Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #116746

Suzie Canales, Citizens for Environmental Justice, 5757 S. Staples # 2506, Corpus Christi, TX 78413, 3613346764, scanales@grandecom.net

Citizens For Environmental Justice (CFEJ) of Corpus Christi, TX, combines strategies of tracking health outcome data and air monitoring to win demands for a cleaner and healthy environment; assist people in fair and just relocations and empower communities of color and low-income that have been neglected and undeserved for decades.

Corpus Christi has highest levels of benzene in the entire state of Texas. Yet, the State has publicly declared that having the highest levels of benzene in the state poses no risk. Our county is 56% Hispanic, low income and partially medically undeserved.

CFEJ has taken a proactive approach through community environmental monitoring in an effort to prove exposure. CFEJ launched a bucket brigade (BB) program. The BB program enables us to: monitor our own air; conduct environmental patrolling to document polluting incidences; compile the air monitoring data to assert our case that the polluting facilities are having an adverse health impact on the community.

CFEJ compiles health outcome data to support our concerns and document numerous cancer clusters. We've worked closely with the Texas Birth Defects Monitoring Division and as a result of our work together, four birth defect reports have been conducted reflecting unusually high rates of defects. Moreover, CFEJ has documented numerous hazardous waste sites throughout the county.

CFEJ is also part of a national Bucket Brigade collaborative that empowers people to monitor their environment for themselves, take action to protect their health and achieve environmental justice

Learning Objectives:

• Discuss how community-based tracking of environmental health data can identify problems and solutions.
• Analyze why agencies could misuse their own data.

Keywords: Environmental Justice, Birth Defects

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.