Creating Healthy Environments in the Latino Community

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA, June 20, 2013 (Press-News.org) A meeting to discuss environmental health issues and their effects on the Latino community will be held on July 11 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Concilio in Philadelphia. The meeting is sponsored by Penn State's PA IPM Program, Min. Carlos I. Giralt-Cabrales, the Consul of Mexico, and John Butler, EPA Region III's pesticide and asbestos program.

Presentations include a Healthy Homes Program overview, healthy child care environments, and pests of public health interest. A facilitated discussion with participants will follow to identify needs of the Latino community and how we can collaboratively use this information to address asthma triggers and prevent unnecessary exposure.

"Everyone wants a healthy indoor environment at home, school and the workplace, but many indoor environments contain high levels of toxins or pollutants including pests, mold, lead, carbon monoxide, pesticide and other chemical residues," says Maria Gorgo-Gourovitch, PA IPM Latino coordinator. The result can be an unhealthy environment and alarming increase in asthma and other respiratory diseases, especially in children. Minority populations bear a disproportionate burden of negative health effects due to environmental hazards, including exposures to pests and pesticides. Nearly 25 million people in the U.S. have asthma, including three million Hispanics.

According to Gorgo-Gourovitch, Puerto Ricans are hit especially hard by asthma, being more than twice as likely as non-Hispanic whites to be diagnosed with the disease. "Healthy indoor environments highlight the connection between health and housing and what we can do together to improve the health of our communities."

Please join us to learn ways to better help your community and improve the health of all! Registration begins at 9:30 a.m., with the meeting to begin promptly at 10 a.m. at Concilio (Council of Spanish Speaking Organizations, Inc.) 705-09 N. Franklin Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123. A light lunch will be provided.

The meeting is free but registration is required, as attendance is limited. RSVP by July 2 by contacting Maria Gorgo-Gourovitch at mag38@psu.edu, (609) 369-3281, or Michelle Niedermeier at mxn14@psu.edu, (215) 435-9685.

For more information on pests, pesticides and their effects on public health, visit the PA IPM Program's Web site at http://paipm.org and click on 'Public Health'.