Ryan Beck MPH 632-L1

Austin Water Utility has two major wastewater treatment plants: Walnut Creek and South Austin Regional. The two major plants have total permitted capacity of 150 million gallons per day.  The plants receive wastewater flow from Austin Water Utility's sanitary sewer collection system and treat it before returning it to the Colorado River.

If I were to create a slogan for a campaign it would be Drink Responsibly, Choose Tap.

The City of Austin and some surrounding areas are supplied by the Lower Colorado River and the Saint Edward's Aquifer. The water is treated at the City of Austin Water Utility.  The water is carefully treated with fluoride to meet the EPAs standards of safe drinking water. Because the water is obtained from the Saint Edward's Aquifer, the water is contains large amounts of calcium and other trace minerals.  Additionally, Austin's water supply is carefully monitored and for contaminants and other harmful materials. The area surrounding the aquifer is protected and void of any major construction or environmentally harmful, altering, damaging projects. Overall, I was not surprised. Austin is very progressive when it comes to environmentally friendly projects and maintaining clean water supplies.  The Aquifer can easily be seen in certain areas and I have been told it is safe to drink from the source.  However, I have not done so. The area in which the aquifer is locat...

I found this module to be fascinating and informative. While I was aware of the human population's impact on the water crisis, I think it is important to highlight the issue and provide some historical context on clean water and the water crisis.  This is an important subject to review because I think many are not aware of the issue or how severe the issue has become.  The videos regarding the water table and groundwater were educational and full of facts.  Information such as this should be presented to students and adults all across the country.  I think it is easy to forget and take for granted a precious resource such as water.  The "Clean Water Act of 1972" was a great video because it highlighted the policy surrounding the Act. Additionally, it highlighted the process of getting clean water, the impact we have on clean water, and the stakeholders surrounding the policy. Overall, this video was educational and something that should be presented to communi...

The articles provided in this module elaborate on the promotion of healthy indoor and outdoor living environments as related to respiratory health. Different levels of intervention were discussed.   These levels included individual and community interventions. Both of which I think are great ways to increase awareness and education individuals and populations on the health risks and benefits of pollution on indoor and outdoor living. One article in particular provided information on the importance of health risk assessments. I think risk assessments are an important tool in understanding and education an individual on health issues. I think having a fragrance policy is possible, but difficult.   Using individual level interventions would be a great start at getting people to understand the environmental problems and burdens of wearing heavy colognes and perfumes. Once the individual level intervention is complete, a community level effort would be a great...

How would you develop a national awareness campaign? Name some of your potential collaborators (stakeholders). A national awareness campaign has a lot of moving parts.   I would use social media, grassroots efforts, print media, and public events to bring awareness. Social media would be a major part of providing awareness. However, I would also have a team of individuals using grassroots methods to publicize the campaign and educate the population who have limited access to the Internet. Additionally, the print media and public events would be used to reach out to the communities that have limited access to the internet and get the community interested in the campaign’s mission. Potential stakeholders would be families and homeowners.

·        Urea formaldehyde  o    Urea formaldehyde is a common building material, foam insulation found in homes.   The material is creating some health concerns. Some of the health issues include cancer, respiratory irritations, and eye and skin irritation. Overall, I found this to be a bit concerning. The health related issues and risks with this material could be chronic. I know want to know what my house was built with! ·        Bleach  This particular product is something I use when cleaning and to make my whites white. The product has health risks of non-allergic adult-onset asthma, elevated neutrophil counts and lower-airway symptoms. However, these are commonly seen in women, not men. Historically, women were caretakers of the home and men were the ones who worked outside the home. Therefore, I believe this symptomology and heal...

The City of Austin has horrible transportation systems. The only systems within the city are buses. There is a train. However, the train only goes to one location. Additionally, traffic in Austin is terrible because the city was not developed to handle the growth it is experiencing at this time. The lack of transportation has caused a large amount of pollution within the city due to the stacked up cars on the interstate. Additionally, the poorly planned bus system and lack of any other transportation has aided in the lack of access to healthcare.  Lower income neighborhoods are unable to access these means of transportation.

