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EPA Reports and Factsheets

This information will help you learn more about the research that is being done to date to further the Aging Initiative including a summary of EPA projects or supported projects and various fact sheets and reports developed by EPA.

• Fact sheets on Environmental Health
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  • Diabetes
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EPA Reports and Presentations

Here you will find a collection of reports and fact sheets issued by the EPA or its grantees on various topics related to the environment, aging and health. The reports are organized by topic in alphabetical order and have been identified as either general or technical in nature.

Presentations at annual Conferences | EPA Reports by Topic

Presentations at annual conferences

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EPA Reports by Topic

• Air Pollutants
• Dioxins
• Heavy Metals
• Natural Events
• Pesticides
• Smart Growth
• Temperature Extremes
• Toxins
• Water

Air Pollutants

• Air Pollution Information for Health Care Providers
  Information for health care providers to help your patients protect their health by reducing their exposure to air pollution. Information can be found on the cardiac and respiratory health effects associated with outdoor air pollution exposure and educational materials for your patients.
• EPA Reports and Factsheets: Air Contaminants
• Air and Radiation: Why Be Concerned

Asthma

Induction of Asthma and the Environment: What We Know and Need to Know, Environmental Health Perspectives Volume 114, Number 4, April 2006 (PDF, About PDF)

New Study Finds Keys to Success for Asthma Programs

EPA-Funded Study Finds Key Elements of Successful Asthma Programs

EPA and the University of Michigan have released the results of an international study of over 400 asthma programs in one of the most wide-reaching assessments to date. The study, conducted by the University of Michigan School of Public Health (UMSPH) with funding from EPA, found that asthma programs that address environmental triggers work best to improve health outcomes such as reduced emergency room visits, improved quality of life, and fewer missed days of school or work when they build strong connections with front-line health care providers and local communities.

The Asthma Health Outcomes Project study was conducted by UMSPH over three years through a $700,000 grant from EPA.  For more information about the Asthma Health Outcomes Project and to read the report, visit http://www.alliesagainstasthma.net/AHOP

http://www.epa.gov/asthma/ahop.html

COPD - Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder and Asthma Triggers

• Age Healthier Breathe Easier poster [EPA Publication #: 100-H03-001]
• Age Healthier Breathe Easier poster printable (PDF) (1 pp, 4.4 MB, About PDF)
• Para envejecer de manera saludable respirando con facilidad (Age Healthier Breathe Easier poster en Español)
• Age Healthier Breathe Easier Fact Sheet (PDF) (2 pp, 528KB, About PDF) [EPA Publication #: 100-F04-001]
• Age Healthier, Breathe Easier: Solutions You Can Use to Control or Reduce Environmental Triggers
• COPD resources
• Endorsements of the Year Round Air Quality Index for Particle Pollution (PDF) (2 pp, 84 kb, About PDF)
• Envejezca de manera más saludable, Respire con mayor facilidad (PDF) (2pp, 356 kb, About PDF)

Indoor Air

• Carbon Monoxide
• Radon
• Environmental Tobacco Smoke (Second-Hand Smoke)
• Combustion Appliances
• Air Purifiers/Ozone Generators
• Volatile Organic Compounds




Outdoor Air

Air Quality

• Air Quality Index (AQI) - AIRNow
• How OAQPS Handles Air Quality

Ozone

• Smog -- Who Does It Hurt?
• Good Up High, Bad Nearby

Particulate Matter

• PM - How Particulate Matter Affects the Way We Live & Breathe

 

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Natural Events

Extreme Heat Events or Heat Waves

• Excessive Heat Events Guidebook (PDF, 60pp., 652kb, About PDF)
• Quick Tips for Responding to Excessive Heat Events (PDF, 2pp., 104kb, About PDF)

Drought

• Drought
  Discusses General Drought Management Components

Fires

• Smoke from Agricultural and Forest Fires
• Wildland Fires Issues Group
  Discusses information about the Wildland Fire Issues Group
• Fire Suppression and Explosion Protection

Floods

• Wetlands: Flood Protection
  Page contains information about how wetlands provide flood protection
• Fact Sheet: Flood Cleanup: Avoiding Indoor Air Quality Problems
  During a flood cleanup, the indoor air quality in your home or office may appear to be the least of your problems.
• Private Drinking Water Wells: What to Do After the Flood
  Contains advice for homeowners on disinfecting drinking water wells after floods.
• Global Warming - Impacts: Flood Control
  Global climate change could also change the frequency and severity of inland flooding, particularly along rivers.
• Respiratory Protection for Residents Reentering Previously Flooded Areas and Homes (PDF, 2 pp., 142kb, About PDF)
  04-20-2006 Provides information about respiratory protection for residents reentering areas flooded by Hurricane Katrina
• A Citizen's Guide to In Situ Flushing (PDF, 2 pp., 88kb, About PDF)
  In situ soil flushing is an innovative treatment technology that floods contaminated soils with a solution that moves the contaminants to an area where they are removed.
• Economic Benefits of Wetlands
  02-11-2006 Discusses the economic benefits of preserving wetlands

Heat Islands

• Frequently Asked Questions about Heat Islands
• Heat Island Effect
  The heat island effect is one factor among several that can raise summertime temperatures to levels that pose a threat to public health.

