Protecting Science at Federal Agencies: How Congress Can Help

Independent scientific analysis and advice are essential for effective policies that serve the public interest. This report describes new and ongoing threats to the communication of science and its use in public health and environmental decisions, and it recommends steps Congress can take in response.</div

Analysis of exposure to ambient air pollution: Case study of the link between environmental exposure and children’s school performance in Memphis, TN

Publications link various health outcomes and several elements of the physical environment, including environmental exposures such as air pollution, built-up environment, as well as social environment. The local neighborhood context is important in studies on health impacts. For example, associations have been found between neighborhood physical and social environments and diabetes. Since the physical environment is an element of the neighborhood’s overall environment, the focus of the chapter is on environmental exposure. Specifically, the present chapter focuses primarily on one important environmental hazard, air pollution, by examining the links between an outside and inside environment and health, as well as the extent that socioeconomic factors play in the association between exposure to air pollution and health outcomes. The chapter concludes with an empirical case study, which considers the links between air pollution exposure from stationary facilities and children’s performance in schools