Final Blog!

Over the course of this semester I have learned about a lot of things that I would not imagine learning throughout this course. One of the most useful things that I learned about was the things we use and the impact they have on our health. This was really important to me because it impacts mine and my families health directly. I enjoyed using the websites provided by the instructor to find out the chemicals found in our products. I was not aware of all these resources out there. 

I also enjoyed being in a group and commenting on blogs because I got to see my classmates point of views. 

M14.4 Blog: Think About It - Website Exploration

For this assignment I was somewhat familiar with some of the things present on the website. I remember when I worked for the county, we had to go through disaster preparedness training, because if the time came that was needed we had to volunteer. Until that time I was not really aware of this duty for county employees here at Stanislaus County.
I found the website very informational, I think that this is something people can definitely look into at a time of an emergency. I like how the website is also user friendly by clearly showing different categories, that way you can just go straight to the subject you are interested in.

M12.9 Blog: Climate Change

The one thing that I personally find troubling with climate change is the fact that not everyone is educated on this topic, and the impact it will have on the overall lifestyle of every living thing on this planet. Some people have some basic knowledge, but it is important for people to really understand this concept, since the impact is so major.
As a public health professional I think the footprint we leave is the one thing that needs major attention. I think it is important for the public to have knowledge on how to reduce their ecological footprint and try to protect the environment. Learning about this will be a great challenge, but with an amazing outcome.
There is so much on climate change online and simple videos that describe it all. As mentioned before, I would educate them on their impact and contribution to this matter. I think once everyone understands their roles it will lead to a much safer future.

M11.5 Blog about a Zero Waste Life

After completing this module,  I have came to the realization that my husband and I create a lot of waste in our household. This is something that I do think about often, but after completing this section and watching the video, I think that together we would be able to cut down on certain things that we use. One of the biggest changes that we have been trying to make is not buying as much water bottles, and trying our new filtered pitcher. This is something that we need to get used to, but will help protect the environment in the long run. Another thing that we have been trying to be better about is taking reuse-able bags when shopping. My husband has the tendency to purchase plastic bags every time he goes shopping, but now we have added few bags in each of our cars to have with us every time we are shopping.
Although both of these are small changes I think that it is important for us to take this first step together in order to reduce the amount of waste we are creating.

M10.8 Blog about an occupationally-related disease

Asbestosis is what I decided to look into. Some jobs that are impacted include: factory workers, construction workers, firefighters and the list goes on. The American Public Health Association writes on their website that asbestosis still do exist in the United States, and workers could still be impacted while on the job. According to OSHA if the asbestos is airborne level, that is never ok. They do mention that there are certain laws placed for employers to follow, but employees need to be careful as well too.

M10.2 Blog about MSDS and ToxNet

I asked my husband for his MSDS sheet and he said that he did not have one. He said that he was never provided with one during his orientation. He said that there is a possibility that one could be in their break room, just so it is there when they get inspected. There are a lot of hazards at his job, especially if medical supplies are not disposed correctly.

I too had never received an MSDS at my previous job. I used to work at the local welfare office. Even though we were constantly reminded about office ergonomics, we had never received a sheet to take home with us. We did have a poster in our break room for everyone to read and familiarize themselves with it. There were no major hazards and risks where I used to work.

M10.5 Blog about an occupational safety and health organization

For the agency I chose OSHA, I thought it would be interesting to learn more about what they do. One of the programs that they offer is inspection. They have an order of what needs to be inspected first. Workplaces that have hazards that could cause death or major harm are inspected first. After this places that can cause severe illnesses and injuries are inspected. As we go down the list on their website, we can see that they visit places and inspect them if there are workers complaints. Less and less serious things are inspected as the numbers decrease on their website.