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Tracking Disease Could Save Lives, Money, UC Study Says Published 1:10 p.m. PST Monday, February 23, 2004 A University of California study Monday said the state could save lives as well as millions of dollars each year by creating a first-in-the-nation system to track chronic illnesses and environmental hazards. It costs Californians $10 billion annually to fight nine diseases like cancer, lead poisoning and childhood asthma for which economic data is available, according to the university system's California Policy Research Center. If tracking those diseases cut environmentally related illnesses by 1 percent, the state would save $100 million annually, the study projected. Chemicals and other toxins in the environment account for a significant proportion of many chronic diseases, including about 10 percent of neurodevelopmental disorders in children, researchers said. They noted more than 33 million state residents live in areas where air pollution brings an increased health risk. About 743,000 California children are affected by asthma, and about 1,100 children are diagnosed annually with cancer. The study stems from a 2001 law authored by Sen. Martha Escutia, D-Norwalk, making California the first state to plan an environmental health tracking system. In a statement Monday, Escutia said accurate information about who is exposed to what environmental risks is necessary to guide the state's public health and environmental policies. She envisions a system that would monitor both the frequency and geographic distribution of illnesses and exposure to known health dangers. Some of that information already is being collected, but the state needs a new coordinating office to analyze it and to tell the public about environmental hazards and related diseases, Dr. Joyce Lashof, who chaired the university study. The researchers recommended that California create an interagency Office of Environmental Health Tracking, run by the Department of Health Services and state Environmental Protection Agency. The state also should increase the ability of state laboratories to check for contaminants in humans; increase tracking of diseases including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's that are known to have environmental connections; provide health education to communities experiencing, for instance, suspicious disease clusters; and keep track of diseases and health risks based on race, ethnicity and income level. The researchers said environmental hazards are disproportionately a problem for those with lower incomes and among certain races and ethnic groups. The state also should spend more to fight environmental health threats, or it will be useless to track their effects, the researchers said. While a hazard and disease tracking system would be beneficial, the researchers cautioned it would take a commitment from both the Legislature and executive branch of state government, along with communities, universities, and companies. SOURCE: Associated Press / The Sacramento Bee, CA http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/8324508p-9254829c.html * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn