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Hoover AG. Invited Perspective: Making the Implicit Explicit-Connecting Environmental Health Literacy and Exposure Report-Back. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2023; 131:91301. [PMID: 37682723 PMCID: PMC10489875 DOI: 10.1289/ehp13493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Goodman Hoover
- Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, College of Public Health, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
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2
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Gardner-Frolick R, Boyd D, Giang A. Selecting Data Analytic and Modeling Methods to Support Air Pollution and Environmental Justice Investigations: A Critical Review and Guidance Framework. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:2843-2860. [PMID: 35133145 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c01739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Given the serious adverse health effects associated with many pollutants, and the inequitable distribution of these effects between socioeconomic groups, air pollution is often a focus of environmental justice (EJ) research. However, EJ analyses that aim to illuminate whether and how air pollution hazards are inequitably distributed may present a unique set of requirements for estimating pollutant concentrations compared to other air quality applications. Here, we perform a scoping review of the range of data analytic and modeling methods applied in past studies of air pollution and environmental injustice and develop a guidance framework for selecting between them given the purpose of analysis, users, and resources available. We include proxy, monitor-based, statistical, and process-based methods. Upon critically synthesizing the literature, we identify four main dimensions to inform method selection: accuracy, interpretability, spatiotemporal features of the method, and usability of the method. We illustrate the guidance framework with case studies from the literature. Future research in this area includes an exploration of increasing data availability, advanced statistical methods, and the importance of science-based policy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rivkah Gardner-Frolick
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - David Boyd
- Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, Vancouver V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Amanda Giang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver V6T 1Z4, Canada
- Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, Vancouver V6T 1Z4, Canada
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3
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Balanay JAG, Richards SL. Insights into Diversity in the Environmental Health Science Workforce. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH INSIGHTS 2022; 16:11786302221077513. [PMID: 35153487 PMCID: PMC8832615 DOI: 10.1177/11786302221077513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jo Anne G Balanay
- Department of Health Education and Promotion, Environmental Health Science Program, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA
| | - Stephanie L Richards
- Department of Health Education and Promotion, Environmental Health Science Program, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA
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4
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Reuben A, Manczak EM, Cabrera LY, Alegria M, Bucher ML, Freeman EC, Miller GW, Solomon GM, Perry MJ. The Interplay of Environmental Exposures and Mental Health: Setting an Agenda. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2022; 130:25001. [PMID: 35171017 PMCID: PMC8848757 DOI: 10.1289/ehp9889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Revised: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND To date, health-effects research on environmental stressors has rarely focused on behavioral and mental health outcomes. That lack of research is beginning to change. Science and policy experts in the environmental and behavioral health sciences are coming together to explore converging evidence on the relationship-harmful or beneficial-between environmental factors and mental health. OBJECTIVES To organize evidence and catalyze new findings, the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) hosted a workshop 2-3 February 2021 on the interplay of environmental exposures and mental health outcomes. METHODS This commentary provides a nonsystematic, expert-guided conceptual review and interdisciplinary perspective on the convergence of environmental and mental health, drawing from hypotheses, findings, and research gaps presented and discussed at the workshop. Featured is an overview of what is known about the intersection of the environment and mental health, focusing on the effects of neurotoxic pollutants, threats related to climate change, and the importance of health promoting environments, such as urban green spaces. DISCUSSION We describe what can be gained by bridging environmental and psychological research disciplines and present a synthesis of what is needed to advance interdisciplinary investigations. We also consider the implications of the current evidence for a) foundational knowledge of the etiology of mental health and illness, b) toxicant policy and regulation, c) definitions of climate adaptation and community resilience, d) interventions targeting marginalized communities, and e) the future of research training and funding. We include a call to action for environmental and mental health researchers, focusing on the environmental contributions to mental health to unlock primary prevention strategies at the population level and open equitable paths for preventing mental disorders and achieving optimal mental health for all. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP9889.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron Reuben
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Erika M. Manczak
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA
| | - Laura Y. Cabrera
- Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Margarita Alegria
- Departments of Medicine and Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Disparities Research Unit, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Meghan L. Bucher
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | | | - Gary W. Miller
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Gina M. Solomon
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
- Public Health Institute, Oakland, CA
