Environmental Health Lessons for Your Classroom

1. Environmental Health Lessons for Your Classroom Nancy Sedlacek Jay Young Marilyn Hair Center for Ecogenetics and Environmental Health University of Washington October 19, 2015

2. Presentation Overview: • Artifact Exercise • The Center for Ecogenetics and Environmental Health • What Is Environmental Health? • History of ATHENA • Venn Diagram and One Example of Its Use • Classroom Lessons from ATHENA (and Web Site) • Environmental Health in FACSE • Resources • Contacts

3. Artifact Exercise Directions: In your group of two to four participants, look over your “artifact” thoroughly and record as many questions about it as possible in three minutes. Be ready to quickly share two of these questions with the whole group.

4. The Center for Ecogenetics and Environmental Health • Founded in 1995 and located at the University of Washington, the CEEH strives to understand and communicate how genetic factors influence human susceptibility to environmental health risks. • Researchers affiliated with the Center focus on the biochemical and molecular mechanisms underlying human variability in response to environmental exposures. • The Center fosters collaborations between a large network of investigators working in toxicology, molecular biology, genetics, and environmental epidemiology. • It includes a well established Community Outreach and Ethics Core (COEC) that has been serving K-12 educators, community groups, and the general public for over seventeen years. • The CEEH is supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

5. What is Environmental Health? Environmental health is the study of how the environment affects human health. It differs from the study of how humans affect the environment, because it focuses on people’s health. An environmental scientist might study how water pollution is hurting fish. An environmental health scientist would study what happens to the health of people when they catch and eat those fish.

6. History of ATHENA • Begun in the 2010-11 school year. • Participating teachers attend workshops to gain the necessary knowledge and skills for helping their students better understand the health risks posed by environmental hazards, including those found in the workplace. • We also gave teachers the skills and resources to empower students to make individual and collective behavior changes to protect themselves and their communities from environmental hazards. • By the start of the 2014-15 school year the Academy had worked with three distinct cohorts of educators on environmental health science.

7. Venn Diagram and One Example of Its Use By Bellevue Health Teachers

8. Classroom Lessons from ATHENA (and Web Site) • Electronic Cigarettes & Vaping • Genetic Testing & Ethics: Your Money Your Life • Genetically Modified Organisms: GMO Salmon • Introduction to Health: Family Tree • Sugars & Artificial Sweeteners • Sunscreen & UV Radiation • What Is Environmental Health PowerPoint • http://deohs.washington.edu/ceeh/educator-resources

9. Environmental Health in FACSE • Why Focus on Environmental Health in FACSE? • It is relevant to students’ lives right now and will continue to be relevant throughout their lives • It is in the news and students need to know how to evaluate what they read and hear • Emerging careers are in this field of study • It brings science to almost every field in FACSE

10. Environmental Health In Child Development: • Sample topics might include: • Safety of reclaimed water use on playground lawns • Hazard mapping at home and at a daycare • Dose and susceptibility as related to toxicology and children • Exposure to toxics such as tobacco smoke, lead, phthalates, bisphenol A, pollution, pesticides, mold…

11. Environmental Health in Foods & Nutrition: • Some examples include: • Food Safety & Food Borne Illnesses • Food Deserts • Water, How Much Do You Know (Remind students that much of what they eat includes water!) • Genetically Modified Foods, Organics • Eating Locally (Carbon Footprint), Sustainability • Cancer & Food (both as cause & prevention) • Gardening & Cooking/Preserving Fresh from Gardens • Ethnic Diets & Results of Changes

12. Environmental Health in Interior Design: • Examples in this area might include: • Off-gassing from carpets, textiles & building materials • Paints – toxicity, lead, alternatives • “Green” buildings • Radon • Hazard mapping in buildings • Design for handicapped/safety of elderly & children • Molds in buildings • Toxic cleaners & safe, effective alternatives • Indoor air quality

13. Environmental Health in Textiles & Apparel • Issues abound in this area, too, including: • Worker health/safety in textile factories • Nano particles & other additives in clothing • Textile production methods – natural v. chemical • Toxicity in dyes & fabric treatments • Formaldehyde in fabric • “Green” textiles • Safety & health effects of high heels • Clothing as sun block • Toxic T-shirt Unit…

14. Questions?

15. Resources http://deohs.washington.edu/ceeh/ Center for Ecogeneticsand Environmental Health (includes ATHENA) http://deohs.washington.edu/ceeh/educator-resources Specific page for teacher resources at the Center’s site http://whs.wsd.wednet.edu/Faculty/Young/YNHC/teacherresourcepage.htm Youth Network for Healthy Communities (YNHC) resource page with Environmental Health topic ideas and research project guidelines

16. Contacts Nancy Sedlacek: nesedlacek@yahoo.com Jay Young: Marilyn Hair: marhair@uw.edu