Children’s Institute. The sites of potential pollution affecting children in Western PA were documented, utilizing public sources of information. The PI reviewed the trends of this data, searching for commonalities of clinical & laboratory presentation in relation to patient domicile.
The second portion of this study described the stack emissions from the coal-fired Shippingsport power plant in 2006 & 2007. The locations of exposure to the plumes were determined, along with downwind exposure patterns occurring over subsequent weeks. Children with a form of autism or other Neurodevelopmental Disability followed at The Children’s Institute who live under or downwind of the plume had their charts carefully examined for signs of deterioration in clinical status post exposure. The case histories of these children was carefully recorded. A summary of these cases, lacking all identifying information, was created in order to denote a view of medical effects from the exposures. Selected children had measures of their immunological & metalloprotein functioning determined, & hair, nail, & urine studies done to ascertain whether they have difficulty eliminating heavy metals from their bodies. The specific duties of CHEC in this study were:
- Assist the Children’s Institute through its Principal Investigator (PI) with design of the study & hypothesis to be tested, particularly with aspects concerned with coal fired plant emissions, wastewater & waste coal & flyash.
- Research the placement locations of flyash piles throughout Southwestern PA, obtain geographic coordinates & depict on Arc View Program layer. Assist PI in determining if proximity to flyash exposure through water or air exposure could affect autism-exacerbations.
- Attempt to obtain priority pollutant monitoring data from Allegheny County Health Department & PA Department of Environmental Resources. Also attempt to obtain samples of the actual PM10 & 2.5 filters for subsequent analysis by Dr. Kingston’s group at Duquesne University for an agreed upon suite of metals. Assist in the layering of this information on Arc View Maps.
- Model plume releases from the Bruce Mansfield plant in Shippingsport under “normal” conditions of release & release when oil discharge is present. Do a Department of Environmental Resources (DEP) file review to determine industry-DEP data on content of plume releases during the “mist” release phase. Compile a report on what is generally known about plume releases from this plant including its rated output, burn temperature, any isokinetic stack samples & data on releases in the period from 2006-2007.
- Assist the PI & Research Coordinator in developing a survey instrument to be given to caretakers of children selected for more detailed environmental exposure & clinical history.
- Advise the PI about evaluatory methods & investigate all potential variables of the clinical setting that could be compared against found pollution variables for possible correlation.
- Assist the PI in the formulation of reports to the Heinz Endowments as required & also participate in production of a manuscript or manuscripts following the description &/or correlation of clinical & environmental work
- Work with the PI’s assistant & Co-PI Dr. Skip Kingston, Duquesne as required for the successful outcome of the project.
Participating CHEC Graduate Students
- Drew Michanowicz — Second Year MPH Student, Risk Assessment Certificate Candidate, GSPH
- Kyle Ferrar — First Year MPH Student, Risk Assessment Certificate Candidate, GSPH
- Christy Lawson — DrPH student, Epidemiology, MPH student, Biostatistics, & Special Topics, GSPH
The CAST: A University - High School Urban Community Collaborative Learning Experience
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The CAST (College After School Team) is a program that allows university students to participate in an after-school program for high school students at a local urban high school.
The CAST provides a framework wherein university students can collaborate with high school students on projects related to school, community, & environmental issues impacting health, well-being, & achievement. The program should appeal to university students interested in a variety of fields, including medicine, social work, public health, environmental studies, urban studies, & education.
While engaged in group learning processes & projects, university students also serve as role models & exert positive peer pressure to prepare the high school students they work with for college. More broadly, the CAST aims to help high school & university students alike learn how to take control of their lives, engage in improving their communities & environments, become leaders & agents of change, & move towards positive futures.
University students working with the CAST program are expected to form meaningful mentoring relationships with high school students. At the onset of the program, university students receive training in effective mentoring, in working in groups, &, with Earth Force, in a problem-solving process for approaching community & environmental problems. The CAST then meets at Peabody High School on Fridays from 2 to 5 PM during the academic year. Besides the Friday sessions, university students in the program also spend 2 additional hours per week, arranged at their own convenience, working on projects with high school students.
