Public Health Trust

What's New

PUBLIC HEALTH TRUST ANNOUNCES NEW LEADERSHIP

Kathryn Saenz Duke will become the next director of the Public Health Trust (PHT), beginning November 1, 2009. Kathryn will succeed Brenda Drake, who is retiring from her role as PHT's director after five years. To read the press release about the leadership transition, please visit the Public Health Institute's news page.

NEW GRANTS AWARDED - Safe Children's Products

The Public Health Trust announces four grants for projects to protect children from lead in children's products:

Center for Environmental Health for a project to test children's products for lead. CEH will purchase products from major and discount retailers in California through 2010, conduct screening tests with an XRF fluorescence analyzer and facilitate additional laboratory testing of some products. In addition, CEH will offer testing of children's products on a drop-in basis at its offices in Oakland. CEH will work in partnership with The Ecology Center, which manages the healthytoys.org and healthystuff.org websites ($90,000).
Folsom Cordova Community Partnership, for a project to educate the public about the dangers of lead exposure in children and help parents navigate the complex maze of information on product safety, recalls and prevention strategies. The project will combine a media campaign with direct-to-consumer outreach though community networks of peer-to-peer educators and public health professionals ($80,000).
Center for Environmental Health, for a project to raise awareness regarding lead in children's products in nine Bay Area counties. The project will use a multi-pronged outreach strategy to raise awareness utilizing popular education workshops in conjunction with toy testing, county lead poisoning prevention program outreach and media events. This project will be conducted in partnership with the Get The Lead Out Coalition led by Alameda County Lead Poisoning Prevention Program ($70,000).
Fresno Interdenominational Refugee Ministries, Inc., for the Fresno County Safe Children's Products program, which will provide outreach and education to refugee and immigrant families as well as retail and re-sale markets on the effects of lead exposure on children. The project will disseminate information about free testing/screening events and about recalled products, and give parents and others the information they need to choose safe consumer products for their children. This program will be carried out in partnership with Centro La Familia, Inc. ($70,000).

NEW SETTLEMENTS RECEIVED

Lead in Artifical Turf

The Public Health Trust will manage a $60,000 settlement from a claim against Beaulieu Group, LLC et al., alleging that the defendant exposed California consumers to lead from artificial turf without first providing consumers clear and reasonable warnings that the products contain lead. Funds will be used to support outreach and testing of artificial turf at licensed day care centers, schools, public playing fields and other locations in California, research into good maintenance practices and public education about lead in consumer products.

Distribution of Unapproved or Misbranded Drugs or Devices

The Public Health Trust received a $3200 settlement resulting from a claim that the Maritzmayer Laboratories distributed unapproved or misbranded drugs or medical devices to California consumers. The settlement directs that the funds be used for general support of the Public Health Trust.

Health Hazards from Airplane Exhaust

The Public Health Trust will manage a $380,000 settlement from a Proposition 65 lawsuit alleging that airline and airfreight companies failed to warn consumers about the health hazards of exhaust fumes from jet engines and equipment used to service airplanes (Environmental World Watch, Inc. v. Aeroflot, et al.). Funds will be used to address health issues related to hazardous emissions.

RECENT GRANT AWARDS - Smokeless Tobacco

The Public Health Trust awarded a grant of $134,000 to the University of California, San Francisco - Office of Sponsored Research to monitor and study smokeless tobacco marketing activities and develop and test counter messages to discourage use of smokeless tobacco among non-tobacco users and smokers who might otherwise quit.