2.2: Injuries and Environmental Threats

Protect the public against injuries and environmental threats.

Other Information:

Injuries are the leading cause of death among children and adults younger than 44 years of age in the United States. About 160,000 people die each year in the United States from injuries; millions more are injured and survive; and nearly 30 million people sustained injuries serious enough to require treatment in an emergency room. Many injured people are left with long-term disabilities. HHS has a particular responsibility to provide the science base needed to reduce occupational injuries; the performance indicators at the end of this chapter measure this progress. CDC conducts the majority of injury prevention activities that support this objective. CDC focuses on strategies to address interpersonal violence, residential fires, falls, and workplace injuries and mortality. These include identifying risk factors, conducting surveillance, and supporting implementation activities. Workplace Injuries: CDC promotes safe and healthy workplaces through interventions, recommendations, and capacity building. To achieve the objective of protection against injuries in the workforce population, CDC actively engages employers to promote commercial motor vehicle safety by providing technical assistance and disseminating Hazard Alerts and Fact Sheets that present practical prevention strategies in both English and Spanish. CDC also works with the Mine Safety and Health Administration on the joint committee examining how the newly developed personal dust monitor (PDM) can be utilized on a daily basis in underground coal mines. The PDM, recently developed by CDC in collaboration with manufacturers, labor, and industry, assesses coal miners’ exposure to coal dust in underground mines and represents the first advancement in more than 30 years for monitoring exposures. Fire-Related Injury Prevention: CDC will continue to support State programs to monitor, identify, and track fire-related injuries and to expand smoke alarm installation and fire safety education programs in communities at high risk. Environmental Hazards: Interactions between people and their environment also pose a risk to their health. Environmental health hazards include water pollutants, chemical pollutants, air pollutants, mold, and radiation from natural, technologic, or terrorist events. HHS works in collaboration with other Departmental-level agencies, including EPA and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, to address environmental hazards. To support this larger Federal effort, HHS will conduct targeted prevention and surveillance activities aimed at raising awareness of, monitoring, and mitigating threats. CDC and FDA will support this effort by using existing technologies and methods to measure the exposure to environmental chemicals in humans and the food supply. CDC also will investigate new technologies and methods to expand the number of chemicals measured in humans. Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention: CDC is addressing the problem of childhood lead poisoning through provision of funding and technical assistance to State and local childhood lead poisoning prevention programs. These programs are working to ensure that screening, lead-hazard reduction, model legislation, and other prevention mechanisms occur throughout the country. CDC will build on these efforts by developing and disseminating guidance for the proper treatment of children after they are identified as having elevated blood levels. Violence Against Women: HHS has developed a Violence Against Women Steering Committee, which coordinates the HHS response to issues related to violence against women and their children. This committee, led by ASH, comprises representatives from ACF, AoA, CDC, FDA, HRSA, NIH, OPHS, the Office of the Secretary, and SAMHSA. The committee is also responsible for coordinating HHS violence-related activities with those of other Federal agencies. This steering committee will work to refine and focus HHS’s activities on addressing violence against women. More information about HHS’s efforts to address family violence can be found in Strategic Goal 3, Objective 3.1. Youth Violence Prevention: CDC funds Academic Centers of Excellence to develop and implement community response plans to prevent youth violence. These Centers also train health professionals and conduct youth violence prevention research projects. CDC will continue funding these Centers. The agency also will identify modifiable risk factors that protect adolescents from becoming victims or perpetrators of violence and will increase public awareness regarding dating violence among adolescents through interactive programs such as Choose Respect.

Indicator(s):

Indicator:1

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