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Chong K, Hickey GM, Chan HM, Basu N. Exploring practices, challenges, and priorities for human health and ecological risk assessments in Indigenous communities in Canada. INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT 2024. [PMID: 38639473 DOI: 10.1002/ieam.4927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Revised: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
Indigenous peoples in Canada are disproportionately exposed to environmental contaminants and may face elevated health risks related to their unique cultural, spiritual, and economic relationships with the land, including the use of traditional food systems. However, to date, institutionalized approaches to assess risks to human and ecological health from contaminants have not been well developed or implemented with Indigenous community contexts in mind. There is regulatory interest in developing new approach methods for risk assessment, and thus an opportunity to increase their relevance to Indigenous communities in which they will be ultimately applied. Therefore, we conducted an anonymous mixed-methods survey of those involved with risk assessment in Indigenous communities in Canada to: (1) understand risk assessment practice in Indigenous communities, (2) explore challenges with conventional assessment methods and compare these across sectors, and (3) gather perspectives on the development of new approaches. In all, 38 completed survey responses were received (14% response rate). Respondents were from Indigenous community environment and health offices (21% of respondents), Indigenous governments (8%), federal and provincial governments (21%), and academia (45%). Risk communication was seen as the most challenging part of risk assessment (71% responded "difficult"), and nearly all respondents agreed that time (86%), cost (76%), and resource availability (86%) were "moderate" to "serious" problems. Few respondents (16%) had heard of "new approach methods" for risk assessment, and 76% of respondents (and 100% of community-based respondents) agreed on the need to develop improved risk assessment approaches. To modernize risk assessment, respondents recommended advancing cumulative risk assessment methods, improving risk communication, and promoting Indigenous leadership and Traditional Knowledge in assessment activities. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2024;00:1-16. © 2024 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine Chong
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Centre for Indigenous Peoples Nutrition and Environment, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Gordon M Hickey
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Hing Man Chan
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Niladri Basu
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Centre for Indigenous Peoples Nutrition and Environment, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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Sambanis A, Osiecki K, Cailas M, Quinsey L, Jacobs DE. Using Artificial Intelligence to Identify Sources and Pathways of Lead Exposure in Children. JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH MANAGEMENT AND PRACTICE 2023; 29:E208-E213. [PMID: 37129378 DOI: 10.1097/phh.0000000000001759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
CONTEXT Sources and pathways of lead exposure in young children have not been analyzed using new artificial intelligence methods. OBJECTIVE To collect environmental, behavioral, and other data on sources and pathways in 17 rural homes to predict at-risk households and to compare urban and rural indicators of exposure. DESIGN Cross-sectional pilot study. SETTING Knox County, Illinois, which has a high rate of childhood lead poisoning. PARTICIPANTS Rural families. METHODS Neural network and K-means statistical analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Children's blood lead level. RESULTS Lead paint on doors, lead dust, residential property assessed tax, and median interior paint lead level were the most important predictors of children's blood lead level. CONCLUSIONS K-means analysis confirmed that settled house dust lead loadings, age of housing, concentration of lead in door paint, and geometric mean of interior lead paint samples were the most important predictors of lead in children's blood. However, assessed property tax also emerged as a new predictor. A sampling strategy that examines these variables can provide lead poisoning prevention professionals with an efficient and cost-effective means of identifying priority homes for lead remediation. The ability to preemptively target remediation efforts can help health, housing, and other agencies to remove lead hazards before children develop irreversible health effects and incur costs associated with lead in their blood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Apostolis Sambanis
- University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois (Drs Sambanis, Cailas, and Mr Quinsey); University of Minnesota Rochester, Rochester, Minnesota (Dr Osiecki); and National Center for Healthy Housing, Columbia, Maryland (Dr Jacobs)
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Burger J. Ecological information and approaches needed for risk communication dialogs for acute or chronic environmental crises. RISK ANALYSIS : AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE SOCIETY FOR RISK ANALYSIS 2022; 42:2408-2420. [PMID: 35491404 PMCID: PMC9945453 DOI: 10.1111/risa.13940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Scientists, social scientists, risk communicators, and many others are often thrust into a crisis situation where they need to interact with a range of stakeholders, including governmental personnel (tribal, U.S. federal, state, local), local residents, and other publics, as well as other scientists and other risk communicators in situations where information is incomplete and evolving. This paper provides: (1) an overall framework for thinking about communication during crises, from acute to chronic, and local to widespread, (2) a template for the types of ecological information needed to address public and environmental concerns, and (3) examples to illustrate how this information will aid risk communicators. The main goal is providing an approach to the knowledge needed by communicators to address the challenges of protecting ecological resources during an environmental crisis, or for an on-going, chronic environmental issue. To understand the risk to these ecological resources, it is important to identify the type of event, whether it is acute or chronic (or some combination of these), what receptors are at risk, and what stressors are involved (natural, biological, chemical, radiological). For ecological resources, the key information a communicator needs for a crisis is whether any of the following are present: threatened or endangered species, species of special concern, species groups of concern (e.g., neotropical bird migrants, breeding frogs in vernal ponds, rare plant assemblages), unique or rare habitats, species of commercial and recreational interest, and species/habitats of especial interest for medicinal, cultural, or religious activities. Communication among stakeholders is complicated with respect to risk to ecological receptors because of differences in trust, credibility, empathy, perceptions, world view valuation of the resources, and in many cases, a history of misinformation, disinformation, or no information. Exposure of salmon spawning in the Columbia River to hexavalent chromium from the Hanford Site is used as an example of communication challenges with different stakeholders, including Native Americans with Tribal Treaty rights to the land.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Burger
- Cell Biology and Neurosciences, NIEHS Center of Excellence, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute (EOHSI), Ecology and Evolution Graduate Program, and Pinelands Research StationRutgers UniversityPiscatawayNew JerseyUSA
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP)Rutgers UniversityPiscatawayNew JerseyUSA
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Burger J, Gochfeld M, Kosson DS, Brown KG, Salisbury J, Greenberg M, Jeitner C. Combining ecological, eco-cultural, and environmental justice parameters to create Eco-EJ indicators to monitor cultural and environmental justices for diverse communities around contaminated sites. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2022; 194:177. [PMID: 35150318 PMCID: PMC9488455 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-021-09535-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Assessing environmental quality often requires selection of indicators that can be employed over large spatial scales and over long-time periods to assess the health and well-being of species, natural communities, and ecosystems, and to detect changes warranting intervention. Typically, the ecologic environment and the human environment are evaluated separately and selection of indicators and monitoring approaches are not integrated even though ecological indicators may also provide information on risk to human consumers from contaminants (e.g., eco-cultural indicators) or because of disease levels. This paper is a call for ecologists and managers to consider diverse cultural and environmental injustice disparities and health issues when selecting indicators for environmental assessment and monitoring. There is an opportunity for managers and community members to work together to preserve ecological and cultural resources and heritages. We propose a paradigm that selects indicators and monitoring approaches that lend themselves to the integration of human-diversity and uniqueness in the same manner that the selection of ecological indicators and monitoring approaches consider biological species diversity and uniqueness. The proposed paradigm builds on ecological risk assessment techniques, developing analogous endpoints for neighboring communities. For example, identification and protection of human communities, particularly culturally diverse and environmental justice communities, identification of contaminant corridors (e.g., through water or green corridors) into communities, and eco-monitoring of vulnerable communities are not routine at contaminated sites. Green corridors refers to a width of wild habitat (forest, grasslands) that connects other similar habitat paths (usually a corridor runs through an urban or suburban habitat). We coin the term Eco-EJ indicators for these endpoints, including examination of (1) unique cultural relationships to resources; (2) connectedness of on-site and off-site resources and habitats; (3) health of threatened, rare, and unique cultures and communities; and (4) linkages between ecological, eco-cultural, and public health for monitoring and assessment. We also propose that assessment and monitoring include these Eco-EJ indicators, especially for communities near facilities that have extensive chemical or radiological contamination.Developing these indicators to assess risk to culturally diverse and environmental justice communities would be an equivalent goal to reducing risk for significant ecological resources (e.g., endangered species, species of special concern). These Eco-EJ indicators are complementary to the usual human health-risk assessments, would include surveys of neighboring vulnerable communities, and require time and re-organization of current data and additional data collection at site boundaries and in adjacent communities, as well as rethinking the human component of indicators. This approach lends itself to addressing some diverse cultural and environmental justice issues with current indicator selection and biomonitoring, and helps identify specific hotspots of unique ecosystem risk and environmental justice community risk. We briefly discuss ecological and eco-cultural monitoring already on-going at three Department of Energy sites to illustrate how the addition of these indicators might work and add value to environmental management and to their relationships with surrounding communities. We recommend that managers of contaminated sites convene people from culturally diverse communities, environmental justice communities, local and federal government, Tribes, resource trustees, managers, and other stakeholders to develop appropriate site-specific indicators to address environmental inequities around contaminated facilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Burger
- Division of Life Sciences and Pinelands Research Station, Rutgers University, 604 Allison Road, NJ, 08854, Piscataway, USA.
- Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute (EOHSI), Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA.
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation With Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), Vanderbilt University and Rutgers University, Nashville, TN, USA.
| | - Michael Gochfeld
- Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute (EOHSI), Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
- Rutgers Robert Wood Johnston Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, 80054, USA
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation With Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), Vanderbilt University and Rutgers University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - David S Kosson
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation With Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), Vanderbilt University and Rutgers University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37235, USA
| | - Kevin G Brown
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation With Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), Vanderbilt University and Rutgers University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37235, USA
| | - Jennifer Salisbury
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation With Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), Vanderbilt University and Rutgers University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37235, USA
| | - Michael Greenberg
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation With Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), Vanderbilt University and Rutgers University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Christian Jeitner
- Division of Life Sciences and Pinelands Research Station, Rutgers University, 604 Allison Road, NJ, 08854, Piscataway, USA
- Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute (EOHSI), Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation With Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), Vanderbilt University and Rutgers University, Nashville, TN, USA
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Nketia J, Amso D, Brito NH. Towards a more inclusive and equitable developmental cognitive neuroscience. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2021; 52:101014. [PMID: 34571453 PMCID: PMC8476647 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2021.101014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain and cognitive development is a burgeoning area of scientific inquiry, with tremendous potential to better the lives of children. Large scale longitudinal neuroimaging studies offer opportunities for significant scientific advances in our understanding of developing brain structure and function. The proposed manuscript will focus on the scientific potential of the HEALthy Brain and Cognitive Development (HBCD) Study, highlighting what questions these data can and what they cannot answer about child development. Specifically, we caution against the misuse of these data for advancing de-contextualized and scientifically questionable narratives about the development of children from marginalized communities. We will focus on building and organizing a framework for interpreting HBCD data through the lens of sampling, cultural context, measurement, and developmental science theory. Our goal is to thoughtfully offer the scientific community opportunities to use the large scale and collaborative nature of HBCD to collectively revise practices in developmental science that to-date have not carefully considered their own role in perpetuating narratives that support systemic injustice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jazlyn Nketia
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic & Psychological Sciences, Brown University, United States; Department of Psychology, Columbia University, United States.
| | - Dima Amso
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, United States
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Greenberg MR. Ports and Environmental Justice in the United States: An Exploratory Statistical Analysis. RISK ANALYSIS : AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE SOCIETY FOR RISK ANALYSIS 2021; 41:2112-2126. [PMID: 33565657 DOI: 10.1111/risa.13697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Revised: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
A screening environmental justice analysis was conducted of 50 United States ports that manage more than 10 million tons of products. Using the U.S. EPA's EJSCREEN tool, the author examined seven demographic and 11 environmental metrics at distances of 2, 5, and 10 miles from the port centroids. The 2-mile zones were found to have higher values for 13 of the 18 environmental inequity indicators, including all three measures of air toxics, fine particles, proximity to hazardous waste sites, and facilities with risk management plans, as well as indicators of low socioeconomic status and minority populations. With ports expanding, the author discusses the need for maintaining and upgrading EPA's screening tool and considers that alternative futures for port neighborhoods depend upon the strength of their civic groups and elected officials, the role of their government port authorities, and civic values of their commercial users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael R Greenberg
- Bloustein School of Planning and Public, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
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Van Horne YO, Chief K, Charley PH, Begay MG, Lothrop N, Bell ML, Canales RA, Teufel-Shone NI, Beamer PI. Impacts to Diné activities with the San Juan River after the Gold King Mine Spill. JOURNAL OF EXPOSURE SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENTAL EPIDEMIOLOGY 2021; 31:852-866. [PMID: 33526814 PMCID: PMC8325715 DOI: 10.1038/s41370-021-00290-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Revised: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND On August 5th, 2015, 3 million gallons of acid mine drainage was accidentally discharged from the Gold King Mine near Silverton, Colorado into Cement Creek which is a tributary to the Animas and San Juan Rivers. The government-initiated risk assessment only assessed a recreational scenario (i.e. hiker drinking from the river), failing to recognize the deep connection of the Diné (Navajo) with the San Juan River. METHODS Utilizing a mixed-methods approach we determined the impacts of the 2015 Gold King Mine Spill (GKMS or Spill) on Diné activities. We developed a questionnaire to collect pre- and post-GKMS Diné activity frequency and duration. Navajo Nation Community Health Representatives administered the questionnaire to 63 Diné adults and 27 children living in three Navajo communities along the River. RESULTS Through analysis of the focus group transcripts we identified 43 unique activities between the Diné and San Juan River. There were significant reductions in the total number, frequency, and duration of livelihood, dietary, recreational, cultural/spiritual and arts and craft activities. On average, Diné activities with the San Juan River following the GKMS decreased by 56.2%. SIGNIFICANCE The significant reduction in activities following the GKMS may lead to long-term trauma, impacting the ability of the Diné to pass down teachings to their children affecting future generations to come. The 43 distinct activities between the Diné and the San Juan River highlight the importance for scientists and disaster responders to consider cultural and spiritual impacts when responding to environmental disasters and conducting risk assessments among Indigenous communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshira Ornelas Van Horne
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 2001 N. Soto Street, 102B-2, Los Angeles, CA, 90032, USA.
