Anne C. Steinemann facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anne C. Steinemann
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Professor Anne C. Steinemann
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| Nationality | American |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Civil engineering, environmental engineering |
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Anne C. Steinemann is an American professor who studies engineering and the environment. She focuses on how our homes and buildings can be healthy places. She also researches air quality inside buildings and how products we use affect us.
Professor Steinemann teaches at the University of Melbourne and James Cook University in Australia. She has also given advice to governments and businesses in the United States and Australia. You might have seen her on TV or heard her on the radio, sharing her discoveries with everyone.
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Becoming an Engineer
Anne Steinemann studied engineering at several universities. In 1984, she earned her first degree in civil and environmental engineering from the University of California, Irvine. She then got a master's degree in the same field from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1985. Later, in 1993, she completed her Ph.D. at Stanford University.
What She Does
Professor Steinemann has taught at many well-known universities. She was a professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Washington. She also worked at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
Since 2015, she has been a professor at the University of Melbourne. In 2018, she also became a professor at James Cook University. Her work helps us understand how to build things in a way that is good for the environment.
Since 2019, Stanford University has listed Professor Steinemann among the top 2% of scientists and engineers in the world. This shows how important her research is.
Research on Air Quality and Products
Since 2007, Professor Steinemann has focused on how pollutants affect our health. She studies the air inside buildings and tests everyday products. She wants to find out what chemicals they release and how they impact people.
Fragranced Products and Your Health
Professor Steinemann has done a lot of research on products with fragrances. These include perfumes, cleaning supplies, laundry detergents, and air fresheners. She found that these products can make indoor air quality worse, not better. They can also cause health problems and even cost people money.
She discovered that "green" or "all-natural" fragranced products release just as many harmful chemicals as regular ones.
Her studies show that many chemicals in fragranced products are not listed on the label. She found that 37 fragranced products released over 156 different chemicals. Out of these, 42 were known to be toxic or hazardous. Yet, very few of these chemicals were mentioned on the product labels.
How Fragrances Affect People
Professor Steinemann's studies asked people in different countries about their experiences with fragranced products.
- In the US, 34.7% of adults reported health problems from fragranced products.
- In Australia, it was 33.0%.
- In Sweden, 33.1% of people were affected.
- In the United Kingdom, 27.8% reported problems.
These health problems can include:
- Asthma attacks
- Trouble breathing
- Migraine headaches
- Dizziness
- Rashes
- Stomach problems
Her research also showed economic effects. More than 20% of people said they would leave a business quickly if they smelled air fresheners or strong fragrances.
In one year (2016), 15.1% of Americans reported missing work or even losing a job because of illness from fragranced products at work. This cost people an estimated $132 billion.
For some people, the health effects from fragranced products can be very serious, even disabling. In the four countries studied, about 9.5% of people reported health effects that could be considered disabling.
Why Fragrance-Free is Better
Professor Steinemann's studies also found that most people prefer places to be fragrance-free. For example, more than twice as many people would rather have workplaces, hospitals, hotels, and airplanes without fragrances.
Awards and Recognition
Professor Steinemann has received several awards for her important work:
- 2014 - Science Service Award from the Department of Water Resources (California). This award recognized her for creating "useful science" that connects academic research with practical solutions.
- 2011 - Engineer of the New Millennium from the National Science Foundation.
- 1998 - CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation.
