Public Health Implications of Household Pharmaceutical Waste in the United States

2010 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. HSI.S4673 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin T. Bain
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Cost Burden ◽  
Comprehensive Review ◽  
The Public ◽  
Pharmaceutical Waste

Household pharmaceuticals are ubiquitous and untold quantities are wasted annually. Most often, people dispose of household pharmaceuticals by flushing them down the toilet, pouring them down the drain, or throwing them away in the trash. Pharmaceuticals disposed in this manner compromise the safety of our environment. This article provides a comprehensive review on the public health issue of household pharmaceutical waste, describing its epidemiology, explaining its effects on aquatic and human life, estimating its cost burden, and discussing strategies for reducing environmental exposure to it. In doing so, this article proposes two key objectives for our nation: (1) reduce the amount of household pharmaceuticals wasted and (2) devise environmentally friendly and cost-effective ways for handling this waste once it has been generated.

scholarly journals Governing excess: Boxing, biopolitics and the body

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 689-705
Author(s):  
Jennifer Jane Hardes
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Body ◽  
The Public ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Civilizing Process ◽  
Health And Well Being

During the late 18th to late 19th centuries, practices of duelling and prize fighting were criminalized in Britain, while boxing remained legal. Through a genealogical method, this article locates discourses, primarily law, medicine, policing and science, to trace these mechanisms of criminalization and legalization. Focusing on the jurisdictions of the United Kingdom and the United States, I argue that the legalization of boxing did not simply emerge as a part of a ‘civilizing process’. Rather, I explain these processes of criminalization and legalization in the context of biopolitical rationalities of governance. In contrast to its contemporaries, boxing was rationalized as a scientific ‘sport’ that fitted with wider biopolitical visions of public health and well-being: allegedly it did not breed violence or threaten the public peace but was instead practised by skilled technicians. However, the biopolitical management of human life within rational and scientific form comes at a price: life’s ontological need for expression, and the drive to experience and witness boxing’s corporeal excesses remains a ghostly presence threatening to undo the sweet ‘science’.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of Face Coverings in Mitigating the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 3666
Author(s):  
Olukayode James Ayodeji ◽  
Seshadri Ramkumar
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
District Of Columbia ◽  
Preventive Measure ◽  
The United States ◽  
Protective Measure ◽  
Sharp Change ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Health Challenges ◽  
Effective Preventive Measure

The COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the biggest public health challenges of the 21st century. Many prevalent measures have been taken to prevent its spread and protect the public. However, the use of face coverings as an effective preventive measure remains contentious. The goal of the current study is to evaluate the effectiveness of face coverings as a protective measure. We examined the effectiveness of face coverings between 1 April and 31 December 2020. This was accomplished by analyzing trends of daily new COVID-19 cases, cumulative confirmed cases, and cases per 100,000 people in different U.S. states, including the District of Columbia. The results indicated a sharp change in trends after face covering mandates. For the 32 states with face covering mandates, 63% and 66% exhibited a downward trend in confirmed cases within 21 and 28 days of implementation, respectively. We estimated that face covering mandates in the 32 states prevented approximately 78,571 and 109,703 cases within 21- and 28-day periods post face covering mandate, respectively. A statistically significant (p = 0.001) negative correlation (−0.54) was observed between the rate of cases and days since the adoption of a face covering mandate. We concluded that the use of face coverings can provide necessary protection if they are properly used.

Will Routine Annual Influenza Prevention and Control Systems Serve the United States Well in a Pandemic?

2009 ◽  
Vol 3 (S2) ◽  
pp. S160-S165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeanne S. Ringel ◽  
Melinda Moore ◽  
John Zambrano ◽  
Nicole Lurie
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Prevention And Control ◽  
The United States ◽  
Qualitative Assessment ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Pandemic Preparedness ◽  
The Public ◽  
Influenza Prevention ◽  
And Control

ABSTRACTObjective: To assess the extent to which the systems in place for prevention and control of routine annual influenza could provide the information and experience needed to manage a pandemic.Methods: The authors conducted a qualitative assessment based on key informant interviews and the review of relevant documents.Results: Although there are a number of systems in place that would likely serve the United States well in a pandemic, much of the information and experience needed to manage a pandemic optimally is not available.Conclusions: Systems in place for routine annual influenza prevention and control are necessary but not sufficient for managing a pandemic, nor are they used to their full potential for pandemic preparedness. Pandemic preparedness can be strengthened by building more explicitly upon routine influenza activities and the public health system’s response to the unique challenges that arise each influenza season (eg, vaccine supply issues, higher than normal rates of influenza-related deaths). (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2009;3(Suppl 2):S160–S165)

Application for Public Health Accreditation Among US Local Health Departments in 2013 to 2019: Impact of Service and Activity Mix

2020 ◽  
pp. e1-e8
Author(s):  
Jonathon P. Leider ◽  
Jessica Kronstadt ◽  
Valerie A. Yeager ◽  
Kellie Hall ◽  
Chelsey K. Saari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
The United States ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Local Health Departments ◽  
Profile Data ◽  
The Public ◽  
Funding Support

Objectives. To examine correlates of applying for accreditation among small local health departments (LHDs) in the United States through 2019. Methods. We used administrative data from the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) and 2013, 2016, and 2019 Profile data from the National Association of County and City Health Officials to examine correlates of applying for PHAB accreditation. We fit a latent class analysis (LCA) to characterize LHDs by service mix and size. We made bivariate comparisons using the t test and Pearson χ2. Results. By the end of 2019, 126 small LHDs had applied for accreditation (8%). When we compared reasons for not pursuing accreditation, we observed a difference by size for perceptions that standards exceeded LHD capacity (47% for small vs 22% for midsized [P < .001] and 0% for large [P < .001]). Conclusions. Greater funding support, considering differing standards by LHD size, and recognition that service mix might affect practicality of accreditation are all relevant considerations in attempting to increase uptake of accreditation for small LHDs. Public Health Implications. Overall, small LHDs represented about 60% of all LHDs that had not yet applied to PHAB. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print December 22, 2020: e1–e8. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2020.306007 )

scholarly journals The Public Health Impact of Parent-Reported Childhood Food Allergies in the United States

PEDIATRICS ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 142 (6) ◽  
pp. e20181235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruchi S. Gupta ◽  
Christopher M. Warren ◽  
Bridget M. Smith ◽  
Jesse A. Blumenstock ◽  
Jialing Jiang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
The United States ◽  
Food Allergies ◽  
Public Health Impact ◽  
The Public

scholarly journals Environmental Tobacco Smoke and Cardiovascular Disease

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sydne DiGiacomo ◽  
Mohammad-Ali Jazayeri ◽  
Rajat Barua ◽  
John Ambrose
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Environmental Tobacco Smoke ◽  
Tobacco Smoke ◽  
Chemical Constituents ◽  
The United States ◽  
Active Smoking ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Relationship

Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and its sequelae are among the largest economic and healthcare burdens in the United States and worldwide. The relationship between active smoking and atherosclerosis is well-described in the literature. However, the specific mechanisms by which ETS influences atherosclerosis are incompletely understood. In this paper, we highlight the definition and chemical constituents of ETS, review the existing literature outlining the effects of ETS on atherogenesis and thrombosis in both animal and human models, and briefly outline the public health implications of ETS based on these data.

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