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Environmental/ Occupational Health

 

Research Guide to Environmental/ Occupational Health Statistics

Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Sources of Information
2.1. Books
2.2. Journals
2.3. Internet
2.4 Other data sources

1. Introduction

The purpose of this guide is to assist faculty, students, and staff of the University of Chicago find environmental health statistics. This guide is not meant to be exhaustive but to highlight key resources for locating information on this topic.


2. Sources of Information

2.1 Book Resources

For electronic access to books, try searching the MD Consult database. You can search within an individual textbook, or run a search across >35 textbooks simultaneously for your topic.

Use the Library catalog to locate relevant print and electronic books in the University Library.

Try to identify general texts on your topic and you should be able to find the data you need. Excellent data is buried within textbooks; just because a textbook has not been labeled in the catalog as a statistical resource does not mean that important numerical data is not included within the work. You will need to browse textbook and textbook chapters for tables and graphs on your topic in order to retrieve desired information.

Subject headings in the catalog often do not include terms like statistics unless the book only reports summary data, like in a survey. Instead, browse or search the catalog using broad and narrow subject terms related to diabetes. Catalog tip: use the "*" wildcard to search for variations of your root term. For example child* to search for child or children or children's. You can then combine these subject terms with the type of data you are interested in. For example environment* and disease*.

Environmental Health
Environmentally Induced Diseases
Industrial Safety
Industrial Hygiene
Occupational Exposure
Occupational Diseases
Occupational Health
Occupational Medicine

Title
 Author Date Collection Call#
Disinfectants and disinfectant by-products Amy, Gary L. 2000 Crerar Bookstacks RA565.A1E57 v.216
Human exposure assessment MacIntosh, D. L. 2000 Crerar Bookstacks RA565.A1E57 v.214
Bioenvironmental and public health statistics Sen, Pranab Kumar, 1937- 2000 Crerar Bookstacks RA409.B47 2000
Work-related neck and upper limb musculoskeletal disorders Buckle, Peter. 1999 Crerar Bookstacks RC925.5.B83 1999
Statistics for the environment 4 : statistical aspects of health and the environment Barnett, Vic 1999 Crerar Bookstacks RA565 .S727 1999
Principles for the assessment of risks to human health from exposure to chemicals. United Nations Environment Programme 1999 Crerar Bookstacks RA565.A1E57 v.210
Basic health physics : problems and solutions Bevelacqua, Joseph John, 1949- 1999 Crerar Bookstacks R895 .B477 1999
Environmental & occupational medicine  edited by William N. Rom. 1998 Crerar Bookstacks RC963 .E58 1998
Statistics for the environment 3 : pollution assessment and control Barnett, Vic 1997 Crerar Bookstacks GE45.S73 S834 1997

2.2 Journals

AGRICOLA
The AGRICOLA database can be searched via the National Agricultural Library gateway.

AGRICOLA includes over 3.5 million citations to material acquired by the National Agricultural Library and cooperating institutions. It abstracts articles, audiovisual materials, books, book chapters, computer databases and software, maps, manuscripts, serials, and sound recordings. Subjects include agricultural economics and engineering, animal science, chemistry, entomology, food science, forestry, geography, human nutrition, life sciences, natural resources, plant diseases, insect pests and their control, rural sociology and veterinary medicine. The file covers over 5,000 sources from 1970 to present.

MEDLINE
There are two versions of the the Medline database available.
Medline on OVID and PubMed [Using Toxicology Subsets Limit].

MEDLINE is the National Library of Medicine's database covering the fields of medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the health care system, and the preclinical sciences. MEDLINE contains bibliographic citations and abstracts from more than 4,000 biomedical journals. The file contains over 11 million citations dating back to 1966.

The Print version of this database is known as Index Medicus. Print volumes from 1879-present are available in the Crerar Library Reference Collection at Z6660.I4.

Healthy People 2010 Information Access Project :Environmental Health
 The purpose of this site is to make information and evidence-based strategies related to the Healthy People 2010 objectives easier to find. The National Library of Medicine and the Public Health Foundation staff have worked together to develop pre-formulated search strategies (search run on PubMed) for selected Healthy People 2010 focus areas.

