Papers by Richard J Jackson
Health Symptoms and Occupational Exposure to Flea Control Products among California Pet Handlers
American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal, 1989
A statewide telephone survey of health symptoms associated with occupational exposure to flea con... more A statewide telephone survey of health symptoms associated with occupational exposure to flea control products among California pet handlers was conducted in 1987 following several reports of ill workers. The 696 employees interviewed worked at veterinary clinics, pet stores, pet boarding kennels, pet grooming shops, and animal control facilities. Symptom incidence and frequency and flea control product use were reported for the 3 months prior to interview. Eye and skin symptoms and unusual tiredness were elevated among workers who applied flea control products to animals or facilities. After adjustment for potential confounders, these symptoms were elevated 64% to 258% among applicators as compared to nonapplicators who worked in the same facilities. Workers who used protective clothing and equipment and followed some protective work practices were not at increased symptom risk. Some specific flea control active ingredients and application procedures were associated with respiratory effects and with symptoms suggesting systemic pesticide poisoning.
Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, 2003
The 4 articles that follow summarize the consequences for the health of populations, especially i... more The 4 articles that follow summarize the consequences for the health of populations, especially in cities and their metropolitan regions, of public-and private-sector decisions about characteristics of the built environment. The Milbank Memorial Fund commissioned these articles, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the New York Academy of Medicine, to help in the process by which the findings of research in this area inform the judgments of decision makers. We also asked the authors to participate in panels at a conference in March 2003, convened to stimulate communication between experts on health policy and research and persons who study, plan for, and regulate the built environment. The Academy and the Centers for Disease Control took the lead in planning and convening this conference. Colleagues at the Regional Plan Association and the Project for Public Space joined in devising the conference agenda and selecting panelists and invitees. These organizations have earned respect and visibility among persons in the public and private sectors across the country who are professionally involved with the built environment. At the conference, panelists discussed the practical implications of the research findings presented by the authors of these articles. They explained why it is difficult, but feasible, to use public and private investment in the built environment to improve health. An apparent obstacle to the use of these resources is that the builders' and developers' and governments' costs for creating such environments can appear to compete with other important goals-such as creating jobs and increasing corporate earnings, meeting citizens' aspirations for housing, shopping, and recreation, and facilitating the movement of people and goods in densely populated areas. The desired benefit is that improving health often can complement, and sometimes enhance, achieving other goals. Panelists offered examples of redesigned public spaces that promote both commercial and physical activity and of investments in mass transportation that reduce air pollution from automobiles and commuting time and also create incentives for commercial construction and housing. Each of the four articles addresses a different aspect of the complicated analytical and political relationships between the built environment and health status. In "Residential Environments and Cardiovascular Risk," Ana V. Diez Roux arrays and assesses evidence about the effects of the varying characteristics of different neighborhoods on the current epidemic of cardiovascular disease. She emphasizes environmental determinants of such risk factors for cardiovascular disease as physical activity and diet. Similarly, Gary W. Evans, in "The Built Environment and Mental Health," describes the effects on mental health of housing quality, crowding, noise, indoor air, and daylight exposure. Both authors document their findings from a rich literature to which each of them has contributed.
Chernobyl and Iodine Deficiency in the Russian Federation: An Environmental Disaster Leading to a Public Health Opportunity
Journal of Public Health Policy, 2002
The Chernobyl nuclear disaster of April 26, 1986, triggered a chain of devastating events that la... more The Chernobyl nuclear disaster of April 26, 1986, triggered a chain of devastating events that later included an unexpected increase in childhood thyroid cancer and evidence of iodine deficiency (ID) in Russia. For the Russian people the Chernobyl event had profound psychological impacts, provoking anxiety about nuclear technology and mistrust of governmental control efforts. Frequently in public health a crisis is required to create the political will to manage longstanding problems, and public health officials must rapidly mobilize to take advantage of the opportunity. In this case, ID, previously not seen as a problem in Russia, was recognized to be potentially serious, and the Russian Federation, assisted by the catalytic bi-national effort of the U.S.-Russian Joint Commission on Economic and Technological Cooperation (Gore-Chernomyrdin Commission (GCC)) established a model salt iodization policy, developed a planning process, and implemented a program to prevent ID through a systematic approach that included the people, government, and private groups using open communication, dissemination of the findings, and action plans. By 1999, political will had been mobilized and over 20% of the nation's salt was being iodized, up from about 1% in 1996. Universal iodization of salt was not a specific objective of the GCC; however, the increasing availability of iodized salt is leading to the elimination of ID, which is now a political goal in Russia. The full realization of this goal will require more time for education, marketing, and possibly legislative action.
