Estimating the Effects of Soil Remediation on Children's Blood Lead near a Former Lead Smelter in Omaha, Nebraska, USA

House Sparrows as Sentinels of Childhood Lead Exposure

Our understanding of connections between human and animal health has advanced substantially since the canary was introduced as a sentinel of toxic conditions in coal mines. Nonetheless, the development of wildlife sentinels for monitoring human exposure to toxins has been limited. Here, we capitalized on a three-decade long child blood lead monitoring program to demonstrate that the globally ubiquitous and human commensal house sparrow (Passer domesticus) can be used as a sentinel of human health risks in urban environments impacted by lead mining. We showed that sparrows are a viable proxy for the measurement of blood lead levels in children at a neighborhood scale (0.28 km2). In support of the generalizability of this approach, the blood lead relationship established in our focal mining city enabled us to accurately predict elevated blood lead levels in children from another mining city using only sparrows from the second location. Using lead concentrations and lead isotopic compositions from environmental and biological matrices, we identified shared sources and pathways of lead exposure in sparrows and children, with strong links to contamination from local mining emissions. Our findings showed how human commensal species can be used to identify and predict human health risks over time and space.

Managing Health Concerns Related to Post-Industrial Sites Redevelopment: A Warsaw, Poland Case Study

An important issue in the redevelopment of post-industrial sites, e.g., into housing, is the resolution of contaminated land issues, including health risks and environmental protection. The purpose of this article is to examine awareness of this aspect from the perspective of city or such site residents, using Warsaw as an example. Using a survey-style form data collection technique, a total of 55 fully completed survey questionnaires were collected and analysed using cross-tabulation. Furthermore, a desk research methodology was used to study the availability of sources on industrial areas and their transformation from the perspective of different stakeholder groups involved in the development of such areas in Poland. Similarly, information management was assessed from the viewpoint of information communities participating or being affected by redevelopment processes. The survey results evidenced that respondents are aware that post-industrial sites may be contaminated, but do not associate the possibility of potential health risks when residing on or near such sites. The analysis of the management of information on the reurbanisation of post-industrial sites in urban areas in Poland, including the availability of data on location and contamination, revealed a problematic data flow between central and local level authorities and mootable consistency of legal acts. Public awareness of negative phenomena, such as contamination and the consequent health risks associated with dwelling in such sites, can positively influence, as an input to monitoring and enforcement, the actions taken by other stakeholders in the clean-up processes of contaminated sites and force improvements in the management of such information. The flow of information, the activities forming the information function, and the decision-making process can be improved by technologies, such as spatial information systems and their infrastructures, by facilitating the integration of data from multiple sources and consequently enabling the analysis to be extended to include further relevant data.