| | - Karletta Chief
- Department of Environmental Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | - Perry H Charley
- Diné College-Shiprock Campus, Diné Environmental Institute, PO Box 580, Shiprock, NM, 87420, USA
| | - Mae-Gilene Begay
- Navajo Nation Department of Health, Navajo Nation Community Health Representative Outreach Program, Window Rock, AZ, USA
| | - Nathan Lothrop
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Melanie L Bell
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85724, USA
| | - Robert A Canales
- Interdisciplinary Program in Applied Mathematics, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | - Nicolette I Teufel-Shone
- Center for Health Equity Research, College of Health and Human Services, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011, USA
| | - Paloma I Beamer
- Department of Community, Environment, and Policy, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85724, USA
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Meltzer G, Avenbuan O, Wu F, Shah K, Chen Y, Mann V, Zelikoff JT. The Ramapough Lunaape Nation: Facing Health Impacts Associated with Proximity to a Superfund Site. J Community Health 2021; 45:1196-1204. [PMID: 32447544 DOI: 10.1007/s10900-020-00848-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate self-reported exposure to the Ringwood Mines/Landfill Superfund Site in relation to chronic health outcomes among members of the Ramapough Lunaape Turtle Clan nation and other local residents of Ringwood, New Jersey. Community surveys on personal exposure to the nearby Superfund site, self-reported health conditions, and demographics were conducted with 187 members of the Ramapough Lunaape Turtle Clan Nation and non-Native Americans residing in Ringwood, New Jersey from December 2015 to October 2016. Multiple logistic regression was performed to assess the association between ethnicity and a Superfund site exposure score developed for this study, as well as between exposure score and several chronic health conditions. Native Americans were 13.84 times (OR 13.84; 95% CI 4.32, 44.37) more likely to face exposure opportunities to Superfund sites as compared to non-Native Americans in the same New Jersey borough. For the entire surveyed cohort, increased Superfund site exposure routes was significantly associated with bronchitis (OR 4.10; 95% CI 1.18, 14.23). When the analyses were restricted to Native Americans, the association between self-reported Superfund site exposure and bronchitis remained significant (OR 17.42; 95% CI 1.99, 152.45). Moreover, the association between greater exposure score and asthma in this same population also reached statistical significance (OR 6.16; 95% CI 1.38, 27.49). This pilot study demonstrated a significant association between being a Ringwood resident of Native American ethnicity and self-declared opportunities for Superfund site exposure. It also showed a strong association between self-reported Superfund site exposure and the prevalence of bronchitis and asthma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriella Meltzer
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, New York University School of Global Public Health, 715/719 Broadway, New York, NY, 10003, USA
| | - Oyemwenosa Avenbuan
- Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, 341 East 25th Street, New York, NY, 10010, USA
| | - Fen Wu
- Department of Population Health, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, 650 First Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Krina Shah
- Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, 341 East 25th Street, New York, NY, 10010, USA
| | - Yu Chen
- Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, 341 East 25th Street, New York, NY, 10010, USA
- Department of Population Health, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, 650 First Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Vincent Mann
- Ramapough Lunaape Turtle Clan Nation, Ringwood, NJ, USA
| | - Judith T Zelikoff
- Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, 341 East 25th Street, New York, NY, 10010, USA.
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Lieberman-Cribbin W, Liu B, Sheffield P, Schwartz R, Taioli E. Socioeconomic disparities in incidents at toxic sites during Hurricane Harvey. JOURNAL OF EXPOSURE SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENTAL EPIDEMIOLOGY 2021; 31:454-460. [PMID: 33875771 PMCID: PMC8992005 DOI: 10.1038/s41370-021-00324-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Revised: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hurricane Harvey facilitated exposure to various toxic substances and floodwater throughout the greater Houston metropolitan area. Although disparities exist in this exposure and vulnerable populations can bear a disproportionate impact, no research has integrated disparities in exposure to toxic incidents following Hurricane Harvey. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between flooding, socioeconomic status (SES), and toxic site incidents. METHODS Data on toxic site locations, reported releases, and flood water depths during Hurricane Harvey in the greater Houston area were compiled from multiple sources. A multivariable logistic regression was performed to predict the odds of a toxic site release by flooding at the site, SES and racial composition of the census tract. RESULTS 83 out of 1403 toxic sites (5.9%) had reported releases during Hurricane Harvey. The proportion of toxic sites with reported incidents across increasing SES index quintiles were 8.35, 7.67, 5.14, 4.55, and 0.51, respectively. The odds of an incident were lower in the highest SES quintile areas (ORadj = 0.06, 95% CI: 0.01-0.42) compared to the lowest SES quintile. Flooding was similar at toxic sites with and without incidents, and was distributed similarly and highest at toxic sites located in lower SES quintiles. SIGNIFICANCE Despite similar flooding across toxic sites during Hurricane Harvey, areas with lower SES were more likely to have a toxic release during the storm, after accounting for number of toxic sites. Improving quality of maintenance, safety protocols, number of storm-resilient facilities may minimize this disproportionate exposure and its subsequent adverse outcomes among socioeconomically vulnerable populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wil Lieberman-Cribbin
- Department of Population Health Science and Policy and Institute for Translational Epidemiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Joint Center for Disaster Health, Trauma and Resilience, Great Neck, NY, USA
| | - Bian Liu
- Department of Population Health Science and Policy and Institute for Translational Epidemiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Joint Center for Disaster Health, Trauma and Resilience, Great Neck, NY, USA
| | - Perry Sheffield
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Rebecca Schwartz
- Department of Population Health Science and Policy and Institute for Translational Epidemiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Joint Center for Disaster Health, Trauma and Resilience, Great Neck, NY, USA
- Department of Occupational Medicine, Epidemiology and Prevention, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra-Northwell, Great Neck, NY, USA
| | - Emanuela Taioli
- Department of Population Health Science and Policy and Institute for Translational Epidemiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
- Joint Center for Disaster Health, Trauma and Resilience, Great Neck, NY, USA.
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Meltzer GY, Watkins BX, Vieira D, Zelikoff JT, Boden-Albala B. A Systematic Review of Environmental Health Outcomes in Selected American Indian and Alaska Native Populations. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities 2020; 7:698-739. [PMID: 31974734 DOI: 10.1007/s40615-020-00700-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Revised: 12/30/2019] [Accepted: 01/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Economic and social marginalization among American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) results in higher chronic disease prevalence. Potential causal associations between toxic environmental exposures and adverse health outcomes within AI/AN communities are not well understood. OBJECTIVES This review examines epidemiological literature on exposure to toxicants and associated adverse health outcomes among AI/AN populations. METHODS PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, Environment Complete, Web of Science Plus, DART, and ToxLine were searched for English-language articles. The following data were extracted: lead author's last name, publication year, cohort name, study location, AI/AN tribe, study initiation and conclusion, sample size, primary characteristic, environmental exposure, health outcomes, risk estimates, and covariates. RESULTS About 31 articles on three types of environmental exposures met inclusion criteria: persistent organic pollutants (POPs), heavy metals, and open dumpsites. Of these, 17 addressed exposure to POPs, 10 heavy metal exposure, 2 exposure to both POPs and heavy metals, and 2 exposure to open dumpsites. Studies on the Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne; Yupik on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska; Navajo Nation; Gila River Indian Community; Cheyenne River Sioux; 197 Alaska Native villages; and 13 tribes in Arizona, Oklahoma, North Dakota, and South Dakota that participated in the Strong Heart Study support associations between toxicant exposure and various chronic conditions including cardiovascular conditions, reproductive abnormalities, cancer, autoimmune disorders, neurological deficits, and diabetes. DISCUSSION The complex interplay of environmental and social factors in disease etiology among AI/ANs is a product of externally imposed environmental exposures, systemic discrimination, and modifiable risk behaviors. The connection between environmental health disparities and adverse health outcomes indicates a need for further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriella Y Meltzer
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, New York University School of Global Public Health, 715/719 Broadway, New York, NY, 10003, USA.
