Environmental Health Issues in Kansas--An Overview

July 2004, Updated September 2004

Excerpt of executive summary:

We know that the environment in which we live can affect our health and cause certain
diseases, yet many challenges remain to fully understanding under what circumstances the
presence of a toxic substance in the environment (usually referred to as a hazard) will cause
disease. Producing scientific evidence that a certain hazard can cause specific diseases is more
complex than linking diseases to other causes, such as microorganisms. Exposure to
environmental hazards can cause diseases that appear decades after the exposure occurred, which
makes proving the linkages more difficult. People are frequently exposed to a multitude of
hazards, and it is difficult to sort out the individual health effects of each hazard or the
synergistic effects of hazards. Many diseases may be precipitated by exposure to environmental
hazards, but also by other individual behaviors or genetic factors. Finally, and most importantly,
even for the linkages between environmental hazards and health outcomes that have been
demonstrated, the monitoring systems available in the nation and in the state are insufficient to
fully capture the effects of the environment on health outcomes.

This study provides a concise, non-technical description of some important environmental
health issues in Kansas, with the goal to inform decision-making about how resources might be
most effectively targeted to improve health.

Report authors:

Gianfranco Pezzino, M.D., M.P.H.
Barbara LaClair, M.H.A.

Kansas Health Institute

This study was produced by the Kansas Health Institute with funding from the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund. The views expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of UMHMF, its officers, or directors.

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