Under guidelines first released in late March by the office 鈥� and in line with the 鈥淪tay Home, Stay Healthy鈥� orders from Gov. Jay Inslee that took effect on March 25 鈥� most 91探花researchers, which include faculty, staff, postdoctoral researchers, graduate and undergraduate students, were directed to start working from home if they had not done so already. Only essential research could continue at 91探花facilities, and then only with safety measures such as social distancing, using personal protective equipment, and decontaminating equipment and surfaces.

Those experiences early in the pandemic made 91探花an example for other U.S. institutions as the novel coronavirus spread. In May, the Office of Research released guidelines for a safe 鈥渞amp up鈥� of in-person, on-campus research activities that had been paused. Lidstrom and colleagues from five other prominent research universities also co-authored a , published May 28 in Science, highlighting key issues that institutions must address as they proceed with research ramp-up plans.

Lidstrom, who is also a 91探花professor of chemical engineering and of microbiology, sat down virtually with 91探花News to discuss the evolving picture of research at the UW.

What happened to research at the 91探花when COVID-19 hit the Seattle region?

ML: Within days of Gov. Inslee鈥檚 鈥淪tay Home, Stay Healthy鈥� order in late March, we distributed guidelines for UW-related research activities. Understandably, a lot of research ramped down, but the university also allowed certain essential research to continue. This included all COVID-19 research, which was cast quite broadly; biomedical and public health research; long-term experiments; work needed to maintain equipment or for animal care; and research that graduate students needed to complete their degrees by the end of the school year. All of these activities could continue, provided strict safety and social distancing requirements were followed.

Many research-related activities continued remotely: data analysis, group meetings, seminars, preparing manuscripts and proposals, online trainings, even remote data collection 鈥� like in astronomy.

But non-essential, on-campus research activities ramped down pretty quickly. We also paused most research with human subjects and field research. Depending on the area, some research laboratories did close, but almost all had some people coming in for safety and maintenance issues 鈥� animal care, maintenance and related activities.

In addition, I would like to point to the amazing people in the 91探花research administration and compliance offices, who moved all possible workload online in a matter of days, continued to support the research enterprise without a pause, and set up processes to prioritize COVID-19 related research. In most cases they turned around complex applications in a matter of hours.听 Without them, we could not have accomplished what we have to date.

What considerations did you take as the Office of Research prepared these guidelines?

ML: Our focus is on helping people 鈥� and safeguarding their health and well-being. We really wanted to keep the number of people coming to campus for research purposes at a minimum. And even for essential research activities, no one is required to come to campus. If people cannot come to campus due to health concerns, child care issues, transportation issues or having vulnerable family members, we must accommodate them. That has been the university鈥檚 policy since the pandemic started, and that remains in place even as we have made preparations to 鈥渞amp up鈥� some research activities once again.

How has the move to 鈥渞amp up鈥� research changed these guidelines?

ML: In early May, the governor announced plans for a of Washington鈥檚 economy. In response, we prepared and distributed guidelines for allowing certain in-person research activities on campus, provided a set of strict safety measures were met.

What was the motivation behind these new guidelines?

ML: Research is one of the core functions of this university. And in early May, the public health metrics of the COVID-19 pandemic in Washington were looking sufficiently positive that we thought we could start to allow small numbers of individuals to return to campus for research once again. That is happening now. But, we are phasing it in gradually and thoughtfully.

We are also very much aware that, now and moving forward, there are circumstances where coming to campus is not an option. We don鈥檛 want anyone to feel pressured to come in. We are recognizing that careers are at stake, and many researchers are eager to resume research. So, we are trying to make it permissive to come to campus in a safe way 鈥� but this is in no way required.

How did the Office of Research prepare these guidelines?

ML: We have a whole team working on this within the Office of Research. We鈥檝e also gotten a great deal of input from academic units, campus leaders and advisory groups 鈥� including department chairs, deans鈥� offices and the Faculty Council on Research. We also worked closely with 91探花. Everyone stepped up and was very helpful. We had quite a bit of excellent advice.

What are some steps that researchers must take to be able to return to campus?