| | - Beverly-Xaviera Watkins
- Department of Epidemiology, New York University School of Global Public Health, 715/719 Broadway, New York, NY, 10003, USA
| | - Dorice Vieira
- Health Sciences Library, New York University School of Medicine, 550 First Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Judith T Zelikoff
- Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, 341 East 25th Street, New York, NY, 10010, USA
| | - Bernadette Boden-Albala
- Department of Population Health, University of California Irvine, 653 East Peltason Drive, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
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Fernández‐Llamazares Á, Garteizgogeascoa M, Basu N, Brondizio ES, Cabeza M, Martínez‐Alier J, McElwee P, Reyes‐García V. A State-of-the-Art Review of Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Pollution. INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT 2020; 16:324-341. [PMID: 31863549 PMCID: PMC7187223 DOI: 10.1002/ieam.4239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2019] [Revised: 11/04/2019] [Accepted: 12/18/2019] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Indigenous peoples (IPs) worldwide are confronted by the increasing threat of pollution. Based on a comprehensive review of the literature (n = 686 studies), we present the current state of knowledge on: 1) the exposure and vulnerability of IPs to pollution; 2) the environmental, health, and cultural impacts of pollution upon IPs; and 3) IPs' contributions to prevent, control, limit, and abate pollution from local to global scales. Indigenous peoples experience large burdens of environmental pollution linked to the expansion of commodity frontiers and industrial development, including agricultural, mining, and extractive industries, as well as urban growth, waste dumping, and infrastructure and energy development. Nevertheless, IPs are contributing to limit pollution in different ways, including through environmental monitoring and global policy advocacy, as well as through local resistance toward polluting activities. This work adds to growing evidence of the breadth and depth of environmental injustices faced by IPs worldwide, and we conclude by highlighting the need to increase IPs' engagement in environmental decision-making regarding pollution control. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2020;16:324-341. © 2019 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).
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Affiliation(s)
- Álvaro Fernández‐Llamazares
- Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science, Faculty of Biological and Environmental SciencesUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
- Global Change and Conservation, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental SciencesUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
| | - María Garteizgogeascoa
- Global Change and Conservation, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental SciencesUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
- Artec Forschungszentrum NachhaltigkeitUniversity of BremenBremenGermany
| | - Niladri Basu
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental SciencesMcGill UniversityMontreal, QuebecCanada
| | | | - Mar Cabeza
- Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science, Faculty of Biological and Environmental SciencesUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
- Global Change and Conservation, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental SciencesUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
| | - Joan Martínez‐Alier
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia AmbientalsUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBellatera, BarcelonaSpain
| | - Pamela McElwee
- Department of Human Ecology, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, RutgersThe State University of New JerseyNew BrunswickNew JerseyUSA
| | - Victoria Reyes‐García
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia AmbientalsUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBellatera, BarcelonaSpain
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, BarcelonaSpain
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12
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Burger J, Gochfeld M, Kosson DS, Brown KG, Salisbury J, Jeitner C. A paradigm for protecting ecological resources following remediation as a function of future land use designations: a case study for the Department of Energy's Hanford Site. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2020; 192:181. [PMID: 32065319 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-020-8084-x] [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: 08/07/2019] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Since the late 1980s, there has been a US federal mandate to clean up contaminated sites remaining from the Second World War, the Cold War, and abandoned industries. One determinant of cleanup standards for remediation is future land use-how will the land be used and by whom? Land use decisions may be consensus documents developed by site owners, state and federal agencies, and local stakeholders. Often there are competing views and/or claims on how remediated sites should be used, including as open or green space. Large sites are likely to have more ecological heterogeneity within similar land use designations because of differences in climate, geology, topography, and history of human use. This paper uses the Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford Site as a case study to examine how and whether future land use designations will protect species, species diversity, heterogeneity, and ecosystems once remediation is complete. The objective of this paper is to describe "future land use designations" on a large, complex site (DOE's Hanford Site) and to examine the following: (1) how future land use designations were made and have changed over time, (2) how land use designations included the value of ecological resources, (3) how risk evaluations of ecological resources from remediation were made, and (4) how future land use may affect the health and well-being of ecological resources on site in the post-remediation period. The paper provides a paradigm for integrating ecological protection into future land use designations such that rare and sensitive resources are protected throughout the process. The paradigm includes the following: (1) developing future land use designations, (2) defining resource levels (values), (3) relating resource levels to land use designations and management, (4) defining risk evaluations, (5) determining the likelihood that valuable resources will occur on each land use type after remediation, and (6) evaluating the potential risk to those resources that results from activities allowed under future land use designations. The paper discusses the importance of each step, the implications for protection of ecological resources, and the importance of land use designations in the assessment of risk to ecological resources from both continued monitoring and maintenance by DOE (or other land owners) and the activities permitted by the established future land use designations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Burger
- Division of Life Sciences, Rutgers University, 604 Allison Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA.
- Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute (EOHSI), Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA.
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), Vanderbilt University and Rutgers University, Nashville, TN, USA.
| | - Michael Gochfeld
- Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute (EOHSI), Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), Vanderbilt University and Rutgers University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - David S Kosson
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), Vanderbilt University and Rutgers University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37235, USA
| | - Kevin G Brown
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), Vanderbilt University and Rutgers University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37235, USA
| | - Jennifer Salisbury
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), Vanderbilt University and Rutgers University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Christian Jeitner
- Division of Life Sciences, Rutgers University, 604 Allison Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
- Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute (EOHSI), Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), Vanderbilt University and Rutgers University, Nashville, TN, USA
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13
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Stanley LR, Swaim RC, Kaholokula JK, Kelly KJ, Belcourt A, Allen J. The Imperative for Research to Promote Health Equity in Indigenous Communities. PREVENTION SCIENCE : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR PREVENTION RESEARCH 2020; 21:13-21. [PMID: 29110278 PMCID: PMC5936666 DOI: 10.1007/s11121-017-0850-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Health disparities exact a devastating toll upon Indigenous people in the USA. However, there has been scant research investment to develop strategies to address these inequities in Indigenous health. We present a case for increased health promotion, prevention, and treatment research with Indigenous populations, providing context to the recent NIH investment in the Intervention Research to Improve Native American Health (IRINAH) network. We discuss the disproportionate costs and consequences of disparities borne by Indigenous groups, the limited evidence base on effective intervention for this population, how population uniqueness often makes transfer of existing intervention models difficult, and additional challenges in creating interventions for Indigenous settings. Given the history of colonial disruption that has included genocide, forced removal from lands, damaging federal, state and local policies and practices, environmental contamination, and most recently, climate change, we conclude research that moves beyond minor transformations of existing majority population focused interventions, but instead truly respects Indigenous wisdom, knowledge, traditions, and aspirations is needed, and that investment in intervention science to address Indigenous health disparities represent a moral imperative.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda R Stanley
- Tri-Ethnic Center for Prevention Research, Colorado State University, Sage Hall, 1879 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO, 80523-1879, USA.
| | - Randall C Swaim
- Tri-Ethnic Center for Prevention Research, Colorado State University, Sage Hall, 1879 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO, 80523-1879, USA
| | - Joseph Keawe'aimoku Kaholokula
- Department of Native Hawaiian Health, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, 96813, USA
| | - Kathleen J Kelly
- Department of Marketing, Colorado State University, 1278 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
| | - Annie Belcourt
- School of Public and Community Health Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, 59812, USA
| | - James Allen
- Department of Biobehavioral Health and Population Sciences, University of Minnesota-Duluth, Duluth, MN, 55812, USA
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Burger J. Costs and Benefits of Delaying Remediation on Ecological Resources at Contaminated Sites. ECOHEALTH 2019; 16:454-475. [PMID: 31377906 DOI: 10.1007/s10393-019-01437-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2018] [Revised: 06/24/2019] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
The USA and other nations have massive industrial, radiologic, and chemical legacy wastes on numerous sites, for example from the Cold War and industrial activities. Most of these sites will require remediation (cleanup of contaminants). Prioritization is essential to determine the order of cleanup, leaving some tasks for a later time. This paper examines the potential costs and benefits of delaying remediation on ecological resources on contaminated sites. Aspects to consider include those related to management and planning, source term and pathways, risks and resources, and external drivers (regulations and laws, stakeholders). The US Department of Energy was used as a case study to examine the effects of delaying remediation. The conceptual model and tables provided here can serve as guidance or checklists for site managers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Burger
- Division of Life Sciences, Rutgers University, 604 Allison Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854-8082, USA.
- Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Insitutute, Rutgers Univesity, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA.
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA.
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Burger J, Gochfeld M, Kosson DS, Brown KG, Salisbury JA, Jeitner C. Evaluation of ecological resources at operating facilities at contaminated sites: The Department of Energy's Hanford Site as a case study. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2019; 170:452-462. [PMID: 30640079 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2018.12.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2018] [Revised: 12/19/2018] [Accepted: 12/20/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The U.S. and other developed nations are faced with many contaminated sites remaining from World War II, the Cold War, and abandoned industries, that require remediation and restoration to allow future land uses with minimum acceptable risk to humans and ecological resources. For large Department of Energy (DOE) sites with massive remediation tasks remaining, it is important for managers to be able to assure regulators, Tribal Nations, and the public that human and ecological health are protected. Hanford Site has the largest and most expensive cleanup task within the DOE complex; cleanup will continue beyond 2090. Cleanup involves the use of operating facilities, which also may present a risk to humans or ecological resources. We present a brief description of a methodology to evaluate risks to ecological receptors at the Hanford Site from remaining remediation tasks, and evaluate the risk to ecological resources that operating facilities present currently, during active cleanup of these facilities, and during the post cleanup period. Operating facilities include current, active operations that are located on the site and aid in site cleanup, including both storage and treatment operations. At the Hanford Site, they include waste treatment plants, sludge basins, waste trenches, Central Waste Complex, storage facilities, and disposal facilities, among others. Risk ratings for ecological resources are highest during the remediation phase. Risk ratings for the operating facilities at the Hanford Site range from not discernible to medium currently, from not discernible (ND) to high during active cleanup, and from not discernible to medium following cleanup. The highest ratings are for the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant that is being constructed to stabilize radioactive and chemical wastes, and the Liquid Effluent Retention and Treatment Facility that removes and deactivates hazardous contaminants from waste water. Higher ratings in the post-cleanup period are largely due to restoration of ecological resources during cleanup, which increases the potential for injury (if these resources are harmed) because a site will then have higher quality resources after cleanup than it did before. Assessing the value of ecological resources, and determining potential consequences during active remediation and after remediation is essential for compliance with state and federal laws. Understanding the risks to ecological resources from now until clean-up is completed at these facilities is important because of the potential for ecological resources of high value to be degraded, and because cleanup completion is not expected until 2090 or later. The methodology can be applied to any contaminated site requiring a rapid method of assessing potential damages to ecological resources from proposed management actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Burger
- Division of Life Sciences, 604 Allison Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA; Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation, Vanderbilt University and Rutgers University, USA.
| | - Michael Gochfeld
- Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA; Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - David S Kosson
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation, Vanderbilt University and Rutgers University, USA; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville 37235, USA
| | - Kevin G Brown
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation, Vanderbilt University and Rutgers University, USA; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville 37235, USA
| | - Jennifer A Salisbury
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation, Vanderbilt University and Rutgers University, USA; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville 37235, USA
| | - Christian Jeitner
- Division of Life Sciences, 604 Allison Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA; Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation, Vanderbilt University and Rutgers University, USA
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Burger J, Gochfeld M, Lacy C. Ethnic differences in risk: experiences, medical needs, and access to care after hurricane Sandy in new jersey. JOURNAL OF TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. PART A 2019; 82:128-141. [PMID: 30722754 PMCID: PMC6419501 DOI: 10.1080/15287394.2019.1568329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
This survey investigation assessed an economically challenged and largely minority population regarding concerns, evacuation status, medical needs and access to care during, and after, Hurricane Sandy by ethnicity status for patients using New Jersey's Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC). Data obtained contribute to understanding risk from disasters, and improving environmental justice for vulnerable populations following disasters. FQHCs provide medical and dental services for 5% of New Jersey 's population; 95% of those served are uninsured, underinsured, or live below the poverty level. Economically vulnerable individuals are more at risk and were disproportionately harmed by Sandy. There were ethnic differences in days evacuated, days without power and heat, self-rating of personal/family impact, center use, need and access, and interruptions of care and medications. Hispanics and Blacks reported needing centers significantly more than White population. Primary medical conditions were diabetes, asthma, hypertension, and arrhythmia and heart disease, which did not vary ethnically. Understanding medical needs and concerns of vulnerable populations may help policymakers and practitioners prepare and respond promptly to disasters, reducing risk, and building resiliency for the medical care system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Burger
- Division of Life Sciences, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
- Environmental and Occupational Health Science Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey
| | - Michael Gochfeld
- Environmental and Occupational Health Science Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey
- Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, Piscataway, USA
| | - Clifton Lacy
- Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, Piscataway, USA
- Center for Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Response, and School of Communication and Information, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
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17
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Milakovich J, Simonds VW, Held S, Picket V, LaVeaux D, Cummins J, Martin C, Kelting-Gibson L. Children as Agents of Change: Parent Perceptions of Child-driven Environmental Health Communication in the Crow Community. JOURNAL OF HEALTH DISPARITIES RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2018; 11:115-127. [PMID: 30906673 PMCID: PMC6430107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jess Milakovich
- Department of Health and Human Development, Montana State University
| | - Vanessa W Simonds
- Department of Health and Human Development, Montana State University
| | - Suzanne Held
- Department of Health and Human Development, Montana State University
| | - Velma Picket
- Environmental Health Literacy Program, Little Big Horn College
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18
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Ferriss BE, Marcinek DJ, Ayres D, Borchert J, Lefebvre KA. Acute and chronic dietary exposure to domoic acid in recreational harvesters: A survey of shellfish consumption behavior. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2017; 101:70-79. [PMID: 28109640 PMCID: PMC5348270 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2017.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2016] [Revised: 01/05/2017] [Accepted: 01/06/2017] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Domoic acid (DA) is a neurotoxin that is naturally produced by phytoplankton and accumulates in seafood during harmful algal blooms. As the prevalence of DA increases in the marine environment, there is a critical need to identify seafood consumers at risk of DA poisoning. DA exposure was estimated in recreational razor clam (Siliqua patula) harvesters to determine if exposures above current regulatory guidelines occur and/or if harvesters are chronically exposed to low levels of DA. Human consumption rates of razor clams were determined by distributing 1523 surveys to recreational razor clam harvesters in spring 2015 and winter 2016, in Washington, USA. These consumption rate data were combined with DA measurements in razor clams, collected by a state monitoring program, to estimate human DA exposure. Approximately 7% of total acute exposures calculated (including the same individuals at different times) exceeded the current regulatory reference dose (0.075mgDA·kgbodyweight-1·d-1) due to higher than previously reported consumption rates, lower bodyweights, and/or by consumption of clams at the upper range of legal DA levels (maximum 20mg·kg-1 wet weight for whole tissue). Three percent of survey respondents were potentially at risk of chronic DA exposure by consuming a minimum of 15 clams per month for at 12 consecutive months. These insights into DA consumption will provide an additional tool for razor clam fishery management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bridget E Ferriss
- Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
| | - David J Marcinek
- Department of Radiology, Pathology, and Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Daniel Ayres
- WA State Department of Fish and Wildlife, 48 Devonshire Road, Montesano, WA 98563, USA
| | - Jerry Borchert
- WA State Department of Health, 243 Israel Road SE, Tumwater, WA 98501, USA
| | - Kathi A Lefebvre
- Environmental and Fisheries Science Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, 2725 Montlake Blvd. East, Seattle, WA 98112, USA
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Burger J, Gochfeld M, Bunn A, Downs J, Jeitner C, Pittfield T, Salisbury J, Kosson D. A Methodology to Evaluate Ecological Resources and Risk Using Two Case Studies at the Department of Energy's Hanford Site. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2017; 59:357-372. [PMID: 27904947 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-016-0798-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2016] [Accepted: 10/31/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
An assessment of the potential risks to ecological resources from remediation activities or other perturbations should involve a quantitative evaluation of resources on the remediation site and in the surrounding environment. We developed a risk methodology to rapidly evaluate potential impact on ecological resources for the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford Site in southcentral Washington State. We describe the application of the risk evaluation for two case studies to illustrate its applicability. The ecological assessment involves examining previous sources of information for the site, defining different resource levels from 0 to 5. We also developed a risk rating scale from non-discernable to very high. Field assessment is the critical step to determine resource levels or to determine if current conditions are the same as previously evaluated. We provide a rapid assessment method for current ecological conditions that can be compared to previous site-specific data, or that can be used to assess resource value on other sites where ecological information is not generally available. The method is applicable to other Department of Energy's sites, where its development may involve a range of state regulators, resource trustees, Tribes and other stakeholders. Achieving consistency across Department of Energy's sites for valuation of ecological resources on remediation sites will assure Congress and the public that funds and personnel are being deployed appropriately.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Burger
- Division of Life Sciences, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08854-8082, USA.
