Presentations

Canada’s Impact Assessment Act provides new opportunities for public health practitioners, researchers, and policy makers working to improve population health equity for many marginalized and vulnerable populations. Impact assessments are federal review processes conducted for major natural resource developments and large infrastructure projects such as mines, oil and gas fields, or pipelines. Typically located in more rural and remote regions of the country, major projects can provide income, employment, and other benefits for nearby communities. At the same time, major projects may pose risks to community health and wellbeing, including exposure to pollution and loss of ecosystem services, stress on community infrastructure and food and water security, and interfering with land-based cultural practices.

Public health involvement in…

There is no doubt that mental health challenges posed by disasters will increase due to climate, demographic and social changes. This presentation details findings from Canadian-led studies on the psychosocial impacts resulting from communities who experienced large-scale disasters in Canada. Such traumatic events include the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2019 Quebec spring floods, the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfires, and the 2013 Lac-Mégantic train derailment. There are links between observed psychosocial impacts and recovery during these recent disasters, with learnings that could be applied to the COVID-19 pandemic that could promote individual and community resilience following disasters. This session will be relevant to environmental and public health professionals in health prevention and health promotion roles. Presenter: Mélissa Généreux holds a doctorate in medicine, a master's degree in public health and a specialization in community medicine from the University of…

Building on the success of the Healthy Built Environment Toolkit, BCCDC is developing a complimentary framework which focuses on supporting social connections and resiliency. This resource will offer evidence based practice principles for local governments and other stakeholders looking for guidance on how to “build back better”, minimize unintended consequences, and work towards more equitable and sustainable communities. We are now in the final stages of synthesizing over 2000 research associations and expert feedback and are aiming to complete the final full report in Feb 2021. This webinar will review version 1 of the framework and share some examples of how it may be used to support practice. This resource is developed in consultation with a diverse Advisory Group, content experts across BC, and representatives from Alberta and Manitoba.

Fomite transmission is acknowledged as one of the potential transmission routes of SARS-CoV-2. Thus, appropriate cleaning and disinfection of surfaces is one of the non-pharmaceutical control measures recommended by public health. However, while adequate cleaning and disinfection may be important to sever this chain of transmission of COVID-19, excessive cleaning and disinfection has led to an increase in accidental exposure to harmful cleaning and disinfection by-products due to heightened concerns about SARS-CoV-2 persisting on food, food packaging, and environmental surfaces. Improving public health practitioners’ understanding of appropriate cleaning and disinfection practices and the risks of misuse and overuse of disinfectant products would help to guide public health recommendations in public and private settings.

Presentation Slides:

Between June 20 and July 3, 2020 a COVID-19 outbreak associated with a personal service setting (PSS) was detected in the Kingston, Ontario and managed by the local public health unit (KFL&APH).

A mixed-methods analysis was conducted to review KFL&APH’s response to the outbreak. A social network analysis was conducted to determine the extent of the outbreak and route of acquisition of cases. Epidemic curves were created and analysed. Attack rates were calculated, and testing data and overall testing strategy were reviewed.

The outbreak consisted of 37 cases with 14 through direct PSS exposure. 23 cases were from subsequent generations, and a superspreading event led to 14 of those cases. The average age of cases was 38.6 years and 65% were female. One case required hospitalization. Over 10 000 tests were conducted using a multimodal approach, including fixed assessment centres, drive-through testing and targeted testing at outbreak sites. PCR lab results…

Presenter: Dr. Juliette O’Keeffe (KT Scientist, NCCEH)

This presentation reviewed current understanding of the key risks associated with the performing arts sector, and the precautions for minimizing risks of COVID-19 transmission in various settings. It will be of interest to environmental and public health professionals developing guidance and recommendations for safe resumption of performing arts activities as well as those working in the sector.

The NCCEH Environmental Health Seminar Series provides an opportunity for learning and knowledge exchange on a variety of environmental health topics. See upcoming webinars. 

Related Evidence Review: COVID-19 Risks and precautions for the performing arts

Presenter: Jade Yehia (Regional Built Environment Consultant, Island Health)

This presentation synthesizes available evidence on environmental health risks associated with the physical environment in encampments, and best practices to prevent the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, to serve as guidance for environmental health practice as an integral part of a multi-sectoral approach to ensure people stay safe and healthy during their time in an encampment.

