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Goebel M, Wardropper CB. Trust and subjective knowledge influence perceived risk of lead exposure. RISK ANALYSIS : AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE SOCIETY FOR RISK ANALYSIS 2024; 44:1204-1218. [PMID: 37658828 PMCID: PMC10907546 DOI: 10.1111/risa.14212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Lead exposure is a persistent environmental hazard that poses risks to human health. But motivating protective action is challenging with this low visibility hazard whose health effects are often subtle and chronic. Higher risk perception is generally associated with taking protective measures, so public health efforts prioritize risk messaging. Yet, little is known about perceptions of lead exposure risk among the U.S. public. Using cross-sectional data from a national survey of 1035 U.S. residents, we measured the role of trust in government management of lead and subjective knowledge about lead as predictors of perceived risk of lead exposure, controlling for demographic and environmental factors. We also assessed if subjective knowledge moderated the relationship between trust and perceived risk. Our results reveal positive relationships between trust in government management of lead, subjective knowledge about lead, and risk perception, which we attribute in part to the important role government agencies play in secondary prevention, or communicating the risks of environmental lead exposure. We also found that younger people and people living in a house built before lead paint regulations passed in 1978 perceived higher lead risks. Our findings suggest that general communication about lead risks should aim to increase people's subjective knowledge in a consistent and balanced way that improves trust in government messengers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeline Goebel
- National Drought Mitigation Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
- Formerly, Department of Natural Resources and Society, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, United States
| | - Chloe B Wardropper
- Formerly, Department of Natural Resources and Society, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, United States
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, USA
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Zhuang J, Cox JG, Chung M, Hamm JA, Zwickle A, Upham BL. Risk, Stigma, Trustworthiness, and Citizen Participation-A Multifaceted Analysis of Media Coverage of Dioxin Contamination in Midland, Michigan. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2019; 16:E4165. [PMID: 31671717 PMCID: PMC6862584 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16214165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2019] [Revised: 10/18/2019] [Accepted: 10/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
In the United States, more than 200 communities are designated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as areas of concern for dioxins. Informing the public about potential risks associated with dioxins and delivering information about how to avoid such risks are essential activities. News coverage of environmental and health problems affects how members of the public assess those problems in terms of both severity and how they are understood, as well as the extent of attention given to the problem by policy-makers. To contextualize public and institutional responses to dioxin contamination and remediation in a dioxin-affected community, we assessed 176 newspaper articles published over 30 years concerning dioxin contamination in Midland, Michigan, in terms of risk, trust in institutions, environmental stigma, and citizen participation. Articles about dioxin contamination and remediation in Midland appeared in both domestic and international newspapers. Domestically, both national and local newspapers covered this issue. The risks for human health and the environment caused by exposure to dioxins were widely covered, with much less media attention given to the trustworthiness of the organizations responsible for managing the risk, environmental stigma, and citizen participation. News coverage of these four themes also changed significantly overtime. Overall, our findings highlight the important role of local news media in communicating risk information, guiding safe behaviors, and facilitating community-level decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Zhuang
- Department of Communication Studies, Texas Christian University, 2800 South University Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76109, USA.
| | - Jeffrey G Cox
- Department of Communication Studies, Albion College, 611 East Porter Street, Albion, MI 49224, USA.