  • 8-1 Outdoor Air Quality. Harmful Air Pollutants: Ozone and Particulate Matter. Reduce the proportion of persons exposed to air that does not meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's health-based standards for harmful air pollutants.
  • 8-5 Safe Drinking Water. Increase the proportion of persons served by community water systems who receive a supply of drinking water that meets the regulations of the Safe Drinking Water Act.
  • 8-6 Waterborne Diseases. Reduce waterborne disease outbreaks arising from water intended for drinking among persons served by community water systems.
  • 8-11 Lead Poisoning. Eliminate elevated blood lead levels in children.
  • 8-16 Indoor Air. Reduce indoor allergen levels.
  • 8-18 Radon. Increase the proportion of persons who live in homes tested for radon concentrations.
  • 8-21 Disaster Planning. Ensure that State health departments establish training, plans, and protocols and conduct annual multi-institutional exercises to prepare for response to natural and technological disasters.
  • 8-22 Lead Paint. Increase the proportion of persons living in pre-1950s housing that has been tested for the presence of lead-based paint.
  • 8-29 Global Burden of Disease. Reduce the global burden of disease due to poor water quality, sanitation, and personal and domestic hygiene.
  • 8-30 Water Quality in the US-Mexico Border Region. Increase the proportion of the population in the U.S.-Mexico border region that have adequate drinking water and sanitation facilities.

SciFinder Scholar (Chemical Abstracts)
 Scholar provides access to the content of Chemical Abstracts from 1967 to present, the CAS Registry File (the largest substance database with over 17 million substances, including 12 million organic substances), and the CAplus File which includes patents. The print version of this database is available from 1907-present in the Chemistry Library Reference Collection at QD1.A48, and from 1907-1995 in the Crerar Library Reference Collection at QD1.A48.

2.3 Internet Resources

Sites were selected based upon the authority and/or reputation of the issuing body in addition to the quality and organization of the website. Federal organizations, medical associations, and private organizations are included.

Agency/Organization Statistics available
Bureau of Labor Statistics
 The BLS is an independent national statistical agency that collects, processes, analyzes, and disseminates essential statistical data and serves as a statistical resource to the Department of Labor.
EPA Office of Environmental Information
CEIS is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's source for data and information on environmental quality, status, and trends.
Department of Energy
The mission of the DOE is to foster a secure and reliable energy system that is environmentally and economically sustainable, to be a responsible steward of the Nation's nuclear weapons, and to support continued United States leadership in science and technology.

Healthy People 2010 Information Access Project :Environmental Health
The purpose of this site is to make information and evidence-based strategies related to the Healthy People 2010 objectives easier to find. The National Library of Medicine and the Public Health Foundation staff have worked together to develop pre-formulated search strategies for selected Healthy People 2010 focus areas.
Mine Safety and Health Administration
The mission of the MSHA is to administer the provisions of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (Mine Act) and to enforce compliance with mandatory safety and health standards as a means to promote improved safety and health conditions in the Nation's mines.
National Center for Health Statistics
NCHS is responsible for the collection, analysis, and dissemination of statistics on the nature and extent of the health, illness, and disability of the U.S. population
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
The mission of OSHA is to save lives, prevent injuries and protect the health of America's workers. OSHA is a department in the Department of Labor.
Pan American Health Organization - Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization.
PAHO is an international public health agency working to improve health and living standards of the countries of the Americas. It serves as the specialized organization for health of the Inter-American System. It also enjoys international recognition as part of the United Nations system.

2.4 Other data sources

Statistical Universe

Major tool for statistical research. Covers data from U.S. federal and state governments; university research centers, private associations and organizations, and independent research groups; and international and intergovernmental organizations. Records include abstracts, with full text of selected U.S. federal and state publications available from as early as 1995.

Statistical Universe is the online equivalent of the following resources available in print. You will need to consult the print version in order to conduct historical research.

American statistics index (ASI)
Reading Rm, floor 1 Regenstein Z1223.Z7A51 (1973-)

Index to international statistics (IIS)
Reading Rm, floor 1 Regenstein (1983-)

Statistical Abstract of the United States
At multiple locations. Please check holdings. HA202.A2 (1878-)

Statistical reference index (SRI)
Reading Rm, floor 1 Regenstein Z7554.U5S71(1980-)

 

TOXNET? (TOXicology Data NETwork)
A cluster of databases on toxicology, hazardous chemicals, and related areas. It is managed by the National Library of Medicine's (NLM) Toxicology and Environmental Health Information Program (TEHIP) of its Specialized Information Services Division. TOXNET's Web Interface was designed to provide an easy-to-use approach to searching files of varying formats and contents. Users can readily extract toxicology data and literature references, as well as toxic release information, on particular chemicals. Alternately, one can perform a search with subject terms to identify chemicals that cause certain effects.

Documentation on how to search TOXNET