The NCCEH Environmental Health Seminar Series provides an opportunity for learning and knowledge exchange on a variety of environmental health topics. See upcoming webinars. 

Related Guidance Document: Environmental public health guidance for encampments during the COVID-19 pandemic

The NCCEH Environmental Health Seminar Series provides an opportunity for learning and knowledge exchange on a variety of environmental health topics. The seminars can be attended in-person or online.

Presenter: Kim Perrotta, Executive Director, Creating Healthy and Sustainable Environments (CHASE)

This presentation will summarize the health risks associated with climate change on a global scale and in Canada, identify the actions needed to address climate change which provide immediate health benefits, and discuss the different ways that public health professionals can help mitigate climate change and/or its harm on the populations they serve.

Climate Change Toolkit for Health Professionals

Evidence-informed decision-making seeks to incorporate both scientific or academic knowledge, as well as the practical knowledge of public health professionals. However, the use of scientific evidence is hindered by a number of factors, particularly the lack of an easy-to-use protocol to search, appraise and synthesize academic sources in a timely manner. In this document, we provide an overview of semi-systematic literature reviews as a way to incorporate scientific evidence into EIDM, and we provide a step-by-step protocol encompassing literature search, critical appraisal, and synthesizing new knowledge. The intent of this document is to both assist public health practitioners who wish to conduct their own reviews, as well as provide insight in to the literature review process at NCCEH.

The NCCEH Environmental Health Seminar Series provides an opportunity for learning and knowledge exchange on a variety of environmental health topics. The seminars can be attended in-person or online.

Presenter: Dr. Angela Eykelbosh, Environmental Health & Knowledge Translation Scientist, NCCEH The transmission of COVID-19, which occurs primarily through close contact with an infected person, has made it necessary for large proportions of the world’s population to self-isolate in their homes. However, those dwelling in multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs) face additional challenges as they must necessarily use and share common areas and facilities, and are dependent upon building managers to maintain good indoor environmental quality (IEQ). Based on a recent NCCEH publication, this webinar will look at some of the evidence on COVID-19 transmission and consider how this applies to transmission risk in MURBs. We will discuss current cleaning and sanitation guidance…

The NCCEH Environmental Health Seminar Series provides an opportunity for learning and knowledge exchange on a variety of environmental health topics. The seminars can be attended in-person or online.

Presenter: Dr. Karen Bartlett, School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia

Occupants of buildings depend on what we term “good” Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ). The actual definition of IEQ is somewhat elusive, as it is the absence of problems in the indoor environment which could detract from the health and productivity of occupants. Buildings need to be designed and built with the occupant in mind, and as we rapidly progress into sustainable building designs, we also need to make sure that buildings can accommodate the changing environments of our cities and climate. We will explore some of the facets of the occupant/building interface in these changing environments.

The NCCEH Environmental Health Seminar Series provides an opportunity for learning and knowledge exchange on a variety of environmental health topics. The seminars can be attended in-person or online.

Presenters: Mark McCabe, Fraser Health Authority; Christopher Radziminski and Phillip White, City of Vancouver

Presentation 1: Investigating an Outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease from Cooling Towers in Surrey, BC

In August 2018, Fraser Health detected an outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease in Surrey, BC. We employed traditional and novel strategies for identifying and stopping the source, and ultimately, were able to implicate a specific cooling tower as a source of the outbreak. This presentation describes the story of our investigation, the tools and strategies we employed, and key challenges and considerations we faced.

Presentation 2: Driving Down Legionella Risk in the City of Vancouver

This year, Vancouver is implementing mandatory operating…

The NCCEH Environmental Health Seminar Series provides an opportunity for learning and knowledge exchange on a variety of environmental health topics. The seminars can be attended in-person or online.

Presenters: Lori Holmes, Huron Perth Public Health; Sunil Varughese, Public Health Ontario; Vince Spilchuk, Public Health Ontario

Cosmetics, such as skin creams containing mercury, have long been used in several countries for skin-lightening, anti-aging and acne treatment effects. The harmful effects of mercury to human health are well known. Although many countries including Canada have restricted its use in cosmetics to protect the public from mercury exposure, production and subsequent access to these products continues to occur.

