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Environmenantal Health Concerns
Environmental health concerns can range from chemical and metal exposures to lack of water to specific diseases. Some of our programs and grants, such as environmental health tracking, biomonitoring, and occupational health, allow us to examine how particular environmental exposures affect our health. Through our community environmental health program we developed an instrument that helps communities conduct their own environmental assessments. The community environmental health assessment tool box is a collection of resources and tools that aid environmental health assessments in smaller New Mexican communities.
Cancer is an environmental health concern that often comes up because people believe that there is an excess of cancers in their community or neighborhood. The natural guess is that some common element in the environment might be causing the cancers. Unfortunately, cancer is very common. About one-half of the men and one third of the women alive today will develop cancer. Sometimes a community may have what seems to be a lot of cancer, but no common link can be found.
This site provides links to some agencies that can help with your concerns. Before you go to these sites, however, you should know that cancer is a name for over one hundred different diseases. Cancers have different combinations of causes and develop in different ways and over different time spans. Remember that most people do not live their whole lives in the same location under the same exposure and that genetic factors contribute to cancer too.
We need to continue to examine data on environmental exposures that may contribute to cancer, such as asbestos and radon. In the meantime, there are things people can do to lower their chances of getting cancer. Tobacco products and second-hand smoke are known risk factors for developing cancers that can be prevented by changes in behavior. Early screening for breast, cervical, prostate and colon cancers can lower the rates of cancers too. Awareness of chemicals or substances in our daily living that are known or suspected to cause cancer, can reduce exposures and lower the risk of getting cancer.
Cancer is an environmental health concern that often comes up because people believe that there is an excess of cancers in their community or neighborhood. The natural guess is that some common element in the environment might be causing the cancers. Unfortunately, cancer is very common. About one-half of the men and one third of the women alive today will develop cancer. Sometimes a community may have what seems to be a lot of cancer, but no common link can be found.
This site provides links to some agencies that can help with your concerns. Before you go to these sites, however, you should know that cancer is a name for over one hundred different diseases. Cancers have different combinations of causes and develop in different ways and over different time spans. Remember that most people do not live their whole lives in the same location under the same exposure and that genetic factors contribute to cancer too.
We need to continue to examine data on environmental exposures that may contribute to cancer, such as asbestos and radon. In the meantime, there are things people can do to lower their chances of getting cancer. Tobacco products and second-hand smoke are known risk factors for developing cancers that can be prevented by changes in behavior. Early screening for breast, cervical, prostate and colon cancers can lower the rates of cancers too. Awareness of chemicals or substances in our daily living that are known or suspected to cause cancer, can reduce exposures and lower the risk of getting cancer.
For environmental health questions please contact us at 476-1734 (Santa Fe) or
e-mail.
