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Resources by Topic: Environmental health

Water Safety in California Public Schools Following Implementation of School Drinking Water Policies
Study examining results from a California testing program created to detect lead in charter and public school drinking water. Analyzes factors associated with access to safe drinking water, including differences between rural and urban schools. Features data and statistics indicating whether school water systems were compliant with health standards and whether school drinking water was tested for lead.
Author(s): Isioma L. Umunna, Lauren S. Blacker, Christina E. Hecht, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 17
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
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Establishing a Community Air Monitoring Network in a Wildfire Smoke-Prone Rural Community: The Motivations, Experiences, Challenges, and Ideas of Clean Air Methow's Clean Air Ambassadors
Results of an analysis of interviews with volunteers who placed low-cost sensors in their homes or workplaces as part of a wildfire smoke-related community air monitoring project in Methow Valley, a rural community in northeastern Washington. Explores motivations for participation, project challenges, and future project ideas.
Author(s): Amanda Durkin, Rico Gonzalez, Tania Busch Isaksen, Elizabeth Walker, Nicole A. Errett
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(22), 8393
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
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Puerto Rico Electricity: FEMA and HUD Have Not Approved Long-Term Projects and Need to Implement Recommendations to Address Uncertainties and Enhance Resilience
Report evaluates the response by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to the damage to Puerto Rico's infrastructure in the three years since hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria hit the island. Bases evaluation on the agencies' response to previous recommendations made by GAO. Discusses the current state of Puerto Rico's electrical grid across the island, including in rural areas.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Safety Guidelines for Youth Operating Farm Equipment
Report highlights safety measures for youth ages 15-17 operating farm equipment. Details information on farm equipment hazards and risks for young workers, as well as federal and state regulations. Presents guidelines for the safe use of various forms of farm equipment by young workers.
Date: 10/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety
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One Health: Bringing Health to Humans, Animals, and the Environment
Provides an overview of the One Health approach, which focuses on the inter-relationship between human, animal, and environmental health. Discusses the relevance of One Health in rural areas and offers examples of issues this approach can help address, such as zoonotic disease like COVID-19, food safety and security, and antimicrobial resistance. Highlights federal agencies and national organizations with One Health activities and initiatives.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 10/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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2020 Public Health Ethics Forum: Ethical Dilemmas in Rural Health
Recorded webinars from the 2020 Public Health Ethics Forum focused on the theme: Ethical Dilemmas in Rural Health. Focuses on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, ethics related to barriers and access to rural healthcare services, physical determinants of health and environmental justice, and achieving health equity in rural areas. Transcript available below description.
Additional links: Forum Part 2, Forum Part 3
Date: 09/2020
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Supporting Puerto Rico's Disaster Recovery Planning
Examines the conditions in Puerto Rico before and after Hurricanes Maria and Irma in 2017. Presents a cross-sectional analysis of the disaster in rural and urban areas. Explores the state of healthcare, infrastructure, economy, ecology, and communication in Puerto Rico and discusses plans for recovery.
Date: 09/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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Dicamba Use and Cancer Incidence in the Agricultural Health Study: An Updated Analysis
Highlights a study on the connection between colon and lung cancers in farmers and farmworkers and use of the herbicide dicamba. Draws data from the Agricultural Health Study and breaks it down by age, crops/animals produced, and other pesticides used, among other measures.
Author(s): Catherine C Lerro, Jonathan N Hofmann, Gabriella Andreotti, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Epidemiology, 49(4), 1326-1337
Date: 08/2020
Type: Document
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Rural Matters - Coronavirus and the Navajo Nation
Presents a first-hand account of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Navajo Nation. Discusses the social and environmental factors that contribute to the spread of the virus.
Author(s): Heather Kovich
Citation: New England Journal of Medicine, 383, 105-107
Date: 07/2020
Type: Document
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Residential Proximity to Oil and Gas Development and Birth Outcomes in California: A Retrospective Cohort Study of 2006–2015 Births
Investigates relationship between residential proximity to oil and gas development (OGD) and adverse birth outcomes. Explores data of 2.9 million births to mothers living within 10km of OGD in rural areas and the relationship to low birth weight, preterm birth, and small for gestational age birth. Includes rural versus urban comparisons.
Author(s): Kathy V. Tran, Joan A. Casey, Lara J. Cushing, Rachel Morello-Frosch
Citation: Environmental Health Perspectives, 128(6)
Date: 06/2020
Type: Document
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