che-alaskaAbout CHE-Alaska

Scientific evidence increasingly indicates a relationship between a range of environmental factors and a wide array of chronic diseases and conditions. The Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE) is an international partnership of individuals and organizations committed to addressing environmental impacts on human health across the lifespan.

CHE-Alaska is a working group of CHE established by ACAT. We hold monthly teleconference seminars and other events to advance knowledge and effective action to address growing concerns about the links between human health and environmental factors. Our speakers include scientists, health care professionals, policy experts, and community activists who are working on a range of environmental health concerns. Join our CHE-Alaska email list to be notified of upcoming CHE-Alaska calls and events.

CHE-Alaska Podcasts:

This Year | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006

03/27/2019 Exploitation by Exposure: Human Rights and Toxic Exposures

Speaker

  • Bakut Tuncak, United Nations Special Rapporteur on hazardous substances and wastes (i.e. toxics)

02/06/2019 Toxic Hazards in Everyday Products: The Latest Science on Exposures and Adverse Health Effects of Flame Retardant Chemicals

  • Speakers
    • Kate Hoffman, Assistant Research Professor, Duke University, Nicholas School of the Environment
    • Jeff Gearhart, Research Director, HealthyStuff.org, Ecology Center

01/09/2019 Mercury in Women of Child-bearing Age in 25 Countries: Study Finds Harmful Levels of Mercury in Women Across the Globe

  • Speakers
    • Lee Bell, Mercury Policy Advisor, International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN) and Principal Investigator of the study
    • Pamela Miller, Executive Director, ACAT and IPEN Co-Chair
    • Erika Apatiki, Community Health Researcher, Gambell, St. Lawrence Island, Alaska

12/19/2018 PFAS Contamination of Drinking Water in Alaska and Beyond: An Update on Community and Policy Actions

  • Speakers
    • Laurie Valeriano, Executive Director, Toxic Free Future
    • Pamela Miller, Executive Director, ACAT and IPEN Co-Chair
    • Kelly McLaughlin, Resident of Gustavus, Alaska who discovered that her family has been drinking PFAS-contaminated well water for years.

11/28/2018 A Holistic Approach to Public Health- Addressing Toxic Exposures, Environmental Justice, and Intergenerational Trauma

  • Speaker
    • Lynn P. Freedman, JD, MPH, Professor, Population and Family Health at the Columbia University Medical Center

10/10/2018 Whitewash: The Story of a Weed Killer, Cancer and the Corruption of Science – A Conversation with Author Carey Gillam

  • Speaker:
    • Carey Gillam, Investigative Journalist and Author

09/12/2018 Proposed Donlin Mine: Contamination Concerns and Threats to Clean Air, Clean Water, and Clean Food

  • Speakers:
    • Tom Waldo, Senior Attorney, Earthjustice
    • Mary Matthias, Natural Resources Director, Orutsararmiut Native Council
    • Lindsey Bloom, Stand for Salmon

08/01/2018 PFAS Contaminated Drinking Water in the U.S.: A Look at the Extent of Contamination, the Failure of the EPA, and the Success of Community Action

  • Speakers:
    • David Andrews, Environmental Working Group
    • Shaina Kasper, Toxics Action Center

06/13/2018 Disproportionate Exposures to Toxics: A Conversation with Environmental Justice Reporter Brian Bienkowski

  • Speaker: Brian Bienkowski, reporter and editor at Environmental Health News and the Daily Climate

05/02/2018 Nursing the Earth Back to Health: Personal and Policy Strategies for Preventing Breast Cancer

  • Speaker: Catherine Dodd, PhD, RN

04/25/2018 The Poison Papers: How an Activist Joined Forces with Investigative Journalists to Document the Hidden History of Herbicide Hazards

  • Speakers:
    • Carol van Strum, writer, editor, farmer, parent, and environmental and social justice activist
    • Eric Francis Coppolino, investigative reporter and executive director of Chiron Return, Inc.
    • Peter von Stackelberg, award-winning Canadian investigative journalist, writer, and publisher

03/28/2018 Protecting Future Generations: The Need to Unravel Historical Intergenerational Trauma

  • Speakers:
    • Elder Kathy Sanchez, Environmental Health and Justice Program Manager, Tewa Women United
    • Lisa Ellanna, Director of Kawerak Katirvik Cultural Center in Nome

02/28/2018 Upholding Science and Protecting Environmental Health in the Era of “Fake News”: A Conversation with Investigative Reporter Sharon Lerner

  • Speaker: Sharon Lerner, health and the environment reporter for The Intercept and reporting fellow at the Investigative Fund.

01/31/2018 State of the Science: Children’s Environmental Health in Alaska and the Circumpolar North

  • Speakers:
    • Sarah B. Petras, MPH
    • Pam Miller, Executive Director, Alaska Community Action on Toxics (ACAT)
    • Samarys Seguinot-Medina, DrPHc, MSEM, Environmental Health Program Director, ACAT