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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; 20:1677-1692. [PMID: 38639473 DOI: 10.1002/ieam.4927] [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: 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;20:1677-1692. © 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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Wigand ME, Timmermann C, Scherp A, Becker T, Steger F. Climate Change, Pollution, Deforestation, and Mental Health: Research Trends, Gaps, and Ethical Considerations. GEOHEALTH 2022; 6:e2022GH000632. [PMID: 36330078 PMCID: PMC9623432 DOI: 10.1029/2022gh000632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Climate change, pollution, and deforestation have a negative impact on global mental health. There is an environmental justice dimension to this challenge as wealthy people and high-income countries are major contributors to climate change and pollution, while poor people and low-income countries are heavily affected by the consequences. Using state-of-the art data mining, we analyzed and visualized the global research landscape on mental health, climate change, pollution and deforestation over a 15-year period. Metadata of papers were exported from PubMed®, and both relevance and relatedness of terms in different time frames were computed using VOSviewer. Co-occurrence graphs were used to visualize results. The development of exemplary terms over time was plotted separately. The number of research papers on mental health and environmental challenges is growing in a linear fashion. Major topics are climate change, chemical pollution, including psychiatric medication in wastewater, and neurobiological effects. Research on specific psychiatric syndromes and diseases, particularly on their ethical and social aspects is less prominent. There is a growing body of research literature on links between mental health, climate change, pollution, and deforestation. This research provides a graphic overview to mental healthcare professionals and political stakeholders. Social and ethical aspects of the climate change-mental health link have been neglected, and more research is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moritz E. Wigand
- Institute of the History, Philosophy and Ethics of MedicineUlm UniversityUlmGermany
- Department of Psychiatry IIUlm University and Bezirkskrankenhaus GünzburgGünzburgGermany
- Department of PsychiatryImland Klinik Rendsburg/EckernfördeRendsburgGermany
| | - Cristian Timmermann
- Institute of the History, Philosophy and Ethics of MedicineUlm UniversityUlmGermany
- Ethics of Medicine, Medical FacultyUniversity of AugsburgAugsburgGermany
| | - Ansgar Scherp
- Data Science and Big Data Analytics GroupUlm UniversityUlmGermany
| | - Thomas Becker
- Department of Psychiatry IIUlm University and Bezirkskrankenhaus GünzburgGünzburgGermany
| | - Florian Steger
- Institute of the History, Philosophy and Ethics of MedicineUlm UniversityUlmGermany
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Credo J, Ingram JC. Perspective Developing Successful Collaborative Research Partnerships with AI/AN Communities. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:9089. [PMID: 34501677 PMCID: PMC8430766 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18179089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In the United States, American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people are frequently under- or misrepresented in research and health statistics. A principal reason for this disparity is the lack of collaborative partnerships between researchers and tribes. There are hesitations from both academic Western scientists and tribal communities to establish new partnerships due to differences in cultural and scientific understanding, from data ownership and privacy to dissemination and project expansion. An infamous example is the mishandling of samples collected from the Havasupai Tribe by Arizona State University (ASU) scientists, leading to a legal battle between the tribe and ASU and ending in a moratorium of research with the Havasupai people. This paper will explore three successful and positive collaborations with a large and small tribe, including how the partnerships were established and the outcomes of the collaboration. In addition, the paper will provide perspective of what needs to be addressed by Western scientists if productive collaborations with tribal groups are to be established.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Credo
- College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Jani C. Ingram
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA;
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Gornish ES, McCormick M, Begay M, Nsikani MM. Sharing knowledge to improve ecological restoration outcomes. Restor Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Elise S. Gornish
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85711, U.S.A
| | - Molly McCormick
- U.S. Geological Survey Southwest Biological Science Center, Flagstaff, AZ, 86001, U.S.A
| | - Marquel Begay
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85711, U.S.A
| | - Mlungele M. Nsikani
- South African National Biodiversity Institute Kirstenbosch Research Centre Claremont South Africa
- Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1 Matieland 7602 South Africa
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Montoya LD, Mendoza LM, Prouty C, Trotz M, Verbyla ME. Environmental Engineering for the 21st Century: Increasing Diversity and Community Participation to Achieve Environmental and Social Justice. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING SCIENCE 2021; 38:288-297. [PMID: 34079202 PMCID: PMC8165463 DOI: 10.1089/ees.2020.0148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Communities of color are disproportionately burdened by environmental pollution and by obstacles to influence policies that impact environmental health. Black, Hispanic, and Native American students and faculty are also largely underrepresented in environmental engineering programs in the United States. Nearly 80 participants of a workshop at the 2019 Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP) Research and Education Conference developed recommendations for reversing these trends. Workshop participants identified factors for success in academia, which included adopting a broader definition for the impact of research and teaching. Participants also supported the use of community-based participatory research and classroom action research methods in engineering programs for recruiting, retaining, and supporting the transition of underrepresented students into professional and academic careers. However, institutions must also evolve to recognize the academic value of community-based work to enable faculty, especially underrepresented minority faculty, who use it effectively, to succeed in tenure promotions. Workshop discussions elucidated potential causal relationships between factors that influence the co-creation of research related to academic skills, community skills, mutual trust, and shared knowledge. Based on the discussions from this workshop, we propose a pathway for increasing diversity and community participation in the environmental engineering discipline by exposing students to community-based participatory methods, establishing action research groups for faculty, broadening the definition of research impact to improve tenure promotion experiences for minority faculty, and using a mixed methods approach to evaluate its impact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lupita D. Montoya
