IOM Topic: Environmental Health

Alliances for Obesity Prevention: Finding Common Ground - Workshop Summary

5/11/2012

Many organizations are making focused efforts to prevent obesity. To achieve their goals, accelerate their progress, and sustain their success, the assistance of many other individuals and groups—not all of them with a singular focus on obesity prevention—will be essential. In October 2011 the Institute of Medicine held a workshop that provided an opportunity for obesity prevention groups to hear from and hold discussions with many of these potential allies in obesity prevention. They explored common ground for joint activities and mutual successes, and lessons learned from efforts at aligning diverse groups with goals in common.

Global Sustainable Development and Environmental Health: A Conversation around the 2012 Rio+20 United Nations Conference

5/10/2012

Open Meeting

The Health Impact Assessment of New Energy Sources: Shale Gas Extraction

5/1/2012

This workshop will focus on shale gas extraction to explore the health impacts of emerging energy technologies and the use of health impact assessments to assess and identify ways to mitigate potential health impacts.

Assessing the Effects of the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill on Human Health - Workshop Summary

4/21/2012

The 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill is unprecedented, and its effects on the overall health of individuals remain uncertain. The IOM held a public workshop June 22-23 to examine many factors that could impact how public health officials choose to monitor the potential health effects of the Gulf oil spill and related clean-up activities.

Global Issues in Water, Sanitation, and Health. Workshop Summary

3/22/2012

Worldwide, over one billion people lack access to an adequate water supply. Recognizing water availability, water quality, and sanitation as fundamental issues underlying infectious disease emergence, the IOM’s Forum on Microbial Threats held a two-day public workshop.

Meeting 2: Review of the Department of Labor's Site Exposure Matrix (SEM) Database

3/21/2012

The Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) Committee on Review of the Department of Labor’s Site Exposure Matrix (SEM) Database will hold a public meeting on Friday, March 16, 2012 from 9:15 am to 12:30 pm in room 101 at the Keck Center of the National Academies. The Keck Center is located at 500 5th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001.

Workshop on Occupational Information and Electronic Health Records

3/9/2012

The IOM Workshop on Occupational Information and Electronic Health Records will take place on June 2, 2011, in Washington, DC. The meeting will explore issues related to incorporating occupational information into electronic health records.

"Like" the IOM on Facebook

3/6/2012

For every new "like" on the IOM's Facebook page, a donor will contribute $1 toward improving the nation's health, up to $5,000.

What You're Reading - February 2012

3/1/2012

A list of the most viewed IOM reports for the month of February, 2012.

Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research, and Medicine

2/10/2012

The Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research, and Medicine provides a mechanism for parties from the academic, industrial, and federal research perspectives to meet and discuss environmental health issues in a neutral setting.

What You're Reading - January 2012

2/1/2012

A list of the most viewed IOM reports for the month of January, 2012.

What You're Reading - December 2011

2/1/2012

A list of the most viewed IOM reports for the month of December, 2011.

Incorporating Occupational Information in Electronic Health Records: Letter Report

1/27/2012

Each year in the United States, more than 4,000 occupational fatalities and more than 3 million occupational injuries occur along with more than 160,000 cases of occupational illnesses. Incorporating patients’ occupational information into electronic health records (EHRs) could lead to more informed clinical diagnosis and treatment plans as well as more effective policies, interventions, and prevention strategies to improve the overall health of the working population. At the request of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the IOM appointed a committee to examine the rationale and feasibility of incorporating occupational information in patients’ EHRs. The IOM concluded that three data elements – occupation, industry, and work-relatedness – were ready for immediate focus, and made recommendations on moving forward efforts to incorporate these elements into EHRs.

IOM Report Identifies Steps That May Reduce Women's Risk For Breast Cancer Associated With Environmental Factors

1/27/2012

Women may be able to reduce their risk for breast cancer by avoiding unnecessary medical radiation, forgoing use of combination estrogen-progestin menopausal hormone therapy if possible, limiting alcohol consumption, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, and avoiding tobacco use, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine. These preventive steps focus on the environmental risk factors for which there is consistent scientific evidence of an association with breast cancer.

Breast Cancer and the Environment: A Life Course Approach

1/27/2012

More than 230,000 new cases of breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in the United States in 2011. The IOM was asked to review the current evidence on breast cancer and the environment, review challenges in studying this topic, explore evidence-based actions that women might take to reduce their risk, and recommend future research. Overall, it finds that major advances have been made in understanding breast cancer and its risk factors, but more needs to be learned about its causes, how environmental exposures affect risk for the disease, and how to prevent it.

Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 2010

1/27/2012

Because of continuing uncertainty about the long-term health effects of the sprayed herbicides on Vietnam veterans, Congress passed the Agent Orange Act of 1991. The legislation directed the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to request the IOM to perform a comprehensive evaluation of scientific and medical information regarding the health effects of exposure to Agent Orange and other herbicides used in Vietnam to be followed by biennial updates. The 2010 update recommends further research of links between Vietnam service and specific health outcomes, most importantly COPD, tonsil cancer, melanoma, brain cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and paternally transmitted effects to offspring. The only modification made in this update to disease entries in the categories of association is the notation that early-onset peripheral neuropathy (a condition which has been recognized since Update 1996 as having limited or suggestive evidence of an association with herbicide exposure and must have developed within a year of exposure) is not necessarily transitory.

