Introducing Environmental Health to K-12 [POSTER]

Effective environmental health policy largely depends on advocacy of informed citizenship. At the present, time environmental health is not taught as a school subject. However, hardly a day goes by when there isn’t something in the news about chemicals or pollution in our environment, and teachers and parents are coming to recognize the importance of environmental health to science education. Teaching students about environmental health topics and complex concepts such as risk and exposure requires quality educational resources. For years, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) has been developing authoritative, engaging Web pages and classroom tools for students at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Web resources include: ToxMystery, an educational game for elementary students; Environmental Health Student Portal for middle school students; and Tox Town for middle and high school students.

In addition to covering major areas of environmental health, ToxMystery and Tox Town also include sections about careers in environmental health. Recently, NLM also created a curriculum for an after school environmental health club, entitled Discovering the Connection: Your Environment, Your Health, which introduces middle school students to issues around water and air quality and chemicals in food and household products. Students research information, conduct hands-on experiments, and participate in communication and social action activities. The curriculum culminates in a debate, where students argue about whether the school’s primary source of drinking water should be bottled or tap. NLM also maintains a K-12 listserv and newsletter for educators that highlight resources and tools related to environmental health. This poster will highlight these environmental health resources and make suggestions about how to use and promote them in the community.