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Core Concepts in Health, Brief Cover Image

Core Concepts in Health Brief, 9/e

Paul M. Insel, Stanford University, School of Medicine
Walton T. Roth, Stanford University, School of Medicine

Environmental Health

Health Links

General Information

Local Environmental Health Information

Acid Rain

Air Pollution: Outdoor and Indoor

Chemical Pollution

Energy

Greenhouse Effect and Climate Change

Ozone Depletion

Population Growth

Radiation and Radon

Solid Waste/Garbage/Recycling

Other Environmental Health Issues

Advocacy Groups

General Information
American Public Information on Environment (http://www.americanpie.org) Information and links relating to environmental education for the general public.



CDC National Center for Environmental Health (http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ncehhome.htm) Provides brochures and fact sheets on a variety of topics, including lead poisoning, air pollution, extreme heat and cold, and health and safety issues following floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, and other types of emergencies and disasters.



Earth Times (http://www.earthtimes.org) An international online newspaper devoted to global environmental issues.



Eco-Labels (http://www.eco-labels.org) Provides information on what label claims such as "tuna safe," "organic," and "made from recycled wood" mean.



Ecological Footprint (http://www.lead.org/leadnet/footprint/intro.htm) Calculates your personal "ecological footprint" based on your diet, transportation patterns, and living arrangements.



Envirolink (http://envirolink.netforchange.com) An organization that brings together individuals and groups concerned about the environment; provides recent news, a publications library, environmental education materials, chat rooms, and discussion areas.



Environmental Defense Fund (http://www.edf.org) Provides information on many environmental health problems as well as tips for individual action. Site also has interactive assessments, including one that calculates the amount of pollution your car produces each year.



Environmental Health Clearinghouse (EHC) (http://infoventures.com/e-hlth) Provides fact sheets and answers to frequently asked questions about many environmental problems.



Environmental News Network (http://www.enn.com) Provides daily environmental news and special reports in print, audio, and video.



Environmental Organization Web Directory (http://www.webdirectory.com) An environmental search engine with an extensive and well-organized collection of links.



Know Your Environment (http://www.acnatsci.org/erd/ea) An online magazine with articles about a variety of environmental issues; published by the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia.



National Association of Physicians for the Environment (http://www.napenet.org) An organization of physicians dedicated to disseminating information about the impact of pollutants on health and on ways to reduce or eliminate pollutants.



National Safety Council Environmental Health Center (http://www.nsc.org/ehc.htm) Provides information on lead, radon, indoor air quality, hazardous chemicals, and other environmental issues.



NIH National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (http://www.niehs.nih.gov) Provides fact sheets and pamphlets about environmental-related diseases and health risks; see especially the menu of http://www.niehs.nih.gov/external/a2z/home.htm Environmental Diseases from A to Z.



OneWorld Online (http://www.oneworld.org) A community of and gateway to international organizations that focus on human rights, sustainable development, and the environment.



Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC) (http://www.seac.org) A coalition of student and youth environmental groups; includes contact information for local groups.



United Nations Environment Programme (http://www.unep.org) Provides information on international treaties developed to deal with environmental issues.



United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization: Environmental Links (http://www.fao.org/GTOS/lnks.html) A collection of links on environmental issues.



U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (http://www.epa.gov) Provides information about EPA activities and many consumer-oriented materials relating to environmental health. http://www.epa.gov/epahome/browse.htm Browse a list of EPA topics to find information on a particular subject; see also the listings under specific environmental issues below.



World Health Organization: Protection of the Human Environment (http://www.who.int/peh/index.html) Provides information about global environmental problems and programs.



World Resources Institute (http://www.wri.org) Conducts research and encourages implementation of environmentally healthy policies; also develops and disseminates tools for environmental education.



Worldwatch Institute (http://www.worldwatch.org) A public policy research organization focusing on emerging global environmental problems and the links between the world economy and the environment.

Local Environmental Health Information
Environmental Defense Fund Pollution Scorecard (http://www.scorecard.org) Enter your zip code and find out about the pollution levels in your community as well as key local sources of different types of pollutants.



EPA AIRNOW (http://www.epa.gov/airnow) Provides real-time air pollution data for many regions of the United States.



EPA's Surf Your Watershed (http://www.epa.gov/surf3) Locate your watershed using a map or zip code search and then retrieve information about the source and status of your local water supply; links to other types of information about the local environment are also included in the search results.



EPA Superfund Site Information (http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/index.htm) Learn more about the Superfund sites in your community; try examining sites on the http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl/npl.htm National Priorities List Map or perform a http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/query/basic.htm basic query search.



EPA Your Community (http://www.epa.gov/epahome/comm.htm) Allows users to search by their zip code for information about pollution levels, hazardous waste sites, and other environmental health problems in their community.



U.S. Geological Survey: Acid Rain Maps (http://bqs.usgs.gov/acidrain) To see a U.S. map of showing rain pH, click on "view and download U.S. maps of atmospheric deposition," select the map for the most recent year, and then choose an appropriate format for the pH map. (Normal rain has a pH between about 5.0 and 6.5; precipitation with a pH value less than 5.0 is considered acid rain.)