| | - Melissa J. Perry
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, George Washington University, Washington, District of Colombia, USA
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5
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Schmitt HJ, Calloway EE, Sullivan D, Clausen W, Tucker PG, Rayman J, Gerhardstein B. Chronic environmental contamination: A systematic review of psychological health consequences. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 772:145025. [PMID: 33770891 PMCID: PMC8091498 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Revised: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
We sought to undertake a systematic review to assess the current research and to provide a platform for future research on the psychological health impact of chronic environmental contamination (CEC). CEC is the experience of living in an area where hazardous substances are known or perceived to be present in air, water, or soil at elevated levels for a prolonged and unknown period of time. We employed a systematic review approach to assess the psychological health impact of CEC in literature from 1995 to 2019, and conducted a meta-analysis of available findings (k = 60, N = 25,858) on the impact of CEC on anxiety, general stress, depression, and PTSD. We also present a narrative synthesis of findings that suggest risk factors for the experience of psychological health impacts in the wake of CEC. Likely factors increasing risk for elevated psychological health impact from CEC experience are institutional delegitimization of community concerns and the real or perceived presence of health effects from CEC. The meta-analyses observed small-to-medium effects of experiencing CEC on anxiety, general stress, depression, and PTSD. However, there was also evident risk of bias in the data. Our review suggests that psychological health in the context of CEC is an important potential public health burden and a key area for future improved research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harrison J Schmitt
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, 1503 E University Blvd. Building 68, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
| | - Eric E Calloway
- Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition, 8401 W Dodge Rd, Omaha, NE 68114, USA.
| | - Daniel Sullivan
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, 1503 E University Blvd. Building 68, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
| | - Whitney Clausen
- Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition, 8401 W Dodge Rd, Omaha, NE 68114, USA.
| | - Pamela G Tucker
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.
| | - Jamie Rayman
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.
| | - Ben Gerhardstein
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.
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6
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Yang X, Lo K. Environmental health research and the COVID-19 pandemic: A turning point towards sustainability. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 197:111157. [PMID: 33887273 PMCID: PMC8542966 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.111157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2020] [Revised: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Based on a review of COVID-19 research from an environmental health perspective, this study theorizes the interdependence of the society, environment and health, and presents an integrated framework for environmental health problems arising due to COVID-19. Five guiding principles are proposed for conducting environmental health research, including employing a transdisciplinary approach, embracing complexity and uncertainty, addressing vulnerability, boosting resilience and promoting sustainable development. This study propagates that the pandemic could be an opportunity for sustainable transformation, wherein visionary leadership that facilitates sustainability policies based on environmental health science is required. This study can serve as a consolidated guide for professionals and stakeholders who conduct environmental health research in this challenging field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Yang
- David C. Lam Institute for East-West Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Kevin Lo
- David C. Lam Institute for East-West Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China; Department of Geography, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
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7
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Chronic environmental contamination: A narrative review of psychosocial health consequences, risk factors, and pathways to community resilience. Soc Sci Med 2021; 276:113877. [PMID: 33812158 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.113877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Revised: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
A body of psychological and social scientific evidence suggests that the experience of technological disaster or long-term exposure to environmental contamination can be psychologically stressful. Addressing the psychosocial impact in communities living with chronic contamination is therefore a vital part of improving their resilience. Guided by a synthetic theoretical model of the unique psychosocial impact of chronic environmental contamination (in contrast to natural and technological disasters, and background pollution), we undertook a narrative review to assess the current research on this important social problem. Relevant qualitative peer-reviewed studies and grey literature were examined to derive a model identifying likely factors increasing risk for distress in chronic contamination experience and actions that may be taken by public health professionals and local leaders to enhance community resilience and take health-protective actions. Based on our initial theoretical model and the literature reviewed, we emphasize the importance of considering both the material and social dimensions of chronic environmental contamination experience. For instance, our review of the qualitative literature suggests that individuals who attribute material health impacts to contamination, and who have the social experience of their concerns being delegitimized by responsible institutions, are most at risk for psychological stress. Psychological stress in the context of chronic contamination is an important potential public health burden and a key area for additional research.
