National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network

The National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network is a government website that seeks to provide health data and information to the American public. The website exists to educate what chemicals are found in the environment, and what chronic diseases and conditions can result for the public based on our regional environmental health.

Everyone is effected by their environment, and sometimes, one's environment can effect the state of their health and well being. A wide variety of illnesses can present themselves as a result of environmental conditions including, birth defects, cancer, carbon monoxide poisoning, developmental disabilities, and asthma.

Asthma is a chronic disease that can result in irritated and sometimes even swollen airways. Symptoms of Asthma include shortness of breath, wheezing, and tightness of the chest. Asthma is often associated with environmental triggers such as allergens, tobacco smoke, and air pollution. Exercise is also a significant trigger for asthma attacks; however some cases cause the person to constantly struggle with their breathing despite exposure to any of the previously mentioned triggers. A CDC study revealed in 2007 that 34 million Americans have been diagnosed with Asthma.

For the National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network collecting data can provide valuable information regarding the different challenges of having an Asthma diagnosis. The National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network keeps track of emergency room visits, hospital stays, and deaths. Keeping track of these extreme events helps public health professionals and environmental health professionals better understand poor asthma management, lack of access to health care, and assess what might be a trigger in the environment. The data collected from these statistics can also help map regions with a high prevalence of asthma. For example this data may reveal a higher rate of asthma in a specific demographic of the regional population. Once public health professionals have collected this information they can better create a solution or plan to combat environmental triggers for asthma attacks.

National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network. N.p., n.d. Google. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://ephtracking.cdc.gov/showHome.action>.

What is the Poison Control Center?

Poison Control Centers exist to offer the public confidential medical information and to reduce the frequency of expensive emergency medical treatment. Some Centers are able to offer their communities: prevention, assessment and treatment facilities, as well as immediate medical information.

By calling the national poison control hotline, the caller will be connected to their local poison control center, or the nearest one to them. In the state of Ohio callers will be directed to one of three state facilities, located in either Cleveland, Cincinnati, or Columbus. There are a total of 55 Poison Control Centers in the United States. In 2013, 3.1 million calls were made to the national hotline.

Answering the phone will be a medical professional including either a pharmacist, nurse, or physician, from the Poison Control Center with which the caller has been connected. Most staff at Poison Control Centers have specified certification training on poison information, are considered "experts" and are trusted staff by local medical health care professionals, including paramedics. Even doctors and nurses call these Poison Control Centers for treatment advice on patients who show signs of poisoning.

Poison Control Centers act as a free public service, offering 24 hour medical advice. When faced with an emergency situation and still unsure whether or not to call 911 calling a Poison Control Center can help you assess a situation and decide whether or not emergency medical services are needed. This free services helps the public reduce costs spent in ambulances and emergency rooms every year, by offering advice on in-home treatment.

In their efforts to prevent future poison related emergencies, Poison Control Centers work together to update a national data base to document and track poisonings and the source of the poison. Potential substances to be tracked include: household products, specific foods and their origins, as well as workplaces that could be exposing staff to harmful chemicals, or a regional increase in insect bites or stings. The American Association of Poison Control Centers website includes informational pages that urge the public to get educated on poison control. These pages include ways to reduce the risk of a poisoning, to understand what household items are particularly dangerous, and what to do in case of an emergency. Overall the site exists to promote the calling of their national hotline in case of any poison related questions or emergencies.

For a Poison Emergency, please call 1-800-222-1222.

American Association of Poison Control Centers. AAPCC, n.d. Google. Web. 23 Jan. 2015. <http://www.aapcc.org/>.

"Central Ohio Poison Center." Nationwide Children's. Nationwide Children's, n.d. Google. Web. 23 Jan. 2015. <http://www.nationwidechildrens.org/poison-center>.

What is Environmental Health?

Environmental Health is a branch of the larger study of Public Health. Environmental Health specifically looks to study how factors in the environment can effect human health and development. Environmental scientists look to identify problems that could be occurring, to prevent any dangerous occurrences as well as to control the effects of the environment on human health as well as the effects of humans on the environment.

According to the World Health Organization, environmental health looks at physical, chemical as well as biological factors that could affect a person and all other variables that could impact behaviors.

Environmental health looks to prevent and control any potential hazards, and to improve human health. This study has opened up many career options since the first environmental concern regulation was announced in 1971. Environmental Health Professionals work for consulting companies, the state, county, and city health and environmental agencies, and even the federal government. With recent legislation changes over the last 50 years, and a growing interest in environmental health, the Peace Corps has taken a recent interest in recruiting environmental health professionals. Environmental Health Professionals strive to prevent, disease, injury, and disability from inhibiting the functions of the humans of any environment in which they live their daily lives.

According to HealthyPeople.gov, there are six primary elements of environmental health including: outdoor air quality, surface and ground water quality, toxic substances and hazardous waste, homes and communities, infrastructure and surveillance, and global environmental health. These six categories reveal the variety of studies and professions that environmental health presents the modern world. There are a great range of sub categories of Environmental Health which helps emphasize the point that there are a variety of environmental concerns to be discussed in regards to maintaining a safe and healthy environments for humans to live in. From the water that we drink to proper disposal of waste, from the agricultural development projects to the kitchen where our food is prepared Environmental Health Professionals take a look at how to maintain an external equilibrium for what goes in and surrounds our bodies.

"Environmental Health." World Health Organization. WHO, n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2015. <http://www.who.int/topics/environmental_health/en/>.

"Environmental Health." Healthy People. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2015. <https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/environmental-health>.