Objectives: Crystal methamphetamine ("meth") use among youth living in rural areas is higher than the national average. Given how drastically meth affects teeth (i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Substance use among adolescents in the U.S. is associated with adverse physical and mental health outcomes in the long-term.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHorizontal drilling with hydraulic fracturing (HDHF) relies on the use of anthropogenic organic chemicals in proximity to residential areas, raising concern for groundwater contamination. Here, we extensively characterized organic contaminants in 94 domestic groundwater sites in Northeastern Pennsylvania after ten years of activity in the region. All analyzed volatile and semi-volatile compounds were below recommended United States Environmental Protection Agency maximum contaminant levels, and integrated concentrations across two volatility ranges, gasoline range organic compounds (GRO) and diesel range organic compounds (DRO), were low (0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHealth studies report associations between metrics of residential proximity to unconventional oil and gas (UOG) development and adverse health endpoints. We investigated whether exposure through household groundwater is captured by existing metrics and a newly developed metric incorporating groundwater flow paths. We compared metrics with detection frequencies/concentrations of 64 organic and inorganic UOG-related chemicals/groups in residential groundwater from 255 homes (Pennsylvania = 94 and Ohio = 161).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFConflicting evidence exists as to whether or not unconventional oil and gas (UOG) development has enhanced methane transport into groundwater aquifers over the past 15 years. In this study, recent groundwater samples were collected from 90 domestic wells and 4 springs in Northeastern Pennsylvania located above the Marcellus Shale after more than a decade of UOG development. No statistically significant correlations were observed between the groundwater methane level and various UOG geospatial metrics, including proximity to UOG wells and well violations, as well as the number of UOG wells and violations within particular radii.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Climate change and pollution generated by the health care sector impose significant public health burdens. This study aimed to assess medical, nursing and physician assistant student knowledge and attitudes regarding climate change, pollution from the health care sector, and responsibility for resource conservation within professional practice.
Methods: In February-March, 2018, medical, nursing, and physician assistant students at Yale University (1011 potential respondents) were sent a 17-question online Qualtrics survey.