MPH 632:Environmental Health | Brianna Rubio

These questions really made me think about the environmental health risks that each question on the assessment pointed to. For example having an attached garage that can increase the potential for carbon monoxide from turning on the car and leaving it heating.  I was able to answer the majority of the questions by myself however, because I live with my parents, I needed their help with some questions I was unsure about.  This assessment  also helped my parents and I discover some environmental health risks in our home. Although most do not need immediate action, it is a good idea to keep them in mind in order to prevent any future problems that can be presented. 

Found this interesting  environmental health  news article  on cigarette butts in the ocean and how they not only harm the ocean, but also the marine life and us! These cigarette butts have filters made of cellulose acetate and "take a decade or longer to break down under ultraviolet light, which in turn disperses the toxic plastic into smaller bits." Makes me want to go to the ocean and clean up all the cigarette butts I see!  News article:   Cigarette butts are the biggest source of ocean garbage

Exploring a list of  environmental exposures with the class was a great way to start this course. I have never taken an environmental  health class nor have experience in this field therefore, I did not know what to expect coming into this class. After this exercise , it really opened my mind to a range of environmental exposures that occur in our  homes ,  schools ,  workplaces , and in the  community .It was fascinating to learn about the exposures in our home such as gas leaks, personal care products, cleaning products, etc. I am now more aware about certain exposures that can occur in my home and enjoyed sharing my knowledge with my family. Exposures weren't something that I ever thought about and it was really interesting to learn about all of the different exposures that we are exposed to. Once each group shared their list of exposures, I realized that I actually do know a little about exposures however, it's not something that I think about everyday ...