Evidence Inconclusive About Long-Term Health Effects of Exposure to Military Burn Pits

1/27/2012

Insufficient data on service members' exposures to emissions from open-air burn pits for trash on military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan is one of the reasons why it is not possible to say whether these emissions could cause long-term health effects, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine. High background levels of ambient pollution from other sources and lack of information on the quantities and composition of wastes burned in the pits also complicate interpretation of the data.

Long-Term Health Consequences of Exposure to Burn Pits in Iraq and Afghanistan

1/27/2012

Many veterans returning from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have health problems they believe are related to their exposure to the smoke from the burning of waste in open-air “burn pits” on military bases. Particular controversy surrounds the burn pit used to dispose of solid waste at Joint Base Balad in Iraq, which burned up to 200 tons of waste per day in 2007. The Department of Veterans Affairs asked the IOM to form a committee to determine the long-term health effects from exposure to these burn pits. Insufficient evidence prevented the IOM committee from developing firm conclusions. This report, therefore, recommends that, along with more efficient data-gathering methods, a study be conducted that would evaluate the health status of service members from their time of deployment over many years to determine their incidence of chronic diseases.

The Well-Traveled Salad

1/27/2012

The IOM's Forum on Microbial Threats launches a new infographic exploring the global food network.

Key Reports in 2011

1/27/2012

Key Reports in 2011

Breast Cancer and the Environment: IOM Report Release Dec. 7

1/27/2012

Although women have little or no control over some of the risk factors for breast cancer, such as those related to aging and genetics, they may be able to reduce their chances for developing the disease by avoiding certain environmental risks. Breast Cancer and the Environment: A Life Course Approach, a new report from the Institute of Medicine, assesses the breast cancer risk posed by various environmental factors, identifies actions that offer potential to reduce women's risk for the disease, and recommends targets for future research. The report, sponsored by Susan G. Komen for the Cure, will be released with a press briefing and presented at a plenary session at the 2011 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS).

An Economic Perspective on Environmental Health

1/27/2012

The focus of this meeting is to discuss the intersection of environmental health and economics. This is a follow-up to the meeting in March and will continue our discussion in light of the fact that next year is the Rio+20 meeting. The background materials include selected papers on environmental health economics. This will be the first meeting that Frank Loy, the new chair, will preside over the Roundtable.

A Workshop on Alliances for Obesity Prevention: Finding Common Ground

1/27/2012

The IOM will hold a public workshop titled “Alliances for Obesity Prevention: Finding Common Ground.” The workshop will be hosted by the IOM Standing Committee on Childhood Obesity Prevention. The purposes of the workshop include: 1) Hearing from organizations and/or movements that may be allies for obesity prevention, and engendering dialogue with those organizations to identify common ground; 2) Discussing how to develop innovative alliances that will maximize resources, accelerate progress, and sustain efforts toward obesity prevention; and 3) Learning from other public health initiatives that have benefitted from forming such alliances in order to maximize resources and accelerate progress. The workshop is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Burn Pits and Health Consequences – IOM Report Release Oct. 31

1/27/2012

A significant percentage of military personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan were exposed to open air pits in which large quantities of wastes were burned on military bases, including Joint Base Balad, a large, central logistics hub for U.S. forces in Iraq. Long-Term Health Consequences of Exposure to Burn Pits in Iraq and Afghanistan, a new report by the Institute of Medicine, assesses what conclusions can be drawn from available evidence about the risk for health consequences for service members who came into proximity of these waste disposal pits.

Final Report Briefing to the Public

1/27/2012

The final report of Long-Term Health Consequences of Exposure to Burn Pits in Iraq and Afghanistan will be released to the public on Monday, October 31, 2011 at 11 a.m. and will be followed by a public briefing at 2 p.m. on the same day.

Meeting 1: Committee on Review of the Department of Labor's Site Exposure Matrix (SEM) Database

1/27/2012

The Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) Committee on Review of the Department of Labor’s Site Exposure Matrix (SEM) Database will hold a public meeting on Monday, January 23, 2011, from 1:00 pm to 4:45 pm in room 105 at the Keck Center of the National Academies. The Keck Center is located at 500 5th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001.

Occupational Health Nurses and Respiratory Protection: Improving Education and Training - Letter Report

1/18/2012

Occupational health nurses (OHNs) are front-line advocates for preventing illness and injury and protecting health in a variety of workplace settings, including the areas of agriculture, construction, health care, manufacturing, and public safety. OHNs need education and training in respiratory protection in order to ensure both their safety and the safety of America’s workers. At the request of the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the IOM examined existing respiratory protection curricula and made recommendations to improve education and training in respiratory protection for OHNs. The IOM finds that current respiratory protection education receives varying amounts of dedicated time and resources and is taught using a variety of approaches. Several recommendations are made to improve the respiratory protection education and training of OHNs.

What You Read 2011

12/29/2011

A list of the most viewed IOM reports for the year 2011.

Review of the Health Effects in Vietnam Veterans of Exposure to Herbicides (Eighth) Biennial Update

12/27/2011

This study will prepare an updated review and evaluation of the available scientific evidence regarding the statistical association between exposure to dioxin or to the herbicides used in Vietnam and various adverse health outcomes.

Respiratory Protection Curriculum for Occupational Health Nursing Programs

12/27/2011

The IOM will conduct a study that examines current practices of the NIOSH Education and Research Centers for Occupational Safety and Health (ERCs) regarding respiratory protection curriculum content in occupational health nursing programs.