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8
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Calloway EE, Chiappone AL, Schmitt HJ, Sullivan D, Gerhardstein B, Tucker PG, Rayman J, Yaroch AL. Exploring Community Psychosocial Stress Related to Per- and Poly-Fluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Contamination: Lessons Learned from a Qualitative Study. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:E8706. [PMID: 33255157 PMCID: PMC7727701 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17238706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2020] [Revised: 11/14/2020] [Accepted: 11/20/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to qualitatively explore the per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure experience and associated stressors, to inform public health efforts to support psychosocial health and resilience in affected communities. Semi-structured interviews (n = 9) were conducted from July-September 2019 with community members and state public health department representatives from areas with PFAS-contaminated drinking water. Thematic analysis was completed and themes were described and summarized. Reported stressors included health concerns and uncertainty, institutional delegitimization and associated distrust, and financial burdens. Interviewees provided several strategies to reduce stress and promote stress coping capacity and resilience, including showing empathy and validating the normalcy of experiencing stress; building trust through visible action and sustained community engagement; providing information and actionable guidance; discussing stress carefully; fostering stress coping capacity and resilience with opportunities to build social capital and restore agency; and building capacity among government agencies and health care providers to address psychosocial stress. While communities affected by PFAS contamination will face unavoidable stressors, positive interactions with government responders and health care providers may help reduce negative stress. More research on how best to integrate community psychosocial health and stress coping and resilience concepts into the public health response to environmental contamination could be helpful in addressing these stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric E. Calloway
- Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition, Omaha, NE 68114, USA; (A.L.C.); (A.L.Y.)
| | - Alethea L. Chiappone
- Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition, Omaha, NE 68114, USA; (A.L.C.); (A.L.Y.)
- College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Harrison J. Schmitt
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; (H.J.S.); (D.S.)
| | - Daniel Sullivan
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; (H.J.S.); (D.S.)
| | - Ben Gerhardstein
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA; (B.G.); (P.G.T.); (J.R.)
| | - Pamela G. Tucker
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA; (B.G.); (P.G.T.); (J.R.)
| | - Jamie Rayman
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA; (B.G.); (P.G.T.); (J.R.)
| | - Amy L. Yaroch
- Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition, Omaha, NE 68114, USA; (A.L.C.); (A.L.Y.)
- College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
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9
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De Pree TA. The politics of baselining in the Grants uranium mining district of northwestern New Mexico. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2020; 268:110601. [PMID: 32510424 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.110601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2019] [Revised: 04/05/2020] [Accepted: 04/10/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
During the second half of the twentieth century, northwestern New Mexico served as the primary production site for one of the world's largest nuclear arsenals. From 1948 to 1970 the "Grants uranium district" provided almost half of the total uranium ore accumulated by the United States federal government for the production of nuclear weapons, in addition to becoming a national source for commercial nuclear energy from the late 1960s to the early 1990s. By the twenty-first century, after a prolonged period of economic decline that began in the late 1970s, all uranium mining and milling in New Mexico had ceased, leaving a legacy of environmental health impacts. What was once referred to as "The Uranium Capital of the World" now encompasses over a thousand abandoned uranium mines and seven massive uranium mill tailings piles, which are associated with airborne and soil contamination as well as groundwater plumes of uranium and other contaminants of concern, in a landscape that has been fractured by underground mine workings and punctured by thousands of exploratory boreholes. This article presents an ethnographic study of the diverse forms of expertise involved in monitoring and managing the mine waste and mill tailings. Drawing from over two years of ethnographic research, I describe the relationship between different stakeholders from local communities, government agencies, and transnational mining corporations as they deliberate about the possibility of cleaning up the former mining district. My thesis is that the possibility of cleaning up the Grants district hinges on the "politics of baselining"-a term I introduce to describe the relationship between stakeholders and their competing environmental models and hydrogeological theories; each accounts for a different geological past prior to mining that can be deemed "natural," as the background against which to measure the anthropogenic impacts from mining.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas A De Pree
- 1305 Lobo Pl, Albuquerque, NM, 87106, USA; 110 8th St, Troy, NY 12180, USA.