ML: There are many steps, more than I can cover here. But I can give you an overview.

Every principal investigator 鈥� a professor or head of a research group 鈥� must prepare a detailed plan for resuming in-person research while maintaining social distancing requirements and other safety measures. There鈥檚 quite a lot that must go into this plan: strict limits on the number of people in each room in the research space; moving equipment and staggering schedules to accommodate social distancing; use of personal protective equipment; designating who will do what; educating team members about health attestation and safety requirements; and staying home if they come down with symptoms.

Then, they must get that plan approved by their department chair or equivalent, order and receive all necessary supplies 鈥� including personal protective equipment 鈥� and that鈥檚 all before anyone can even show up to campus.

Have 91探花policies shaped what鈥檚 happened at other universities?

ML: Yes, they have. We were one of the first major research universities to have to deal with COVID-19. We made our initial guidelines public for other institutions to view. They could even use them as templates for their own guidelines. Some of my counterparts in the University of California system reached out to me and ultimately used our framework to help create guidelines for the UC system. That in turn went out to colleagues across the country, being improved upon at each step. The whole community of research offices has worked together and helped each other. It鈥檚 just been amazing.

That鈥檚 what led to this policy forum article, as well. We wanted to share the considerations we鈥檝e made and raise important issues like safety, social distancing, and the need for gradual, thoughtful ramping up. We鈥檙e not going through this alone, and we should continue to help one another.

For more information, contact Lidstrom at lidstrom@uw.edu.

91探花 is examining its readiness plans and advising employees and students on Ebola. Experts believe the threat of Ebola to the general U.S. public is very slim, but also that agencies should take well-informed precautions and be prepared to initiate a response if needed. The 91探花is working closely with Public Health-Seattle & King County and the Washington State Department of Health on preparedness planning.

As long as the Ebola epidemic remains uncontained in West Africa, untold lives will be lost in that region. Other parts of the world will remain on alert for new cases cropping up in their countries. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an arm of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, leads U.S. efforts in this matter, in conjunction with many organizations ranging from port authorities to state and county public health services.

鈥淯niversities and colleges across the country also are among those being called upon to be part of Ebola preparedness,鈥� said Lynn Sorensen, nurse manager for Hall Health Center, the 91探花campus health service. 鈥淭his is largely due to the global programs and multinational population of faculty, staff and students at many universities.鈥�

Additionally, some major universities, as is true of the 91探花, also run teaching hospitals and other medical services to care for patients in conjunction with education and research missions. Like health institutions everywhere, 91探花Medicine has to prepare for the possibility of an Ebola diagnosis in a patient coming to them for treatment.

The 91探花campus as a whole, and 91探花Medicine as a health-care system, have done extensive work on readiness plans that align with national guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and with localized advisories from city, county and state health departments.

鈥淧lans are constantly updated to stay abreast of the latest information and guidelines on Ebola, and to incorporate lessons learned from institutions and individuals who have managed cases,鈥� said hospital infection control expert Dr. John Lynch, who is working with Dr. Timothy Dellit on overseeing 91探花Medicine Ebola preparedness. Both physicians are associate professors in the Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, 91探花Department of Medicine.

If the need arises, the integrated response system that scores of people have been refining and testing for the past several months will be activated at short notice.

The precautions include, but are not limited to, helping those with exposure risks check for symptoms during a 21-day watch period, screening for and managing potential cases of Ebola Virus Disease, safeguarding health workers and others who care for any possible Ebola patients, and preventing the spread of infection to others.

The 91探花is also reviewing its policies to advise employees or students who might be affected by other public health measures to avert or control outbreaks, such as contact monitoring or household quarantines.

鈥淧racticing good infection control practices at a university is always important even outside of the present concerns about Ebola,鈥� Sorensen said. Ebola adds another dimension of prudence, according to Sorensen, but should not be a cause for alarm.

While the chance of Ebola exposure within the United States is extremely low, people who have very recently lived in or traveled to West Africa, however, could have been exposed, depending on their activities while there. The disease is spread when virus-infected body fluids of the sick or dead enter through a break in the skin or through a mucus membrane, such as those lining the eyes, mouth, nose and anal/genital area. Body fluids refer to blood, saliva, semen, urine, vomit, sweat, nasal discharge, diarrhea, breast milk and the like.

