Industrial and vehicular contamination in Central America.

s and Reports 89 Several general objectives have been established. The project will attempt to evaluate how much industrial and vehicular emissions and wastes are released in the subregion; identify the toxic products with the greatest impact; determine the magnitude of surface water pollution by industrial effluents; determine the nature and magnitude of the problems posed by unsuitable disposal of toxic and hazardous refuse; promote the countries’ ability to monitor air and water pollution; develop guidelines for controlling final disposal of toxic and hazardous refuse; develop and test interventions for the control and reduction of air and water pollutants; evaluate the impact of air pollution on the health of the exposed population; and develop and propose comprehensive environmental quality management models suited to the requirements of the subregion’s governments. The strategies to accomplish these objectives include promotion of multisectoral participation, strengthening of institutional capacity to protect the quality of the human habitat, assistance in training human resources to deal with these problems, promotion of international cooperation to optimize the resources of the subregion’s countries, and provision of technical support to the countries in developing their own abilities in the area of environmental health. The project will be carried out between 1992 and 1995. It consists of four areas of action. The first concerns inventory of sources and emissions and the other three concern activities aimed at controlling specific types of contaminants: industrial effluents, toxic and hazardous wastes, and air pollutants. The inventory will locate fixed and mobile sources of pollution in the major population and industrial centers of Central America and identify priority areas of intervention. Moreover, it is desirable to develop local mechanisms to apply the procedures for preparing the inventory of sources, because the capacity to conduct systematic and continuous environmental monitoring may not be available. The following entities will participate in the execution of the project at the national level: ministries of health, agriculture, labor, and education; social security and environmental institutions; and nongovernmental organizations, including employers’ and labor organizations, for which a national committee or commission will be established. A national focal point designated by the health, environmental, or other authorities will be responsible for the project’s coordination and execution within each country. A subregional technical coordinator contracted full-time for four years has overall responsibility for coordination and evaluation of, the project at the subregional level, technical support to the national focal points, and establishment of working administrative liaisons with PAHO’s Environmental Health Program (HPE), the Pan American Center for Human Ecology and Health, the PAHO offices in the subregion, and the coordinator of the MASICA program and those of its other projects which have complementary functions. The subregional technical coordinator will convene meetings on technical and administrative progress annually and at the end of four years. The project will make use of the existing mechanisms employed by the Special Meetings of the Health Sector of Central America (RESSCA) to present and analyze annual progress reports and the working plans. Goals are specified in a schedule of the operational plan for each activity area. Progress toward fulfillment of these goals will be reported in brief form every four months. These reports will serve as reference for the annual evaluation. If it is judged to be necessary on the basis of the triannual reports, a partial in-depth 90 Bulletin of PAHO 26(l), 1992 assessment of the project as a whole or person the chief may designate, the of some of its areas will be undertaken. subregional coordinator of the MASICA Both annual and partial assessments will project, and others who took part in the be coordinated by the chief of HPE or the activities being evaluated. Conference on International Health Strategies Lack of access to basic health care among large population groups, high infant mortality rates, low immunization rates among children under age five, lack of prenatal care for pregnant women, and the AIDS epidemic are some of the problems shared by the United States and countries throughout the world. Public health experts say the United States can learn from and even adapt some of the health care strategies used in developing countries to help solve these problems. This idea will be the topic of a health conference to be held from 14 to 17 June 1992 in Washington, D.C. “A Global Partnership: Improving the Health of Underserved Populations” will bring together approximately 1,000 public health and medical professionals from more than 70 countries worldwide. The meeting will constitute the 19th Annual International Health Conference of the National Council for International Health (NCIH), a 21year-old nonprofit information and advocacy organization dedicated to improving world health. Conference themes will be global health problems such as infant mortality, AIDS/STDs, family planning, and environmental health; approaches to solving health problems; special targeted populations; institutional responses; and country experiences. The conference is part of a three-year project by NCIH, which has previously conducted five regional conferences on this theme in Texas, Alabama, North Carolina, California, and the city of Boston. In four of those areas, local participants are working to implement ideas developed at their conference. Such international agencies as the World Health Organization, the Pan American Health Organization, the United Nations PopuIation Fund (UNFPA), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) will be represented at the conference. These agencies also funded and participated in the earlier regional conferences. For information regarding registration, contact the NCIH Conference Department at (202) 833-5903. Source: National Council for International Health, Press Release, 13 January 1992. Abstracts and Reports 91s and Reports 91