PEPH Webinar on Children's Environmental Health - October 24th at 1:00pm ET

Children’s Environmental Health

Date: October 24, 2012

Time: 1:00-2:30 p.m. ET

Please register at: http://bit.ly/PEPH_CEH (registration required)

Description: Children are particularly vulnerable to the negative health effects of environmental toxins because their brains and bodies are still developing. Research in children’s health looks at the effects of air pollution on respiratory diseases, the impact of lead and mercury on cognitive development and behavior, and the influence of prenatal and early life exposures on growth and development. In this webinar, both presenters will highlight their research examining early life exposures to environmental chemicals and adverse health outcomes, and they will discuss possible interventions to reduce the exposures and improve children’s health and wellbeing.

“Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals: Translation from Research to Prevention” – Sheela Sathyanarayana, M.D., University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Research Institute

Exposures to endocrine-disrupting chemicals, such as phthalates and Bisphenol A, have been associated with a variety of adverse health impacts in animal and human studies. These chemicals are man-made and ubiquitous in the environment, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey reports that over 90% of the U.S. population have detectable concentrations in urine samples. Families express concern regarding these chemicals and often consult the Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (sponsored by U.S. EPA and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry) to learn how to reduce exposures; however, evidence-based interventions are limited. This presentation will provide an overview of research surrounding phthalates and Bisphenol A and will present future directions in developing interventions to reduce exposures in the general population.

“Community-Based Childhood Asthma Studies in Detroit” – Toby Lewis, M.D. and Stuart Batterman, Ph.D., University of Michigan

Despite advances in medical therapy and healthcare delivery, childhood asthma remains a significant public health concern and a source of health inequality. The burden of this disease is borne disproportionately by urban, low-income residents with minority racial/ethnic heritage. National trends are reflected in Detroit, Mich., where asthma hospitalization rates are three times higher (53 per 10,000) than the statewide average. This presentation will describe the work of Community Action Against Asthma (CAAA), a community-based participatory research partnership in Detroit and Dearborn, Mich., focused on identifying environmental factors contributing to asthma health disparities, designing and testing interventions to reduce these disparities, and translating findings into policy and action. The presenters will highlight CAAA’s work characterizing home and indoor environmental exposures of children with asthma and developing multi-component environmental interventions to reduce exposure to asthma triggers.