Environmental health indicators of climate change for the United States: findings from the State Environmental Health Indicator Collaborative.

Objective: To develop public health adaptation strategies and to project the impacts of climate change on human health, indicators of vulnerability and preparedness along with accurate surveillance data on climate-sensitive health outcomes are needed. We researched and developed environmental health indicators for inputs into human health vulnerability assessments for climate change and to propose public health preventative actions.

Data Sources: We conducted a review of the scientific literature to identify outcomes and actions that were related to climate change.

Using Occupational Safety and Health Administration accident investigations to study patterns in work fatalities.

Investigations of fatalities by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provide the most detailed available information about traumatic workplace deaths that are potentially related to violations of existing safety standards. Comparison of the number of such deaths investigated by OSHA from 1977 to 1986 with the comparable category of deaths reported to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses indicates that the overall magnitudes have been roughly similar. The OSHA data contain more information than other sources and are especially valuable for analyses of fatalities at smaller workplaces.

A proportional mortality study of the acting profession.

Proportional mortality of actors and actresses was studied because cancers of many sites have been linked to hair dyes and cosmetics of which actors have been frequent users. Death records (1950-1978) for 2,618 white male and 838 white female members of Actors Equity and the Screen Actors Guild were compared with the U.S.