Acid Rain
Environment Canada: Acid Rain (http://www.ec.gc.ca/acidrain) Includes basic information about the causes and effects of acid rain.



EPA: Acid Rain (http://www.epa.gov/airmarkets) Provides background information about the sources and effects of acid rain and descriptions of current programs designed to control it.



U.S. Geological Survey: Acid Rain (http://bqs.usgs.gov/acidrain) Provides information on current acid rain measurements and on the effects of acid rain.

Air Pollution: Outdoor and Indoor
American Lung Association: Air Quality (http://www.lungusa.org/air/index.html) Provides information about outdoor and indoor air pollution and their effects on human health.



EPA: Air (http://www.epa.gov/ebtpages/air.html) Provides information on many issues relating to air quality: http://www.epa.gov/airnow/aqibroch Air Quality Index http://www.epa.gov/oar/oaqps Air Quality Planning and Standards (general air quality, sources of major pollutants, toxic pollutants, and visibility) http://www.epa.gov/iaq Indoor Air Quality http://www.epa.gov/OMSWWW/omshome.htm Office of Mobile Sources (motor vehicles, fuels, and engines)



Healthy Indoor Air for America's Homes (http://www.montana.edu/wwwcxair) Provides information about many different sources of indoor air pollutants.



National Safety Council Environmental Health Center: Indoor Air Quality (http://www.nsc.org/ehc/indoor/iaq.htm) Includes fact sheets and educational materials on indoor air quality.



National Safety Council Environmental Health Center: Mobile Sources of Air Pollution (http://www.nsc.org/ehc/mse.htm) Provides background information on pollution from motor vehicles and tips on buying and maintaining a car to reduce emissions.

Chemical Pollution
EPA Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (http://www.epa.gov/opptintr) Provides information on a variety of topics relating to chemical pollution; specific areas of interest include http://www.epa.gov/chemfact Chemical Fact Sheets and the http://www.epa.gov/tri Toxic Release Inventory. In addition, the EPA has separate sites for many topics relating to chemical pollution, including the following: http://www.epa.gov/mercury Mercury http://www.epa.gov/oilspill Oil Spills http://www.epa.gov/pesticides Pesticides http://www.epa.gov/superfund Superfund



National Safety Council Environmental Health Center: Hazardous Chemicals (http://www.nsc.org/ehc/ew/chemical.htm) Provides fact sheets on many toxic and carcinogenic chemicals, including information on their sources and potential health effects.



Pesticide Action Network Pesticide Database (http://www.pesticideinfo.org) Includes information and links about the effects of specific pesticides on health and human development and on the environment.



U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: Office of Healthy Homes andLead Hazard ... (http://www.hud.gov/offices/lead/index.cfm) Provides background information on lead poisoning as well as tips for protecting children.



U.S. Geological Survey: Environment and Human Health (http://www.usgs.gov/themes/environment_human_health.html) Provides information and fact sheets on a variety of topics related to chemical pollution, including arsenic in drinking water, mercury in fish, and MTBE in drinking water.

Energy
Fuel Economy (http://www.fueleconomy.gov) Provides information on the fuel economy of cars made since 1985 and tips on improving gas mileage.



Home Energy Saver (http://HomeEnergySaver.lbl.gov) Developed at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, this interactive site helps consumers identify ways to help save the most energy in their homes and lower their energy bills.



U.S. Department of Energy: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network (EREN) (http://www.eren.doe.gov) Provides information about alternative fuels and tips for saving energy at home and in your car.



U.S. Department of Energy: Energy Information Administration (http://www.eia.doe.gov) Provides statistics and information about energy production and use in the United States and in the world.



U.S. Department of Energy Office of Transportation Technologies: Hybrid Electric Vehicle ... (http://www.ott.doe.gov/hev) Includes information on hybrid electric vehicles-how they work and where to buy one.

Greenhouse Effect and Climate Change
Climate Change and Human Health Integrated Assessment Web (http://www.jhu.edu/~climate) Provides information about the potential impacts of climate change on human health.



EPA: Global Warming (http://www.epa.gov/globalwarming) Provides background information on the earth's climate, material on causes and potential effects of global warming, suggested actions, and links; additional EPA information is available at a separate site focusing on http://www.epa.gov/ghginfo/index.htm Methane and Other Greenhouse Gases.



Global Warming: Focus on the Future (http://www.enviroweb.org/edf) An online exhibit covering all aspects of global warming.



Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (http://www.ipcc.ch) Provides information and reports on a variety of issues relating to global warming, including emissions sources, land use changes, and the impacts of climate change.



NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (http://www.giss.nasa.gov) Provides information and data relating to global warming and other climate-related issues.



National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): Climate (http://www.noaa.gov/climate.html) Provides information on a variety of issues related to climate, including global warming, drought, and El Niño and La Niña.



National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Paleoclimatology Program: A Paleo ... (http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/paleo/globalwarming/home.html) Includes information on the world's climate system, how the climate has changed over time, and the instruments scientists use to study climate.

