Lead: Invisible danger, visible change in the community

October 26, 2018.Reading time 7 minutes.

Lead – the heavy metal found in older homes and paint as well as in the environment – is hard to see, but very toxic. We are working to raise the visibility of the dangerous effects of lead, especially on children’s brain development and the work that it takes to reduce exposure to it in our community. And we could not do it without our amazing community-based partners.

Creative health permit process gives paws, not pause

April 12, 2018.Reading time 4 minutes.

Our friends at the Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) deserve a treat – they’ve helped increase the pet adoption rate in King County by 20 percent in a single year. RASKC attributes some of this success to the several cat cafés located in our area. But, these cat cafes raised some questions for […]

5 easy ways to protect your kids from invisible toxics

October 5, 2017.Reading time 8 minutes.

October is Children’s Environmental Health Month! Oh, you didn’t know? This month may be better known for ghouls and goblins, but our Lead and Toxics Team has put together a series of blog posts that are sure to give you goosebumps. By Shirlee Tan, environmental toxicologist and parent to “Kiddo” Tan. As an environmental health […]

Q&A: Wild Waves and our water recreation program

August 25, 2016.Reading time 6 minutes.

Update 10/17/16 – investigation report available for download Original post 8/25/16 – The recent tragic death at Wild Waves amusement park has some people wondering what role Public Health plays in regulating pools and spas in King County. We sat down with Becky Elias, the manager of the Water Recreation Program to find out. What […]

Onsite insight: What everyone needs to know about onsite septic systems

March 22, 2016.Reading time 8 minutes.

Flush it and forget it, right? Not so fast if you’re one of tens of thousands of King County homes and businesses with an on-site septic system. An on-site septic system (OSS), more commonly known as a septic system, is a mini-water treatment facility right on the homeowner’s property. Designed, installed and maintained properly, an […]

Plumbing and public health – an essential connection

June 18, 2015.Reading time 5 minutes.

To say that plumbing has an essential connection with public health may be an understatement. The Centers for Disease Control calls the shift from inadequate water supplies to clean drinking water one of the top ten public health achievements of the 20th century because of its fundamental impact on the spread of communicable disease. Many […]