Examples of potential projects (from Fall 2004) include:
- Air pollution monitoring project (with GASP: Group Against Smog & Pollution)
- Organizing & training a core of "youth ambassadors" for pregnancy prevention (with the East Liberty Family Health Care Center)
- Male Responsibility & Leadership Project (with Healthy Start)
- Learning about international food issues, including nutritional aspects thereof (with nutrition specialists)
- A study on school cafeteria food & nutrition (with nutrition specialists)
- An energy audit of the high school building (with Conservation Consultants)
- Community gardening & renovation of a community center (with the Union Project)
- Developing an educational puppet show on lead poisoning for pre-schoolers (with Healthy Homes Resources)
- An exploration of stereotypes in rap music (with the possibility of recording at the Computer Clubhouse)
- Making a documentary film about The CAST program itself (with a professional filmmaker)
Geopositioning of Coal Burning Power Plants, Coal Combustion Waste Sites (Flyash piles) & Beneficial Use Sites for Flyash
CHEC is in the process of putting the locations of coal-burning power plants; permitted & unpermitted (Legacy) coal combustion waste sites, commonly called flyash piles; & sites where coal combustion waste has been put into mines or spread as a soil amendment (beneficial use). This work is being done so that models can be made to explore the possible connection between these sites & different environmental disease outcomes. Please Help Us - Many old flyash piles have not been kept track of over the past 100 years. If you know the location of a flyash pile that is not shown on the accompanying pdf map file-please contact Kyle Ferrar at kjf10@pitt.edu or call 412-648-2342. We need help from communities & individuals with historical knowledge to complete this map. Please check back often, as this map is updated with new information. COAL MAP (PDF)
The Original Gardeners (OGs): A Summer Neighborhood Greening Project
By involving urban high school students in community building, the Original Gardeners (OGs) Project benefits the community, high school students, & the university & its students. This collaboration between the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Healthy Environments & Communities (CHEC) & Healcrest Community Farm is an extension of CHEC’s College After School Team (CAST) program, which runs through the school year at Peabody High.
Over 8 weeks for an average of 20 hours per week, 10 high school students participate in a variety of activities:
- Working on a community urban farm in a nearby neighborhood
- Completing senior projects, under the guidance of staff & University of Pittsburgh graduate student mentors
- Keeping track of learning experiences through daily journaling
- Attending educational field trips to locations such as Nine Mile Run & Frick Environmental Center, covering such topics as pollution & health, sustainable development, urban farming & gardening, & cooking with herbs
Through the above activities, the program aims to achieve the following benefits:
- Empower the high school students to see how they can create change in the community
- Teach the students about important topics such as environmental health, nutrition, & sustainable community development
- Encourage the students to think about their career goals, & to pursue further education
- Provide college & graduate students with a valuable internship experience
- Deepen relationships between the University of Pittsburgh, community groups & neighborhoods
Staff members include CHEC-affiliated public health graduate students Andrea Arrington, Andrea Grana & Eric Hulsey; Graduate School of Public Health staff Tammy Thomas; & Healcrest Community Farm director Maria Graziani. CHEC staff member Dave Wheitner also assists intermittently.
The students have already made great progress at Healcrest Farm: weeding & maintenance of the existing garden at the farm, clearing & tilling an area for their own vegetable/herb plot, clearing a large area of invasive Japanese knotweed & establishing a Humanure outdoor composting toilet, & constructing a rainwater collection system!
The Original Gardening Team wishes to thank the following for their support: the Frick Environmental Center, Greenlots, Healcrest Community Farm, the Heinz Endowments, Joanie Lapic, Mildred's Daughters Farm, Nine Mile Run Watershed Association, Casey at River Valley School, the Rosedale Block Cluster, Whole Foods, & the caring neighbors in the surrounding communities.
Pittsburgh Regional Environmental Threat Analysis (PRETA)
ETA Definition | ETA Key Steps | Initial Steps, PRETA Work Plan | Initial List, Environmental Threats
The Center for Healthy Environments & Communities (CHEC) is formulating a work plan to perform an environmental threat analysis for the Southwestern Pennsylvania region (as defined by the Southwestern PA Commission).
Environmental Threat Analysis (ETA) Key Steps:
- Define the geographical scope of the area undergoing the environmental threat analysis.
- Define the targeted groups (organizations, environmental groups, institutions & populations) for which the environmental health threat analysis will cover.
