Ultimately, this issue looms the largest of all environmental issues, because our environmental health describes our own health.  Our Rochester, NY area has many universities which specialize in Environmental Health, which makes it a leader in detecting and a leader in solutions for environmental health..  All of the issues on this page add up to our environmental health, though this page specializes in potential environmental diseases and studies performed locally on diseases. One of the most immediate issues that should be on everyone's radar is the potential for Pandemic Flu, of which Monroe County has a detailed and comprehensive plan to deal with.  I agree that there is only a slim change that the pandemic flu would hit the Rochester area, but because it goes on record as the biggest single killer of humans, we should be ready for any transformation of the bird flu virus to one that spreads quickly though the human population. 

Environmental Heath for the Rochester area.

Also find out about Lyme Disease, West Nile Virus and Rabies in and around the Rochester area.

You can get healthy by biking, walking strolling, roller blading, skipping, and running on Rochester’s incredibly beautiful and extensive New York State Canals: Excursions and Vacations: Biking and Hiking the Canalway Trail . I believe (though I don’ have the facts to back me up) that we have the longest & well-paved roller blading section in the state—from Elmwood to Manitou Road on the NYS Canal Trail—newly paved and incredibly beautiful.

* What to do locally in a Flu Pandemic: Bird Flu Brochure by Public Health | Monroe County, NY

Other Rochester Issues:

[ energy ] [ brownfields ] [ wind power ] [ great lakes ] [ finger lakes ] [ parks ] [ food ] [ animals ] [ plants ] [ environmental health ] [ pesticides ] [ air quality ] [ urban sprawl ] [ wetlands ] [ water quality ] [ lead poisoning ] [ recycling ] [ genesee river ] [ Transportation_Rochester ] [ invasive species ]

Useful Environmental Health Information

Environmental Health in Rochester-area News

Resources for Environmental Health News

Connecting the environmental health dots online. The beginning of a major effort by our New York State Department of Health (DOH) has started the kind of web site that only the Internet can facilitate a free, comprehensive way for the public to track environmental health problems like “birth outcomes, asthma, cancer incidence, childhood lead poisoning levels and cardiovascular disease, drinking water, pesticide use, radon, outside air and more.” I will keep this page listed on my Environmental Health and hope it grows into a useful tool to find out if the area you live in has special environmental concerns. State D.O.H. Launches Environmental Health Web Site  Environmental Public Health Tracking "This web site provides access to data about the environment and human health. It describes concepts related to how the environment affects human health and has links to projects that use health and environmental data. Our goal is to continue building this site over time to provide access to a variety of environmental health information."

National Center for Environmental Health: Home | CDC "CDC's National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) strives to promote health and quality of life by preventing or controlling those diseases or deaths that result from interactions between people and their environment. "

News on the Flu: Get the latest news on the Flu (and possible pandemic) as it pertains to Rochester, New York.

To keep informed of the government's policy on the possibility of a Pandemic Flu, go here: Individuals & Families Planning | PandemicFlu.gov  Also, get specific information on how NYS is going to respond to the possibility of a Pandemic Flue here: New York State & Local Planning & Response Activities | PandemicFlu.gov

Pandemic Flu What Monroe County Residents Need to Know There is no Pandemic Flu in the world today but there have been three pandemics in the last 90 years. Flu experts worldwide agree another deadly pandemic is a real possibility. Bird Flu is the most likely candidate and experts fear the virus could change and set off the next human pandemic. -Be Aware. Prepare. MyMonroe. Opening Up Government. | Monroe County, NY

First place to go for emergency preparedness  - Emergency Preparedness and Response - New York State Department of Health -- Get full info for any kind of major emergency: Biological Anthrax Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) Botulism Pandemic Influenza (Flu) Plague Smallpox Other Biological Agents (Centers for Disease Control) Bioterrorism Rapid Response Card (Card size PDF, 44kb) Protocols for Mail Handling Chemical Chemical Terrorism Preparedness Response Card Chemical Terrorism Wall Chart Fact Sheets (General Information) The Facts About Ammonia The Facts About Chlorine The Facts About Cyanides The Facts About Nerve Agents The Facts About Ricin Fact Sheets (Technical Information) The Facts About Ammonia The Facts About Chlorine The Facts About Cyanides The Facts About Nerve Agents Related Links Chemical Agents (Centers for Disease Control) Radiological Radiation Emergencies (Centers for Disease Control) Radiological Terrorism Rapid Response (Card size PDF, 30kb) Dirty Bombs Potassium Iodide (KI) Weather Flood Preparedness Weather Emergencies - Health & Safety Advice Cold Weather Advice Hot Weather Advice Hurricane Preparedness Lightning Safety Tips