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37235, USA.
| | - Michael Gochfeld
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37235, USA
- Rutgers, robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Amoret Bunn
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99354, USA
| | - Janelle Downs
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99354, USA
| | - Christian Jeitner
- Division of Life Sciences, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08854-8082, USA
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37235, USA
| | - Taryn Pittfield
- Division of Life Sciences, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08854-8082, USA
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37235, USA
| | - Jennifer Salisbury
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37235, USA
| | - David Kosson
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP), Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37235, USA
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Environmental Reviews and Case Studies: Accounting for Diversity in Environmental Justice Screening Tools: Toward Multiple Indices of Disproportionate Impact. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017. [DOI: 10.1017/s1466046613000574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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21
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Pumarega J, Gasull M, Lee DH, López T, Porta M. Number of Persistent Organic Pollutants Detected at High Concentrations in Blood Samples of the United States Population. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0160432. [PMID: 27508420 PMCID: PMC4979965 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0160432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2016] [Accepted: 07/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Human exposure to environmental chemicals as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) is usually assessed considering each pollutant individually, with little attention to concentrations of mixtures in individuals or social groups. Yet, it may be relatively common for humans to have low and high concentrations of numerous POPs. The study objectives were to analyze the number of POPs detected per person at high concentrations in the U.S. population, and the associations between such type of indicators and socioeconomic factors as gender, race / ethnicity, education, and poverty level. From 91 POPs analyzed in serum samples of 4,739 individuals in three subsamples of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2004 (the last period with valid updated individual data for the compounds considered in the present study), we computed the number of POPs whose serum concentrations were above selected cutoff points. POPs included were 13 organochlorine compounds (OCs), 10 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), the polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) 153, 38 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 17 polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDDs/Fs), and 12 perfluorinated compounds (PFCs). Over 13% of participants had ≥10 of the 37 most detected POPs each at a concentration in the top decile (P90). Over 30% of subjects with total toxic equivalency (TEQ) ≥P75, had ≥10 of 24 POPs not included in TEQ calculations at concentrations ≥P90. Compared to non-Hispanic whites, the adjusted odds ratio of having ≥10 of the 37 POPs at P90 was 9.2 for non-Hispanic blacks and 0.18 for Mexican Americans. Poverty, body mass index, age, and gender were also independently associated with having ≥10 POPs in the top decile. More than one tenth of the US population may have ≥10 POPs each at concentrations in the top decile. Such pattern is nine times more frequent in Non-Hispanic blacks and four times less frequent in Mexican Americans than in non-Hispanic whites.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Pumarega
- Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Magda Gasull
- Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- School of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Duk-Hee Lee
- Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Korea
| | - Tomàs López
- Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- School of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Miquel Porta
- Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- School of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- * E-mail:
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Burger J, Gochfeld M, Clarke J, Jeitner C, Pittfield T. Environmental Assessment for Sustainability and Resiliency for Ecological and Human Health. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 1. [PMID: 27468428 DOI: 10.13188/2471-4879.1000001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Considerable attention has been devoted to environmental assessment and monitoring, primarily by physical and biological scientists, and more recently by social scientists. However, population growth and global change have resulted in an imperative to assess the resiliency of the environment to adapt to large scale changes and to continue to produce goods and services for future generations (sustainability). Changing land use needs or expectations may require the remediation and restoration of degraded or contaminated land. This paper provides an overview of monitoring types, and discusses how indicators for the different monitoring types can be developed to address questions of ecological health, human health, and whether restoration and remediation are effective. We suggest that along with more traditional types of monitoring, agencies should consider recovery indicators or metrics, as well as resiliency metrics. We suggest that one goal of assessment should be to determine if management, remediation, restoration, and mitigation reduce recovery time, thus reducing community vulnerability and enhancing resiliency to environmental stressors and disasters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Burger
- Division of Life Sciences, Rutgers University, 604 Allison Road, Piscataway, New Jersey, 08854, USA; Consortium for Risk Evaluation and Stakeholder Participation, Vanderbilt University (Nashville Tennessee) and Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
| | - Michael Gochfeld
- Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA; Environmental and Community Medicine, Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey, 08854, USA
| | - James Clarke
- Environmental and Community Medicine, Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey, 08854, USA; Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Christian Jeitner
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation and Stakeholder Participation, Vanderbilt University (Nashville Tennessee) and Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
| | - Taryn Pittfield
- Consortium for Risk Evaluation and Stakeholder Participation, Vanderbilt University (Nashville Tennessee) and Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
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Gonzales FA, Jones RR, Deardorff J, Windham GC, Hiatt RA, Kushi LH. Neighborhood deprivation, race/ethnicity, and urinary metal concentrations among young girls in California. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2016; 91:29-39. [PMID: 26908165 PMCID: PMC6360017 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2016.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2015] [Revised: 01/31/2016] [Accepted: 02/02/2016] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although metals can adversely impact children's health, the distribution of exposures to many metals, particularly among vulnerable subpopulations, is not well characterized. OBJECTIVES We sought to determine whether neighborhood deprivation was associated with urinary concentrations of thirteen metals and whether observed relationships varied by race/ethnicity. METHODS We obtained neighborhood characteristics from the 2005-2009 American Community Survey. Demographic information and urine samples from 400 healthy young girls in Northern California were obtained during a clinical visit. Urine samples were analyzed for metals using inductively-coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and levels were corrected for creatinine. We ran analysis of variance and generalized linear regression models to estimate associations of urinary metal concentrations with neighborhood deprivation and race/ethnicity and stratified multivariable models to evaluate possible interactions among predictors on metals concentrations. RESULTS Urinary concentrations of three metals (barium, lead, antimony) varied significantly across neighborhood deprivation quartiles, and four (barium, lead, antimony, tin) varied across race/ethnicity groups. In models adjusted for family income and cotinine, both race/ethnicity (F3,224=4.34, p=0.01) and neighborhood deprivation (F3,224=4.32, p=0.01) were associated with antimony concentrations, but neither were associated with lead, barium, or tin, concentrations. Examining neighborhood deprivation within race/ethnicity groups, barium levels (pinteraction<0.01) decreased with neighborhood deprivation among Hispanic girls (ptrend<0.001) and lead levels (pinteraction=0.06) increased with neighborhood deprivation among Asian girls (ptrend=0.04). CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that children's vulnerability to some metals varies by neighborhood deprivation quartile and race/ethnicity. These differential distributions of exposures may contribute to environmental health disparities later in life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felisa A Gonzales
- National Cancer Institute, Health Systems and Interventions Research Branch, Healthcare Delivery Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, BG 9609 RM 3E502 MSC 9712, 9609 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD 20850-9712, United States.
| | - Rena R Jones
- National Cancer Institute, Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, BG 9609 RM 6E124 MSC 9771, 9609 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD 20850-9771, United States.
| | - Julianna Deardorff
- University of California at Berkeley, School of Public Health, Department of Community Health and Human Development, 50 University Hall #7360, Berkeley, CA 94720-7360, United States.
| | - Gayle C Windham
- California Department of Public Health, Environmental Health Investigations Branch, 850 Marina Bay Parkway, Building P, 3rd Floor, Richmond, CA 94804, United States.
| | - Robert A Hiatt
- University of California at San Francisco, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, Box 0560, San Francisco, CA 94143-0560, United States.
| | - Lawrence H Kushi
- Kaiser Permanente, Division of Research, 2000 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612, United States.
