Challenge:
Enviornmental health in vulnerable communities exposed to pollution
The challenge presented here is being addressed by the University of California, San Diego - NIEHS Superfund Research Program Community Outreach Core (COC). The efforts of the COC employ a community-based, collaborative approach that uses scientific knowledge and new technologies to improve the understanding of the roots causes that increase risk of toxic exposures in Native American and urban poor communities along the U.S.-Mexico border. The aim of our work is to provide a scientific grounding for community-level interventions to reduce or eliminate toxic exposures, while also helping to develop regional policies and planning practices that promote healthy and sustainable communities. The work of the COC focuses on Native American and urban poor communities of the U.S.-Mexico border region whom suffer from disproportionate impacts from the presence of toxic chemicals in the environment.
The term “environmental justice communities” refers to poor, working class, indigenous, refugee and communities of color who bear the disproportionate burden of critical economic, environmental, public health and social impacts in the places where they live, work, play, pray, and go to school (1,2,3). In addition, environmental Justice efforts also seek to build the capacity of “communities that have been the most negatively impacted by interrelated dynamics of institutionalized racism, the commodification of land, water, energy and air, unresponsive and unaccountable governmental policies and regulation, and the lack of resources and power to engage in decision-making about issues that most impact them.” (1,2). About one quarter of human disease can be explained by environmental factors alone, including exposures to toxic chemicals in the environment (4). From a public health standpoint, the disproportionate impact of toxic exposures on vulnerable populations or environmental justice communities can increase the overall burden of disease in a community undermining efforts to achieve healthier and more sustainable communities.
CITATIONS:
(1) Bullard RD. 1990. Chapter Two: Race, Class, and the Politics of Place. In: Dumping in Dixie: Race, Class, and Environmental Quality. San Francisco: Westview Press Boulder. Available: http://www.ciesin.org/docs/010-278/010-278chpt2.html [accessed 4 May 2010]
(2) Environmental Health Coalition (EHC). 2003. Building Healthy Communities From The Ground Up: Environmental Justice in California Available: http://www.cbecal.org/pdf/healthy-communities.pdf [accessed 4 May 2010]
(3) Birnbaum L, Zenick H, Branche CM. 2009. Environmental Justice: A Continual Commitment to an Evolving Concept. American Journal of Public Health. 99: S487-S489 Available: http://ajph.aphapublications.org/cgi/reprint/99/S3/S487 [accessed 4 May 2010]
(4) National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). 2006. New Frontiers in Environmental Sciences and Human Health: The 2006-2011 NIEHS Strategic Plan. Available:
http://www.niehs.nih.gov/about/od/strategicplan/docs/strategic-plan06.pdf [Accessed 16 May 2010]
Goals
- Establish community-based, transdisciplinary coalitions to identify, prioritize and address regional environmental justice issues.
Actions
- Develop successful community-based process models for addressing environmental justice issues of national priority at the regional level.
Solutions
A University-Based Model for Building Capacity of Communities At-Risk of Toxic Exposures
By Hiram Sarabia on May 04, 2010 at 08:56 AM
Opportunities
No Opportunities have been added to this Challenge.
More research is needed to document the policies and practices that give rise to environmental justice issues and on developing scalable process models to address the root causes of environmental injustice. Also, in the case of many Native American communities more work needs to be done to understand how cultural practices and Tribal lifestyles may increase potential exposures to toxic chemicals in the environment.
For a discussion of this challenge by the EPA, see: “Strengthening Environmental Justice and Decision Making: A Symposium on the Science of Disproportionate Environmental Health Impacts” Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington DC, March 17 - 19, 2010. http://www.epa.gov/ncer/events/news/2010/03_16_10_press.html
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: PARTNERSHIPS FOR COMMUNICATION http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-ES-04-007.html
Partnerships for Environmental Public Health (PEPH)
The PEPH program is an umbrella program that brings together scientists, community members, educators, health care providers, public health officials, and policy makers in the shared goal of advancing the impact of environmental public health research at local, regional, and national levels. For the purposes of this program, Environmental Public Health is defined as the science of conducting and translating research into action to address environmental exposures and health risks of concern to the public. By fostering local, regional, and national partnerships between and among community residents/organizations, researchers, and other stakeholders in the research process, vital information about the linkages between exposures and disease can be discovered and used to promote health and reduce the risk of disease across the populations at highest risk. http://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/supported/programs/peph/index.cfm
Join the Discussion
Related Area of Concentrations:
Principal Geographic Areas:
- North America
- U.S.-Mexico Border
Links:
- http://www.epa.gov/ncer/events/calendar/2010/mar17/agenda.html
EPA EJ Symoposium
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