The Many Ways Nurses Can Become Champions of Sustainability

Putting concerns about the environment into practice.

Matthew Lindsley

Matthew Lindsley, MPH, MSN, RN, PHNA-BC, is a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and is engaged in clinical trials as an oncology nurse at the National Institutes of Health. He spends his weekends working the soil, caring for animals, and volunteering with a sustainable agriculture initiative to improve the quality and resiliency of local food systems in his community. He is one of a growing legion of nurses who are putting their concerns about the environment into action both inside and outside the workplace.

Our AJN Reports article in the April edition of the American Journal of Nursing, “Nurses Step Up to Address Climate Change and Health,” profiles nurses like Lindsley who are researching the effects of rising temperatures on farmworkers, educating the public about air quality, advocating for policy change, and reducing the waste and emissions generated by the health care sector. The nurses in the article speak about their work and why nurses are well suited to tackle environmental challenges.

Farmer, nurse, researcher, connector.

Lindsley—or “Farmer Matt,” as colleagues know him—is currently pursuing a doctorate at the Johns Hopkins University […]

2024-04-02T09:27:43-04:00April 2nd, 2024|environmental health, Nursing|0 Comments
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Invisible Battles: Military Toxic Exposures and Health Provider Roles

Photo courtesy of U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs

The intersection of military service and environmental exposures has become an increasingly critical area of concern. Environmental factors affect the health and well-being of military personnel in complex and multifaceted ways, and ill and injured military veterans may find their high aspirations undermined by mental and physical ailments that significantly affect their quality of life.

This is the case for several of my family and friends, including my uncle, a veteran from the era of Desert Shield/Desert Storm, who has suffered for years because of the effects of environmental and other exposures while in the military.

A direct strike against health and wellness.

Many veterans say that they had a picture-perfect bill of health before exposure to environmental hazards during military service. Here is a glance at some of the exposures that service members faced in recent decades while in a garrison or on deployments to conflict zones.

Exposures and health impacts on service members:

2024-01-08T10:35:25-05:00January 8th, 2024|environmental health, Nursing|0 Comments
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Resources for Staying Safe as Wildfires and Poor Air Quality Events Increase

Orange sky from wildfire smoke in San Francisco Photo by Tegan Miele/Unsplash

Find out what you need to know about the health risks of wildfire smoke and the best ways to keep you and your family or patients informed and safe—whether through use of a smartphone app, limiting outdoor activities, buying an air filtration device, or other means.

As we enter summer, wildfire season is upon us and will extend into the early fall. Wildfires in the United States have increased in frequency and severity over the past several decades. The states with the most wildfires are California, Georgia, Texas, North Carolina, Florida, Arizona, and Oklahoma. This year, as the season ramps up, Canada has experienced record-setting wildfires, with smoke causing air quality alerts and evacuations in Canada, the northeastern United States, and Europe.

The health risks of wildfire smoke.

With these fires comes poor air quality, with the main culprit being a pollutant known as particulate matter (PM) 2.5. These tiny particles or droplets in the air are 2.5 microns or less in width and are able to travel deep into the respiratory tract. Exposure to fine particles can cause short-term health effects such as eye, nose, throat and lung irritation, coughing, sneezing, runny nose, and shortness of […]

2023-06-16T08:03:16-04:00June 16th, 2023|climate change, environmental health, environmental health, Nursing, Public health|0 Comments
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April Issue Highlights: Nurses’ Views on Substance Users, Decarbonizing Health Care, More

“I was always the strong one, the one with the answers, the one people came to for advice….” – from the April Reflections essay, “Take Off the Mask: Getting Real About Depression, Trauma, and Loss“

The April issue of AJN is now live. Here’s what’s new. Some articles may be free only to subscribers.

CE: How to Write an Effective Résumé

In today’s job market, nursing students and new graduate nurses need to develop an employer-focused résumé geared toward a specific job. This article can assist.

Nurses’ Self-Assessed Knowledge, Attitudes, and Educational Needs Regarding Patients with Substance Use Disorder

This research study’s findings indicate that, “in general, hospital nurses have negative attitudes toward patients with substance use disorder” and are in need of empathy-based education.

AJN Reports: Decarbonizing Health Care

Nurses can be involved in solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the health sector.

[…]

2023-03-27T08:10:27-04:00March 27th, 2023|climate change, environmental health, environmental health, family caregiving, Nursing, pain management|0 Comments
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PPE’s Contribution to the Plastic Pandemic

“It’s estimated that it could take 450 years to completely decompose a surgical mask.”

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is critically important for health care workers; however, use of PPE is also contributing to environmental disaster. The COVID-19 pandemic and the monkeypox outbreak underscore how crucial protecting frontline workers is for their health and for public health at large. What is yet unclear are the environmental implications of our extensive PPE use during the pandemic. Nurses must have prominent voices at the table when discussing the future of PPE and how to deal with waste.

In the United Kingdom alone it was reported that over a period of just 53 days, 748 million PPE items were used in hospitals. In 2020, over 6.76 billion PPE items were distributed in England, three times the usual amount. Several countries reported over a 350% increase in medical waste during the height of the pandemic. During two years of the pandemic, it’s estimated that over 900 million tons of plastic waste was generated.

This ‘plastic pandemic,’ which is now a global threat that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, began in the 1850s when early forms of plastic began replacing natural materials. Despite recycling efforts, over 60% of plastics are estimated […]

2022-09-20T09:37:57-04:00September 20th, 2022|environmental health, environmental health, Public health|0 Comments
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Views expressed on the blog are solely those of the authors or persons quoted. They do not necessarily reflect AJN’s views or those of Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
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