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Health Inequity: Air Quality and Environmental

This is a collection of web-based resources to support research for the 2018 Health Inequity: Health and Social Justice Hackathon at Bakersfield College. This event is open to the public and this research guide will thus only contain resources in the publ

Air Pollution

Source: WHO World Health Organization

 

Air Quality Website Resouces

Local

•Air Now

The AQI is an index for reporting daily air quality.The AQI focuses on health effects you may experience within a few hours or days after breathing polluted air. EPA calculates the AQI for five major air pollutants regulated by the Clean Air Act: ground-level ozone, particle pollution (also known as particulate matter), carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide. For each of these pollutants, EPA has established national air quality standards to protect public health .Ground-level ozone and airborne particles are the two pollutants that pose the greatest threat to human health in this country.

https://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.local_city&cityid=273

 

•Eastern Kern Air Pollution Control District

http://www.kernair.org/

•San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District

http://www.valleyair.org/Home.htm

State

•California Air Resources Board

A State of California agency that takes action to battle climate change beyond 2020 while improving air quality.

https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/homepage

•State of California - Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA). The mission of the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) is to protect and enhance public health and the environment by scientific evaluation of risks posed by hazardous substances.

https://oehha.ca.gov/

See OEHHA’s  CalEnviroScreen 3.0 Tool at http://oehha.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=8dad35dcd2274285874e60871c404edc

 

National and Global

•United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

Definitions, Standards, and Resources for Criteria Air Pollutants: Ground-level Ozone, Particulate Matter, Carbon Monoxide, Lead, Sulfur Dioxide, and Nitrogen Dioxide. http://www.epa.gov/criteria-air-pollutants

•WHO and Air Quality

Includes definitions, facts, data, reports, maps, and links to publications and articles. http://www.who.int/airpollution/en/

 

 

The Built Environment

The built environment includes all of the physical parts of where we live and work (e.g., homes, buildings, streets, open spaces, and infrastructure). The built environment influences a person’s level of physical activity. For example, inaccessible or nonexistent sidewalks and bicycle or walking paths contribute to sedentary habits. These habits lead to poor health outcomes such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and some types of cancer. (CDC Excerpt) https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/publications/factsheets/impactofthebuiltenvironmentonhealth.pdf

The Built Environment Website Resources

LOCAL

WALKABILITY

•American Lung Association in California - Public Health Crossroads: Sustainable Growth for Healthier Kern Neigborhoods

http://www.lung.org/local-content/california/documents/kern-public-health-crossroads.pdf

•Bike Bakersfield - Community Organization

http://bikebakersfield.org/

•Walk Audit Report (Blog)

https://cal.streetsblog.org/2016/12/14/kern-county-conducts-walk-audits-to-identify-needed-pedestrian-improvements/

Valley Fever Articles

•Pierce, Harold. “Assemblymen ask state for $7 million in fight against valley fever to fuel research, spread awareness. Bakersfield Californian eEdition. 13 March, 2018. http://www.bakersfield.com/news/health/assemblymen-ask-state-for-million-in-fight-against-valley-fever/article_df02e968-26e8-11e8-8a1e-c3f4db8952a5.html

http://valleyfever.ucmerced.edu/news/2016/cocci-youre-your-own-best-valley-fever-expert