- Scan for environmental threats, which includes:
(1) Listing strategically important environmental problems to the organization(s), groups, institutions, & populations as identified in the last bullet point;
(2) Identifying the list of threats as well as existing & possible solutions to these threats;
(3) Benchmarking threat solutions to best practices or gold standards both locally & globally; &
(4) Understanding the strategic policy implications of threats.
See Initial List of Environmental Threats. - Monitor/Track an environmental threat, which involves tracking the threat(s) over time & a more in-depth analysis of the issues that are scanned. An example of monitoring/tracking an environmental threat is creating a geographical map of mean exposure to Particulate Matter (PM)2.5 from 1998 to 2008. This map was compiled from EPA Clean Air Act monitoring station data throughout the Southwestern PA region & is smoothed by inverse distance weighting. This type of analysis creates rich pictorial representations of exposure over the time period examined & allows all participants in the environmental threat analysis to understand areas within the region with higher exposure – &, thus, a higher health risk for the disease outcomes associated with the modeled contaminant.
- Forecast changes in strategic environmental threats – An example of forecasting is seen in the computational work currently being carried out regarding global climate change. Projections include rising ocean levels & an emergence of infectious vectors like mosquitoes in areas that current climate states are not conducive to survival but may be in the future. Forecasting threats can also include Delphi panels. These are focus groups of experts convened to systematically evaluate scanned & monitored information. This may also involve trend extrapolation, which is tracking an environmental threat & mathematically using the data gathered to predict future changes, given assumptions regarding the character of economic, cultural, social, meteorological, & other changes in the future.
- Assess the strategic importance of environmental health threats, which uses qualitative & quantitative approaches that can help rank the issues strategically. Again, in the context of environmental threats (& opportunities), one technique that can be used to help rank the threat to human populations is to use morbidity & mortality data available on a range of disease end states & organize the data visually using GIS techniques by community, census tract, or zip code. These health outcome maps can be overlaid onto exposure maps as described & shown under Monitor/Track to help determine if links may exist between exposure & disease states; this is also a hypothesis-generating operation to uncover potential problems, whose linkages can only be studied using environmental epidemiological techniques.
- Diffuse the results of the environmental threat analysis into relevant organizations, institutions, regional population & specific sub-population groups who need or may benefit from the information.
Initial Steps — PRETA Work Plan
Additional steps will be announced soon. Please revisit the CHEC website regularly.
- Create a list of key informants from regional academic institutions, foundations, regulatory bodies in environment & public health fields, environmental organizations, state & local government officials, & community groups.
- Interview key informants with a semi-structured set of questions, leaving the informant free to express their opinions, provide data, & cite programs they think have been successful in mitigating expressed environmental threats. Key informants will also be asked to help judge the effectiveness of existing programs – Are they working? – Will they work given adequate time & resources?
- Compile information from key informant interviews, using qualitative research methodologies, into domains & sub-domains of important environmental threats. Similarly, catalogue best-practices that may be used to eliminate or alleviate environmental threats. Performance of Initial Steps 1, 2, and 3 are iterative, as information from key informants will influence additional interviewees & any new questions CHEC will ask them.
- Solicit public perceptions of important environmental threats to the region as a whole or to their specific cities, towns, townships &/or communities with an online survey. American Public Health Association presenters may also be surveyed to determine national best-practices for alleviating environmental threats.
- Develop a list of best practices that have been used locally or elsewhere to eliminate/alleviate environmental threats. CHEC staff will be attending the American Public Health Association’s 2009 Conference in early November to compile & evaluate peer-reviewed reports by public & environmental health researchers that have shown evidence-based results relative to diminishing or eliminating environmental threats. APHA presenters may also be surveyed to determine national best-practices for alleviating environmental threats. Additionally, CHEC will review the academic literature, government reports, & reports from environmental & public health non-profit organizations to develop a library of best-practices / gold standards capable of diminishing or eliminating environmental threats.
- Scanregional governmental, academic, environmental organization & watershed protection group’s publications and websites, as well as local newspaper articles, for evidence of regional environmental threats & programs & projects that show promise of environmental threat reduction or elimination. See Initial List of Environmental Threats.
- Survey Pittsburgh regional environmental-watershed groups; regional (city, town, county, municipality, township) governmental entities; federal, state & local environment & health agencies; & academic institutions for environmental threats & programs to reduce threats or health risk. In the near future, CHEC will mail a letter requesting the above entities to complete an electronic survey, which will be posted on the CHEC website.