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10
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Cannon CEB. Towards Convergence: How to Do Transdisciplinary Environmental Health Disparities Research. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:E2303. [PMID: 32235385 PMCID: PMC7177595 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17072303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2020] [Revised: 03/22/2020] [Accepted: 03/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Increasingly, funders (i.e., national, public funders, such as the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation in the U.S.) and scholars agree that single disciplines are ill equipped to study the pressing social, health, and environmental problems we face alone, particularly environmental exposures, increasing health disparities, and climate change. To better understand these pressing social problems, funders and scholars have advocated for transdisciplinary approaches in order to harness the analytical power of diverse and multiple disciplines to tackle these problems and improve our understanding. However, few studies look into how to conduct such research. To this end, this article provides a review of transdisciplinary science, particularly as it relates to environmental research and public health. To further the field, this article provides in-depth information on how to conduct transdisciplinary research. Using the case of a transdisciplinary, community-based, participatory action, environmental health disparities study in California's Central Valley provides an in-depth look at how to do transdisciplinary research. Working with researchers from the fields of social sciences, public health, biological engineering, and land, air, and water resources, this study aims to answer community residents' questions related to the health disparities they face due to environmental exposure. Through this case study, I articulate not only the logistics of how to conduct transdisciplinary research but also the logics. The implications for transdisciplinary methodologies in health disparity research are further discussed, particularly in the context of team science and convergence science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare E B Cannon
- Department of Human Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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11
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Balotin L, Distler S, Williams A, Peters SJ, Hunter CM, Theal C, Frank G, Alvarado T, Hernandez R, Hines A, Saikawa E. Atlanta Residents' Knowledge Regarding Heavy Metal Exposures and Remediation in Urban Agriculture. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:ijerph17062069. [PMID: 32244979 PMCID: PMC7142863 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17062069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Revised: 03/11/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Urban agriculture and gardening provide many health benefits, but the soil is sometimes at risk of heavy metal and metalloid (HMM) contamination. HMM, such as lead and arsenic, can result in adverse health effects for humans. Gardeners may face exposure to these contaminants because of their regular contact with soil and consumption of produce grown in urban areas. However, there is a lack of research regarding whether differential exposure to HMM may be attributed to differential knowledge of exposure sources. In 2018, industrial slag and hazardous levels of soil contamination were detected in West Atlanta. We conducted community-engaged research through surveys and follow-up interviews to understand awareness of slag, HMM in soil, and potential remediation options. Home gardeners were more likely to recognize HMM health effects and to cite health as a significant benefit of gardening than community gardeners. In terms of knowledge, participants were concerned about the potential health effects of contaminants in soil yet unconcerned with produce in their gardens. Gardeners’ knowledge on sources of HMM exposure and methods for remediation were low and varied based on racial group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Balotin
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, 400 Dowman Drive, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Samantha Distler
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, 400 Dowman Drive, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Antoinette Williams
- Department of Health Policy, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Rd. Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Samuel J.W. Peters
- Department of Environmental Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Rd. Atlanta, GA 30322; USA; (S.J.W.P.)
| | - Candis M. Hunter
- Department of Environmental Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Rd. Atlanta, GA 30322; USA; (S.J.W.P.)
| | - Chris Theal
- Historic Westside Gardens Atlanta, Inc., Atlanta, GA 30314, USA (R.H.)
| | - Gil Frank
- Historic Westside Gardens Atlanta, Inc., Atlanta, GA 30314, USA (R.H.)
| | - Taranji Alvarado
- Historic Westside Gardens Atlanta, Inc., Atlanta, GA 30314, USA (R.H.)
| | - Rosario Hernandez
- Historic Westside Gardens Atlanta, Inc., Atlanta, GA 30314, USA (R.H.)
| | - Arthur Hines
- Historic Westside Gardens Atlanta, Inc., Atlanta, GA 30314, USA (R.H.)
| | - Eri Saikawa
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, 400 Dowman Drive, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Department of Environmental Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Rd. Atlanta, GA 30322; USA; (S.J.W.P.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-404-727-0487
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12
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Maxwell K, Hubbell B, Eisenhauer E. Institutional insights on integrating social and environmental science for solutions-driven research. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & POLICY 2019; 101:97-105. [PMID: 32132877 PMCID: PMC7055515 DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2019.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Solving complex environmental problems requires interdisciplinary research involving the social and environmental sciences. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is working toward solutions-driven research and interdisciplinary integration within its Office of Research and Development. This article details the history of this process and discusses lessons learned from other federal agencies seeking to integrate social and biophysical research: finding the right combination of top down and bottom up approaches; balancing objectives of advancing science and/or supporting programmatic operations; using social science methods to inform the process; and engaging multiple stakeholders. Attention to the social context of scientific practice, including research processes and research use, fosters success. Three strategies for integrating social sciences to support solutions-driven environmental research are: weaving social science throughout the research process, strengthening social networks, and fostering interdisciplinary hubs. Integration into planning and carrying out research has greater transformative potential than integration into product development and distribution. This article provides insights into institutional considerations for advancing interdisciplinarity and the social context of scientific practice in government agencies. It illustrates the multiple decision contexts and inclusion of social science at the science-policy interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keely Maxwell
- US Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, 20460, United States
| | - Bryan Hubbell
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 109 T.W. Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, United States
| | - Emily Eisenhauer
- ORISE participant at U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20460, United States
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13
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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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14
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Cordner A, Poudrier G, DiValli J, Brown P. Combining Social Science and Environmental Health Research for Community Engagement. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2019; 16:E3483. [PMID: 31546760 PMCID: PMC6766000 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16183483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2019] [Revised: 09/02/2019] [Accepted: 09/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Social science-environmental health (SS-EH) research takes many structural forms and contributes to a wide variety of topical areas. In this article we discuss the general nature of SS-EH contributions and offer a new typology of SS-EH practice that situates this type of research in a larger transdisciplinary sensibility: (1) environmental health science influenced by social science; (2) social science studies of environmental health; and (3) social science-environmental health collaborations. We describe examples from our own and others' work and we discuss the central role that research centers, training programs, and conferences play in furthering SS-EH research. We argue that the third form of SS-EH research, SS-EH collaborations, offers the greatest potential for improving public and environmental health, though such collaborations come with important challenges and demand constant reflexivity on the part of researchers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alissa Cordner
- Sociology Department, Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA 99362, USA.
| | - Grace Poudrier
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Jesse DiValli
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Phil Brown
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
- Department of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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15
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Cordner A, Richter L, Brown P. Environmental Chemicals and Public Sociology: Engaged Scholarship on Highly Fluorinated Compounds. ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIOLOGY 2019; 5:339-351. [PMID: 32566692 PMCID: PMC7304546 DOI: 10.1080/23251042.2019.1629271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2018] [Accepted: 06/05/2019] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
We report here on a multifaceted body of research on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), chemicals that have become a well-known group of 'emerging contaminants' in recent years. Our PFAS Project team of over 10 researchers - faculty, postdocs, graduate students, and undergraduates - has been working since 2015 to study the extent and health effects of PFAS contamination through a broad model of engaged public sociology. Our model of research combines organic public sociology with elements of community-based participatory research, a related but distinct research form most widely used in the environmental health sciences. Based on long-term, place-based relationships, our engaged public sociology has led to numerous academic, regulatory, and social movement effects. We argue that this form of engaged, intervention-oriented public sociology is appropriate and beneficial for research in many areas of environmental sociology given the social and ecological stakes in the current moment. Engaged public sociology involves collaborative, reflexive research with broadly-conceived communities or publics. It facilitates the creation of previously undone science by addressing research topics of interest to community members, and allows researchers to directly contribute to environmental and social justice movements by acting as reflexive, observant participants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alissa Cordner
- Department of Sociology, Whitman College, 345 Boyer Ave, Walla Walla, WA, USA
| | - Lauren Richter
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
- Silent Spring Institute, Newton, MA, USA
| | - Phil Brown
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
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16
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Eggers MJ, Doyle JT, Lefthand MJ, Young SL, Moore-Nall AL, Kindness L, Medicine RO, Ford TE, Dietrich E, Parker AE, Hoover JH, Camper AK. Community Engaged Cumulative Risk Assessment of Exposure to Inorganic Well Water Contaminants, Crow Reservation, Montana. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2018; 15:E76. [PMID: 29304032 PMCID: PMC5800175 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15010076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2017] [Revised: 12/28/2017] [Accepted: 12/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
An estimated 11 million people in the US have home wells with unsafe levels of hazardous metals and nitrate. The national scope of the health risk from consuming this water has not been assessed as home wells are largely unregulated and data on well water treatment and consumption are lacking. Here, we assessed health risks from consumption of contaminated well water on the Crow Reservation by conducting a community-engaged, cumulative risk assessment. Well water testing, surveys and interviews were used to collect data on contaminant concentrations, water treatment methods, well water consumption, and well and septic system protection and maintenance practices. Additive Hazard Index calculations show that the water in more than 39% of wells is unsafe due to uranium, manganese, nitrate, zinc and/or arsenic. Most families' financial resources are limited, and 95% of participants do not employ water treatment technologies. Despite widespread high total dissolved solids, poor taste and odor, 80% of families consume their well water. Lack of environmental health literacy about well water safety, pre-existing health conditions and limited environmental enforcement also contribute to vulnerability. Ensuring access to safe drinking water and providing accompanying education are urgent public health priorities for Crow and other rural US families with low environmental health literacy and limited financial resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret J Eggers
- Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173980, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA.
- Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee, Little Big Horn College, Crow Agency, MT 59022, USA.
| | - John T Doyle
- Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee, Little Big Horn College, Crow Agency, MT 59022, USA.
- Crow Water Quality Project, P.O. Box 370, Little Big Horn College, Crow Agency, MT 59022, USA.
| | - Myra J Lefthand
- Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee, Little Big Horn College, Crow Agency, MT 59022, USA.
| | - Sara L Young
- Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee, Little Big Horn College, Crow Agency, MT 59022, USA.
| | - Anita L Moore-Nall
- Department of Earth Sciences, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173480, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA.
| | - Larry Kindness
- Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee, Little Big Horn College, Crow Agency, MT 59022, USA.
| | - Roberta Other Medicine
- Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee, Little Big Horn College, Crow Agency, MT 59022, USA.
- Environmental Health Department, Crow/Northern Cheyenne Indian Health Service Hospital,Crow Agency, MT 59022, USA.
| | - Timothy E Ford
- School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 715 N. Pleasant Street,Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
| | - Eric Dietrich
- Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173980, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA.
| | - Albert E Parker
- Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173980, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA.
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173980,Bozeman, MT 59717, USA.
| | - Joseph H Hoover
- Health Sciences Center, MSC09 5360, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA.
| | - Anne K Camper
- Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173980, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA.
- Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee, Little Big Horn College, Crow Agency, MT 59022, USA.
- College of Engineering, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173980, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA.
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17
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Cohen AK, Richards T, Allen BL, Ferrier Y, Lees J, Smith LH. Health issues in the industrial port zone of Marseille, France: the Fos EPSEAL community-based cross-sectional survey. J Public Health (Oxf) 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10389-017-0857-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
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18
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Vatovec C, Phillips P, Van Wagoner E, Scott TM, Furlong E. Investigating dynamic sources of pharmaceuticals: Demographic and seasonal use are more important than down-the-drain disposal in wastewater effluent in a University City setting. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2016; 572:906-914. [PMID: 27581107 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.07.199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2016] [Revised: 07/27/2016] [Accepted: 07/28/2016] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Pharmaceutical pollution in surface waters poses risks to human and ecosystem health. Wastewater treatment facilities are primary sources of pharmaceutical pollutants, but little is known about the factors that affect drugs entering the wastewater stream. This paper investigates the effects of student pharmaceutical use and disposal behaviors and an annual demographic shift on pharmaceutical pollution in a university town. We sampled wastewater effluent during a ten-day annual spring student move-out period at the University of Vermont. We then interpreted these data in light of survey results that investigated pharmaceutical purchasing, use, and disposal practices among the university student population. Surveys indicated that the majority of student respondents purchased pharmaceuticals in the previous year. Many students reported having leftover drugs, though only a small portion disposed of them, mainly in the trash. We detected 51 pharmaceuticals in 80% or more of the wastewater effluent samples collected over the ten-day sampling period. Several increased in concentration after students left the area. Concentrations of caffeine and nicotine decreased weakly. Drug disposal among this university student population does not appear to be a major source of pharmaceuticals in wastewater. Increases in pharmaceutical concentration after the students left campus can be tied to an increase in the seasonal use of allergy medications directly related to pollen, as well as a demographic shift to a year-round older population, which supports national data that older people use larger volumes and different types of pharmaceuticals than the younger student population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Vatovec
- Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA.