People with symptoms can pass the infection to others. Reactions to the virus vary: some resist it completely, some suffer and recover, but some succumb to the disease. Early symptoms resemble many other sicknesses going around: fever, muscle aches, diarrhea, vomiting and cough. If the disease progresses, bleeding, organ failure and shock can occur.

91探花travelers to Africa should realize that butchering or eating bush meat can transmit the disease. In Africa fruit bats and some monkeys and apes may carry the virus, according to the 91探花School of Public Health鈥檚 Peter Rabinowitz, who studies zoonotic diseases 鈥� illnesses that are transmissible between animals and humans.

On Sept. 17 the 91探花community received an e-mail notice that the 91探花was restricting any non-essential travel to Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nigeria and Guinea. Mali is now under review, 91探花Global Emergency manager Pascal Schuback noted. For details on 91探花travel restrictions, contact Schuback at 206-616-7927.

91探花travelers abroad to any part of the world are encouraged to register with the 91探花Travel Registry. Members of the 91探花community who have been in one of the affected African countries within the past 21 days being asked to notify Hall Health (206-221-2517) or the Employee Health Clinic (206-685-1026), said a representative from 91探花Environmental Health and Safety.

Anyone at the 91探花with a risk of exposure who does become ill with symptoms resembling Ebola should phone for medical assistance before going to Hall Health or a hospital, Sorensen advised.

She explained that, 鈥淰oluntary quarantine of anyone who has symptoms of Ebola and a recent travel history to an affected region will help protect others. It is very important for a person with these risk factors to call the clinic for advice to allow time for a plan to be set in place by the clinic or hospital response team.鈥�

Hall Health, like other of the nation鈥檚 walk-in clinics, is preparing for unexpected cases. Designated response teams are being formed. Staff members are checking patients travel history, other risk factors, and symptoms, Sorensen said. Suspected Ebola cases will be taken to an isolated, closed-off area for evaluation and first line of care. Other treatment and infection control guidelines, including the use of personal protective gear, health department notification, and decontamination procedures, will be followed.

鈥淎mbulatory clinics have guidelines for Ebola detection and initial management tailored to being a walk-in source of medical care,鈥� Sorensen said. Clinics are expected to arrange with their local health department concerning the transport of suspected cases to hospitals ready to receive them.

鈥淐ommunication among the various agencies that are part of the Ebola response is essential,鈥� Sorensen said. 鈥淭here are so many pieces, and we鈥檙e just one of the pieces.鈥�

鈥淎t 91探花Medicine鈥檚 hospitals and clinics, physicians and staff from a wide range of units are receiving training and are actively involved in Ebola preparedness,鈥� said Johnese Spisso, chief health system officer, 91探花Medicine, and 91探花vice president for medical affairs. Daily huddles by leadership team members are being completed. Information is cascaded to staff daily through information lines and intranet sites.

Town-hall meetings have also been occurring to present general information, while educational sessions are held to teach 91探花Medicine staff about specific Ebola response measures. Importantly, the information is put into practice in training sessions and drills. A staged drill might begin with the unannounced presence of an actor in the role of a patient with a fever and raging gut. If the intake reveals a travel history and other risk factors for Ebola, the plan is set in motion.

While all the details are too numerous to mention here, they would include: reassuring the patient, donning the proper protective care, isolating the patient in a specialized room, assigning a care team, reporting to public health agencies, providing supportive treatment and nursing care, ordering an Ebola test, handling lab specimens safely, removing gear in a manner that eliminates exposure, having observers confirm that nothing is amiss, performing decontamination procedures, and following many other guidelines recently established.

In addition, similar dress-rehearsals in infection control have been held for health sciences students, along with education on Ebola and its treatment. Lectures are also being offered by experts in various aspects of the epidemic, not the least of which is how to teach about it as the situation quickly changes.

