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FEATURE
warning of, or remediating the lead exposure. Studies have indi- Bibliography
cated that the danger of lead poisoning could instead have been dis- 1) Biachi, A., & Peters, A. (2013). Transparency in International
covered in time to avoid extensive harm.[4] In addition to the CDC's
widespread monitoring of lead blood levels being rendered ineffec- Law. University of Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
tive due to non- disclosure, the agency’s failure to provide safety 2) Berro, L., & Leao, C. (2016, January 27). Understanding One of
constitutes a nonfeasance that the medical community is ethically
bound to address. Publication of hematologic studies to inform the the worst environmental disaster in brazil’s history. Oxford
public would likely have resulted in quicker identification and reso- Human Rights Hub: A Global Perspective on Human Rights
lution of this tragedy. 3) Verchick, R. R. M. (2012). Facing catastrophe: Environmental
action for a post-katrina world. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Uni-
Medical professionals and policymakers must abide by a humani- versity Press.
tarian code of ethics that promotes the interests of citizens nation- 4) Campbell, C., Greenberg, R., Mankikar, D., & Ross, R. (2016).
wide in achieving a high degree of transparency by authorities. A case study of environmental injustice: The failure in flint. In-
Registries for the release of information represent the most promising ternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public
means of disseminating environmental disaster data to the public and Health, 13(10), 951. doi:10.3390/ijerph13100951
have demonstrated success in limiting consequences for the general 5) Ker, M. (2014, July). Getting Down to Business: Deepening En-
welfare.[2][5] In summary, legal enactment of novel methods for vironmental Transparency in China. Solutions: For a Sustainable,
transparent, widespread disclosure of epidemiological data has the Desirable Future
potential to prevent adverse effects from progressing onward during 6) Bouthillier, Y. L., & Canada (2012). Poverty alleviation and en-
public health crises. The ethics of transparency should be well-un- vironmental law. United Kingdom: Edward Elgar Publishing.
derstood by government agencies in order to raise standards for ac- 7) Transparency in the haze. (2014, February 8). Environmental
countability.[7] Implementing transparency laws pertaining to Accountability: Beijing. The Economist.
expedient release of information represents the most effective mode 8) CDC. (2016, May 4). Learn more about CDC’s childhood lead
of preparation for minimizing disaster impact in existence today. poisoning data. Retrieved from
https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/data/learnmore.htm
visit us at www.bcms.org 31
