It was almost a year after her initial diagnosis at the age of 26, just around Thanksgiving, when we found out that my younger sister Melissa’s melanoma had spread. From that point on, Melissa’s battle with melanoma was a blur of surgeries, radiation and chemotherapy. I came home to be with her as often as I could, and would stay with her in the hospital each time she was admitted. I’d try to sleep in the chair next to her bed, but would oftentimes push her over in the middle of the night and make her share the bed with me the way we did when we were kids. I was so amazed by her resilience. She’d go into the hospital for surgery, and be on the phone two days later talking to her clients from her hospital bed. I don’t think many of her friends and co-workers even knew how serious her condition was because she was so incredible at bouncing back.

Feeling so far away, my husband and I decided to move to New York to be closer to our families. I was pregnant with my son when we moved. Melissa embraced my pregnancy and could not wait until the baby was born. She stayed with me in the delivery room while I was in labor, wiping my forehead, cheering me on and encouraging me to be strong. Always the inspiration to me, we decided to ask her to be my son’s Godmother and of course, she accepted.

It was shortly after my son’s christening in the fall of 2003 that we learned that Melissa’s cancer had not only spread to her brain, but to more lymph nodes, her liver, and her spine. Her doctors started her on more chemotherapy, but we knew it was only a matter of time. Three days before Christmas, she was admitted to the hospital because she was very weak. On Christmas Eve, she slipped into a coma and died two days later. My family was with her when she passed, each holding her hands and hugging her. It was very peaceful and full of love. I feel blessed to have been with her.

I know now that as a pediatrician, I have to make a difference. I cannot let my sister’s death be in vain. Parents need to know how to protect their kids against the sun and its harms. Since Melissa has died, I’ve decided to change my career path to try to be a louder voice for melanoma. I figure that by telling people her story and making them understand how awful a disease melanoma is, maybe more deaths can be prevented. This is the best way I can think of to honor her memory. Please learn more about how to be SunWise this Don’t Fry Day.

About the author: Maribeth Bambino Chitkara, MD, lost her younger sister to melanoma at the tender age of 29, and wants to remind you to be SunWise on “Don’t Fry Day” and every day.

What disease do you think affects one in every five U.S. households, costs the U.S. $50 billion annually in medical expenses, accounts for 10.5 million missed school days every year, causes black children to be hospitalized at twice the rate of white children and to die at four times the rate of white children?

You’re probably thinking: whatever it is, let’s figure out a vaccine quickly.

It is asthma. Anyone can have asthma, but it impacts some more severely than others. Significant disparities, or differences, in asthma exist in racial and ethnic groups. Children from minority groups and children in low-income families are at greater risk for having the disease and once they have it, they are at greater risk of having it more severely.

While we don’t yet have a vaccine or know how to prevent someone from getting asthma, we do have a clear understanding of how to control it. It’s a balancing act: controlling exposure to the things indoors and outdoors that trigger asthma attacks and getting the right medicine and knowing how to take it.

Building awareness is one piece of the nation’s asthma control puzzle. EPA is working hard on many levels to help individuals and communities gain control of asthma. Our website has evidence-based resources that assist kids,  parents, caregivers, older adults, child care programs, schools, healthcare providers, health insurers, and community groups.  Each year, over one million people visit our companion website NoAttacks.org to download easy to read information in English and Spanish.

Another piece of the asthma control puzzle focuses on closing the gap in disparities. Beginning over ten years ago, EPA saw effective work was being done in communities across the country to improve outcomes for kids most severely impacted by asthma. To help health practitioners and asthma programs share their best practices and top questions with one another, EPA launched AsthmaCommunityNetwork.org. This site contains the System for Delivering High-Quality Asthma Care and hundreds of effective print and multimedia resources from programs across the country. Each year EPA honors exceptional health plans, health care providers and communities in action with the National Environmental Leadership Award in Asthma Management as a way to celebrate the important contribution these programs are making to close the gap in asthma disparities. To hear from the 2012 Award winners about their best-in-class programs, register for EPA’s live webinar on Wednesday, May 30, 2012, from 1–2 p.m. EDT.

About the author: Alisa Smith, Ph.D., is Acting Director of the Center for Asthma and Schools in the Indoor Environments Division at the U.S. EPA.

As the summer season fast approaches, we’re seeing more colorful summer fashion items for sale in stores. However, there is one popular item that is valuable not only as a fashion statement, but for its health benefits as well. What item might that be? Sunglasses.

We know that exposure to powerful ultraviolet (UV) rays causes skin cancer. Yet, exposure to natural sunlight or artificial UV rays can also damage your eyes. Long-term exposure to UV radiation can lead to numerous eye disorders including cataracts, skin cancer around the eyelids and other health issues issues. Cataract is the clouding of the eye’s natural lens. It is a condition that tends to appear in people as they grow older, especially after 40. Currently, over 22 million people in the US have cataracts. An EPA report indicates that cataract incidence is on the rise.

