The Penn State Cancer Institute and the Institutes of Energy and the Environment (IEE) announced a Cancer and the Environment Symposium from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 29 in the Energy and the Environment Laboratory.

The event will be in-person with some of the presentations available via streaming.

All faculty, staff and students with an interest in the subject are invited to attend. The event is free, but registration is required.

Additionally, the event will feature a poster session. Researchers are invited to submit their abstracts for the session by September 9.

“Several components of the environment, including the built environment and contaminants found in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat and the environment in which we live, can have positive or negative health consequences,” said Cheryl Thompson, professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences and associate director for population sciences in the Penn State Cancer Institute. “Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the U.S., accounting for over 600,000 deaths annually.” 

Many environmental exposures are associated with cancer, including, but not limited to: pesticides, medical drugs, fine particles in the air, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and heavy metals — and many, such as microplastics, are emerging as potentially associated with cancer risk.

Cancer is also a disease in which numerous disparities in outcome exist. 

“These disproportionally affect individuals in minority racial groups and those with lower socioeconomic status — similar groups that are, on average, disproportionately disadvantaged by environmental exposures,” Thompson said.

Rebecca Bascom leads IEE’s Health and the Environment research theme. She is also a professor in the Department of Medicine and the Department of Public Health Sciences. She said the goal of this event is to build on Penn State’s strength in environmental research and cancer research.

“By connecting and fostering research teams across these fields, we will aim to increase our funding and research output in this area,” Bascom said. “Our goal is further internal conversations across Penn State, including the broader Commonwealth Campus network, and to expand potential research collaborations in this space. All within the Penn State network are invited to participate.”

Potential areas of interest include the existing and shifting exposures from our environment, such as air, water, food and climate impacts; intersections with demographic and social science dynamics; and pathways for integrating research.

Oil & Gas Development Health Risks

The information available so far about the Symposium does not include health risks associated with oil and gas development in Pennsylvania, a major issue of interest to Pennsylvanians.  Read more here.

The organizers of the Symposium have been contacted for more information.

“Ultimately, we hope for Penn State to be recognized for our impactful research in health and the environment — a growing priority for the National Cancer Institute and other funding agencies,” said Lara Fowler, interim director of the Sustainability Institute and interim chief sustainability officer. “We are bringing together researchers from across Penn State who are interested in the intersection of health and the environment — in this case, cancer and the environment. We feel this area is one where Penn State can really grow. Our hope is to identify several working groups to help tackle this important issue.”

Related Articles This Week:

-- DEP: Wastes Generated By The New Conventional Oil & Gas Well Plugging Program Will NOT Be Exempt From Hazardous Waste Regulations, Unlike Wastes From Active Wells  [PaEN]

-- Conventional Oil & Gas Drillers Reported Spreading 977,671 Gallons Of Untreated Drilling Wastewater On PA Roads In 2021  [PaEN]

-- Only 15 Out Of 256 Conventional Oil & Gas Operators Who Abandoned Wells Without Plugging Them Were Fined By DEP; Small Penalties No Deterrent To Future Abandonments  [PaEN]

-- Public Herald: Sen. Muth Raises More Questions About NPDES Permit DEP Issued For Eureka Resources Drilling Wastewater Treatment Plant In Susquehanna County

-- Health Department Distributing Free Potassium Iodide Tablets To Pennsylvanians Near State’s Four Active Nuclear Power Plants Sept. 15  [PaEN]

Related Articles:

-- Environmental Health Project: PA’s Natural Gas Boom - What Went Wrong? Why Does It Matter?  What Can We Do Better To Protect Public Health?  [7.25.22]

-- Senate Hearing: Body Of Evidence Is 'Large, Growing,’ ‘Consistent’ And 'Compelling' That Shale Gas Development Is Having A Negative Impact On Public Health; PA Must Act  [6.7.22]

-- New Penn State Study Finds Runoff From Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater Dumped On Unpaved Roads Contains Pollutants That Exceed Human-Health, Environmental Standards  [5.27.22]

[Posted: September 2, 2022]

9/5/2022