- Monitor/Track known & well documented regional environmental threats, such as criteria air pollutants & fish consumption advisories. Benchmark indicators of these threats to threat indicators in other comparable regions in the country.
Please visit CHEC’s site often to view & submit survey questions (coming soon) & to follow the progress of PRETA!
Additional Information:
Definition: Environmental threat analysis
An environmental threat is any environmental or environmental public health factor or problem that has been shown to cause or may increase risk to: the survival, growth & development, or reproduction of plants & animals &/or the morbidity & mortality of humans, respectively. An analysis of this kind examines such threats. Examples of threats to ecological receptors can include factors such as habitat destruction & water quality problems. Examples of threats to human populations can include exposures to toxic substances, such as arsenic or airborne particulate, that are causally linked to decrements in health outcomes or raise the risk for decrements in health outcomes. Very often environmental problems are intimately linked to environmental public health problems. For instance, commercial or residential development in critical watersheds destroys necessary habitat for many plant & animal species; it also decreases the ecological services necessary for adequate purification & retention of water. These problems, in turn, create additional problems for ecological receptors, as well as for human populations. These problems include increases in contaminant loads in water, channelization & erosion of streams & rivers, & downstream storm surges & flooding.
(See Chain of Causation, pg. 7, PDF)
Initial List of Environmental Threats
Below categories of environmental/environmental health threats are presented. These threats have been outlined in US EPA guidance documents for comparison & prioritization of environmental risks; they have been supplemented by other academic literature & the experience of the CHEC staff. The categories are in no particular sequence, & the position of each does not denote that the threat category presented has more or less importance than any other threat. These threats can be combined in other ways for ease of presentation to expert groups, key informants, regional organizations, institutions, & governmental bodies. Please note that this list is a starting point; other issues might be added to this list, & some items on the list may not survive the iterative threat analysis process.
1) Air (Ambient) - within geographic scope of analysis
- Criteria Air Pollutants
- Lead
- Ozone
- PM10 & PM2.5
- SOX
- NOX
- Hazardous Air Pollutants
- Other Air Toxic Contaminants (includes emerging air contaminants)
- Acid Deposition
2) Air (Ambient) - outside spatial region of analysis but affect control volume of region
- Criteria Air Pollutants (all as previously stated)
- Hazardous Air Pollutants (all as previously stated)
- Other Air Toxic Contaminants (includes emerging air contaminants)
- Acid Deposition
3) Indoor Air
- Pollutants (non-biological)
- Biological Pollutants (primarily asthma triggers)
- Radon
- Carbon Monoxide
4) Water
- Industrial Point Sources (rivers, streams & lakes)
- Municipal Point Sources (rivers, streams & lakes)
- Non-Point Sources (rivers, streams, & lakes)
- River Mining for Sand & Gravel
- Wetlands Degradation
- Drinking Water (municipal)
- Drinking Water (private wells)
- Storage Tank Releases to Water (above & below ground)
- Accidental Spills (directly into water)
- Aquifer Contamination
- Non-Anthropogenic-Arsenic
- Non-Point Sources (on lot septic systems)
- Use of Agricultural Pesticides & Herbicides
- Household Use of Pesticides & Herbicides
- Inappropriate Disposal of Oils, Grease, Paint & Other Household Hazardous Waste
- Marcellus Shale Fracing Chemicals & Brine Water
- Loss of Recreational Days on Area Rivers Due to Combined Sewer Overflows (CSO) or Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSO)
Specific Water Contamination Problems:
- Pathogens (Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Fecal Coliform Bacteria, E. coli O157 (a bacteria that has caused deaths amongst children swimming in lakes), Norwalk-Like viruses & Shigella (4 species-bacteria)
- Nitrates
- Heavy Metals (mercury, lead, copper, chromium, & cadmium)
- Arsenic (naturally occurring or from poultry or industrial operations)
- Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
- Contaminants Associated with Mine Drainage
- Pesticides & Herbicides
- Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) & Other Organohalogen Substances (OHSs)
- Chlorination By-product Chemicals (shown to cause bladder cancer)
- Endocrine-Disrupting Compounds (EDCs)
- Radon
- Highly Acidic or Alkaline Water
5) Toxic & Hazardous Waste & Coal Combustion Waste
- RCRA Wastesites
- Superfund Wastesites (National Priority List)
- Coal Combustion Waste