Even though we think of common eye conditions linked to the aging process, we should take steps to ensure a healthy vision as early as possible. Everyone is susceptible to eye damage from UV radiation regardless of age or ethnic origin. So an easy way to start protecting your eyes is by getting sunglasses. Read the labels to ensure that the sunglasses block 99-100 percent of UV-A and UV-B rays. Also choose sunglasses for your children, too. For further protection, you can also use a wide-brimmed hat with your sunglasses.

So, whether you’re headed to the beach, engaging in sports, gardening, or simply enjoying the great outdoors, remember to use sunglasses to protect your eyes. Just because the day is overcast, don’t assume that you don’t need to protect yourself from the sun. Those powerful UV rays can easily shine through the clouds damaging your eyes and skin. So protect yourself and be SunWise all year round. Good sun protection habits should be observed every day and all seasons of the year.

Spanish link

About the author: Lina Younes is the Multilingual Outreach and Communications Liaison for EPA. Among her duties, she’s responsible for outreach to Hispanic organizations and media. She spearheaded the team that recently launched EPA’s new Spanish website, www.epa.gov/espanol . She manages EPA’s social media efforts in Spanish. She’s currently the editor of EPA’s new Spanish blog, Conversando acerca de nuestro medio ambiente. Prior to joining the agency, she was the Washington bureau chief for two Puerto Rican newspapers and an international radio broadcaster. She has held other positions in and out of the Federal Government.

Are you interested in helping your community improve the academic performance of students?  Whether you’re involved in a parent-teacher’s organization, school sports, or you just want to be a positive influence on the schools in your community, you’ll want to take a look at your school-based asthma management program.  Working with schools in your community to integrate asthma management programs can help improve academic performance and can even lead to increases in school funding.

Without a strong school-based asthma management program, students with asthma can miss significantly more school and perform worse than students without asthma.  This can also impact the community, as parents miss work to stay home with their children. But, when students’ asthma is under good control, they can attend school and perform equally well.  Along with that, better attendance rates increase school funding for most school districts.

EPA has several resources to assist schools in their efforts to create healthier school environments and improve the lives of students and staff with asthma.  In particular, check out EPA’s Managing Asthma in the School Environment publication to learn helpful tips for putting a school-based asthma management program in place.

You can help.  These programs are guided by school health councils or wellness teams and reflect a partnership between school staff, student, parents, and asthma care clinicians. They are usually part of a school’s larger plan to assist students with any type of chronic condition, but take extra steps such as encouraging all students with asthma to have an Asthma Action Plan on file with the school.  Asthma prevention activities and education for staff, students and families are important components, too.

Reach out to the schools in your community to see if their school-based asthma management programs are providing the best support available to students with asthma. More information on managing asthma at school is available at: http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/managingasthma.html

About the Author: Dr. Lani Wheeler, MD, FAAP, FASHA is a public health pediatrician and consultant in environmental health. She recently co-chaired the NHLBI National Asthma Education and Prevention Program’s (NAEPP) School Education Subcommittee where she represented the American School Health Association (ASHA).

As I mentioned in an earlier blog this year, I had decided that 2012 was the year that I was going to incorporate healthier habits into my daily living.   I have not only made a conscious effort to eating healthier, but I definitely have become more active.  So when I got an email at work about a “Walk to Wellness” event, I immediately signed up for it.

Just last week, we had our Walk to Wellness event at EPA in collaboration with other federal agencies.  Over 100 employees came together to enjoy some outdoor activities and walk.  We had a nice 1.5 mile route established for us from EPA headquarters, through the Ellipse, near the White House, and back.  Although there was a possibility of rain, we were lucky to have an overcast day with temperatures that were just right.  Not too hot, not too cold, just perfect for a nice walk.

Walking is an excellent way to get energized without having to go to the gym. You can actually walk anywhere. Since I’ve been trying to increase my daily activities, I got a pedometer to measure my progress. I look for any opportunity to just get up and walk.  Need some suggestions? How about walking over to your colleague two cubes down to ask a question instead of simply shooting an email?  How about going up or down a flight of stairs instead of taking the elevator? Once you take simple actions like this, you realize that those steps start adding up.

If you’re going to engage in outdoor activities, remember to check the Air Quality Index.  Even when it’s overcast, use sunblock or a hat to protect yourself from dangerous UV rays. You can even check out the UV index forecast in your community to reduce the risk of overexposure while exercising outdoors.

It’s all part of getting healthier. Have you done anything special to become more active lately?