This past Saturday, for example, veterinarians and physicians in the region learned about Ebola preparedness in relation to household pets at a breaking news session of a local medical conference. In a country where many consider dogs and cats family, Rabinowitz said, public health officials are concerned about the need for evidence on how best to manage an exposed pet.

鈥淒eveloping effective guidelines for how exposed domestic animals will be handled during the epidemic is part of public health preparedness,鈥� Rabinowitz.

The Ebola readiness underway strengthens the overall ability of 91探花health services to recognize and manage new disease agents.

鈥淲e may never have a case of Ebola, but other types of emerging infectious diseases could find their way here,鈥� said Sorensen. 鈥淲e need to be just plain prepared. This takes away the fear factor. Groups like Doctors Without Borders have been dealing with Ebola in austere conditions in countries that have sparse resources. They use simple measures 鈥� tents, cots, buckets, protective gear and bleach spray 鈥� with very few instances of provider infections. We can learn from their skill and their courage.鈥�

鈥淲e should be able to do this.鈥�

Read the 91探花Medicine on Ebola.

Through imaginative storytelling and art, “The Return” conveys environmental health from a Native American perspective.听 A center within the 91探花School of Public Health worked with Native American tribes to create and publish the illustrated story as a 32-page comic book.

One of the goals of this Native Tradition, Environment and Community Health Project was to find out how Native American ways of understanding the world and our place in it differ from the Western concept of environmental health. Surveys, interviews, and talking circles identified three core themes of Native environmental health: community, wellness, and inter-relationship.

“The Return”听was created from the findings. It is a dreamlike account of a Native woman and her baby, and tells how these three concepts are passed to the next generation.

Michelle Montgomery, senior fellow in the 91探花Department of Bioethics and Humanities at the 91探花Center for Genomics & Healthcare Equality, and Nicholas Salazar, a student at the Institute for American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, N.M., developed the book. Montgomery is a tribal member affiliated with the Haliwa Saponi and Eastern Band Cherokee.

The 91探花Center for Ecogenetics & Environmental Health and the Northwest Indian College co-managed the project. The effort began in 2008 with a collaborative grant from the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences.

The book was distributed at the 2013 American Indian Higher Education Consortium Student Conference in Green Bay, Wisc. More dissemination opportunities are planned. The end of the book contains a discussion guide and suggestions for related art projects.

“The Return”听comic book is .

In February, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed a plan to clean up the Duwamish. The new Health Impact Assessment details changes in health that may result from the cleanup. The report also makes recommendations about how to minimize health impacts, maximize health benefits, and reduce health disparities.

鈥淥ur findings demonstrate that EPA’s cleanup plan will significantly impact particular communities,鈥� said Dr. William Daniell, an environmental and occupational epidemiologist and associate professor in the 91探花 School of Public Health.

More than a century of industrial and urban waste has contaminated the river with a mix of 41 toxic chemicals. In 2001, the EPA placed it on the Superfund National Priorities List.听 Of the chemicals most concerning to human health, polychlorinated biphenyls, more commonly known as PCBs,听 carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, arsenic, dioxins and furans top the list. Exposure to these toxins comes from eating resident fish or shellfish and coming into contact with contaminated sediment.

The Health Impact Assessment report was produced by researchers at the 91探花School of Public Health in collaboration with community health researchers from Just Health Action and the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition/Technical Advisory Group.

In reference to prior assessments done by the agency, Daniell said: 鈥淓PA studies focused on disease outcomes and generally fail to identify and evaluate broader health implications. We hope that they will incorporate our findings and recommendations.鈥�

EPA鈥檚 proposed plan will reduce health risks, but it will not succeed in meeting the levels obtained in Puget Sound. Nor will resident seafood be safe to eat for subsistence fishers or for Native American tribal members.

The 91探花report outlines recommendations to protect the health of the Duwamish, Muckleshoot and Suquamish Tribes, who are affected by the cleanup. In particular, the researchers suggest EPA collaborate with these tribes to address their health concerns and restore their safe access to natural resources and fish.

