Environmental- and Injury-related Epidemic-Assistance Investigations, 1946–2005

Abstract This paper summarizes environmental investigations (n = 458) conducted during the first 60 years of the epidemic-assistance investigation program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These investigations were grouped into 10 categories: toxic chemicals (n = 102), indoor air qu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of epidemiology 2011-12, Vol.174 (suppl_11), p.S65-S79
Main Authors: Falk, Henry, Briss, Peter
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accidents, Occupational - history
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.) - history
Disasters
Disasters - history
Environmental health
Environmental Pollution - history
Hazardous materials
History, 20th Century
History, 21st Century
Humans
International Cooperation - history
Poisoning - history
Public health
Rare Diseases - history
Terrorism
United States - epidemiology
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Summary:Abstract This paper summarizes environmental investigations (n = 458) conducted during the first 60 years of the epidemic-assistance investigation program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These investigations were grouped into 10 categories: toxic chemicals (n = 102), indoor air quality and outdoor air toxics (n = 21), new or rare epidemic diseases and unexplained syndromes (n = 29), natural disasters (n = 81), terrorism and unintentional human-made disasters (n = 9), substance use and abuse (n = 13), environmental aspects of infectious disease (n = 132), those affecting neonates and infants (n = 11), violence and injuries (n = 51), and miscellaneous (n = 9). Among the most important or prominent were studies of lead and arsenic toxicity at smelters, mercury in paint and beauty creams, dioxin in waste oil in Missouri, polychlorinated biphenyls and multiple other toxic chemicals, global pesticide poisoning outbreaks, hepatic angiosarcoma among vinyl chloride workers, toxic oil syndrome in Spain, eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome from contaminated L-tryptophan, diethylene glycol poisoning in Haiti, aflatoxicosis in Kenya, Gulf War illness among veterans, impact and needs assessments during natural disasters (e.g., Hurricane Katrina (2005) and the Mount St. Helens volcano eruptions (1980)), risk factors for heat-related mortality, domestic and international terrorist attacks, Parkinsonism related to 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine in California, and unintentional injury- and violence-related events.
ISSN:0002-9262
1476-6256
DOI:10.1093/aje/kwr313