About the author: Lina Younes is the Multilingual Outreach and Communications Liaison for EPA. Among her duties, she’s responsible for outreach to Hispanic organizations and media. She spearheaded the team that recently launched EPA’s new Spanish website, www.epa.gov/espanol . She manages EPA’s social media efforts in Spanish. She’s currently the editor of EPA’s new Spanish blog, Conversando acerca de nuestro medio ambiente. Prior to joining the agency, she was the Washington bureau chief for two Puerto Rican newspapers and an international radio broadcaster. She has held other positions in and out of the Federal Government.

Clagett Farm, in Upper Marlboro, MD was donated nearly 30 years ago by a family to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. What once was a tobacco farm is now home to an organic farm whose purpose is multidimensional. Its main purpose, though, is education. I recently spent the day with my daughter Gabby as part of a field trip with her middle school. The day consisted of moving grass-fed, free-range cattle and chickens; planting onions and flowers; learning about composting; and how what we do on land directly impacts the quality of the bay’s waters.

Gabby planting sunflower seeds

Gabby

What an amazing way to learn about the environment and how I affect it. I didn’t realize how much my own actions could affect the Chesapeake Bay, but this place called Clagget Farm showed me.

Some of my classmates and I went to Clagett Farm on a field trip. When we arrived, we met Phillip and Melissa, our educators for the day. We played a trivia game in a barn using maps of the Chesapeake and the surrounding area. We learned about how when you plant trees, it keeps the dirt from going into the bay.

Melissa Simmons demonstrates how fertilizer runoff finds its way into the waters of the Chesapeake Bay

I really liked how we learned about how the different surfaces affect the water going into the bay. The suburban lawn with fertilizer on it had dye in it to make it show bright yellow-green so we could see the fertilizer in the water. We also saw how the forest area made the water clean.

I got to plant sunflower seeds and eat bok choy right from the ground. It kind of tasted like lettuce but very fresh.

Herding cows was fun but stepping in cow pies was not. We got to move them from one field to another so they could get fresh grass. The old manure would make the grass grow back so they would be able to move back to the previous area.

What an amazing day! I learned so much about how what I do is connected to the water and the animals both in it and surrounding it.

Danny

The experiment using surface types consisted of a hillside that was prepared with surfaces including urban sprawl, suburban lawn, cover crops, tilled fields and forest. For visual effect, dye was added to the water to illustrate how much fertilizer is washed away versus being absorbed. I liked seeing how Gabby reacted to the bright green color of the water.

Runoff experiment at Clagett Farm

The message being that fertilizer isn’t necessarily bad on lawns in correct amounts; the issue is when too much is applied, it runs eventually into the Chesapeake. But the larger message of the experiment is that paved surfaces, groomed lawns and traditionally tilled fields can negatively affect the Chesapeake Bay, whereas limiting fertilizers, planting cover crops and forested areas positively affect the health of the bay.

About the authors: Danny Hart has been with EPA since 2006. He’s the Associate Director of Web Communications. Gabby Hart is in the 7th Grade, loves dance and wants to be a doctor.

Imagine that you’re a child- or even a teenager- with asthma.  Every day you go to school.  It’s up to you to tell someone when you start to feel wheezy or your breathing is uncomfortable. But, sometimes it’s hard to stop or slow down what you’re doing and tell an adult.

So, what if there was a way for you to know what the air quality was going to be like-  just by walking into school every morning?   Your teachers would know.  Your coaches would know.  You would know.  Everyone would have a part in keeping you and other kids healthy on poor air quality days.

As an adult, there’s something you can do to help your school make this a reality. The School Flag Program helps protect children’s health by increasing awareness about air quality and the effect it can have on children.

Local air quality can affect our daily lives and trigger asthma attacks. Like the weather, air quality can change from day to day. EPA developed the Air Quality Index, or AQI to make information available about the health effects of common air pollutants, and how to avoid those effects.

The School Flag Program is based on the AQI and participating is really simple.  School officials raise the flag each day based on the colors of the AQI (green =good, red=unhealthy, etc.).  The flag colors let kids, teachers, coaches and the rest of the community know what the air quality forecast is for the day.  Using the program activity guidelines schools can modify their outdoor activities when the air quality is unhealthy.

To get your local school started, speak to someone in the school front office, a teacher, or coach.  You can direct them to www.airnow.gov/schoolflag or print out a fact sheet from the website.  It’s an easy way to keep kids healthy!

About the author: Melissa Payne works in the Office of Air Quality Programs and Standards and likes to write about science for kids of all ages.

The older I get, the more I like to play. Did you know that May is Older Americans Month and that this year’s theme is “Never Too Old to Play.” The theme encourages Older Americans to stay engaged, active and involved in their communities.