Because of its possible connection to a world pandemic, learn more about the Avian Flu: CDC - Influenza (Flu) |Avian Flu "The risk from avian influenza is generally low to most people because the viruses occur mainly among birds and do not usually infect humans. However, more than 100 human cases of avian influenza infection have been reported since 1997. Most cases of avian influenza infection in humans have resulted from contact with infected poultry (e.g., domesticated chicken, ducks, and turkeys) or surfaces contaminated with secretion/excretions from infected birds. The spread of avian influenza viruses from one ill person to another has been reported very rarely, and transmission has not been observed to continue beyond one person."

  What disease are occurring in NYS are where exactly are they occurring? County Health Assessment Indicators (CHAI) The New York State County Health Assessment Indicator (CHAI) Reports consist of a series of tables presenting selected public health indicators by 14 health topic areas. Each topic contains an "ABOUT" section defining the listed indicators, describing the source of data and identifying a contact person. These public health indicators and presentation format were developed with input from state and local health department representatives.

 State Health Commissioner Novello Unveils State Health Department's Pandemic Influenza Plan Comprehensive, Wide Ranging Initiative Prepares State for Potential Health Emergencies ALBANY, February 23, 2006 - State Health Commissioner Antonia C. Novello, M.D., M.P.H., Dr.P.H., today unveiled the State Health Department's comprehensive Pandemic Influenza Plan -- a wide-ranging initiative to help protect New Yorkers in the event of a worldwide epidemic of influenza. Many facets of the plan are already in place as part of the State's efforts to protect the health of all New Yorkers. New York's plan parallels the recently announced national strategy for pandemic influenza released by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The State's plan addresses New York's unique characteristics such as demographics; population density; and international borders; as well as public health and health care systems capacity. (Feb. 23, 2006) New York State Department of Health Maxim Health Systems provides a Flu Shots locator, Just Type in your zip code to find the closest flu clinic near you.

Monitor the heath of our environment. Health Action: Priorities for Monroe County HEALTH ACTION, Priorities for Monroe County, began in 1995 when the Director of the Monroe County Health Department convened a group of community partners to develop a plan to improve the health of Monroe County residents. The HEALTH ACTION Steering Committee is composed of individuals from community organizations representing business, education and health care The overall goal of HEALTH ACTION is to improve the health of the citizens of Monroe County by aligning community resources to focus on selected priorities for action. HEALTH ACTION facilitates collaboration and cooperation among providers, agencies and businesses to benefit the community by concentrating resources where they are most likely to impact health status. A healthy community is one in which the objective measures of health status are at optimal levels and there exists a commitment to health at all levels of the community.  You can view health Report Cards for Monroe County in these five areas: Health "report cards" are available for five focus areas: Maternal/Child Health, Adolescent Health, Adult Health, Older Adult Health and Environmental Health.

  State Health Commissioner Novello Advises New Yorkers as Flu Season Approaches  In anticipation of the upcoming flu season, State Health Commissioner Antonia C. Novello, M.D., M.P.H., Dr.P.H., today advised New Yorkers who are most vulnerable to complications from influenza, as well as health care workers who have direct contact with patients, to seek vaccination over the next few weeks. The influenza season typically begins in late October and may run through April New York State Department of Health

Do you eat the fish and game you catch in New York State?  Better read: 2003-2004 Health Advisories: Chemicals in Sportfish and Game - New York State Department of Health The New York State Department of Health (DOH) issues advisories on eating sportfish and game because some of these foods contain chemicals at levels that may be harmful to your health.

 Monroe County Public Health Department The Environmental Health Division’s mission is to provide public health services and leadership to assure the improve health status of individuals, families, the environment and the community. We strive to achieve excellence in the division’s performance to advance Monroe County as a leader in the field of public health. We collaborate with community partners to achieve optimum health status in the community and interact proactively with the changing health care environmental to assure that public health issues are recognized and addressed. The Environmental Health Division provides information, education, inspection of facilities, as well as emergency response to incidents that threaten public health and the environment.

