September 2018: Direct From ATSDR
Direct From ATSDR Column
September 2018 Journal of Environmental Health (Volume 81, Number 2)
Editor's Note: As part of NEHA's continued effort to highlight innovative approaches to improve the health and environment of communities, the Journal is pleased to publish a column from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). ATSDR serves the public by using the best science, taking responsive public health actions, and providing trusted health information to prevent harmful exposures and diseases related to toxic substances. The purpose of this column is to inform readers of ATSDR's activities and initiatives to better understand the relationship between exposure to hazardous substances in the environment, its impact on human health, and how to protect public health.
The conclusions of these columns are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position of ATSDR or CDC.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Land Reuse Site Screening Tool Cohorts: Creating Land Reuse Site Inventories
Gary D. Perlman, MPH, RS, DAAS, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Laurel Berman, MS, PhD, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Megan Alameda, MS, Baker Technical Institute
Erika Arias, DePaul University
Grazyna Pawlowicz, MS, Florida Department of Health in Duval County
Elizabeth Yogerst, MPH, DVM, Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
Description
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry first highlighted the Brownfields/Land Reuse Site Tool (Site Tool) in 2012. The Site Tool helps environmental health professionals rapidly inventory and characterize land reuse sites with a public health lens. Inventorying of land reuse sites like brownfields is a common practice. For example, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requires a reporting inventory that will sync with its Assessment, Cleanup, and Redevelopment Exchange System. This inventory database, however, was developed based on environmental regulation for redevelopment partners and might focus less on public health and chemical and physical exposure risks. This column demonstrates the utility of the Site Tool in addressing public health needs around redevelopment. it also provides information about recent updates to the Site Tool and summaries of four different users of the Site Tool.