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ASSESSING EXPOSURES TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS IN MINORITY AND LOW INCOME COMMUNITIES
Citation:
Leovic, K W., D A. Vallero, AND Y. B. Anderson. ASSESSING EXPOSURES TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS IN MINORITY AND LOW INCOME COMMUNITIES. Presented at Science Forum 2003, Washington, DC, May 5-7, 2003.
Impact/Purpose:
Project objectives are to: 1) assess environmental exposures in communities of color and/or economically/educationally disadvantaged communities, 2) develop the research infrastructure of the NCCU Environmental Science Program, and 3) develop improved tools for conducting community-based exposure research in environmental justice communities.
Description:
Research has shown that minority and low income communities are often at greater risk of impact from environmental hazards. Many studies use surrogate measures of exposure for minority and low income populations due the lack of actual data on exposures in these communities. The objective of this project is to develop tools for assessing environmental exposures in environmental justice (EJ) communities. The project will also serve to develop the research infrastructure of the Environmental Sciences Program at North Carolina Central University (NCCU), a historically black university (HBU).
The project is being conducted collaboratively between NCCU and the EPA under a cooperative agreement, and an EPA scientist is currently working at NCCU under an Intergovernmental Personnel Agreement. To provide community interaction and help guide the project, NCCU has established an Advisory Board. Representatives on the Advisory Board include state and community groups in NC (e.g., Department of the Environment & Natural Resources, Environmental Justice Network, Department of Health), NCCU, the private sector, and the federal government (EPA and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences).
This study will directly impact the community to be studied by providing community-specific exposure data. Because the study will be conducted in an EJ community, it will also begin to address the concept of "cumulative exposure." The community, by definition is an EJ community and, thus, may also be exposed to additional stressors that influence the community's cumulative exposure. In the long-term, this information will be relevant to other similar EJ communities by providing experiences and lessons learned on the best approaches for conducting an exposure study in minority/low income communities. The project is also providing training for NCCU students through the development of faculty expertise in exposure studies and laboratory facilities.