  Important information about environmental health from the Monroe County Health Department: Frequently Asked Questions About the Flu Vaccine Shortage -- Updated 10-22-04 

 CCHE Home Page The Center for Children’s Health and the Environment (CCHE) is the nation’s first academic research and policy center to examine the links between exposure to toxic pollutants and childhood illness. CCHE was established in 1998 within the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. CCHE’s mission is to promote the health of children by conducting environmental health and policy research.

 CDC - National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals The National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals provides an ongoing assessment of the U.S. population's exposure to environmental chemicals using biomonitoring. Biomonitoring is the assessment of human exposure to chemicals by measuring the chemicals or their metabolites in human specimens such as blood or urine. This Third Report presents first-time exposure information for the U.S. population for 38 of the 148 chemicals included in the Report. The Report also includes the data from the Second Report; that is, data for 1999-2000.

  Being able to assess our environmental conditions is, I believe, one of the most important things we do here at RochesterEnvironment.com.  One of the best projects that I have come across over the years that helps in this respect, is the New York State Department of Health's Cancer Surveillance Improvement Initiative (CSII) - Cancer Mapping and Related Information The Cancer Surveillance Improvement Initiative (CSII) began in 1998. It is designed to answer questions of many New Yorkers about the cancer incidence in their communities. It provides maps of cancer incidence; maps of risk factors, including environmental information, also will be produced. CSII also provides information on cancer, its possible causes and how to interpret maps and graphs. Learn more about this project see About CSII

  If you are concerned (and you should be because a major Pandemic Flu will be in your face and you will have to be ready for it) about the next possible Pandemic Flu outbreak, get all the facts by reading this book online: Bird Flu: A virus of our own Hatching - "The book is a zinger..." —From leading flu scientist Dr. John Oxford's review in Nature "A brilliant and captivating book, meticulously researched, beautifully and engagingly written with wit and grace, and argued with relentless logic. In addition to providing practical take-home tips for protecting oneself from the flu, the author elegantly demonstrates that the evolution of the devastating influenza virus, as well as that of numerous other zoonotic pathogens, stems directly from the proliferation of confinement agricultural systems. Every person concerned about human and animal health and welfare, self-preservation, and justice should read this book."—Bernard Rollin, PhD, Colorado State University Distinguished Professor

Flu Clinics in Monroe County ( includes the Master List of MC Clinics) - Flu is a serious illness that kills over 36,000 Americans every year. Vaccine manufacturers are projecting over 130 million doses of flu vaccine this year. This would be a record amount if these projections prove true. MyMonroe. Opening Up Government. | Monroe County, NY

The Flu - Information everyone needs this Winter:  New York State Department of Health Influenza (Flu) Information

For some very useful Environmental Health information, scroll page below: (Please note: links below open in a new window.)

Environmental Health in the News (Please note: links below open in a new window.)

