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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Environmental health

A Community Holding Hands to Bridge its Divide
Describes the actions taken and programs developed by the residents of Garrett County, Maryland, in response to the economic, cultural, and health challenges they face. Working together, the Garrett County residents have been able to provide scholarships to every high school graduate to attend community college for free, develop 700 affordable, low-income, mixed-income, and workforce housing units, and more. Garrett County is a recipient of the 2017 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Culture of Health Prize.
Date: 09/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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A 'Scrappy' Push for Health: 'Our Best Asset Is Our People'
Provides an overview of health challenges in Allen County, Kansas, and actions that communities in the area have taken to address them, including fundraising for a local hospital, building bike and walking trails, establishing job training programs, advocating for improved access to healthy food, and more. Allen County is a recipient of the 2017 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Culture of Health Prize.
Date: 09/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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Pollution and Regional Variations of Lung Cancer Mortality in the United States
Identifies counties in the U.S. with higher rates of lung cancer mortality and related community-level factors, including rurality, socioeconomic status, level of particulate matter pollution, and access to healthcare. Includes a map showing lung cancer mortality clusters and a "lung cancer mortality belt" from eastern Oklahoma through central Appalachia.
Author(s): Justin Xavier Moore, Tomi Akinyemiju, Henry E. Wang
Citation: Cancer Epidemiology, 49, 118-127
Date: 08/2017
Type: Document
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County-Level Cumulative Environmental Quality Associated with Cancer Incidence
Uses the environmental quality index (EQI), a county-level measure of cumulative environmental exposures, to examine all-site and site-specific cancer incidence. Explores rural versus urban factors influencing environmental quality. Includes statistics of cancer incidence and EQI for rural and urban areas.
Author(s): Jyotsna S. Jagai, Lynne C. Messer, Kristen M. Rappazzo, et al.
Citation: Cancer, 123(5), 2901-2908
Date: 08/2017
Type: Document
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Rural and Urban Differences in Air Quality, 2008-2012, and Community Drinking Water Quality, 2010-2015 — United States
Examines air- and water-quality data and discusses how these environmental hazards vary across a spectrum of urban to rural counties. Includes rural-urban air pollutant data for ozone and particulate matter and data for 10 water contaminants for rural and urban community water systems.
Author(s): Heather Strosnider, Caitlin Kennedy, Michele Monti, Fuyuen Yip
Citation: MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 66(13), 1-10
Date: 06/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Aroostook Band of Micmacs Monitor Atmospheric Mercury
Details a project developed by the Aroostook Band of Micmacs to monitor atmospheric mercury in an attempt to protect a crucial food source traditionally utilized by the tribe. Discusses the tribe's partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP).
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Administration for Native Americans
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Tonkawa Tribe Develops Water Resource Plan
Presents the Tonkawa Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma's water resource plan and tribal water regulatory system. Details the tribe's collaboration with U.S. Corp of Engineers and reference to treaties regarding water rights to develop a set of water quality codes and 2 strategic water and pollution management plans.
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Administration for Native Americans
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Feasting on Rural America: The Spread of Tick-Borne Diseases
Discusses the impact of Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses in rural areas. Features a Lyme disease patient, a scientist, psychiatrist, nonprofit leader, and a medical doctor describing the spread of these diseases and what's being done about it. Includes information on tick identification and tick-borne illness prevention.
Author(s): Jenn Lukens
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Occupational Exposure to Pesticides and the Incidence of Lung Cancer in the Agricultural Health Study
Presents an exploration of incidents of lung cancer in agricultural workers due to exposure from pesticides. Draws data from the Agricultural Health Study, which surveys agricultural workers in Iowa and North Carolina.
Author(s): Matthew R. Bonner, Laura E. Beane Freeman, Jane A. Hoppin, et al.
Citation: Environmental Health Perspectives, 125(4), 544-551
Date: 04/2017
Type: Document
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Passive Sampling for Indoor and Outdoor Exposures to Chlorpyrifos, Azinphos-Methyl, and Oxygen Analogs in a Rural Agricultural Community
Examines pesticides and oxygen analogs in the air following spray applications in Washington and California. Compares indoor and outdoor air and surface concentrations in farmworker and non-farmworker households.
Author(s): Jenna L. Gibbs, Michael G. Yost, Maria Negrete, Richard A. Fenske
Citation: Environmental Health Perspectives
Date: 03/2017
Type: Document
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