Hurricanes

• Hurricanes
  Information on preparing for a hurricane before it hits and recovering from a hurricane

Tornadoes

• Tornadoes
  Information on preparing for a tornado before it hits and recovering from a tornado

Volcanoes

• Volcanoes

Winter Weather


• Snow and Ice
  • Winter conditions can create specific environmental problems. Deicing can damage local ecosystems and contaminate drinking water supplies. Ice can bring down power lines, so people run generators more often, which can release harmful air pollutants inside. This page provides information about how to reduce these effects. http://www.epa.gov/naturalevents/snow-ice.html
• Winter Weather

 

Smart Growth

 

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Water

• EPA Office of Water
• Drinking Water and Health: What you need to know
• What contaminants may be found in drinking water?
• CDC Safe Water Guide 2002 (PDF, 39 pp., 1.3 mb)
• Guidance for people with Severely Weakened Immune Systems
• Water on Tap: What You Need to Know
• Safe Drinking Water
• Consumer’s Guide to Radon Protection
• Emergency Disinfection of Drinking Water
• Arsenic in Drinking Water
• Beaches
• Floods
• Information for Private Well Owners
• Watershed Handbook Released

Disinfection byproducts

• Drinking Water Contaminants: Disinfection Byproducts
• Water Pollutants: Disinfection Byproducts

Microbial Pathogens

• Drinking Water Contaminants: Microbes
• Water Pollutants: Microbial Pathogens

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

• Technical Fact sheets on Volatile Organic Compounds
  
  

Pesticides

• Pesticides Fact Sheet [PDF, 2pp., 317 kB]
• About Pesticides
• Citizen's Guide to Pest Control and Pesticide Safety [PDF, 54 pp., 24 mb]

General

Integrated Pest Management, (IPM) - Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an effective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management that relies on a combination of common-sense practices. IPM programs use current, comprehensive information on the life cycles of pests and their interaction with the environment. This information, in combination with available pest control methods, is used to manage pest damage by the most economical means, and with the least possible hazard to people, property, and the environment.

The IPM approach can be applied to both agricultural and non-agricultural settings, such as the home, garden, and workplace. IPM takes advantage of all appropriate pest management options including, but not limited to, the judicious use of pesticides. In contrast, organic food production applies many of the same concepts as IPM but limits the use of pesticides to those that are produced from natural sources, as opposed to synthetic chemicals.

Dioxins

The Hidden Hazards of Backyard Burning [PDF] -- What you need to know to protect your health and the environment

Toxins

Aging and Toxic Response Report

Heavy Metals

Lead

Lead - How Lead Affects the Way We Live & Breathe. Levels of the pollutant - "lead" - in the air have decreased dramatically since 1978, primarily due to reductions in emissions from cars and trucks. Today, metal processing plants are generally responsible for most of the lead in the air.

Lead is a highly toxic metal that was used for many years in products found in and around our homes. Lead may cause a range of health effects, from behavioral problems and learning disabilities, to seizures and death.

Lead: What You Can do to Protect Your Family

Mercury

Mercury is a naturally occurring element that is present throughout the environment. Human activity can release some of that mercury into the air, water and soil. In the U.S., coal-fired power plants are the biggest source of mercury emissions to the air. Mercury concentrations in air are usually low and of little direct concern. But when mercury enters water, biological processes transform it to a highly toxic form that builds up in fish and animals that eat fish. People are exposed to mercury primarily by eating fish.

Other Mercury Related Links:

• Poster: Do You Eat Fish? [PDF, 1 pp., 343 KB]
• Poster: ¿Come Usted Pescado? [PDF, 1 pp., 37 KB]
  
  

For more information please visit the Mercury Web site.

Toxicological Effects of Methylmercury (2000), Commission on Life Sciences, Committee on the Toxicological Effects of Methylmercury, Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology, National Research Council, The National Academies (National Academies Press)

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Temperature Extremes

• Hot Weather
• Hipertermia — Muy Caliente Para su Salud
• Heat Island Effects
• Cold Weather

  Hypothermia-Related Deaths --- United States, 2003

  In the United States, certain populations are at increased risk for dying from hypothermia. During 2001, a total of 599 persons in the United States died from "exposure to excessive natural cold. Of these victims, 67% were male, and 51% were age 65 and older. As persons age, their risk for dying from hypothermia increases

  http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5308a2.htm

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