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Lorelay M. Mendoza
- Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Christine Prouty
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Maya Trotz
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Matthew E. Verbyla
- Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
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Segev T, Harvey AP, Ajmani A, Johnson C, Longfellow W, Vandiver KM, Hemond H. A case study in participatory science with mutual capacity building between university and tribal researchers to investigate drinking water quality in rural Maine. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 192:110460. [PMID: 33217437 PMCID: PMC7787195 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Revised: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 11/07/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Participatory science or citizen science is increasingly being recognized for providing benefits to scientists and community members alike. However, most participatory science projects include community researchers only in the sample collection phase of the research project. Here we describe how a rural tribal community and urban university utilized participatory science methods to engage community researchers across an entire research study, creating numerous opportunities for mutual capacity building. OBJECTIVES Researchers from MIT and the Sipayik Environmental Department, a tribal government department, partnered to co-launch a participatory science project to analyze municipal and private well drinking water quality in households in three Maine communities. The objective was to provide households with information about metals, primarily lead and arsenic, in their drinking water, and to improve public education, community partnerships, and local scientific capacity. METHODS MIT and Sipayik researchers engaged local communities through public community meetings, mailed flyers sent to residents, and meetings with local stakeholders. MIT and community researchers worked together to design and implement the study to quantify metals in community drinking water samples, as well as hold capacity-building trainings. Individual drinking water results were communicated to households, and generalized results were discussed at community meetings in the report-back phase. RESULTS The study attained a 29% household participation rate in the region. The researchers completed the analysis and report-back on 652 water samples. Isolated incidences of lead and geologically-attributable arsenic exceeding EPA standards were found. Individual report-backs of the results enabled local participatory scientists to make their own informed public health decisions. The study produced methodologies for navigating potential ethical issues, working with diverse communities, and collaborating over challenging geographical distances. DISCUSSION This project developed methodologies to build long-term relationships with local scientists and to engage community members and enhance the environmental literacy of rural communities. Both MIT and Sipayik researchers learned from each other throughout the project; Sipayik researchers built technical capacity while MIT researchers gained local and cultural understanding. Community outreach methods were most effective when sent directly to residents as mailed flyers or through Sipayik researchers' outreach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tchelet Segev
- Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, USA; Center for Environmental Health Sciences (CEHS) and MIT Superfund Research Program, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Abigail P Harvey
- Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, USA; Center for Environmental Health Sciences (CEHS) and MIT Superfund Research Program, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Asha Ajmani
- Sipayik Environmental Department, Passamaquoddy Tribal Government, Pleasant Point, Maine, USA
| | - Christopher Johnson
- Sipayik Environmental Department, Passamaquoddy Tribal Government, Pleasant Point, Maine, USA
| | - William Longfellow
- Sipayik Environmental Department, Passamaquoddy Tribal Government, Pleasant Point, Maine, USA
| | - Kathleen M Vandiver
- Center for Environmental Health Sciences (CEHS) and MIT Superfund Research Program, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Harold Hemond
- Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, USA; Center for Environmental Health Sciences (CEHS) and MIT Superfund Research Program, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
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Cruz SM. Themes Across New Directions in Community Engagement. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2019; 16:E3724. [PMID: 31623297 PMCID: PMC6801676 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16193724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2019] [Revised: 09/29/2019] [Accepted: 10/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The articles in this special issue on New Directions in Environmental Communication in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health present new research and perspectives on engaging communities impacted by Superfund sites-the hazardous waste sites that have been identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as needing cleanup. In particular, these articles focus on the community engagement cores (CECs) that work with affected communities as part the Superfund Research Program at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). The purpose of this closing article is to highlight important themes evident across the eight articles in the special issue. When considered together, the findings reveal important lessons learned about community engagement and environmental communication, but also reveal that much more remains to be known. Recommendations are made for how these teams can continue to practice, reflect on, and research community engagement in ways that build toward a better understanding and implementation of best practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon M Cruz
- Department of Communication Arts & Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
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