Metal Air Pollution Partnership Solutions: Building an Academic-Government-Community-Industry Collaboration to Improve Air Quality and Health in Environmental Justice Communities in Houston

Details

• Personal Author:
  An Han H ; Flores J ; Han I ; Hopkins L ; James D ; Jimenez M ; Markham C ; McCurdy S ; Richner D ; Smith MA ; Symanski, Elaine
• Description:
  Background: From 2006 to 2011, the City of Houston received nearly 200 community complaints about air pollution coming from some metal recycling facilities. The investigation by the Houston Health Department (HHD) found that while operating within legal limits, emissions from facilities that use torch cutting, a technique generating metal aerosols, may increase health risks for neighboring residents. Choosing to use collaborative problem solving over legislative rulemaking, HHD reached out to The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) to further evaluate and develop plans to mitigate, if necessary, health risks associated with metal emissions from these facilities. Methods: Utilizing a community-based participatory research approach, we constituted a research team from academia, HHD and an air quality advocacy group and a Community Advisory Board (CAB) to draw diverse stakeholders (i.e., frustrated and concerned residents and wary facility managers acting within their legal rights) into an equitable, trusting and respectful space to work together. Next, we investigated metal air pollution and inhalation health risks of adults living near metal recyclers and ascertained community views about environmental health using key informant interviews, focus groups and surveys. Finally, working collaboratively with the CAB, we developed neighborhood-specific public health action plans to address research findings. Results: After overcoming challenges, the CAB evolved into an effective partnership with greater trust, goodwill, representation and power among members. Working together to translate and share health risk assessment results increased accessibility of the information. These results, coupled to community survey findings, set the groundwork for developing and implementing a stakeholder-informed action plan, which included a voluntary framework to reduce metal emissions in the scrap yard, improved lines of communication and environmental health leadership training. Tangible outcomes of enhanced capacity of our community and governmental partners included trained residents to conduct door-to-door surveys, adaptation of our field training protocol and survey by our community partner and development of a successful HHD program to engage residents to improve environmental health in their neighborhood. Conclusions: Academic-government-community-industry partnerships can reduce environmental health disparities in underserved neighborhoods near industrial facilities. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aerosols Air Pollutants, Occupational Air Pollution Community Health Services Dust Environmental Exposure Environmental Monitoring Environmental Pollution Hazardous Substances Health Promotion Metals Occupational Health Recycling Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Staff Development Surveys And Questionnaires

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• Keywords:
  Aerosol Particles Airborne Particles Air Monitoring Air Pollutants Air Pollution Air Quality Monitoring Author Keywords: Academic-government-community-industry Partnership Community-based Participatory Research Community Advisory Board Community Based Community Health Cutting Tools Environmental Health Environmental Health Monitoring Environmental Justice Environmental Monitoring Environmental Pollution Exposure Assessment Hazard Communication Health Communications Health Effects Health Surveys Humans Industrial Emissions Industrial Emission Sources Industrial Processes Inhalation Metal Air Pollution Metal Dusts Outdoors Partnership Public Health Action Plan Respiratory System Disorders Risk Assessment Sampling Surveillance Training

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• ISSN:
  1476-069X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 6 ; Texas
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  39
• Volume:
  19
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20059178
• Citation:
  Environ Health 2020 Apr; 19:39
• Contact Point Address:
  Elaine Symanski, Center for Precision Environmental Health and Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030-3411, USA
• Email:
  elaine.symanski@bcm.edu
• CAS Registry Number:
  Arsenic (CAS RN 7440-38-2) ; Cadmium (CAS RN 7440-43-9) ; Chromium (CAS RN 7440-47-3) ; Cobalt (CAS RN 7440-48-4) ; Iron (CAS RN 7439-89-6) ; Lead (CAS RN 7439-92-1) ; Manganese (CAS RN 7439-96-5) ; Nickel (CAS RN 7440-02-0) ; Selenium (CAS RN 7782-49-2) ; Silver (CAS RN 7440-22-4)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2020
• Performing Organization:
  University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7d58bbfe707362085e468f889f1ba1db8058ff877c0846317d62ff3cfa85cc145eac55ef691c7b4eb26206bea53789823f7ebac68b1856282c477e254128a107
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/223473/cdc_223473_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.52 MB ]