Ozone Depletion
EPA: Ozone (http://www.epa.gov/ozone) Provides information on the causes and effects of ozone depletion and strategies for preventing further ozone loss.



NASA Goddard Space Flight Center: TOMS Ozone information (http://jwocky.gsfc.nasa.gov/ozone/ozone01.html) Maps, data, and animation of current and historical atmospheric ozone levels. Also includes an interactive site that indicates the http://jwocky.gsfc.nasa.gov/teacher/ozone_overhead.html current level of ozone over your house; to complete this activity, you may need to obtain your latitude and longitude from the http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/gazetteer U.S. Census Bureau's Gazetteer.



National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center (http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov) Tracks levels of stratospheric ozone and other climate variables.



Ozone Action (http://www.ozone.org) A public interest group that focuses on ozone depletion and global warming.



Ozone Hole tour (http://www.atm.ch.cam.ac.uk/tour) An illustrated look at the science behind the Antarctic ozone hole.

Population Growth
Population Reference Bureau (http://www.prb.org) Provides information and analysis of U.S. and world population trends.



United Nations Population Division (http://www.undp.org/popin) Provides information on current and projected population trends and the implications of population growth; further UN information is available from the http://www.un.org/esa/population/unpop.htm United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the http://www.unfpa.org United Nations Population Fund.



U.S. Bureau of the Census (http://www.census.gov) Provides information on U.S. population growth.

Radiation and Radon
EPA: Radiation Protection Division (http://www.epa.gov/radiation) Provides information about sources of radiation, possible effects on health, and methods of protection. The Students page contains an http://www.epa.gov/radiation/students/calculate.html online assessment of your personal annual radiation dose.



EPA: Radon (http://www.epa.gov/iaq/radon) Provides answers to frequently asked questions and many consumer-oriented brochures about radon.



Food and Drug Administration: Medical X Rays (http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/consumer/xraybrochure.html) Includes tips for ensuring that all medical X rays and necessary and an X-ray record card.



Medical College of Wisconsin: Electromagnetic Fields and Human Health (http://iago.lib.mcw.edu/gcrc/cop/cell-phone-health-FAQ/toc.html) Includes background information on electromagnetic radiation.



NASA: Electromagnetic Spectrum-Introduction (http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/emspectrum.html) Provides information on the electromagnetic spectrum, as well as links and an online quiz.



National Safety Council Environmental Health Center: Radon (http://www.nsc.org/ehc/radon.htm) Provides a variety of consumer-oriented fact sheets and information about state-specific contacts; the National Safety Council also sells home radon testing kits.



University of Michigan Student Chapter of the Health Physics Society: Radiation and Healt... (http://www.umich.edu/~radinfo) Provides background information on all sources of radiation and their effects and potential effects on human health and the environment.



WHO Protection of the Human Environment: Radiation (http://www.who.int/peh/radiation.htm) Includes information on ultraviolet radiation, electromagnetic fields, and ionizing radiation.

Solid Waste/Garbage/Recycling
Direct Marketing Association: Privacy (http://www.the-dma.org/consumers/privacy.html) Provides information about name-removal services for consumers who do not wish to receive unsolicited mail offers.



EPA: Recycling (http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/muncpl/recycle.htm) Provides background information on recycling and tips for recycling and reducing solid waste; additional information is available from the http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/index.htm EPA Office of Solid Waste .



Garbage (http://www.learner.org/exhibits/garbage) Provides information and links about ways to reduce solid and hazardous waste.



Keep America Beautiful (http://www.kab.org) Provides information about how to reduce, reuse, recycle, and handle waste materials.



Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance: Consumer Handbook to Reducing Waste (http://www.moea.state.mn.us/campaign/index.html) Includes practical strategies for reducing waste in a variety of settings (school, work, and home).



Privacy Rights Clearinghouse: Junk Mail information (http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs4-junk.htm) Provides information about how national mailing lists are developed and how to reduce junk mail.

Other Environmental Health Issues
CDC National Center for Infectious Diseases (http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod) Provides information about infectious diseases that are transmitted by animal and insect vectors; see especially the http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/dvbid.htm Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases and the http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/index.htm A to Z listing of specific diseases.



Convention on Biological Diversity (http://www.biodiv.org) Includes information on international efforts to sustain all aspects of biological diversity.



EPA Office of Water (http://www.epa.gov/water) Provides information on water quality standards, drinking water protection, and wastewater management.



National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (http://www.nidcd.nih.gov) Presents information on noise, hearing loss, and tinnitus; see especially the page for the http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/wise/index.htm Wise Ears campaign.

Advocacy Groups See also the links for Chapter 9 (food safety) and Chapter 13 (infectious diseases).
Greenpeace (http://www.greenpeace.org)



League of Conservation Voters (http://www.lcv.org)



National Audubon Society (http://www.audubon.org)



National Resources Defense Council (http://www.nrdc.org)



National Wildlife Federation (http://www.nwf.org)



Nature Conservancy (http://www.tnc.org)



Sierra Club (http://www.sierraclub.org)



Union of Concerned Scientists (http://www.ucsusa.org)

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