- Impoundments - Unlined
- Impoundments - Lined
- Flyash Piles (legacy & active)
- Beneficial Use Sites, Above Ground (soil amendments, above ground mine reclamation)
- Beneficial Use Sites, Below Ground Mine-fill
- Municipal Wastesites
- Storage Tank Releases to Soil
- Accidental Spills to Soil
6) Ionizing Radiation
7) Noise Pollution
8) Light Pollution
9) The Built Environment
- Lead - Housing
- Asbestos - Housing
- Asbestos - Other Buildings
- Lack of Open Space in Communities
- Lack of Walking & Bicycle Connections Between Communities
10) Consumption of Contaminated Fish - Fish Consumption Alerts
11) General Environmental Patterns of Degradation (those tied to public & environmental public health decrements)
- Increased Potential for Mine Blowouts
- Increased Sediments in Surface Water
- Decreased Production of Clean Surface Water & Groundwater
- Increased Stormwater / Snowmelt Runoff
- Decreased Recreational & Aesthetic Value
- Loss of Aquatic & Terrestrial Species - More info: "What Killed Dunkard Creek" Listen»
- Habitat Destruction & Fragmentation
- Loss of Farmlands
12) Chemicals in Personal Care Products
13) Food Safety-Chemicals in Food
A Process, Implementation & Ultimate Outcome Evaluation of the Healthy Home Resources Inc - At Home, Environmental Asthma Exacerbation Reduction Intervention
Healthy Homes Resources has just been awarded a grant of $ 925,000 to conduct in-home environmental interventions to improve the health of low income asthmatic children. This grant proposal was developed by Evelyn Majoris of Healthy Homes Resources (Co-Principal Investigator), David Skoner, M.D. of Allegheny General Hospital (Co-Principal Investigator) & Conrad (Dan) Volz, DrPH of GSPH/EOH (University of Pittsburgh, Evaluation Principal Investigator). This money will be used to provide services to an additional 100 children over 50 who are being recruited now for a pilot study. Children will be recruited from the north side communities of the City of Pittsburgh.
The pilot study, funded by the Heinz Endowments, will recruit 50 children who have environmentally induced asthma as determined by skin tests. These children will undergo baseline pulmonary function testing & other pre-intervention outcome measures will be recorded such as lost school days, rescue inhaler use & emergency room visits. Once baseline indicators are established the children & caretakers will undergo an educational program regarding identifying & removing environmental asthma triggers in the home. Additionally, the home of each child will be evaluated for the presence of triggers such as pet hair, molds, dust mites, cockroach parts & droppings & rodent particles. Each home will be cleaned by a remediation team based on the triggers identified.
To determine the effectiveness of the program, air sampling will be performed both before & after the home cleaning intervention to determine the effect of the cleaning. This makes this study unique because it is the first study that will look at actual air levels of allergens & correlate them with asthma symptoms. These children will be followed for the next 18 months to determine the persistence of effect from the intervention, if any & to determine the effectiveness of ongoing education & home visit programs. Lessons learned from evaluating the pilot program will be used to refine the intervention for the next 100 children, funded by HUD. The HUD grant runs from October 1, 2004 thru Oct. 1, 2007.
State of Environmental Health Data
Environmental Health in the Pittsburgh Region: Toward an Assessment of the Current State of Information - 2005
Our goal was to create the foundation for a consolidated information inventory & data needs assessment that will benefit numerous information producers & consumers within the environmental health community & help to direct future energies in this area.
We did not not attempt to collect actual datasets, but rather information about the pertinence, availability & major strengths/weaknesses of the data, & descriptions of current endeavors that have already compiled & creatively linked information.
The report of this project covers the following types of data:
- Consumption / demand / production
- Source monitoring / emissions estimates
- Environmental monitoring (air, water & land)
- Human exposure
- Built environment characteristics
- Physical & mental health outcomes & behaviors
Our report also includes the following:
- Opinions regarding where the major environmental health "information gaps" exist
- Opinions regarding next steps in improving regional environmental health data
- Case studies of successful & unsuccessful attempts to obtain & utilize environmental health data for specific purposes
We gathered input from government, non-profit, for-profit, advocacy & community organizations.
If you'd like to provide input after reading the report, please email Chuck Christen: clc142@pitt.edu or call him: 412-624-9379.
