Media Advisory
| For Immediate Release December 4, 2006 |
Contact: |
CDC Conference Spotlights Environmental Health Effects of Hurricane Katrina,
Hazardous Waste and Climate Change
Other Highlights to Include Addresses by Senator Jack Reed, Acting Surgeon General Kenneth Moritsugu and EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson
Experts in the fields of environmental health, toxicology, injury prevention and public health will come together in Atlanta to present and explore the latest environmental health findings, developments and innovations in such areas as hurricane preparedness, hazardous waste, climate change, child development, land reuse and green healthcare. These experts will gather Monday December 4th through Wednesday, December 6th at the Hilton Atlanta Hotel for the 2006 National Environmental Public Health Conference, sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Conference Highlights
Monday, December 4
Plenary Session with Senator Jack Reed (10:30 am - 12:00 pm)
Senator Reed (D-RI) will speak on the importance of healthy environments. During his two senate terms, Senator Reed has been a vocal leader in protecting the public's health by promoting environmental health issues.
Scientific Sessions
The Impact of Hazardous Waste on Human Health: Policy, Analyses, and
Community Issues
For three decades, public health experts have combated the
health threat posed by toxic substances and hazardous waste in
residential areas. Discuss this threat, including policy implications
and community involvement, with a nationally recognized expert.
(12:00 pm - 1:00 pm)
Environmental Health, Sustainability and Disaster Preparedness Post
Hurricane Katrina
The Gulf Coast will take years to rebuild a region that
prioritizes health, sustainability and disaster preparedness.
Learn more about the challenges and opportunities in this process,
including building safe homes and forecasting environmental
change, from a CDC expert. (12:00 pm - 1:00 pm)
Assessing Environmental Health and Safety in Schools
The quality of the school environment is directly related to the
performance of students and faculty. A member of the expert
scientific panel presenting tools to manage environmental health and
safety in schools will answer questions about strategies to improve
these conditions. (12:00 pm - 1:00 pm)
The Case for Green Healthcare Construction: How Hospital Design and
Construction Protect
Current hospital constructions can guard the future health of
patients, staff and visitors through building design, planning and
practice. Explore the evidence, including the business case, for
improving public health with green healthcare institutions with a
CDC expert. (12:00 pm - 1:00 pm)
Plenary Session (8:30 am - 10:00 am)
Professor Richard Jackson, MD, MPH, Adjunct Professor, Environmental Health Sciences, University of California- Berkeley, will moderate an expert panel discussion about the challenges of building the environmental health system. Discussants will address issues, problems and solutions.
Scientific SessionsClimate Change: Health Implications
Extreme heat, intense rainfall, extended droughts, and record
low temperatures endanger the public's health. Discuss
improving atmospheric technology and changes in climate trends and the
associated human health impacts with a nationally recognized expert.
(12:00 pm - 1:00 pm)
Environmental Concerns and Children's Development
Environmental neurotoxins have caused learning disabilities,
behavior problems and even death among children. Questions about
the impact of neurotoxins like lead and mercury on growth and
development will be addressed by a leading scientific expert.
(12:00 pm - 1:00 pm)
Harmful Algae Blooms and Public Health: Research and Response
Harmful algal blooms (HAB) pose a very real, but largely ignored threat,
to the public's health, causing seafood poisonings and harmful
changes in human and animal communities. Learn more about the health
and economic consequences of this aquatic hazard from a CDC expert.
(12:00 pm - 1:00 pm)
Brownsfield 101 - A Model for Public Health Involvement in Brownsfield
and Land Reuse Sites
Hazardous substances, pollutants, and contaminants complicate
the expansion, redevelopment, and reuse of Brownfields, but these
efforts protect open land undeveloped and improve the environment.
Explore the role public health plays in these efforts with an
experienced expert. (12:00 pm - 1:00 pm)
Plenary Session with Rear Admiral Kenneth Moritsugu, MD, MPH, Acting
U.S. Surgeon General (10:30 am - 11:15 am)
Acting Surgeon General Moritsugu will present a framework for
his upcoming call to action to protect and promote health through
safe and healthy home environments.
Plenary Session with Stephen L. Johnson, Administrator, United States
Environmental Protection Agency (11:15 am - 12:15 pm)
EPA Administrator Johnson will close the conference with a
charge to all those in attendance to work together in partnership to
improve environmental public health.
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Editor's Note: Registration is free for media interested in attending the conference. Media are asked to register on-site at the conference hotel. Please bring press credentials. After registering, members of the media should proceed to the conference information desk and ask for the CDC communications representative. For more conference information, including a detailed listing of presentations and sessions, please go to www.cdc.gov/nceh/conference/index.htm.DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Page last modified: October 10, 2006