In terms of the impact on local residents, construction-related activities and rail and truck traffic could increase air and noise pollution if not properly managed.听 In addition, the cleanup may cause gentrification and displacement of local residents. If done correctly, cleanup may generate new jobs and revitalize the South Park and Georgetown neighborhoods.

鈥淒isadvantaged people who have more life stress, such as poverty, exposure to crime, and less leisure time, are more vulnerable to contamination, which can explain some health disparities鈥� said Linn Gould, executive director of Just Health Action. Gould 听was the primary author of the Duwamish Valley Cumulative Health Impacts. It showed that, compared to King County residents, people who live in the Duwamish Valley have a shorter life expectancy, higher mortality from lung cancer, more hospitalizations for children with asthma, higher rates of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In addition, more Duwamish Vally residents lack health insurance.

“Residents and other people who use the river have real and valid concerns about how to best protect their health听during and after cleanup,”听said BJ Cummings, community health projects manager for the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition/Technical Advisory Group, which serves as EPA’s Community Advisory Group for the Superfund site cleanup.

“This study helps identify ways we can improve the result, especially for those who are most affected,鈥� Cummings said

A final version of the report, with findings and recommendations for mitigation measures, will be provided to the EPA in June.

Support for the health impact assessment was provided by a grant from the Health Impact Project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Read the

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Eating peppers 鈥� which are in the same botanical family as tobacco 鈥� may reduce the risk of Parkinson鈥檚 disease. The findings are reported in the May 9 edition of the Annals of Neurology, a journal of the American Neurological Association and Child Neurology Society.

Nearly one million people in the United States are living with Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that results from the loss of dopamine-producing brain cells. In early stages, Parkinson鈥檚 is characterized by difficulties in controlling movement. Initial symptoms include hand tremors, limb rigidity, and problems walking.听As the disease progresses, cognitive problems may develop and advance into dementia.

Dietary sources of nicotine may prove protective.

鈥淓ating peppers twice or more per week was consistently associated with at least 30 percent reduced risk of developing Parkinson鈥檚 disease,鈥� said the study鈥檚 lead author, Dr. Susan Searles Nielsen, a research scientist in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at the 91探花School of Public Health.

The investigation of dietary sources of nicotine stems from the puzzling epidemiologic findings that repeatedly show that people who have regularly used tobacco have about half the risk of developing Parkinson鈥檚 disease, explained Searles Nielsen. In 2012, she published a study that suggested that second-hand smoke also might reduce risk of the disease.

鈥淚t鈥檚 possible that people predisposed to Parkinson鈥檚 disease simply don鈥檛 respond well to tobacco smoke and therefore avoid it.听 However, if tobacco is actually protective, and if the reason is nicotine as some experimental studies suggest,鈥� said Searles Nielsen, 鈥渢hen our hypothesis was that other plants in the Solanaceae family that contain nicotine might also be protective.鈥�

The subjects interviewed for the study included 490 Parkinson鈥檚 patients newly diagnosed at the 91探花Neurology Clinic or Group Health Cooperative between 1992-2008.听 The control study subjects were 644 unrelated, neurologically normal people.

While she and the study co-authors investigated the association between Parkinson鈥檚 and the subjects鈥� dietary consumption of a variety of vegetables, including nicotine-containing peppers, tomatoes, and potatoes in the Solanaceae family, peppers showed the greatest protection.听 The decreased risk of disease grew stronger with increasing pepper consumption and occurred mainly in people with little or no prior use of tobacco, which contains much more nicotine than the foods studied.

Searles Nielsen cautions that further studies are needed to confirm these findings and explore whether a similar but less toxic chemical shared by peppers and tobacco might be equally or more protective than nicotine.

Study co-authors included Dr. Harvey Checkoway and Dr. Gary Franklin from the 91探花Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences and Dr. W.T. Longstreth and Dr. Phillip Swanson from the Department of Neurology in the 91探花School of Medicine.

Funding for the study was provided by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, in part through the 91探花Superfund Research Program.

The Workers Memorial Day ceremony is being organized by the 91探花Department of Environmental and Occupational Health in the School of Public Health, , 91探花students, local union leaders, and the . The organizers are active in raising awareness and strengthening commitment to job safety and healthy work environments for Washington workers.