Maternal Pesticide Exposure from Multiple Sources and Selected Congenital Anomalies
Epidemiology, 1999
We explored the relation between various potential sources of maternal periconceptional pregnancy... more We explored the relation between various potential sources of maternal periconceptional pregnancy exposures to pesticides and congenital anomalies in offspring. Data were derived from a case-control study of fetuses and liveborn infants with orofacial clefts, neural tube defects, conotruncal defects, or limb anomalies, among 1987-1989 California births and fetal deaths. We conducted telephone interviews with mothers of 662 (85% of eligible) orofacial cleft cases, 265 (84%) neural tube defect cases, 207 (87%) conotruncal defect cases, 165 (84%) limb cases, and 734 (78%) nonmalformed controls. The odds ratio (OR) estimates did not indicate increased risk for any of the studied anomaly groups among women whose self-reported occupational tasks were considered by an industrial hygienist likely to involve pesticide exposures. Paternal occupational exposure to pesticides, as reported by the mother, revealed elevated ORs for only two of the cleft phenotypes [OR = 1.7 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.9-3.4] for multiple cleft lip with/without cleft palate and OR = 1.6 [95% CI = 0.7-3.4] for multiple cleft palate]. Use of pesticide products for household gardening, by mothers or by professional applicators, was associated with ORs > or =1.5 for most of the studied anomalies. Use of pesticide products for the control of pests in or around homes was not associated with elevated risks for most of the studied anomalies, although women who reported that a professional applied pesticides to their homes had increased risks for neural tube defect-affected pregnancies [OR = 1.6 (95% CI = 1.1-2.5)] and limb anomalies [OR = 1.6 (95% CI = 1.0-2.7)]. Having a pet cat or dog and treating its fleas was not associated with increased anomaly risk. Women who reported living within 0.25 miles of an agricultural crop revealed increased risks for offspring with neural tube defects [OR = 1.5 (95%CI = 1.1-2.1)]. For many of the comparisons, data were sparse, resulting in imprecise effect estimation. Despite our investigating multiple sources of potential pesticide exposures, without more specific information on chemical and level of exposure, we could not adequately discriminate whether the observed effects are valid, whether biased exposure reporting contributed to the observed elevated risks, or whether nonspecific measurement of exposure was responsible for many of the observed estimated risks not being elevated.
Aldicarb Food Poisonings in California, 1985–1988: Toxicity Estimates for Humans
Archives of Environmental Health: An International Journal, 1990
Three outbreaks of food poisoning involving watermelons or cucumbers and caused by the carbamate ... more Three outbreaks of food poisoning involving watermelons or cucumbers and caused by the carbamate pesticide aldicarb occurred in California between 1985 and 1988. For each outbreak, and for an outbreak of aldicarb poisoning associated with English cucumbers previously reported in the literature, dosages of aldicarb sulfoxide that caused the illnesses were estimated. Estimated dosages ranged between 0.0023 [corrected] and 0.06 mg/kg body weight, and most were well below the 0.025 mg/kg Lowest Observed Effect Level (LOEL) for subclinical blood cholinesterase depression previously reported for humans. These findings are consistent with aldicarb sulfoxide (ASO) illnesses that have occurred in other states. Aldicarb appears to be more toxic than previously suspected. Scientific and regulatory implications are discussed.
American Journal of Public Health, 2003
Objectives. This study investigated the scale of the public health risk from stormwater runoff ca... more Objectives. This study investigated the scale of the public health risk from stormwater runoff caused by urbanization. Methods. We compiled turbidity data for municipal treated drinking water as an indication of potential risk in selected US cities and compared estimated costs of waterborne disease and preventive measures. Results. Turbidity levels in other US cities were similar to those linked to illnesses in Milwaukee, Wis, and Philadelphia, Pa. The estimated annual cost of waterborne illness is comparable to the long-term capital investment needed for improved drinking water treatment and stormwater management. Conclusions. Although additional data on cost and effectiveness are needed, stormwater management to minimize runoff and associated pollution appears to make sense for protecting public health at the least cost.
American Journal of Public Health, 2003
The design of a community’s built environment influences the physical and mental health of its re... more The design of a community’s built environment influences the physical and mental health of its residents. Because few studies have investigated this relationship, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hosted a workshop in May 2002 to help develop a scientific research agenda on these issues. Workshop participants’ areas of expertise included physical activity, injury prevention, air pollution, water quality, urban planning, transportation, architecture, epidemiology, land use, mental health, social capital, housing, and social marketing. This report describes the 37 questions in the resulting research agenda. The next steps are to define priorities and obtain resources. The proposed research will help identify the best practices for designing new communities and revitalizing old ones in ways that promote physical and mental health.
Cholinesterase activity depression among California agricultural pesticide applicators
American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 1989
Cholinesterase activity measurements for 542 California agricultural pesticide applicators under ... more Cholinesterase activity measurements for 542 California agricultural pesticide applicators under medical supervision during the first 9 months of 1985 were analyzed. Twenty-six workers, 4.8% of the sample, had cholinesterase values at or below the California threshold values for removal from continued exposure to cholinesterase-inhibiting pesticides (60% of baseline for red blood cell cholinesterase and 50% of baseline for plasma cholinesterase activity). Eight of these 26 workers, 31.5%, had pesticide-related illnesses. Pesticides most frequently associated with cholinesterase depressions exceeding California threshold values included mevinphos (Phosdrin), oxydemeton methyl (Metasystox-R), methomyl (Lannate), and acephate (Orthene); these pesticides included organophosphates in toxicity categories I and II and one carbamate in toxicity category I.
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Papers by Richard J Jackson