The following presentation will outline a recent case of mercury poisoning in an infant that led to a collaborative public health investigation involving provincial, federal and international public health stakeholders. Through the…

The NCCEH Environmental Health Seminar Series provides an opportunity for learning and knowledge exchange on a variety of environmental health topics. The seminars can be attended in-person or online.

Presenter: Keith Warriner, Department of Food Science, University of Guelph

The next chapter in marijuana legalization is the introduction of commercially produced edibles with the first legal products expected to be on the shelves next month. The regulations appear restrictive and the types of edibles to be available remain obscure. However, there exists a gray market where a diverse range of edibles are available with a trend of domestically produced edibles set to become increasingly popular.

In the following presentation an overview of a foundation risk assessment will be provided. This will include risk identification (biological, physical and chemical), risk characterization, risk management options and risk communication strategies. With regards to the latter…

The NCCEH Environmental Health Seminar Series provides an opportunity for learning and knowledge exchange on a variety of environmental health topics. The seminars can be attended in-person or online.

This seminar highlighted three student research projects from the BCIT Environmental Health Program.

Titles:

The BCCDC/NCCEH Environmental Health Seminar Series provides an opportunity for learning and knowledge exchange on a variety of environmental health topics. The seminars can be attended in-person or online.

Presenter: Tissa Rahim, Project Coordinator, BC Centre for Disease Control

Under legalization of cannabis in the United States poison centres reported an increase in calls about cannabis exposures compared to those in states where cannabis remained illegal during both the lead up to and just after legalization/decriminalization. In 2018 the BC Drug and Poison Information Centre (DPIC) received 644 calls as compared to 241 calls received in 2013. Many adverse effects reported were from people exposed to products that are not yet regulated, including those that were purchased from unlicensed stores/online, or from taking cannabis in combination with other substances. DPIC also received calls about children accidentally exposed to edibles, particularly candies, and…

The BCCDC/NCCEH Environmental Health Seminar Series provides an opportunity for learning and knowledge exchange on a variety of environmental health topics. The seminars can be attended in-person or online.

Speaker: Peter Berry, Senior Policy Analyst, Health Canada

Canada's changing climate is accelerating at an alarming rate that result in significant threats on our health and well-being, infrastructure, ecological integrity, and economies. This webinar addresses new evidence of health impacts from climate change, the next national health assessment and Canada's HealthADAPT initiative that includes 10 local health authorities.

The BCCDC/NCCEH Environmental Health Seminar Series provides an opportunity for learning and knowledge exchange on a variety of environmental health topics. The seminars can be attended in-person or online.

Speakers: Barbara Oke, Regional Manager, Health and Resource Development, Northern HealthMelissa Aalhus, Health and Resource Development Technical Advisor, Northern Health

The understanding and management of health impacts associated with natural resource development activities like pipelines, mines and processing facilities, has traditionally focused on the impacts from biophysical exposures (e.g. changes to air quality, water quality, etc.). However, extensive research conducted over the past three decades leaves little doubt that social factors are powerful determinants of health and much evidence is emerging that the social, cultural and economic impacts of resource extraction and development are highly complex and intersect to shape health outcomes of…

The BCCDC/NCCEH Environmental Health Seminar Series provides an opportunity for learning and knowledge exchange on a variety of environmental health topics. The seminars can be attended in-person or online.

Speakers:  Juliette O'Keeffe, Environmental Health & Knowledge Translation Scientist, NCCEH Victoria (Tory) Colling, Scientist, Walkerton Clean Water Centre

Title: Cyanobacteria and Drinking Water in Canada, Key issues for Public Health

The NCCEH has undertaken an evidence review of Cyanobacteria and Drinking Water: Occurrence, risks, management and knowledge gaps for public health. This presentation will provide the highlights of the report.

Title: Challenges and a Pilot Study on Cyanobacteria and Small Drinking Water Systems

There is a growing concern regarding cyanobacteria in surface waters and the risks of cyanobacteria entering our drinking water treatment systems. This webinar will discuss the challenges and knowledge gaps for…