The MDH has received a three year grant from the Centers for Disease Control to address asthma from a public health perspective. A major focus of both aspects of this initiative is childhood asthma. Students learn specific skills of proper hand washing, keeping foods at correct temperatures, thorough cooking and preventing food contamination and cross contamination. SOS was developed collaboratively by a multidisciplinary SOS advisory Committee composed of rural and urban experts from state and local agencies. The MDH lead in school drinking water program provides guidance to school administrators on the sources and health effects of lead in drinking water.
Information is provided on how to test for lead in the drinking water and how to reduce exposure.
This program also encourages school administrators to distribute lead information to parents so that they can evaluate exposure to lead in their homes. The MDH maintains a Statewide Cancer Registry to evaluate trends in child and adult cancer incidence and mortality, and to evaluate the effectiveness of cancer prevention and intervention programs. The MDH also tracks new cancer research on the environmental causes of cancer. For more information about childhood cancer, see the US Environmental Protection Agency , National Cancer Institute , and University of Minnesota Cancer Center. For more information about chemicals, exposures, and health effects, see Links to Other Related Web Sites .