The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 was signed into federal law to protect employees from workplace hazards. Yet, according to the event organizers, more effort is needed to keep American workers safe from preventable, job-related injuries, disease and death.

They note that in 2010, nationwide 4,547 workers were killed on the job, and another 5,000 lost their lives to occupation diseases.听 For that same year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates 3.1 million job injuries and illnesses among private-sector employees and 820,000 injuries and illnesses among public employees. The organizers added that, due to underreporting, these numbers might understate the problem.

Ten of those whose lives will be remembered April 24 were from King County, Wash. Among them were firefighters, home-care aides, laborers, longshoremen, park rangers, sales clerks, and taxi drivers. The names of the fallen workers will be read during the 91探花ceremony.

Nationally and internationally Workers Memorial Day is commemorated April 28, with events also held in the days leading up to the official date.听 It was started by the Canadian Union of Public Employees in 1984, and recognized in the United States beginning in 1989.

The program for the April 24 91探花ceremony:

Presentation of Colors
91探花 Air Force ROTC Honor Guard
Karl Zapf, Bagpiper
Seattle Firefighters Pipes and Drums

Master of Ceremonies
David Freiboth, executive secretary, King County Labor Council

Keynote Address
The Importance of Workers鈥� Rights and Safety: A Call to Action
Michael Honey, professor of ethnic gender and labor studies, 91探花Tacoma

Memorial Recognition
Karen Hart, President SEIU 925
Our Fallen Workers 鈥� 2012
Names read by 91探花students, staff, and faculty, and community members
Our Fallen Workers Serving in the Armed Services 鈥� 2012
Names read by Cadet Justin Rees

A Message from Sen. Patty Murray

Moving Forward
Jeff Johnson, president, Washington State Labor Council
Marty Cohen, 91探花Field Research and Consultation Group
Megan Karalua, UAW Local 4121
Emily Garverick, 91探花United Students Against Sweatshops
Dow Constantine, King County Executive

Closing
Music by Michael Laslett and Mike Honey

While water bottles may tout BPA-free labels and personal care products declare not among their ingredients, these assurances may not be enough. According to a study published February 27 in the Nature Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, we may be exposed to these chemicals in our diet, even if our diet is organic and we prepare, cook, and store foods in non-plastic containers.听 Children may be most vulnerable.

鈥淐urrent information we give families may not be enough to reduce exposures,鈥� said , lead author on the study and an environmental health pediatrician in the 91探花School of Public Health and at Seattle Children鈥檚 Research Institute. She is a physician at Harborview Medical Center’s Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit, and a 91探花assistant professor of pediatrics.

Phthalates and bisphenol A, better known as BPA, are synthetic endocrine-disrupting chemicals.听 Previous studies have linked prenatal exposure to phthalates to abnormalities in the male reproductive system. Associations have also been shown between fetal exposure to BPA and hyperactivity, anxiety, and depression in girls.

The researchers compared the chemical exposures of 10 families, half of whom were given written instructions on how to reduce phthalate and BPA exposures. They received handouts prepared by the national Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units, a network of experts on environmentally related health effects in children. The other families received a five-day catered diet of local, fresh, organic food that was not prepared, cooked or stored in plastic containers.

When the researchers tested the participants’ urinary concentrations of metabolites for phthalates and BPA, they got surprising results.听 The researchers expected the levels of the metabolities to decrease in those adults and children eating the catered diet.

Instead, the opposite happened. The urinary concentration for phthalates were 100-fold higher than the those levels found in the majority of the general population. The comparison comes from a study conducted by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. This is听 a program of studies managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and designed to assess the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the United States.

The concentrations were also much higher for children as compared to the adults. The researchers then tested the phthalate concentrations in the food ingredients used in the dietary intervention. Dairy products鈥攂utter, cream, milk, and cheese鈥攈ad concentrations above 440 nanograms/gram. Ground cinnamon and cayenne pepper had concentrations above 700 ng/g, and ground coriander had concentrations of 21,400 ng/g.