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19
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Senier L, Brown P, Shostak S, Hanna B. The Socio-Exposome: Advancing Exposure Science and Environmental Justice in a Post-Genomic Era. ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIOLOGY 2016; 3:107-121. [PMID: 28944245 PMCID: PMC5604315 DOI: 10.1080/23251042.2016.1220848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
We propose the socio-exposome as a conceptual framework for integrative environmental health research. Environmental scientists coined the term "exposome" with the goal of inventorying and quantifying environmental exposures as precisely as scientists measure genes and gene expression. To date, the exposome's proponents have not thoroughly engaged social scientific theoretical and methodological expertise, although the exclusion of sociological expertise risks molecularizing complex social phenomena and limiting the possibility of collective action to improve environmental conditions. As a corrective, and to demonstrate how "omic" technologies could be made more relevant to public health, our socio-exposome framework blends insights from sociological and public health research with insights from environmental justice scholarship and activism. We argue that environmental health science requires more comprehensive data on more and different kinds of environmental exposures, but also must consider the socio-political conditions and inequalities that allow hazards to continue unchecked. We propose a multidimensional framework oriented around three axes: individual, local, and global, and suggest some sociomarkers and data sources that could identify exposures at each level. This framework could also guide policy, by creating a predictive framework that helps communities understand the repercussions of corporate and regulatory practices for public health and social justice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Senier
- Department of Sociology & Anthropology and Department of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115
- Social Science Environmental Health Research Institute, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115
| | - Phil Brown
- Department of Sociology & Anthropology and Department of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115
- Social Science Environmental Health Research Institute, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115
| | - Sara Shostak
- Department of Sociology, Brandeis University, Waltham MA 02254
- Social Science Environmental Health Research Institute, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115
| | - Bridget Hanna
- Social Science Environmental Health Research Institute, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115
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20
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Allen BL, Cohen AK, Ferrier Y, Lees J, Richards T. Redesigning a Participatory Health Study for a French Industrial Context. New Solut 2016; 26:458-474. [PMID: 27549362 DOI: 10.1177/1048291116662997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The Marseille, France, metropolitan area is home to a heavily concentrated industrial region directly adjacent to residential communities. These towns have been subjected to a wide variety of social science and public health studies, but residents continue to have many questions about health concerns for which they currently have primarily anecdotal evidence. Reflecting on our in-progress research in two of these towns, we argue that community-based participatory research that draws from both social science and public health science can be successfully adapted to the French political and cultural context and is key for developing environmental health research that is relevant for community residents and local leaders. Understanding and working within the customs of the local values and practices culture is critical for community-based participatory research regardless of location but is particularly paramount when working in non-United States contexts, since local values and practices will shape the particular techniques used within the community-based participatory research framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara L Allen
- 1 Department of Science and Technology in Society, Virginia Tech University, Falls Church, VA, USA
| | - Alison K Cohen
- 2 Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Yolaine Ferrier
- 3 Centre Norbert Elias, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Marseille, France
| | - Johanna Lees
- 3 Centre Norbert Elias, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Marseille, France
- 5 Laboratoire de Sciences Sociales Appliquées, Marseille, France
| | - Travis Richards
- 2 Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- 4 College of Environmental Design, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
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21
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Vega CMV, Brown P, Murphy C, Figueroa A, Cordero J, Alshawabkeh A. Community Engagement and Research Translation in Puerto Rico's Northern Karst Region: The PROTECT Superfund Research Program. New Solut 2016; 26:475-495. [PMID: 30081770 PMCID: PMC6083881 DOI: 10.1177/1048291116667715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
We describe here the social science-environmental health collaboration in PROTECT, the Puerto Rico Testsite for Exploring Contamination Threats, which is one of eighteen Superfund Research Program centers funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. This collaboration has multiple facets: (1) create a holistic, unified research program that addresses the complexity of environmental contamination, (2) offer research participants an engaged and respectful interaction with the research team, (3) provide cross-training, in which the team's social scientists learn environmental health and the environmental health scientists learn social science, and (4) provide training for graduate students and post-docs in multiple disciplines in this burgeoning form of collaboration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Phil Brown
- Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Abigail Figueroa
- Recinto de Ciencias Medicas, Universidad de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Jóse Cordero
- University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
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22