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24
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Dong Z, Jim RC, Hatley EL, Backus ASN, Shine JP, Spengler JD, Schaider LA. A longitudinal study of mercury exposure associated with consumption of freshwater fish from a reservoir in rural south central USA. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2015; 136:155-62. [PMID: 25460632 PMCID: PMC4348364 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2014.09.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2014] [Revised: 09/03/2014] [Accepted: 09/16/2014] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Methylmercury (MeHg) exposure through fish consumption is a worldwide health concern. Saltwater fish account for most dietary MeHg exposure in the general U.S. population, but less is known about seasonal variations in MeHg exposure and fish consumption among millions of freshwater anglers. This longitudinal study examined associations between MeHg exposure and fish consumption in a rural, low-income population relying on a freshwater reservoir (Oklahoma, USA) for recreational and subsistence fishing. We interviewed 151 participants, primarily anglers and their families, seasonally for one year using 90-day recall food frequency questionnaires to assess general and species-specific fish consumption, and tested hair biomarker samples for total mercury (THg hair). Mean THg hair was 0.27 μg/g (n=595, range: 0.0044-3.1 μg/g), with 4% of participants above U.S. EPA's guideline for women of childbearing age and children. Mean fish consumption was 58 g/d (95% CI: 49-67 g/d), within the range previously reported for recreational freshwater anglers and above the national average. Unlike the general U.S. population, freshwater species contributed the majority of fish consumption (69%) and dietary Hg exposure (60%) among participants, despite relatively low THg in local fish. THg hair increased with fish consumption, age, and education, and was higher among male participants and the lowest in winter. Our results suggest that future studies of anglers should consider seasonality in fish consumption and MeHg exposure and include household members who share their catch. Efforts to evaluate benefits of reducing Hg emissions should consider dietary patterns among consumers of fish from local freshwater bodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhao Dong
- Harvard School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health, 401 Park Drive, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Rebecca C Jim
- Local Environmental Action Demanded (L.E.A.D.) Agency, 223 A Street SE, Miami, OK 74354, USA
| | - Earl L Hatley
- Local Environmental Action Demanded (L.E.A.D.) Agency, 223 A Street SE, Miami, OK 74354, USA
| | - Ann S N Backus
- Harvard School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health, 401 Park Drive, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - James P Shine
- Harvard School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health, 401 Park Drive, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - John D Spengler
- Harvard School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health, 401 Park Drive, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Laurel A Schaider
- Harvard School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health, 401 Park Drive, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
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25
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Burger J, Elbin S. Metal levels in eggs of waterbirds in the New York Harbor (USA): trophic relationships and possible risk to human consumers. JOURNAL OF TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. PART A 2015; 78:78-91. [PMID: 25424617 PMCID: PMC4696385 DOI: 10.1080/15287394.2014.941965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Health professionals are interested in evaluating the risks that heavy metals pose to eco-receptors and humans. The objective of this study was to examine levels of mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and other contaminants in waterbirds nesting in the New York harbor in 2012 to determine (1) whether there were species and locational differences, and (2) whether consumption of eggs posed a health risk to predators or humans. For arsenic (As), Pb, Hg, and selenium (Se), species contributed more to variations in levels than location; for Cd and chromium (Cr), location was more significant. Mean metal levels differed among species for all metals, except Cd. Highest levels were As (great black-backed gulls, Larus marinus), Cr (great egret, Ardea alba), Pb (Canada goose, Branta canadensis), and Hg and Se (black-crowned night heron, Nycticorax nycticorax). There were significant locational differences only for herring gulls (Larus argentatus); significant differences were found for all metals. Levels of Hg and Pb may be sufficiently high in eggs of some species to produce adverse effects in predators that eat them. The proportion of samples above 0.3 ppm Hg (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] freshwater criteria for freshwater fish), the contaminant of health concern, ranged from 0% (Canada goose, great egret), to 14 and 27% in gulls, to 50% (black-crowned night heron). Some herring gull, great black-backed gull, and black-crowned night heron eggs had 0.5 ppm or higher Hg. Thus, human consumption of eggs may pose a risk to fetuses and young children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Burger
- Division of Life Sciences, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
- Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
| | - Susan Elbin
- Conservation and Science, New York City Audubon, New York, New York, USA
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26
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Burger J, Gochfeld M, Batang Z, Alikunhi N, Al-Jahdali R, Al-Jebreen D, Aziz MAM, Al-Suwailem A. Interspecific and locational differences in metal levels in edible fish tissue from Saudi Arabia. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2014; 186:6721-46. [PMID: 24997870 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-014-3885-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2014] [Accepted: 06/11/2014] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Metal levels in fish have been extensively studied, but little data currently exists for the Middle East. We examined the levels of metals and metalloids (aluminum, arsenic, copper, manganese, selenium, zinc, and mercury) in the flesh of 13 fish species collected from three fishing sites and a local fish market in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. We tested the following null hypotheses: (1) there are no interspecific differences in metal levels, (2) there are no differences in metal levels in fishes between market and fishing sites, (3) there are no size-related differences in metal levels, and (4) there are no differences in selenium:mercury molar ratio among different fish species. There were significant interspecific differences in concentrations for all metals. There was an order of magnitude difference in the levels of aluminum, arsenic, mercury, manganese, and selenium, indicating wide variation in potential effects on the fish themselves and on their predators. Fishes from Area II, close to a large commercial port, had the highest levels of arsenic, mercury, and selenium, followed by market fishes. Mercury was positively correlated with body size in 6 of the 13 fish species examined. Mercury was correlated positively with arsenic and selenium, but negatively with aluminum, cobalt, copper, manganese, and zinc. Selenium:mercury molar ratios varied significantly among species, with Carangoides bajad, Cephalopholis argus, Variola louti, and Ephinephelus tauvina having ratios below 10:1. These findings can be used in risk assessments, design of mercury reduction plans, development of fish advisories to protect public health, and future management decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Burger
- Division of Life Sciences, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA,
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27
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Burger J, Gochfeld M, Batang Z, Alikunhi N, Al-Jahdali R, Al-Jebreen D, Aziz MAM, Al-Suwailem A. Fish consumption behavior and rates in native and non-native people in Saudi Arabia. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2014; 133:141-8. [PMID: 24926920 PMCID: PMC4467211 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2014.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2014] [Revised: 05/05/2014] [Accepted: 05/07/2014] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Fish are a healthy source of protein and nutrients, but contaminants in fish may provide health risks. Determining the risk from contaminants in fish requires site-specific information on consumption patterns. We examine consumption rates for resident and expatriates in the Jeddah region of Saudi Arabia, by species of fish and fishing location. For Saudis, 3.7% of males and 4.3% of females do not eat fish; for expatriates, the percent not eating fish is 6.6% and 6.1% respectively. Most people eat fish at home (over 90%), and many eat fish at restaurants (65% and 48%, respectively for Saudis and expatriates). Fish eaten at home comes from local fish markets, followed by supermarkets. Saudis included fish in their diets at an average of 1.4 ± 1.2 meals/week at home and 0.8 ± 0.7 meals/week at restaurants, while expats ate 2.0 ± 1.7 meals/week at home and 1.1 ± 1.1 meals/week in restaurants. Overall, Saudis ate 2.2 fish meals/week, while expats ate 3.1 meals/week. Grouper (Epinephelus and Cephalopholis) were eaten by 72% and 60% respectively. Plectropomus pessuliferus was the second favorite for both groups and Hipposcarus harid and Lethrinus lentjan were in 3rd and 4th place in terms of consumption. Average meal size was 68 g for Saudis and 128 g for expatriates. These data can be used by health professionals, risk assessors, and environmental regulators to examine potential risk from contaminants in fish, and to compare consumption rates with other sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Burger
- Division of Life Sciences, Rutgers University, 604 Allison Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA; Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA.