Who and what are the top polluters in your zip code? Top polluter: Motorola  What?: Ammonia and Soot  What percent of the homes in your zipcode have lead-based paint? 1% Are there Superfund sites in your zip?  (In your BLOG, make sure to tell us what a Superfund Site is) A  Superfund site  is any land within the United States that has been contaminated by hazardous waste or material. The land has been identified by the EPA as a candidate for cleanup because it poses a risk to human health and/or the environment. According to the site, i n 2004, this county ranked among the cleanest/best 10% of all counties in the U.S. in terms of the number of designated Superfund sites. What can you tell us about the Superfund sites that are near where you live? There are none near my house.  What did you learn about the air quality in your zipcode? Travis County ranked among the dirtiest/worst 10% of all counties in the U.S. in terms of pm-2.5 emi...

How does this fit into the concept of "social determinants"?  How does it connect to the "Black Lives Matter" movement? Environmental Justice should listed under the physical environment section of the social determinants of health. Throughout history, there have been a number of health related issues in neighborhoods of low income or ethnic/non white races. Specifically in the South, it seems that these neighborhoods are less priority for the city.  Additionally, racial issues, including disparities among neighborhoods and the environment safety of the neighborhood, are still issues. The Black Lives Matter movement is to protect all lives and shed light on the injustice and disparity between African American lives and non African American Lives. This connects to the movement because generally lower income, predominantly African American neighborhoods suffer from injustices not only related to gun violence. 

This is a topic I am extremely interested in studying. It is fascinating to me that your health, vulnerability to disease, and overall health outcome can come from your zip code. In Austin, health equity is a major issue. In the early 1950s, Austin passed a city wide ordinance that cut funding to the east side of the city. This geographical area of the city was primarily Latino and African American. As the years passed, the east side of Austin did not develop like the west side. Fast forward to present day, the east side now has a 20 year health gap compared to the west side of Austin. The east side of Austin has more pollution, crime, rates of obesity and disease, and lack of access to healthcare. It is incredible how your location can determine your livelihood and health.

After watching the video and reading the chemicals listed, I am astonished. The chemicals listed and their side effects are terrifying. I found it interesting that the Dutch children in the video had higher chemical levels than that of their parents.  I wonder if these levels were higher because children are generally exposed to more time outdoors.  Additionally, smaller sea life are usually higher in mercury. I wonder if this is the same for children versus adults. Overall, this video shocked me and made me want to learn my body burden test results!

Product 1 Clorox Disinfecting Wipes I use this product on a majority of the surfaces in my house. I specifically use these for when I am handling raw meat in the kitchen and it might touch a countertop or any other surface. After looking up this product, I did not see any hazardous reports or warnings.  Clorox Report Product 2 Mrs. Meyer's Hand Soap I was unable to locate this product on the website.  I went to look for other household items. However, a majority of my items were not found in the system.  I could not find any of Costco's Kirkland Organic or Natural items nor could I find any of the Whole Foods 360 items. I am not sure if this is a good or bad thing. Were you surprised to find out the toxicity rating of your household products? I was surprised that the bleach wipes were not considered hazardous. However, I was surprised that I could not find or had trouble finding items on this website. Did you decide to change any of your con...

Product 1 KIEHL'S ULTRA FACIAL CREAM (SPF 30) I am a skincare  obsessed  person.  I take really good care of my skin and make sure to never leave the house or travel without this moisturizer. Additionally, I make sure that I get the facial cream that has SPF 30 in it.  Protection from the sun decreases skin damage and fights aging.  Overall, this product has a score of a 3.  I am not surprised by this because KIEHL's is a more expensive brand and markets themselves on their organic, natural  ingredients .  Product 2 Thayers Natural Remedies Witch Hazel As previously stated, I take really good care of my skin. I try not to put anything on my skin that is too intense or full of bad chemicals.  I also do not leave my house without using this product or when traveling.  This is especially useful on plains where the air is extremely dry and recycled. Toner cleanse the skin of any left over dirt and oils. However, it doe...