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Clapp JT, Roberts JA, Dahlberg B, Berry LS, Jacobs LM, Emmett EA, Barg FK. Realities of environmental toxicity and their ramifications for community engagement. Soc Sci Med 2016; 170:143-151. [PMID: 27783970 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.10.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2016] [Revised: 10/14/2016] [Accepted: 10/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Research on community responses to environmental toxicity has richly described the struggles of citizens to identify unrecognized toxins, collect their own environmental health facts, and use them to lobby authorities for recognition and remediation. Much of this literature is based on an empiricist premise: it is concerned with exploring differences in how laypeople and experts perceive what is presumed to be a singular toxic reality that preexists these varying perspectives. Here, we seek to reexamine this topic by shifting the focus from facts to facticity-that is, by exploring the many types of knowledge that communities develop about toxicity and how these knowledges articulate with the ideas of scientific and governmental authorities about what kinds of information are valid bases for policymaking. In making this shift, we are influenced by work in semiotic anthropology and science and technology studies (STS), which emphasizes that lived experience generates distinct realities rather than different perceptions of the same underlying state. Using this framework, we present an analysis of oral history interviews conducted in 2013-14 in the small American town of Ambler, Pennsylvania. Part of Ambler's legacy as a nineteenth- and twentieth-century center of asbestos manufacture is that it is home to two massive asbestos-containing waste sites, one of which was being remediated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at the time of this study. Our interviews demonstrate that even asbestos, a toxin with a well-established public narrative, is a fundamentally different object for different members of the Ambler community. For many of these individuals, the epistemology and practices of the EPA are incongruent with or tangential to their toxicity-related experiences and their consequent concerns for the future. As such, our findings suggest caution in framing the community engagement efforts of environmental health agencies primarily as facilitations of citizen science; this approach does not acknowledge the multiplicity of toxic realities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin T Clapp
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce St., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
| | - Jody A Roberts
- Chemical Heritage Foundation, Institute for Research, 315 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA
| | - Britt Dahlberg
- Chemical Heritage Foundation, Center for Applied History, 315 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA
| | - Lee Sullivan Berry
- Chemical Heritage Foundation, Center for Oral History, 315 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA
| | - Lisa M Jacobs
- Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce St., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Edward A Emmett
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce St., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Frances K Barg
- Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce St., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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23
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Little PC, Pennell KG. Measuring Vapor Intrusion: From Source Science Politics to a Transdisciplinary Approach. ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIOLOGY 2016; 3:145-154. [PMID: 28367475 PMCID: PMC5370174 DOI: 10.1080/23251042.2016.1224528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Investigation of indoor air quality has been on the upswing in recent years. In this article, we focus on how the transport of subsurface vapors into indoor air spaces, a process known as "vapor intrusion," (VI) is defined and addressed. For environmental engineers and physical scientists who specialize in this emerging indoor environmental exposure science, VI is notoriously difficult to characterize, leading the regulatory community to seek improved science-based understandings of VI pathways and exposures. Yet despite the recent growth in VI science and competition between environmental consulting companies, VI studies have largely overlooked the social and political field in which VI problems emerge and are experienced by those at risk. To balance and inform current VI studies, this article explores VI science and policy and develops a critique of what we call "source science politics." Drawing inspiration from the creative synthesis of social and environmental science/engineering perspectives, the article offers a transdisciplinary approach to VI that highlights collaboration with social scientists and impacted communities and cultivates epistemic empathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter C. Little
- Department of Anthropology, Rhode Island College, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Kelly G. Pennell
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
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Matz J, Brown P, Brody JG. Social Science-Environmental Health Collaborations: An Exciting New Direction. New Solut 2016; 26:349-358. [PMID: 27554110 DOI: 10.1177/1048291116664501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The Social Science-Environmental Health Collaborations Conference in May 2016 was a unique gathering of scholars from the social sciences and environmental health sciences, government agency professionals, community organizers and activists, and students. Conference participants described the research and practice of environmental public health as done through a transdisciplinary lens and with a community-based participatory research/community-engaged research model. NIEHS' role in supporting such work has helped create a growing number of social and environmental health scientists who cross boundaries as they work with each other and with community-based organizations.
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25
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Judge JM, Brown P, Brody JG, Ryan S. The Exposure Experience: Ohio River Valley Residents Respond to Local Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) Contamination. JOURNAL OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR 2016; 57:333-350. [PMID: 27601409 DOI: 10.1177/0022146516661595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
This article explores the "exposure experience" of participants who received their personal results in a biomonitoring study for perfluorooctanoic acid. Exposure experience is the process of identifying, understanding, and responding to chemical contamination. When biomonitoring studies report results to participants, those participants generate an exposure experience that identifies hidden contaminants and helps level informational imbalances between polluters and affected communities. Participants welcomed the opportunity to learn their exposure results, reporting no psychological harm following report-back. They wove health, economic, and political considerations into their interpretation of results and their present views of past impact. Participants framed their experiences by a half-century of dependence on the chemical industry's economic benefits, leading them to considerable acceptance of chemical exposure as a tradeoff for jobs and the local economy. Our findings show that the exposure experience is an ongoing process that influences social action, with new activism being generated by exposure and health studies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Phil Brown
- Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
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