Division Programs
Toxicology and Response Section

Epidemiology and Surveillance Section  

Healthy Homes Section

Chemical Terrorism and Emergencies Preparedness Section

Office of the Division Director
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Division Programs

The Division of Environmental Health is comprised of four organizational units: the Toxicology and Response Section, the Epidemiology and Surveillance Section, Lead Abatement and Healthy Homes Section and the Chemical Terrorism and Emergencies Preparedness Section. Each section has different responsibilities as described below.  However, the Sections work together and share resources. The Office of Division Director also has programs regarding cancer cluster concerns and asthma.

Division staff provides professional consultation to individuals and organizations with concerns about the health effects of exposures to toxic substances and partners with universities and other governmental organizations in related research and service activities.

The Division maintains several toll-free telephone hotlines for the general public. Callers can have questions answered about anything from contaminants in fish to formaldehyde in home products.  A toxicologist is on hand to answer questions about the environment and health concerns at 1-800-MI-TOXIC (1-800-648-6942)  during business hours Monday through Friday.  Lead professionals are also available to answer questions about lead-based paint, certification, and assistance in dealing with hazards in your home at 1-866-691-LEAD (5323).

The following includes brief descriptions of the functions of the three Sections and Office of the Director programs.  Contact Dr. David Wadefor additional information about the Division.

Toxicology and Response Section

The Toxicology and Response Section provides services related to the effects of environmental contamination on human health. It does so through a cooperative agreement with the  Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry  (ATSDR). ATSDR is a federal human health agency whose mission is to prevent or mitigate adverse human health effects and diminished quality of life resulting from exposure to hazardous substances in the environment.

The primary service the Toxicology and Response Section provides is to conduct health assessments and consultations.  Health assessments and consultations are evaluations of sites where environmental contamination is of concern.  The health assessor supplements state or federal regulatory agency (Michigan Department of Environmental Quality or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) efforts by determining what, if any, threat to human health a site may pose. Once a conclusion on a site is made, the health assessor makes any necessary recommendations protective of public health.  Recommendations may include further testing of the soil, air, or water; restricting access to a site; or cleaning up a site.

Along with health assessments and consultations, the section provides environmental health education to communities and health professionals. This education can come in the form of presentations, public meetings, and written materials. The section has a library of environmental health education materials. All materials are free. Contact Dr. Linda Dykema at (517) 335-8566 or call 1-800-MI-TOXIC (1-800-648-6942) for more information. Click here for  factsheets, brochures and other resources on a variety of toxic substances.  

Epidemiology and Surveillance Section

The Epidemiology and Surveillance Section addresses health concerns related to environmental and workplace hazards in Michigan using the tools of epidemiology and public health surveillance.  Contact Dr. Lorri Cameron at (517) 335-8342 for more information on the activities of the Epidemiology and Surveillance Section.  Current activities are described below:

• Maintaining and updating health information on particular groups of people exposed to toxic substances since the mid 1970s.  Registries of Michigan citizens exposed to polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), or heavy metals through consumption of contaminated meat, poultry, dairy products, or fish have been established and are used for follow-up health studies.  Information from these studies is used to keep registry participants informed about possible health effects from their exposure and to allow scientists to learn more about how exposure to these substances affects health.  Click  here  for more information on PBBs in Michigan or contact  Dr. Lorri Cameron .  For more information on PBBs or PCBs in general, go to www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/#-P -.
• Tracking occupational illnesses and injuries.  Funding from the  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health  (NIOSH) is supporting a program for surveillance of occupational illnesses and injuries in Michigan.  In collaboration with the  Occupational and Environmental Medicine Division , College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, the program collects, analyzes, and disseminates data on occupational injuries and illnesses in Michigan and works with stakeholders in other agencies and organizations to use the data for public health prevention activities.  Some of the products available from this program include a strategic plan, results of a survey of local health departments on capacity in occupational health, summary information on 13 existing  data sources  which can be used for occupational health and other public health surveillance activities, a report that profiles major occupational disease/injury categories and provides Michigan data on these conditions, and several reports with occupational injury data.  Click herefor more information about the program and links to other occupational health web sites, or contact Tom Largoat (517) 335-9647 for additional information.

Chemical Terrorism and Emergencies Preparedness Section

The Chemical Terrorism and Emergencies Preparedness Section provides services related to planning, preparedness, and response to chemical events that pose a threat to human health including acts of terrorism.  For more information on these services, contact Martha Stanbury. 