Resources for Environmental Health 

• Monroe County Health Department: Learn about the services and responsibilities of the Health Department. Obtain important health related phone numbers. Get answers to common questions in our FAQ section.
• Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center: "Our mission is to increase scientific understanding of the health risks posed by contaminants--at home, in the workplace, and in the ambient environment."
• Rochester Council on Occupational Safety and Health  ROCOSH, the Rochester Council on Occupational Safety & Health, is a non-profit organization that assists workers and labor unions in their struggles for better safety and health conditions on the job. We believe every worker is entitled to a safe and healthy workplace, and we work to promote that goal. 
•  Monroe County Medical Society
•  The Wadsworth Center of the New York State Department of Health combines basic and applied research and education in biomedical and environmental sciences with a public health mission of clinical and environmental testing and quality assurance. Located in Albany, New York, it is the most comprehensive public health laboratory in the nation. The center responds to present and emerging public health threats; develops and applies the most advanced technologies and methods to ensure rapid, accurate detection of disease; and, through licensure and training, assures high quality performance of clinical and environmental laboratories and tissue banks providing services to New Yorkers.
•  Open Door Mission: The Open Door Mission was founded in 1952 to provide spiritual and material comfort to the less fortunate. The Mission does not receive government funding and relies entirely on donations from the community to run its programs. The following is a list of those services: Soup Kitchen
  Emergency Housing, Mobile Medical Unit, Long-term Rehabilitation Substance Abuse Recovery, G.E.D. Preparation, Clothing Distribution, Hispanic Outreach, Rep Payee Program
•  PHTN The Public Health Training Network (PHTN) is a distance learning system that takes training to the learner. PHTN uses a variety of instructional media ranging from print-based to videotape and multimedia to meet the training needs of the public health workforce nationwide. Since 1993, PHTN has delivered nearly 1,000,000 training opportunities to professionals in public health settings and, increasingly, in healthcare and related settings. Evaluation studies demonstrate that PHTN programs, and distance learning as a medium, are effective ways to update and enhance professional competencies.
•  Program on Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors in New York State: Our web site is a resource that provides science-based information on the relationships between breast cancer and environmental risk factors, including pesticides and dietary factors. Our materials are developed for a diverse audience, including consumers, educators, public policy makers, scientists, media representatives. We welcome feedback via our Response Page - including questions, comments, and opinions. The Cornell Program on Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors in New York State (BCERF) is housed within the Institute for Comparative and Environmental Toxicology (ICET), a program of the Cornell Center for the Environment (CfE).
•  Health-Track: The mission of Health-Track, supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts, is to help American families and communities identify and track the links between environmental hazards and illnesses and to provide researchers and public health officials with the necessary tools to prevent disease. Today, rates for asthma are increasing at alarming levels and unexplained clusters of cancers, birth defects and other diseases are striking many communities.
•  HEALTH ACTION -(Priorities for Monroe County): The overall goal of HEALTH ACTION is to improve the health of the citizens of Monroe County by aligning community resources to focus on selected priorities for action. HEALTH ACTION facilitates collaboration and cooperation among providers, agencies and businesses to benefit the community by concentrating resources where they are most likely to impact health status.
•  Be prepared for any emergency, from the American Red Cross, the Greater Rochester Chapter.  Also, new is the -Emergency Preparedness Resources.
•  Financial contributions to the local Red Cross office can be sent to American Red Cross, 75 College Ave., Rochester, NY 14607. For more information, call (800) 435-7669 or (800) 257-7575 for Spanish.
•  New York State Department of Health Communicable Disease Fact Sheets

•  "You can call 274-6887 for Ontario Beach and get a recorded update on the water conditions so you’ll know ahead of time if swimming is allowed that day." ---TOP NEWS From WHEC, and MSNBC

•  Environmental Health Sciences Center, University of Rochester Medical Center/
  • My Environment...Curriculum: Introduction My Environment, My Health, My Choices: Curriculum Development Program-- five next summer and 10 more by 2003 -- will work with UR to develop lesson plans and field work that give students an expanded sense of environmental issues. Sciences to coach teams of teachers from 15 schools over the next seven years. The mission: Combine science, social studies and health lessons into an integrated program of environmental science that goes beyond the ABCs of recycling.
  • COEPwebsite serve as local, national and international sources of environmental health information. They are designed to educate students, teachers, health care professionals, public officials and other members of the community. Our programs are based both on identified community needs and on issues that mirror our EHS Center research. Our outreach initiative has two aims: 1. Address the environmental health issues and concerns identified in the community through a community advisory board. 2. Offer information and educational opportunities related to environmental health issues to the local community, including concerned citizens, educators, children, and health professionals.
    • Community Advisory Board members represent the following organizations:
      • Monroe County Department of Health
      • Rochester Museum & Science Center
      • Rochester Committee for Scientific Information
      • Grassroots
      • Rochester City Department of Environmental Services
      • Eastman Kodak Company
      • Farmworker Legal Services of New York
      • Action for a Better Community
      • Safety Council of Central New York
      • Rural Opportunities
      • Science Educators Association
      • Center for Environmental Information
      • Rochester Institute of Technology
      • RochesterEnvironment.com

   

•  Find out about area beach closings from GLIN--The Great Lakes Information Network.

•  The American Legacy Foundation (Legacy) is a national, independent, public health foundation located in Washington, D.C. Legacy is committed to working with other organizations that are interested in decreasing the use of tobacco by Americans. Among Legacy's top priorities are to reduce tobacco use by young people and to support programs that help people -- whether they are young or old - quit smoking.