| | - Minwoong Chung
- Department of Communication, Michigan State University, 404 Wilson Road, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
| | - Joseph A Hamm
- School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University, 665 Auditorium Road, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
- Environmental Science and Policy Program, Michigan State University, 293 Farm Lane, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
| | - Adam Zwickle
- School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University, 665 Auditorium Road, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
- Environmental Science and Policy Program, Michigan State University, 293 Farm Lane, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
- Department of Community Sustainability, Michigan State University, 480 Wilson Rd, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
| | - Brad L Upham
- Department of Pediatrics and Human Development, Michigan State University, 1355 Bogue Street, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
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Cox JG, Chung M, Hamm JA, Zwickle A, Cruz SM, Dearing JW. Working with Institutional Stakeholders: Propositions for Alternative Approaches to Community Engagement. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2019; 16:E4010. [PMID: 31635112 PMCID: PMC6844076 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16204010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2019] [Revised: 09/30/2019] [Accepted: 10/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Community engagement is a vital aspect of addressing environmental contamination and remediation. In the United States, the Superfund Research Program (SRP) forms groups of academic researchers from the social and physical sciences into Community Engagement Cores (CECs) and Research Translation Cores (RTCs), which focus on various aspects of informing and working with communities during and through the resolution of environmental crises. While this work typically involves engaging directly with members of affected communities, no two situations are the same. In some cases, alternative approaches to community engagement can be more appropriate for community improvement than traditional approaches. In particular, when research teams become involved in contamination crises at a late point in the process, their contributions can be better directed at supporting and reinforcing the work of institutional stakeholders charged with remediating pollution. Relevant factors include issue fatigue among a local population, and contamination that is due to a major employer. Supported by literature and experience, we offer several propositions that we believe lay out conditions that warrant such an approach by academic teams, rather than their direct engagement with unaffiliated individuals in communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey G Cox
- Department of Communication Studies, Albion College, 611 East Porter Street, Albion, MI 49224, USA.
| | - Minwoong Chung
- Department of Communication, Michigan State University, 404 Wilson Road, East Lansing, MI 48824-1212, USA.
| | - Joseph A Hamm
- School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University, 665 Auditorium Road, East Lansing, MI 48824-1212, USA.
- Environmental Science and Policy Program, Michigan State University, 293 Farm Lane, East Lansing, MI 48824-1212, USA.
| | - Adam Zwickle
- School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University, 665 Auditorium Road, East Lansing, MI 48824-1212, USA.
- Environmental Science and Policy Program, Michigan State University, 293 Farm Lane, East Lansing, MI 48824-1212, USA.
| | - Shannon M Cruz
- Department of Communication Arts & Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
| | - James W Dearing
- Department of Communication, Michigan State University, 404 Wilson Road, East Lansing, MI 48824-1212, USA.
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Zwickle A, Cox JG, Zhuang J, Hamm JA, Upham BL, Chung M, Cruz S, Dearing JW. The Effect of Dioxin Contamination and Remediation on Property Values. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2019; 16:E3900. [PMID: 31618820 PMCID: PMC6843844 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16203900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2019] [Revised: 09/25/2019] [Accepted: 10/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Loss of property value is a major concern in communities faced with the toxic byproducts of industrial practices. Even after site remediation, stigma may persist and negatively affect market values of residential properties. To study the effects of contamination and of remediation on property values in Midland, Michigan, where dioxins have been released into the environment through the incineration of contaminated waste and the discharge of contaminated water for many years, records of assessed value were obtained for 229 homes within the same neighborhood for the previous 18 years. A multilevel, longitudinal analysis was conducted to determine if there was a relationship between level of dioxin and assessed value after controlling for housing characteristics. Remediated and un-remediated properties saw increases in value at a similar rate over time. However, a property's level of dioxin was found to have a small, significant, and negative relationship with assessed value, and this negative effect was present regardless if a home had been remediated or not. These results suggest that while environmental remediation may be effective at removing the contamination, its economic effects may persist for a longer period of time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Zwickle
- School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
- Environmental Science and Policy Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
- Department of Community Sustainability, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
| | - Jeffrey G Cox
- Department of Communication, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.
| | - Jie Zhuang
- Department of Communication Studies, 2800 South University Drive, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX 76109, USA.
| | - Joseph A Hamm
- School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
- Environmental Science and Policy Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
| | - Brad L Upham
- Department of Pediatrics and Human Development, 1355 Bogue St, B240 Life Sciences Building, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
| | - Minwoong Chung
- Department of Communication, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.
| | - Shannon Cruz
- Communication Arts & Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
| | - James W Dearing
- Department of Communication, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.
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