Contra Costa County Health Department Website

The Contra Costa Health Services website has a tab that lists a number of health topics related to wellness/prevention, illnesses/diseases, healthcare, and public health issues. Under each topic, there are links that provide up to date information, reports, videos, and further resources for the public to view. Under the “Wellness & Prevention” section, I looked more into the topic of mold. Here, they provide information on what mold is, how it causes health problems, how it can be tested for, and how we can get rid of it.

There is also an environmental health link under the services tab, which lists some of the latest information in the county. One thing that caught my eye was the article on food inspection and safety. The article talks about a new app that can be downloaded on iPhone/Android devices, which provides free restaurant inspection in certain counties in the Bay Area. I actually spent a great deal of time reading through some of the articles that were listed on this website. All provided great information related to public health.

There are many different programs and services in the county, relating to communicable diseases, family/maternal/child health, HIV/AIDS/STDs, and so much more. One area I focused on was the linguistic access service. This service provides medical interpretation to all patients of Contra Costa Health Services 24/7, whether it is in a clinic or hospital setting. As healthcare providers, I think it is important to have such services available to the public because it helps to minimize barriers and properly address healthcare needs.

EPA/EnviroFACTS

I was born and raised in Alameda County, where I have spent at least 18 years of my life. I am curious now to see how the rankings are…

Who and what are the top polluters?
-Top polluters: New United Motor Inc., Arch Mirror West, Pacific Galvanizing Inc., and Acme Fiberglass Inc.
-Major Pollutants: Glycol ethers, xylene (mixed isomers), n-butyl alcohol, toluene, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, methanol, ammonia…

What percent of the homes in your zipcode have lead-based paint?
-3% of houses in Alameda County have a high risk of lead hazards

SuperFund Sites:
-A superfund site is a polluted location requiring long-term response to cleaning up hazardous material contaminations.
-Sites:

• Alameda Naval Air Station: Polychlorinated biphenyls found on surface water
• AMCO Chemical: A number of hazardous contaminants found in the air
• Lawrence Livermore Lab Site 300 (USDOE): 1,2-Trans-Dichloroethylene, Beryllium compounds, Chloroform, Lead, Tetrachloroethylene, Trichloroethylene, Uranium found in ground water

Air Quality:
-In 2003, this county ranked among the dirtiest/worst 10% of all counties in the U.S. in terms of person-days in exceedance of national air quality standard for ozone (8-hour).
-According to the pollutant standards index, 86% of days contain good quality air.
-Mobile sources including both onroad vehicles (such as cars, trucks and buses) as well as offroad equipment (such as ships, airplanes, agricultural and construction equipment) contribute significantly to air pollution. Diesel emissions are the predominant source of cancer risk in Scorecard's assessment of hazardous air pollutants.

Water Quality:
-Many of the rivers, streams and creeks contain pesticides, mercury, metals, dioxin, PCBs, salinity/TDS/chlorides, and sediments. At least 80% of the waterbodies are contaminated with pesticides.
-Some of the leading sources of water quality problems come from urban runoff/storm sewers, resource extraction, agriculture, and municipal point sources.
-In comparison to other counties, Alameda ranks as one of the dirtiest/worst counties.

“Climate 911” By Wendy Ring

The video "Climate 911" by Wendy Ring was both interesting and informative. One thing that really caught my attention was the issue of water contamination. According to Ring, combined sewer overflow occurs when the same pipes that carry raw sewage also carry away our rainwater. When we have heavy rain, those systems become overwhelmed. The fail safe in the sewer dumps the overflow to the nearest river, lake or ocean.

I have recently conversed with a friend who is a civil engineer specializing in water/wastewater management. He told me about a project he was involved in, which addressed this exact issue Ring mentions. My friend helped design a storage system (specific to a storm event), which diverts excess wastewater that cannot be treated by the wastewater treatment plant until the storm event subsides and the wastewater treatment plant can resume again.

This is a picture of the storage system they designed. It can hold up to 5 million gallons of water!

Presentation by Toxicologist Jane Hoolihan

The presentation by Jane Hoolihan was certainly an eye opening one. The facts and statistics discussed were pretty disturbing. As a healthcare provider, I have spent a great deal of time learning about different illnesses and disease processes that affect the body. Knowing how many chemicals, toxins and compounds we are exposed to on a daily basis is horrifying.

People continue to use bottled water assuming it is safe and clean to drink, but is it really? There are still a number of contaminants found in bottled water. In one study, Hoolihan mentions that arsenic, radioactive isotopes and even Tylenol were found inside water bottles. Wait, what?! Is this even legal?

