Grantee Research Project Results
2021 Progress Report: Building Community Resilience to Natural-disaster-Driven Contaminant Exposures Through System-level Risk Analysis, Management, and Readiness
EPA Grant Number: R840041Title: Building Community Resilience to Natural-disaster-Driven Contaminant Exposures Through System-level Risk Analysis, Management, and Readiness
Investigators: Borsuk, Mark E. , Wilson, Sacoby M. , Hendricks, Marccus , Calder, Ryan
Current Investigators: Borsuk, Mark E.
Institution: Duke University
EPA Project Officer: Aja, Hayley
Project Period: August 1, 2020 through July 31, 2023 (Extended to July 31, 2024)
Project Period Covered by this Report: August 1, 2020 through July 31,2021
Project Amount: $799,756
RFA: Contaminated Sites, Natural Disasters, Changing Environmental Conditions and Vulnerable Communities: Research to Build Resilience (2019) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Safer Chemicals , Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Objective:
1. To develop a generalizable and comprehensive risk analysis framework that links natural hazards and changing environmental conditions to the release, fate, and transport of contaminants.
2. To collaborate with community partners to identify factors that may modify exposure and vulnerability of certain populations and include such factors in our framework to holistically assess health risks.
3. To assist communities in translating scientific products into realistic and relevant management and readiness plans that promote community resilience to natural hazards.
Progress Summary:
At the end of Year 1, there are two sets of results to report:
1. The research team has forged meaningful and productive working relations with community partners, which include, in Charleston, SC, the Low Country Alliance for Model Communities (LAMC) and the Charleston Community Research to Action Board (CCRAB), and, in North Carolina, the North Carolina Environmental Justice Network (NCEJN) and Rural Empowerment Association for Community Help (REACH). These partners have participated regularly in team meetings and site visits. The team has also formed a representative and active Community Advisory Board (CAB), which has met twice in the first year of the project. Products thus far include recruitment and study materials, infographics and other outreach materials, and a community walk-though map.
2. Researchers have developed a machine-learning (ML) object detection model using state-of-the-art neural network algorithms to automate the process of locating and classifying aboveground storage tanks (ASTs). To train this model, researchers created a labelled dataset using high resolution aerial imagery from 28 states collected by the National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP). Products thus far include a new, widely useful AST dataset, as well as an ML model for accurate AST detection and classification.
Future Activities:
In Year 2 of the project, the emphasis will be on completing our initial assessment of NaTech risks in our communities. This will involve parameterizing our graphical Bayesian network of disaster and contaminant transport events and then ground-truthing this model with community partners. The output of this phase of work will be a model-based assessment of potential NaTech-driven environmental contaminant distributions. Simultaneously, researchers will begin the human health risk assessment phase of our project by working with communities to further characterize potential exposure pathways and vulnerability factors. These will later be used to modify exposure factors and dose-response relationships to account for community-specific details.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 5 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
community-engaged research; total environment; sustainable and healthy communities; environmental justice; community readiness and resilienceRelevant Websites:
The 7th UMD Symposium on Environmental Justice and Health Disparities Exit
MODELS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND POLICY Exit
Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.