On the surface, this appears to be very good news.
However, as there seems to be no provision for a public interface with the data,
it's more likely that this is more a CDC PR smokescreen to give the new
administration the impression that they are taking a proactive stance on the
issue. Which they are... it's just that the agenda they are addressing here is not
in the public interest.
Myco
On 7/09/09, Sharon wrote:
> As sent to me from Mary Mulvey Jacobson:
>
> Please read and note highlighted section. Feeling like a
> broken record somehow has paid off for so many of us trying
> to do something about indoor mold exposure. We were never
> wrong for so many years trying to bring this to everyone's
> attention.
>
> We have to work together to find a solution and I believe
> it is time for our bailout. We can no longer sit back and
> allow a lifetime of health problems for children, residents
> and employees due to poor indoor air quality........and, in
> effect, that's what we are doing.
>
> Mary Mulvey Jacobson
> ************************************************************
> ****************
>
> CDC Launches New Environmental Public Health Tracking
> Network
>
>
> http://www.wowt.com/news/headlines/50131512.html
>
>
> The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now offers
> an on-line network the public can use to track
> environmental exposures and chronic health conditions.
>
> On Tuesday the CDC announced the Environmental Public
> Health Tracking Network, a public health surveillance tool
> that scientists, health professionals, and members of the
> public can use.
>
> "The ability to examine many data sets together for the
> first time has already resulted in faster responses to
> environmental health issues. We believe the Tracking
> Network holds the potential to shed new light on some of
> our biggest environmental health questions," said Howard
> Frumkin, M.D., M.P.H., DrPh., director, of CDC's National
> Center for Environmental Health.
>
> The web-based tool unites vital environmental information
> from across the country, including air and water pollutants
> and information for some chronic conditions, including
> asthma, cancer, childhood lead poisoning and heart disease
> into one resource.
>
> While scientists know exposures such as air particle
> pollution and lead contribute to illnesses, many
> environmental and health connections remain unproven since
> detailed health and environmental data existed in separate
> silos until now.
>
> "The Tracking Network is the foundation we need to make
> better environmental health decisions and help prevent
> chronic illnesses, such as asthma, cancer, and heart
> disease," said Michael McGeehin, Ph.D., director, Division
> of Environmental Hazard and Health Effects of CDC's
> National Center for Environmental Health.
>
> CDC funds projects in California, Connecticut, Florida,
> Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire,
> New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania,
> Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and New York City.
>
> To date, their projects have led to 73 public health
> actions to control potential illnesses from environmental
> exposures. For example, the Utah Department of Health
> received a call from a citizen concerned about cases of
> cancer in his neighborhood. In the past, a similar call
> would have prompted a study that would have taken up to a
> year to complete, with most of that time spent waiting for
> data. In less than a day, the Utah Tracking Program was
> able to let this resident know that the likelihood of
> cancer in his area was no greater than in the state as a
> whole.
>
> Massachusetts ranks third in the United States for
> prevalence of asthma. When Massachusetts Tracking staff
> conducted asthma surveillance and indoor quality
> assessments in schools, a significant association between
> mold/moisture and the prevalence of asthma was found. Based
> on tracking data, Massachusetts staff are working with
> school officials to correct mold/moisture problems and to
> enact policy changes for reducing mold and moisture in
> schools.
>
> In March 2009, CDC received additional funding from
> Congress to expand environmental public health tracking to
> five more locations. Awards will be made and announced
> later this summer. Over time, CDC hopes to expand the
> Tracking Network across all 50 states, and track additional
> environmental hazards and health conditions to build a more
> complete picture of environmental public health.
>
> CDC's Tracking Network is the result of collaboration with
> 17 local and state health departments; federal partners,
> including the National Aeronautics and Space
> Administration, the National Cancer Institute, the U.S.
> Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Geological
> Survey; and organizations including the American Public
> Health Association, Association of State and Territorial
> Health Officials, Council of State and Territorial
> Epidemiologists, National Association of County and City
> Health Officials, National Environmental Health
> Association, National Association of Health Data
> Organizations and the National Association for Public
> Health Statistics and Information Systems.
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