Georgia is the Center for Rehabilitation Medicine in
Morehouse participates in ATSDR's Environmental
Atlanta. Eight staff physicians with specialties in five
Medicine and Toxicology Rotation Program. This
areas provide a broad range of services to patients and
program is a health education project to implement and
to other physicians throughout the southeastern United
evaluate a didactic research and practice program for
States.
physicians in training to promote the initial recogni-
tion, control, and prevention of toxic exposures and
Since 1998, ATSDR has funded AOEC to support a
environmental hazards to humans. The program also
project establishing Pediatric Environmental Health
will provide Morehouse physician consulting for
Specialty Units (PEHSUs) as a national resource for
ATSDR activities related to health disparities.
pediatricians, other health care providers, federal staff,
Poisoning From Maternal-Infant Relationship
and the public. The PEHSUs develop materials and
Through Early Childhood--A prevalence study
train health professionals and public health officials
on environmental health issues and their impact on
was conducted to determine the distribution of
blood lead levels in minority children in Atlanta.
children's health.
The relation between the blood lead levels in the
The PEHSU for Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky,
children tested and lead levels in the soil, water,
Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and
paint, and dust in and around their households was
Tennessee is the Southeast Pediatric Environmen-
examined. A second study, which is hospital based,
tal Health Specialty Unit at Emory University in
was designed to determine whether harmful effects
Atlanta. The PEHSU provides medical education and
result from the long-term exposures to lead at the
training, telephone consultation, and clinical specialty
low levels now present in the environment.
referral for children who may have been exposed
to environmental hazards. Established in 1999 as a
Results from these studies indicated that
regional center for pediatric environmental health, the
approximately two thirds of homes tested have at
unit links the Department of Environmental and
least one environmental medium that exceeds the
Occupational Health in the Rollins School of Public
acceptable limits for lead. Children living in these
Health, the Department of Pediatrics in the School
homes tended to have higher blood lead levels than
of Medicine, the Georgia Poison Control Center, the
did children in homes without elevated levels of
Marcus Institute, and a variety of other Emory-affili-
environmental lead. Blood lead levels in children
ated clinical facilities, including Children's Health
from this subset of homes generally ranged
Care of Atlanta and the Hughes Spalding Children's
between 4 and 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter
Hospital.
of blood (g/dL). These levels are below levels
believed to indicate lead poisoning; however,
Minority Health Professions
infant behavioral studies have shown that infants
born to mothers with prenatal blood lead levels
Foundation Research Program
2.510 g/dL demonstrated differences in neonatal
The Minority Health Professions Foundation (MHPF)
behavior in the areas of motor maturity, general
Program supplements the substance-specific informa-
tonus, and hand-to-mouth activities. These infants
tion needs of the public and the scientific community
also demonstrated more tremors and defensive
and supplies necessary information for conducting
movements than did infants born to mothers with
comprehensive public health assessments of hazard-
prenatal blood lead levels below 2.5 g/dL.
ous waste sites. The program addresses ATSDR's goals
to ascertain the relations between exposure to toxic
substances and disease and to build and enhance effec-
tive partnerships. The purpose of the MHPF Program
is to initiate research to fill ATSDR-identified data
needs for priority hazardous substances and to enhance
existing disciplinary capacities to conduct research in
environmental health at MHPF member institutions,
For more information, contact ATSDR toll-free
one of which is the Morehouse School of Medicine in
at 1-888-42ATSDR (1-888-422-8737) or visit the
Atlanta.
ATSDR Web site at www.atsdr.cdc.gov.
March 2004
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