• Preparing for chemical emergencies and threats of chemical terrorism.   Preparing for and responding to dangerous chemical releases, both accidental and intentional, are important functions of public health. The Chemical Terrorism and Emergencies (CTE) Unit assists local health departments and other emergency response agencies to plan for and respond to chemical emergency events.  The CTE Unit provides expertise in the areas of exposure and risk assessment, toxicology, epidemiology and surveillance, and education and outreach. Click herefor more information.
• Tracking hazardous substances releases in Michigan.  Beginning January 2005, the Division instituted a surveillance system for hazardous substances releases in Michigan called Hazardous Substance Emergencies Emergency Events Surveillance (HSEES).   Click herefor more information about the Michigan HSEES program. This federally funded program includes 14 other states that all use the same protocol to collect, analyze and disseminate data on acute chemical releases and related adverse health effects, and conduct interventions to mitigate the impacts of releases on the environmental and human health.   

• Maintaining a surveillance system for acute, work-related pesticide poisoning.  Almost 20 million pounds of restricted use pesticides are used each year in Michigan.  These pesticides may seriously impact the health of Michigan workers.  The Pesticide Illness and Injury Surveillance Program gathers reports of pesticide exposures that result in acute illnesses and injuries and provides Michigan citizens with reliable information to understand and safely use pesticides.    Click here for more information about this program, including annual reports and links to over 150 websites containing general information on pesticides, children and pesticides, mosquitoes and other pests, lawn and garden care, alternatives to chemical pesticides, and other topics.  To receive additional information or to report an exposure, contact Abby Schwartzat (517) 335-8350.  Confidentiality is maintained.
  

Healthy Homes Section  

The Healthy Homes Section provides six primary functions that address the reduction of lead-based paint poisoning and the promotion of healthy homes throughout the State of Michigan. They include the 1) administration of various abatement funds to abate lead-based paint hazards in high risk housing units across the state; 2) public and professional education efforts; 3) the certification of lead inspectors, risk assessors, abatement workers, supervisors, clearance technicians, abatement contractors and the accreditation of training providers; 4) the enforcement of lead professional activities per the Lead Abatement Act; 5) assist communities in building effective coalitions and obtain grant/foundation funding to address lead poisoning; and 6) effectively administer the HUD Healthy Homes Demonstration grant to address childhood illness and injury prevention and reduce environmental health triggers of asthma in Ingham County. For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/leadsafe.

Office of the Division Director

• Michigan Fish Advisory.  Each year the Division oversees the publication of the Michigan Family Fish Consumption Guide. Fish are a healthy food choice. However, some sizes and species of fish from the Great Lakes and from some of Michigan's inland lakes and streams contain chemicals that may be harmful if eaten too often or in high quantities. The fish advisory helps you decide which sport fish to avoid eating and gives guidelines on how often to eat others. Special caution about eating fish is recommended for pregnant women, nursing mothers, women who intend to have children, and children under the age of 15. Click here to view the Fish Advisory online, or call 1-800-MI-TOXIC .
• Responding to concerns regarding perceived increases in cancer occurrences.   Michigan residents may have concerns about perceived increases in occurrences of cancer (cancer clusters) and potential health effects from environmental exposures in their communities.  Citizens with these concerns should initially contact their local public health departments.  The Division provides support to epidemiologists at local health departments and regional epidemiologists who respond to concerns regarding cancer and environmental exposures.  In addition to providing support, Division staff respond directly to questions, concerns, and requests for assistance from businesses, legislators, and other state agencies regarding cancer and environmental exposures.  Contact Robert Wahl at (517) 335-9151 for additional information.

• Addressing air quality issues related to asthma    Asthma is a major public health concern in Michigan.  In an effort to decrease the burden of asthma in Michigan, the MDCH asthma program helped to create the Asthma Initiative of Michigan (AIM), and currently has several asthma-related projects concerning patient education, health care provider education, epidemiology and surveillance, and environmental exposures.  MDCH leads activities addressing environmental exposures that cause the onset of asthma or exacerbate existing asthma symptoms (asthma triggers).  Current projects address indoor environmental asthma triggers in homes, schools, and workplaces; outdoor environmental asthma triggers; work-related asthma; and exposure to secondhand smoke.  Contact Robert Wahlfor additional information.
                                                                                                               

How You Can Contact the Division of Environmental Health

You can reach the Division of Environmental Health by calling 517-335-8350 or toll free via the Toxics and Health Hotline at 1-800-648-6942. You can write to the Division at:

Michigan Dept of Community Health
Division of Environmental Health
PO Box 30195
Lansing, MI 48909

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