{"id":45995,"date":"2022-10-23T11:46:11","date_gmt":"2022-10-23T15:46:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?p=45995"},"modified":"2022-11-01T10:03:29","modified_gmt":"2022-11-01T14:03:29","slug":"water-ways-utc-mph-program-raises-awareness-of-preventing-childrens-exposure-to-lead-poisoning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2022\/10\/water-ways-utc-mph-program-raises-awareness-of-preventing-childrens-exposure-to-lead-poisoning\/","title":{"rendered":"Water ways: UTC MPH program raises awareness of preventing children\u2019s exposure to lead poisoning"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Master

Master of Public Health student Ashley Ellis gathers water samples at a local childcare center Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022. Photo by Angela Foster.<\/p><\/div>\n

When Ashley Ellis first came to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga as an undergraduate student in the Honors Program in 2017, she planned to major in business.<\/p>\n

Little did she know that she would gravitate toward the business of water quality.<\/p>\n

\u201cI first got interested in learning water systems when I took a tropical ecology and geology class,\u201d said Ellis, now in her first semester in the UTC Master of Public Health<\/strong><\/a> program.<\/p>\n

The course was taught by Dr. Dawn Ford, an assistant professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe learned about island ecology and water health for the sake of reef ecosystems,\u201d Ellis recalled, \u201cand it piqued my interest. I switched my major to environmental science after Dr. Ford\u2019s class.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ellis quickly immersed herself in topics like oceanography and limnology that dealt with the quality and processes of water systems.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy family is from Hawaii and the Philippines,\u201d she said, \u201cso I\u2019ve always been around the ocean and have always been interested in it.\u201d<\/p>\n

During her formative years, her family moved to Clarksville, Tennessee, and \u201cliving in Tennessee and living inland made me interested in that connection between freshwater systems and how that eventually reaches oceans.\u201d<\/p>\n

After receiving her undergraduate degree in December 2021, Ellis spent the spring 2022 semester as a teaching assistant for Ford before starting in the MPH program in August.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I heard she was doing water lead quality testing,\u201d Ellis said, \u201cI was really interested in being a part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"As

As part of the testing, Ashley Ellis takes samples from each source of water inside the building used as drinking water or to prepare foods\u2014such as water fountains, kitchen sinks and bathroom sinks.<\/p><\/div>\n

National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week<\/strong><\/a>, which runs from October 23\u201329, is a period when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) emphasize the numerous ways that children\u2019s exposure to lead in their surroundings can be decreased and its serious health impacts prevented.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, Ford landed a grant from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) for \u201cLead Testing in Drinking Water Project Services to Licensed Childcare Centers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLead poisoning can cause neurological problems, delayed development and impacts on IQ,\u201d Ford explained. \u201cIt affects young kids\u2014those under the age of six\u2014the most. That\u2019s why we\u2019re targeting childcare centers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The overall objective of the grant is for UTC MPH students to work with Tennessee Department of Human Services-licensed childcare facilities in Hamilton, Bradley and Marion counties to test their drinking water for lead to:<\/p>\n