LAST BLOG

For a long time, I viewed environmental health as climate change- mainly because it is frequently publicized.  There is more to it than that. I am now very mindful on the products I use around my home and the items I purchased in the store. I have even started a compost bin for my organic trash. I really enjoyed how this class described the hierarchy of the environmental health organizations and how each plays a significant role in environmental health. This class has helped me realize the impact chemicals have on health. Terms such as obeseogens, phthalates, Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), fracking, and radon I had no clue played such a roll in our everyday lives. I enjoyed looking into the local environmental health organizations and policies. I learned a lot about Sacramento area environmental health from the factory farms to the quality of the tap water. One area of environmental health I would have liked to learn more about in this class was work force environmental health issues. Workers are constantly exposed to environmental health problems because they work on the front lines. The blogs of this course were very hard to keep up with considering all of the coursework we had to do (and have in other concurrent MPH courses). I would suggest one blog per week versus three. I would also suggest having field trips to reinforce what we have learned. I really liked having guest speakers in class who were passionate about the subject. Overall this course was well-designed, and I’ve learned a lot. As a future clinician, I can use what I’ve learned to inform patients on their risk from exposure and important knowledge.