This year also marks the 50th anniversary of a book, Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, that changed the lives for many people who love nature and the out-of-doors.

I hadn’t read Silent Spring until I was an adult. As a child, I remember running down nearby railroad tracks where trains passed by daily around noon transporting large logs heading to the paper mills and lumber yards. My little sister and I used to pick bouquets of flowers that bloomed in abundance near the tracks, white and purple violets, daisies, lilies- of- the-valley for my mother to place on the dining room table.

But those tracks were also sprayed with DDT. We were just kids and had no idea how dangerous it was as we ran down the tracks through the cloud of chemicals. We assumed if the cloud of chemicals was bad for mosquitoes it must be good for us. But I have learned now that the metabolites of DDT are one of those persistent toxicants that are forever a part of me.

Fifty years later we are still thinking about Rachel Carson’s message about the dangers of chemicals and pesticides in our world. The train tracks have been converted into a bike path and trails that weave through the back yards of my childhood neighborhood. DDT is no longer sprayed and the wild flowers are still there. My mom has been active in caring for community gardens and volunteering at the local botanical gardens. She has encouraged all my nieces and nephews to garden and appreciate the out of doors. Mother’s day is around the corner and I am planning to play in a garden and maybe submit an entry with my mom for the Rachel Carson contest.

About the author: Kathy Sykes is a Senior Advisor for Aging and Sustainability in the Office or Research and Development at the U.S. EPA.

This past weekend I attended the Second USA Science and Engineering Festival at Washington, DC Convention Center. The first day I went as a volunteer to help staff EPA’s booth and the second day I took my daughter’s Girl Scout troop. There was so much to do and so much to see that I wish I had another full day to really visit all the booths at the convention center.

The US Science and Engineering Festival had representatives from different federal agencies, universities, industry, and non-profits presenting numerous scientific disciplines. From environmental sciences, to robotics, medicine, forensics, aerospace engineering and beyond, all fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics were well represented. It was fascinating to see how all festival sponsors and representatives engaged children and adults in scientific activities and experiments that were educational AND entertaining. At EPA we had a Wheel of Science to test children’s scientific knowledge, a demo where children could “fish” and learn about the health of wetlands, a matching game to show how different particles looked under an electron microscope, and much more.

One area that got our attention covered the sustainability in agriculture. Through different tests and demonstrations, we were able to see all the elements that factor into the price of food production as well as their impact on the environment. How much land do you have for your crop? How much water will you need for the crops and/or animals? Will you use pesticides? Do you prefer to go organic? What are the choices you need to make to ensure the optimum yield for the most favorable cost, yet without a negative impact on the environment? There is not always a “simple” response.

The girls in my daughter’s troop were very eager to explore everything. So much to do, yet so little time. Given the large crowd, we were limited in the areas that we could cover during our time at the Festival, but we visited as many booths as we could. The girls even got a Girl Scouts patch for participating in the festival’s activities.  I’m sure that they will view science classes in a new light. We all learned something new about how science affects our daily lives. I know I did. Do you have any science experiences that you would like to share with us?

About the author: Lina Younes is the Multilingual Outreach and Communications Liaison for EPA. Among her duties, she’s responsible for outreach to Hispanic organizations and media. She spearheaded the team that recently launched EPA’s new Spanish website, www.epa.gov/espanol . She manages EPA’s social media efforts in Spanish. She’s currently the editor of EPA’s new Spanish blog, Conversando acerca de nuestro medio ambiente. Prior to joining the agency, she was the Washington bureau chief for two Puerto Rican newspapers and an international radio broadcaster. She has held other positions in and out of the Federal Government.

I know phrases like “we need to save the Great Lakes for the next generation” are so often uttered that it can risk becoming a biological bromide (as opposed to a chemical one)…it can become as worn as an old pair of shoes.

In the waning days of Earth Month, I had the chance to help the great staff of the National Park Service coach kids from kindergarten through 8th grade as part of the Great Lakes Junior Park Ranger Program at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Supported by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, with leadership from pros like NPS’s Carmen Chapin, Marcus Key, Phyllis Ellin and Wendy Smith, the program teaches future leaders the importance of native ecosystems using Adopt-a-Beach® and other initiatives. After completing the program, participants get a shiny new Great Lakes Junior Badge. Said one up-and-comer: he loved the Junior Park Ranger Program and helping to save Lake Michigan “because we need to drink water.” Kind of hard to argue with that.

If the Great Lakes Junior Ranger program was any indication, yes, we need to save the Great Lakes for them. But, from what I saw, they’re starting to save the Lakes for themselves. Maybe we need to just get out of their way.

About the author: Cameron Davis is Senior Advisor to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. He provides counsel on Great Lakes matters, including the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.