| | - Michael Gochfeld
- Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA; Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Zenon Batang
- Coastal and Marine Resources Core Laboratory, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Nabeel Alikunhi
- Coastal and Marine Resources Core Laboratory, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ramzi Al-Jahdali
- Coastal and Marine Resources Core Laboratory, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Dalal Al-Jebreen
- Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Princess Nora bint Abdul Rahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed A M Aziz
- Directorate of Aquatic Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdulaziz Al-Suwailem
- Coastal and Marine Resources Core Laboratory, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
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Kruize H, Droomers M, van Kamp I, Ruijsbroek A. What causes environmental inequalities and related health effects? An analysis of evolving concepts. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2014; 11:5807-27. [PMID: 24886752 PMCID: PMC4078549 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph110605807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2013] [Revised: 04/30/2014] [Accepted: 05/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Early environmental justice studies were exposure-oriented, lacked an integrated approach, and did not address the health impact of environmental inequalities. A coherent conceptual framework, needed to understand and tackle environmental inequalities and the related health effects, was lacking. We analyzed the more recent environmental justice literature to find out how conceptual insights have evolved. The conceptual framework of the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) was analyzed for additional explanations for environmental inequalities and the related health effects. This paper points out that recent environmental justice studies have broadened their scope by incorporating a broader set of physical and social environmental indicators, and by focusing on different geographic levels and on health impacts of environmental inequalities. The CSDH framework provided additional elements such as the role of structural determinants, the role of health-related behavior in relation to the physical and social environment, access to health care, as well as the life course perspective. Incorporating elements of the CSDH framework into existing environmental justice concepts, and performing more empirical research on the interactions between the different determinants at different geographical levels would further improve our understanding of environmental inequalities and their health effects and offer new opportunities for policy action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanneke Kruize
- Centre for Sustainability, Environment and Health (DMG), National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Antonie van Leeuwenhoeklaan 9, 3721 Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
| | - Mariël Droomers
- Department of Public Health, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1012 WX Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Irene van Kamp
- Centre for Sustainability, Environment and Health (DMG), National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Antonie van Leeuwenhoeklaan 9, 3721 Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
| | - Annemarie Ruijsbroek
- Centre for Nutrition, Prevention and Health Services, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Antonie van Leeuwenhoeklaan 9, 3721 Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
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29
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Liu AY, Curriero FC, Glass TA, Stewart WF, Schwartz BS. The contextual influence of coal abandoned mine lands in communities and type 2 diabetes in Pennsylvania. Health Place 2013; 22:115-22. [PMID: 23689181 DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2013.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2012] [Revised: 03/11/2013] [Accepted: 03/31/2013] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Coal abandoned mine lands (AMLs), persistent and prevalent across Pennsylvania, offer an instructive evaluation of potential contextual influences of chronic environmental contamination (CEC) on individual health. We evaluated associations between the burden of AMLs, represented by 10 contextual metrics at the community level, and individual-level type 2 diabetes using hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) as a biomarker. Cross-sectional and longitudinal multilevel analyses were conducted with over 28,000 diabetic primary care patients of the Geisinger Clinic. Adjusted models revealed five AML burden measures were associated (p<0.05), and three additional were borderline associated (0.05≤p≤0.10), with higher and/or change in HbA1c levels. This study provides key empirical evidence of adverse impacts of CEC in communities on an important chronic disease, illustrating the contextual effects of living in long-term degraded landscapes and communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann Y Liu
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States.
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30
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Burger J. Role of self-caught fish in total fish consumption rates for recreational fishermen: Average consumption for some species exceeds allowable intake. JOURNAL OF RISK RESEARCH 2013; 16:1057-1075. [PMID: 23914136 PMCID: PMC3728903 DOI: 10.1080/13669877.2013.788546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Studies of fish consumption focus on recreational or subsistence fishing, on awareness and adherence to advisories, consumption patterns, and contaminants in fish. Yet the general public obtains their fish from commercial sources. In this paper I examine fish consumption patterns of recreational fishermen in New Jersey to determine: 1) consumption rates for self-caught fish and for other fish, 2) meals consumed per year, 3) average meal size, and average daily intake of mercury, and 4) variations in these parameters for commonly-consumed fish, and different methods of computing intake. Over 300 people were interviewed at fishing sites and fishing clubs along the New Jersey shore. Consumption patterns of anglers varied by species of fish. From 2 to 90 % of the anglers ate the different fish species, and between 9 and 75 % gave fish away to family or friends. Self-caught fish made up 7 to 92 % of fish diets. On average, self-caught fish were eaten for only 2 to 6 months of the year, whereas other fish (commercial or restaurant) were eaten up to 10 months a year. Anglers consumed from 5 to 36 meals of different fish a year, which resulted in intake of mercury ranging from 0.01 to 0.22 ug/kg/day. Average intake of Mako shark, swordfish, and tuna (sushi, canned tuna, self-caught tuna) exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's oral, chronic reference dose for mercury of 0.1 ug/kg/day. However, computing intake using consumption for the highest month results in average mercury intake exceeding the reference dose for striped bass and bluefish as well. These data, and the variability in consumption patterns, have implications for risk assessors, risk managers, and health professionals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Burger
- Division of Life Sciences, and Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Rutgers University, 604 Allison Road, Piscataway, NJ, USA
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31
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Nweke OC, Payne-Sturges D, Garcia L, Lee C, Zenick H, Grevatt P, Sanders WH, Case H, Dankwa-Mullan I. Symposium on integrating the science of environmental justice into decision-making at the Environmental Protection Agency: an overview. Am J Public Health 2011; 101 Suppl 1:S19-26. [PMID: 22028456 DOI: 10.2105/ajph.2011.300368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
In March 2010, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) collaborated with government and nongovernmental organizations to host a groundbreaking symposium, "Strengthening Environmental Justice Research and Decision Making: A Symposium on the Science of Disproportionate Environmental Health Impacts." The symposium provided a forum for discourse on the state of scientific knowledge about factors identified by EPA that may contribute to higher burdens of environmental exposure or risk in racial/ethnic minorities and low-income populations. Also featured were discussions on how environmental justice considerations may be integrated into EPA's analytical and decision-making frameworks and on research needs for advancing the integration of environmental justice into environmental policymaking. We summarize key discussions and conclusions from the symposium and briefly introduce the articles in this issue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Onyemaechi C Nweke
- Office of Environmental Justice, US Environmental Protection Agency, MC 2201A, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20460, USA.
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