Back to Annual Meeting

Back to Annual Meeting

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Radley Davis, AIAN Community, Pitt River Tribe, 37014 State Hwy 299E, Burney CA 96013, 4400 Auburn Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95814, 916-8014422, mark.lebeau@ihs.gov

Background: Historical human rights violations against the Indigenous people of California include un-ratified treaties, medical experimentation, laws that encouraged violence, and policies enforcing assimilation and cultural genocide. In contemporary times laws are being used to violate the rights of Native people to protect their sacred sites and practice their religion while enabling corporations to poison their environments.

Objective: To assess the potential physiological and psychological impacts of geothermal drilling, using the case study of the Medicine Lake Highlands, a sacred place to many California tribal communities.

Methods: Health outcome data from Environmental Impact Reports, relevant epidemiological studies, and psychological assessment tools will be summarized in the form of a literature review and tables.

Findings: Environmental assessments have determined that geothermal mining in the Medicine Lake region will result in the release of toxins, such as hydrogen sulfide, arsenic, mercury and other carcinogens into the environment. These toxins have the potential to result in adverse health outcomes to people exposed, such as kidney damage and cancer. The Indigenous people who continuously return to the environment for religious, cultural, and ceremonial purposes will have the highest levels of exposure. The psychological impacts on these Indigenous communities are presently being determined.

Conclusion: Present day human rights violations against Native Americans and their sacred environments can be remedied by using environmental toxicity and psychological assessment data to advocate for legislation that will protect the health and religious rights of these communities.

Learning Objectives: Learning Objectives

• Understand how health research can be used to protect the human rights and health of Native American people and their sacred environments.
• Evaluate environmental toxicity and psychological assessment data in order to identify the potential risks of geothermal drilling to the health of Native Americans.
• Describe how laws can be used to violate and protect the human rights of Native Americans.

Keywords: Health Care Advocates, Environmental Justice

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation