Who’s in Charge: Role Clarity in a Midwestern Watershed Group

Studies of collaborative watershed groups show that effective leadership is an important factor for success. This research uses data from in-depth interviews and meeting observation to qualitatively examine leadership in a Midwestern collaborative watershed group operating with government funding. One major finding was a lack of role definition for volunteer steering-committee members. Lack of role clarity and decision-making processes led to confusion regarding project management authority among the group, paid project staff members, and agency personnel. Given the important role of government grants for funding projects to protect water quality, this study offers insight into leadership issues that groups with Clean Water Act Section 319 (h) funds may face and suggestions on how to resolve them.     

Trade transport and environment linkages at the U.S.–Mexico border: Which policies matter?

We apply a fixed-effects model to examine the impact of trade and environmental policies on air quality at ports along the U.S.-Mexico border. We control for other factors influencing air quality, such as air quality of cities near the border, volume of traffic flows and congestion. Results show the air quality improved after 2004, when the diesel engine policy was applied. We see mixed results for the trade policy, whose implementation time varies across ports along the international border. Controlling for air quality in cities near the border is essential for assessing the policy contributions to air quality.     

Chemistry and controversy: the regulation of environmental chromium

The regulation of chromium in drinking water and sludge illustrates some of the challenges of regulating a chemical with complex environmental chemistry in a dynamic regulatory environment. The controversies evoked in setting environmental standards for chromium reflect technical uncertainties and the conflicting values of affected parties including regulators, citizens potentially exposed to chromium pollution, polluting industries, and research scientists. Regulatory limits for chromium in water and sludge recognize the paradoxical nature of chromium chemistry but also illustrate how the use of risk assessment can alter the regulatory approach. The framework of rationality as described by Crawford-Brown is suggested as a useful tool for evaluating regulatory limits for environmental contaminants. Science-based policies are most rational when they reflect the characteristics of rationality with respect to the ends or objectives sought, the means chosen to achieve these ends, and the beliefs that substantiate the chosen means and ends. If scientific research is to be applied to regulatory or environmental policy questions, then the traditional focus on the rationality of empirically based scientific beliefs must be expanded to consider the focus of the research question and the methodologies used.     

Factors related to injury of shiftworking fire fighters in the Northeastern United States

Fire fighters, who provide society with an essential and life-saving service, are subjected to the effects of shiftwork and to the demands (physical and mental) and dangers of their profession, all of which can contribute to injuries. To identify factors involved in injuries to fire fighters, the timing, frequency, types, and places of occurrence of injuries sustained by fire fighters in three different municipal fire departments were examined. Data was obtained from analysis of Workers' Compensation forms. The most frequent injuries involved inhalation of hazardous materials and lacerations. Ninety-two percent of the injuries occurred at the fire scene, and their causes were related to fire fighting duties, such as rescue, extinguishment and overhaul. Although only 54% of fire alarms nationwide occurred from 12:00 to 16:00 and from 18:00 to 24:00 (42% of a 24 hour day), 68% of the injuries sustained by the fire fighters studied occurred during these time periods. Per alarm, at meal time or on the night shift fire fighters were more likely to be injured. Serious injuries were more prevalent at standardly accepted meal-times. The timing of the highest frequencies of injuries suggests that, due to the shiftwork nature of firefighting, both disruption of eating patterns and fatigue increase the risk of work-related injury to fire fighters. By understanding the contribution of factors, especially human ones, such as altered metabolism (due to disruption) and fatigue (due to time elapsed since awakening, alteration/disruption of sleep-wake pattern, or hypoglycaemia), interventions can be developed, which should decrease the incidence of injuries to fire fighters.     

Spatial variability of nitrogen dioxide and formaldehyde and residential exposure of children in the industrial area of Viadana,Northern Italy

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Chipboard production is a source of ambient air pollution. We assessed the spatial variability of outdoor pollutants and residential exposure of...     

Fetal therapies for cytomegalovirus: What we tell prospective parents

Congenital CMV is the most common congenital infection in the developed world. Infection results in congenital disease ranging from asymptomatic infection to severe neurodevelopmental impairment, and occasionally fetal or neonatal death. Fetal infection can occur through maternal-fetal transmission during primary maternal infection or maternal reactivation or re-infection. Awareness among maternal health care providers and parents is low. The prevention of maternal CMV infection currently relies on hygiene measures, with no effective CMV vaccine or prophylactic therapies. No licensed treatment options are available to prevent maternal-fetal transmission or fetal disease. Hyperimmunoglobulin and valaciclovir have been investigated for prevention of maternal-fetal transmission or fetal treatment, with some evidence supporting consideration of maternal administration of hyperimmunoglobulin or valaciclovir therapy in certain circumstances. This article outlines the clinical evidence regarding proven preventative behavioral measures and experimental hyperimmunoglobulin and valaciclovir therapies, that is structured around common questions asked by pregnant women about CMV infection. It is aimed to help maternity health care providers counsel prospective parents about congenital CMV disease and the preventative and therapeutic strategies currently available.