鈥淲e were extremely surprised to see these results.听 We expected the concentrations to decrease significantly for the kids and parents in the catered diet group. Chemical contamination of foods can lead to concentrations higher than deemed safe by the US EPA,鈥� said Dr. Sheela Sathyanarayana.

Using the study results, the researchers estimated that the average child aged three to six years old was exposed to 183 milligrams per kilogram of their body weight per day. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency鈥檚 recommended limit is 20 mg/kg/day.

鈥淚t鈥檚 difficult to control your exposure to these chemicals, even when you try,鈥� said Sathyanarayana. 鈥淲e have very little control over what鈥檚 in our food, including contaminants. Families can focus on buying fresh fruits and vegetables, foods that are not canned and are low in fat, but it may take new federal regulations to reduce exposures to these chemicals.鈥�

The other researchers in the study included Garry Alcedo (Seattle Children鈥檚 Research Institute), Brian E. Saelens and Chuan Zhou ( 91探花Department of Pediatrics, Seattle Children鈥檚 Research Institute), Russell L. Dills and Jianbo Yu ( 91探花Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences) and Bruce Lanphear (BC Children鈥檚 Hospital and Simon Fraser University).

Their paper is titled, 鈥淯nexpected results in a randomized dietary trial to reduce phthalate and bisphenol A exposure.鈥�

The study was supported through 听by the Center for Ecogenetics and Environmental Health in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences in the 91探花School of Public Health. A grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health provides major support for the center

Read about Sathyanarayana’s to protect children from environmental exposure to toxic chemicals.

Researchers in the in the 91探花 School of Public Health have assisted gun ranges by evaluating their ventilation systems and testing their employees鈥� exposure to airborne lead levels.

The evaluations are part of the occupational health and safety consultations offered by the to companies that request assistance. Consultants observe work practices, collect air and wipe samples, and make recommendations for controlling workplace exposures.

Firing ranges should have a well-designed and operating ventilation system, said Martin Cohen, director of the Field Research and Consultation Group and senior lecturer in environmental and occupational health Sciences. The ventilation system should capture and remove airborne lead to prevent deposits on surfaces. It also reduces exposures to lead, for those workers at the range, the public, and people in occupations that require gun practice and training as part of their jobs鈥攏amely, police officers and military personnel.

But designing and installing an effective ventilation system that works well in a firing range can be tricky.

Explained Cohen. 鈥淯sually the space is fairly tight. There are practical considerations for where you can put a duct system and it needs to be designed and operated properly.鈥�

It鈥檚 also expensive, added Gerry Croteau, a research industrial hygienist with the Field Research and Consultation Group. He has evaluated ventilation systems听 and monitored worker airborne lead exposures at several gun ranges.

If a workers鈥� eight-hour average airborne lead levels exceeds 听the 鈥渁ction level鈥� of 0.03 milligrams per cubic meter, the facility is required to comply with stringent regulations involving respiratory protection, ventilation controls, housekeeping and practices to keep the worker from leaving the facility with lead on their clothes or body. These regulations were promulgated by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. In our state the regulations are enforced by鈥攖he Division of Occupational Safety and Health (part of the Department of Labor and Industries)..

Gun range employees typically don鈥檛 spend a lot of time on the actual firing range, with the exception of range cleaning and maintenance activities

Every day or two, the bullet casings and target remnants need to be cleaned off the range floor. Some ranges use soil or sand berms behind the target to stop the bullets. These also must be periodically cleaned.

Cohen said that the methods that the employer and workers use to clean and maintain the range are crucial to protecting the workers from lead exposure. If workers sweep, fine lead dust particles can become airborne and produce a respiratory exposure hazard.

鈥淥ne best practice is to use a vacuum with a HEPA filter. It can keep the dust from becoming airborne during cleaning,鈥� said Cohen. HEPA is an acronym for High-Efficiency Particulate Air.

Workers should wear a Tyvek suit, gloves, and a respirator while cleaning. Tyvek is a Dupont trademark for its protective, non-woven fabric. Regulations stipulate that work shoes and clothing are not allowed to be worn outside the facility听 as lead laden clothing can potentially contaminate the home environment.