Johnnye L. Lewis, PhD, DABT, Community Environmental Health Program, University of New Mexico, 2701 Frontier Place NE, Surge Bldg, Rm 140, MSC 10 5550, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, 505-272-4087, jlewis@cybermesa.com, Chris Shuey, MPH, Southwest Research and Information Center, P.O. Box 4524, Albuquerque, NM 87106, Edward Carlisle, Chapter Coordinator, Church Rock Chapter, P.O. Box 549, Church Rock, NM 87311, and Thomas Manning, ENHB Environmental Health Committee Chair, Eastern Navajo Health Board, P.O. Box 358, Crownpoint, NM 87313.

Navajo community members have been exposed to uranium through ingestion of water from unregulated water sources, from living in close proximity to mine and mill sites, and from past work in mines and mills. For five years, community members, university researchers, staff of non-governmental organizations, federal and tribal agencies, and healthcare providers have been collaborating to address this problem. The overall goal has been to build capacity in the local Navajo institutions and communities to assess and measure environmental health impacts of uranium exposures in the local populations in ways that are culturally appropriate and scientifically rigorous. Activities have included training Navajo community leaders in uranium toxicity, water quality, radiation effects and radon, environmental health concepts, kidney function and methods of community-based research. In Church Rock Chapter of the Navajo Nation, community members have teamed with scientists from tribal, state and federal agencies and NGOs to measure radiation levels in soils in residential areas affected by uranium mines, collect and analyze water samples from unregulated wells, measure radon levels in homes, and measure airborne particulates. The data are being used to inform residents about environmental risks, make recommendations for mitigation strategies, and provide exposure information for future health studies. Environmental monitoring has been funded by a private foundation and two NIH proposals for collaborative health studies are pending review. One of those proposals is an R01, community-based participatory research investigation of the relationship between uranium exposure and kidney disease, which occurs at a high prevalence on the Navajo Nation.

Learning Objectives:

• At the conclusion of the poster session the participant will be able to articulate the collaborative process used to build environmental health capacity in the Eastern Agency in the Navajo Nation

Keywords: Navajo, Environmental Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.