•  Allergy, Asthma, Immunology of Rochester: The Resource Center is located at: 310 Perinton Hills Office Park, Fairport, New York 14450,TEL: 716-223 - 2880 

• ATSDR - Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry - U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services  Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry The mission of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), as an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is to serve the public by using the best science, taking responsive public health actions, and providing trusted health information to prevent harmful exposures and disease related to toxic substances. ATSDR is directed by congressional mandate to perform specific functions concerning the effect on public health of hazardous substances in the environment. These functions include public health assessments of waste sites, health consultations concerning specific hazardous substances, health surveillance and registries, response to emergency releases of hazardous substances, applied research in support of public health assessments, information development and dissemination, and education and training concerning hazardous substances.

• Trust for America's Health Trust for America's Health is a national non-profit organization whose mission is to protect the health and safety of all communities, especially those most at risk of environmental and other public health threats. Our goal is to strengthen the nation's public health system through science-based research, community partnerships, education, and advocacy.

• Asbestos An estimated 1.3 million employees in construction and general industry face significant asbestos exposure on the job. Heaviest exposures occur in the construction industry, particularly during the removal of asbestos during renovation or demolition. Employees are also likely to be exposed during the manufacture of asbestos products (such as textiles, friction products, insulation, and other building materials) and during automotive brake and clutch repair work. --from Occupational Safety & Health Administration - OSHA HOME PAGE

•  RAND Institute for Civil Justice Our job is to help improve policy and decision making through research and analysis. We do that in many ways. Sometimes, we develop new knowledge to inform decisionmakers without suggesting any specific course of action. Often, we go further by spelling out the range of available options and by analyzing their relative advantages and disadvantages. On many other occasions, we find the analysis so compelling that we advance specific policy recommendations. In all cases, we serve the public interest by widely disseminating our research findings. RAND (a contraction of the term research and development) is the first organization to be called a "think tank." We earned this distinction soon after we were created in 1946 by our original client, the U.S. Air Force (then the Army Air Forces). Some of our early work involved aircraft, rockets, and satellites. In the 1960s we even helped develop the technology you're using to view this web site.

•  CDC Smallpox Home You may be hearing about smallpox vaccinations in the news. This site is designed to answer your questions about smallpox and the vaccination. If your questions are not answered here, please call CDC at (888) 246-2675

•  The Collaborative on Health and the Environment The central purposes of the Collaborative include: (1) Providing accurate scientific information to CHE Partners regarding environmental threats to health. (2) Creating a shared space within which Partners can develop collaborative relationships that further our shared goals. (3) Raising the level of public and professional dialogue about environmental threats to health and the research options, policy options, and citizen initiatives that may contribute to reducing the burden of environmentally-related diseases and conditions. The initial focus of CHE's work is on environmental toxicants that may affect health. Clearly, there are many other environmental threats to human and ecosystem health. As CHE matures, new working groups may address other scientifically valid environmental health concerns.

•  BCCR The Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester's mission is to make eradication of breast cancer a priority through education and advocacy, to empower women and men to participate fully in decisions relating to breast cancer, and to promote and focus research into the causes, prevention, treatment and cure of breast cancer. --BCCR-840 University Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607 -Phone: (585) 473-8177 -Fax: (585) 473-7689

•  Environmental Health News: www.EnvironmentalHealthNews.org  is published daily by Environmental Health Sciences, a not-for-profit organization founded in 2002 to help increase public understanding of emerging scientific links between environmental exposures and human health. EHS publishes 3 websites: www.EnvironmentalHealthNews.org www.OurStolenFuture.org www.ProtectingOurHealth.org  (in partnership with the Collaborative for Health and the Environment)

•  Trust for America's Health Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to saving lives by protecting the health of every community and working to make disease prevention a national priority. From anthrax to asthma, from chemical terrorism to cancer, America is facing a crisis of epidemics.

•  CLIC-On-Health CLIC-on-Health is a project that brings together libraries, health organizations and associations, healthcare delivery systems, and educational institutions in order to provide all the people of the greater Rochester area with the high-quality healthcare information and resources they need to make wise lifestyle and healthcare choices. The project features: a web portal with information specific to Rochester health care – a “one-stop-shopping” site for health information and training in the use of health information on the Internet. The project is supported by Library Services and Technology Act funds granted by the NY State Library, and by grants from the National Networks of Libraries of Medicine. It is being coordinated by the Rochester Regional Library Council, a multi-type library consortium serving libraries in the 5-county Rochester area.

• The Children's Environmental Health Network is a national multi-disciplinary organization whose mission is to protect the fetus and the child from environmental health hazards and promote a healthy environment.