Final Blog

This class completely opened by eyes to so much more than I could have ever imagined. I felt like I was learning so much but at the end of the day it was about opening my eyes to what is happening around me. I now am looking at products completely different, reading almost all the labels, and I have completely changed all my meat and produce buys to organic (which I don’t think my paycheck appreciates lol). 

I appreciated the blogging experience because it gave me a chance to really think about how I felt about a certain topics. Having a smaller group to blog with, made it easier to respond to but with how many blogs we did on a weekly basis, I did have to stop myself from repeating certain things. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience with this class. Thank you for reading :) 

12.9 Climate Change

1.    What do you personally find most troubling about climate change?

The aspect I find most troubling about climate change is that there are people in our world who still don’t believe that is happening. Because of this disbelief governing bodies are not taking proper enough actions in order to fully enact change that will help our worlds pristine environments. 

2.    As a public health professional, what do you think needs the greatest attention right now?

As a public health professional, I think awareness and acknowledgement about climate change by our governing bodies is what is needed as the greatest attention right now. By not being aware or acknowledging what is really happening under our feet, in our water, and in our air, it is creating major barriors to any sort of corrective action. If our governing bodies all were on the same page about climate change, proper actions could and would be taken. 

3.    If you were visiting with a long-lost relative who had never heard about climate change, how would you describe it and its attendant human health and ecological threats?

If I was visiting a long-lost relative who had never heard about climate change, the first thing I would say to describe climate change is that our earth and our environment is like a human body. If we get too hot or too cold, our systems start changing for the worse and everyday functions would become harder. If we take care of our body (our earth), we are providing it with the resources it needs to live on its own and thrive. 

11.5 Zero Waste Life

This module in particular really got me thinking about how I live my life in regard to the foods I eat and how I handle my waste. I started really looking into the products I own and buy and researched different methods to try. Then after watching the TedTalk by Laruen on how she lives a zero-waste life, I was amazed. Part of me thought I was doing enough but she really opened my eyes on different ways I could reduce a lot of my waste and majority of ways were so simple!

I am proud of myself that I already don’t use plastic water bottles, I thank my 40-oz hydroflask bottle for that one. But I am extremely disappointed in the amount of other plastics I use on a daily basis. Just this morning when I was putting together my lunch, I was putting carrots in a plastic baggy and I thought to myself I should really be putting these in one of my reusable containers. Then when I was eating lunch, I was using the free utensils my work gives us and they were plastic too! Then I started to think about how many plastic baggies and plastic silverware I was using on a daily basis just at work and became extremely disappointed in myself. By just using reusable containers and not using plastic silverware, I can reduce so much plastic waste and it is such an easy fix! 

If its anything this module of information has taught me is to be WAY more cautious. Just by taking a second look at the products I use and buy on a daily basis can make a huge impact. I think the biggest take away is to be aware, aware of what you’re doing and how it affects everything around you. The more you are aware, the more you are going to want to change your habits and tendencies.

10.8 Occupationally-Related Diseases

Asbestosis is a chronic lung disease that is caused by exposure to a large amount of asbestos fibers or dust for a prolonged period of time causing scarring on your lungs. There is no cure and it usually diagnosed by a careful medical history, exposure history, and chest x-rays or CT scans. Asbestos usage can date back to prehistoric times but it became popular during the Industrial Age’s. Regulations of asbestos in the US began in the 1970s when the public began to understand the connection between asbestoses exposure and lung diseases, but it is still not banned. OSHA has a set of regulations to protect workers from the hazards of asbestos. The three main standards depend on the type of workplace: General Industry, Shipyards, and Construction. Protections under these standards include Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL); assessments of workplace; monitoring of PEL levels; proper hazard communication; separate decontamination and eating areas; and specific training requirements. Here is a fun and educational video emphasizing the safety tips of asbestos! 

10.5 Occupational Safety & Health Organization

I looked up Cal/OSHA and I clicked on the featured program Tree Work Safety. I chose this program because just last week a huge tree branch fell in the courtyard at my work (luckily it fell in the middle of the night when nobody was there) and it is not something individuals think about on a daily basis. Tree work safety includes anything from trimming, pruning, or removing trees; climbing trees; being lifted in aerial devices; using power tools while in a tree; or feeding wood chippers. Injuries involving tree work can be fatal if precautions are not taken. The Tree Work Safety page has clear pictures and information regarding what personal protective equipment must be worn and the safety equipment that is required. This page on Cal/OSHA even has a fun Tree Work Safety Video that represents facts on tree workers, the various injuries tree workers may face, what tree workers companies must provide, and for where to find more information on tree work safety.

10.2 MSDS- Isopropyl Alcohol 99%

As state in my prior blog (10.1), I work at a tech headquarters in Silicon Valley. Many chemicals are used on campus so for this particular assignment I decided to focus on Isopropyl Alcohol 99%. Below are my findings from Western’s Digitals Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS):

·     What are the health risks associated with this chemical?

The health risks associated with Isopropyl Alcohol 99% is that it may cause drowsiness or dizziness, cause serious eye irritation, and it is a highly flammable liquid and vapor. 

·     Is the chemical a carcinogen?

Isopropyl Alcohol 99% is considered an Isopropyl Oil (group 3) which is not considered carcinogenetic to humans.

·     What personal protective equipment or special precautions should be taken when working with this chemical?

To work with Isopropyl Alcohol 99%, a person must wear tightly fitting safety goggle and wear protective gloves/clothing and antistatic boots. It is also advised to use this chemical either outside or in well-ventilated areas. Hygiene measures in working with this chemical include not eating or drinking when using the chemical; contaminated clothing should not be allowed outside the workplace; and to wash hands before breaks or immediately after using the chemical. 

·     If this is a chemical found in your workplace, what training/education were you given about any risks associated with this chemical?

I specifically did not get any training/education to handle this chemical due to not being in a lab that handles it. My role as part of the environmental health and safety team (called ERT on my campus) is if there is a chemical spill to evacuate the area and inform the head of ERT that there is a spill that needs clean up.

Isopropyl Alcohol 99% poses an acute health hazard and a fire hazard. It is associated with drowsiness and dizziness if inhaled and is an eye irritant. Due to it being a dry chemical, water spray is inefficient. I think the MSDS was an adequate tool for workers at Western Digital to gain knowledge and an understanding about the potential health risks of the chemicals used on campus and how to protect themselves. The website was a little confusing at first due to having to know the various chemicals used on campus. Once I figured it out, I found it very easy to use. It was also available in various languages, which is good because Western Digital is an international company.

10.1 Video/Presentation on Occupational Health & Safety

I work at a tech headquarters in the Silicon Valley and the company has an environmental health and safety team under the same facilities department that I am under. I work closely with them because I am  also being CPR/AED & First Aid certified and the fitness center is a high concern of worker safety on campus. Due to being a tech company, we have many labs on campus which contain various chemicals. These labs are for authorized personnel only and each lab have a different protocol depending on what the lab does or contains. These requirements could include anything from clothing requirements, gloves & mask requirements, google requirements, or having to be completely covered with gowns & face mask requirements.

A barrier workers face, especially at my workplace, is ergonomic barriers. We have a lot of employees who sit for hours at a time which poses serious back/neck/spine health. A fun part of my job in the Fitness Center is showing people exercises to combat excessive back pain from sitting for  to long. Another barrier, that the environmental health and safety team face a lot, is that employees on campus feel that they don’t need to wear the required items when entering “hotspot” labs. The team is constantly informing employees about the various health and safety risks for not complying to the rules of the labs.