Town Meeting to Address Pollution and Health Concerns

Houston-area residents can share their concerns about how pollution may be affecting their health with health professionals and government officials at an environmental town meeting, Saturday Oct. 20.

Baylor College of Medicine's Chronic Disease Prevention and Control Research Center is hosting the event at the University of Houston Hilton Hotel from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The event is one of a series of regional town meetings organized by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to encourage a public dialogue on pollution and public health.

"We know that pollution can cause a wide range of health problems - from asthma and cancer to learning problems and heart conditions," said Dr. Armin Weinberg, a professor of medicine at Baylor and director of the College's Chronic Disease Prevention and Control Research Center. "But few studies have been conducted in this region to help determine what the impact of pollution really is for Houston-area residents."

The Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission reports that the Houston region is number one in the country for ozone smog pollution, measured by the number of days one or more air monitors exceeds federal health standards. The area also recorded the highest ozone smog readings in the nation in 1999 and 2000. Other potential environmental health concerns in the 13-county metropolitan area include contaminated water wells, toxic chemicals released by vehicles and industry, ingestion of lead and mercury by children, emissions from area landfills and superfund sites, and health problems associated with poor indoor air quality.

Speakers at the town meeting, titled "Environmental Health in Our Neighborhoods: Speaking Out About Pollution and Health," will include Kenneth Olden, director of the NIEHS; local health professionals; government officials; advocacy groups; and representatives from area communities.

"We look forward to the opportunity to participate in this town meeting which will address environmental issues of great interest and importance at the local and national level," Olden said.

Town meeting co-sponsors include The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center's Center for Research on Environmental Disease; The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston's NIEHS Center; the Sealy Center for Environmental Health and Medicine; Texas A&M at College Station's Center for Environmental and Rural Health; Texas A&M University Institute of Biosciences and Technology at Houston' Center for Genome Research; and the Mickey Leland National Urban Air Toxics Research Center.

Dr. Weinberg said the organizers hope to use the town meeting to identify key public health concerns of the community that may be caused or exacerbated by pollution, and to design studies to help address these concerns. Lunch is provided for those who pre-register. For more program information and to preregister, visit http://chronic.bcm.tmc.edu/townmeeting. Registration forms and programs can also be obtained by contacting Baylor's Chronic Disease and Prevention and Control Research Center at (713) 798-1053.

---

©2006 Texas Medical Center

---

E-Mail: tmcinfo@texmedctr.tmc.edu
URL: http://www.tmc.edu/tmcnews/10_15_01/page_17.html