Excerpt

The Roundtable chose to focus this workshop on rural America and concentrated on Iowa as the basis of its discussions. The members of the Roundtable realized that rural America is not homogeneous and that the environmental health challenges in one region of the United States may not be the challenges in other areas of the country. Water was one example, as some regions of the country face problems with water quality issues while other rural regions are experiencing drought conditions. This workshop was not meant to cover environmental health in all rural areas in depth but was conducted to obtain an overview of some of the key environmental health concerns in rural America by using the Midwest as a starting point for discussion.

Early in the planning process, Roundtable members realized that the process of engaging speakers and developing an agenda for the workshop was an important part of the enterprise. In their efforts to encourage the participation of a breadth of participants, the Roundtable members sought the input of individuals from diverse fields—industry, health care, foundations, environmental groups, government, citizen groups, and others. Their input helped shape the agenda. We would like to thank these individuals for their contributions to making this meeting a success.

Contents

• The National Academies
• Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research, and Medicine
• Reviewers
• Preface
• Summary
  • WHAT IS ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH?
  • WHAT IS RURAL?
  • HEALTH AND THE RURAL ENVIRONMENT
  • NATURAL ENVIRONMENT IN RURAL AMERICA
  • THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH IN RURAL AREAS
• Introduction
  • WHAT IS ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH?
• 1. Environmental Health in Rural America
  • WHAT IS RURAL?
  • CHALLENGES TO LIFE IN RURAL AMERICA
  • THE FARM BILL AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
• 2. The Social Environment in Rural America
  • RURAL MOSAIC IN AMERICA
  • LANGUAGE, CULTURE, AND HEALTH
  • RURAL INFRASTRUCTURE: ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND BEYOND
  • RURAL MENTAL HEALTH: A MULTIFACETED ISSUE
• 3. The Role of the Natural Environment in Rural America
  • ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT OF IOWA AGRICULTURE
  • THE FUTURE OF FAMILY FARMS
  • FARMING PRACTICES: FROM SOIL EROSION TO PESTICIDES
  • WATER AND AIR QUALITY: CHALLENGES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
  • ENERGY TECHNOLOGY: EVOLVING TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVING HEALTH
  • RENEWABLE ENERGY PRODUCTION
  • OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMUNITIES: NEBRASKA ENVIRONMENTAL PARTNERSHIPS
• 4. The Built Environment and Health in Rural Areas
  • THE HEALTH IMPACT OF URBAN ENCROACHMENT ON RURAL AREAS
  • ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH IOWA’S ABANDONED AND OCCUPIED HOUSING
  • THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR RURAL HEALTH
  • INVESTIGATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES AND CHRONIC DISEASE IN RURAL COMMUNITIES: THE AGRICULTURAL HEALTH STUDY
• References
• Appendixes
  • Appendix A Workshop Agenda
  • B Speakers and Panelists
  • C Meeting Participants

This study was supported by multiple contracts and grants between the National Academy of Sciences and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health (Contract N01-OD-4-2193, TO#43); National Center for Environmental Health and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Contract No. 200-2000-00629, TO#7); National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Contract 0000166930); National Health and Environment Effects Research Laboratory and National Center for Environmental Research, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Contract 282-99-0045, TO#5); American Chemistry Council (unnumbered grant); Exxon-Mobil Corporation (unnumbered grant); and Brita Water Research Institute (unnumbered grant). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations and agencies that provided support for this project.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.