Aside from water, Hoolihan proceeds to talk about food and the thousands of additives and preservatives our packaged food contains. This certainly raises a bunch of questions...How do we know what is safe? How accessible are the safer alternatives? Are safer alternatives even affordable?

According to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson (2009), “A child born in America today will grow up exposed to more chemicals than a child from any other generation in our history.” Unfortunately, this is a sad yet realistic truth. There are so many newly discovered compounds that never even existed 50 years ago. What can we do to prevent this?

Household Products

Product #1: Dawn Dishwashing Liquid Soap

Main Concerns

• Skin contact: Prolonged contact with concentrated material may be drying or transiently irritating to skin

I have always had this brand of dishwashing soap at home for as long as I can remember. According to the Household Products Database, this product is not carcinogenic and no chronic health effects have been reported. The database gives this product a score of 1 on the HMIS Rating Scale (0=Minimal; 1=Slight; 2=Moderate; 3=Serious; 4=Severe) as a slight health hazard. There are obvious health concerns if this product were ingested; however, my main concerns are associated with skin contact.

Besides dishwashing soap, I have also used this product to wash my dog. I know that Dawn has a campaign known as "Dawn Saves Wildlife." They advertise their product by helping save animals that are affected by oil spills around the world. According to their website, ten percent Dawn concentrate in water is enough to cut through grease but gentle enough not to harm sensitive areas around animals' eyes.

This is a great multipurpose product to use, knowing that it is safe for both humans and animals.


Product #2: Lysol 4 in 1 All Purpose Antibacterial Cleaner

Main Concerns

• Chemicals (Lauramine oxide, Dipropylene glycol monobutyl ether, Alkyl (C12-C18) dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, Alkyl (C-12-16) dimethylbenzylammonium chloride, etc.)

The database gives this product a score of 2 on the HMIS Rating Scale (0=Minimal; 1=Slight; 2=Moderate; 3=Serious; 4=Severe) as a moderate health hazard. Acute health effects include eye and skin irritation. There is no information provided on chronic health effects.

There are a number of chemicals known to be in this product; however, as a multipurpose antibacterial cleaner, I am not surprised about the ingredients listed. What price are we really paying when we use these household cleaners that are comprised of a number of chemicals?

Personal Care Products

Product #1: Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream

Main Concerns

• Benzyl Alcohol: Allergies/immunotoxicity, Organ system toxicity
• Petrolatum: Organ system toxicity
• Lactic acid: Cancer, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)
• Phenoxyethanol: Allergies/immunotoxicity, irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), organ system toxicity
• Peg-30 Glyceryl Stearate: Organ system toxicity
• Dimethicone: Organ system toxicity
• Sodium Hydroxide: Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Organ system toxicity

Reaction
I have been using this product on a daily basis for many years now. I am just now reading about the ingredients of this moisturizing cream, and I have noticed that I cannot even pronounce some of them. What is Peg-30 Glyceryl Stearate? I have never even heard of this.

It seems like a majority of the ingredients cause organ system toxicity or some sort of irritation. Reading and learning about what these ingredients cause really discourages me from using this product, knowing that I am putting these ingredients on my face and body.



Product #2: Carmex

Main Concerns

• Oxybenzone: Biochemical/cellular level changes, developmental/reproductive toxicity, endocrine disruption, allergies /immunotoxicity, organ system toxicity
• Propylparaben: Developmental/reproductive toxicity, endocrine disruption, allergies/immunotoxicity
• Phenol: Developmental/reproductive toxicity, irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), organ system toxicity
• Octinoxate: Biochemical or cellular level changes, developmental/reproductive toxicity, endocrine disruption, allergies/immunotoxicity, organ system toxicity
• Diazolidinyl Urea: Cancer, contamination concerns (formaldehyde), allergies/immunotoxicity

Reaction
I have been using this lip balm ever since I was a little kid! I always have it with me everywhere I go, and I probably apply it multiple times a day. It is alarming to see the overall health concerns associated with this product.

I know that parabens are commonly used as preservatives in food and cosmetics. Research suggests that parabens may alter hormone level and increase the risk for certain cancers. In turn, hormone changes may impair fertility.

Why is this even on the shelves at drug stores? Knowing that this could cause developmental/reproductive toxicity, organ system toxicity, and even cancer is shocking! I have so many laying around in my house...I feel like throwing them all away. I'm sure there are much safer alternatives for lip balms.