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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Richard Clapp, DSc¹, Jalal Ghaemghami, PhD², and Madeleine L. Scammell¹. (1) School of Public Health, Boston University, 715 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118, 617-638-4731, mls@bu.edu, (2) Environmental Health Office, Boston Public Health Commission, 1010 Massachusetts Avenue, 2nd floor, Boston, MA 02118

Background: Scientists and community organizations can have mutually respectful collaboration to reduce harmful exposures. Recognizing the perspectives and goals of community groups, scientists can play a useful supportive role in reducing airborne carcinogenic exposures.

Example: A community organization in Salem, MA called HealthLink has focused on reducing harmful environmental exposures since 1998, calling for reducing particulate emissions from a coal-fired power plant on health grounds. The group requested input at public meetings, hearings before town government, and letters to the town newspaper to counter utility-sponsored testimony and press releases. Scientific evidence of particulate air emissions, coupled with on-going evidence of increased lung cancer in the community, has supported HealthLink's campaign and led to political and regulatory action. In particular, testimony about the epidemiologic basis for modeling estimates of the number of deaths likely to result from on-going emissions, led to agreements to reduce or retrofit the plant to meet more stringent limits. The community organization built a broad-based coalition that has continued to educate local citizens and address other environmental health problems.

Conclusion: Fruitful collaboration results when scientists and community organizations recognize and respect each other's goals and expertise and can work to achieve a positive public health outcome.

Learning Objectives: Lessons learned from this session includes but not limited to

• Empowering community members through education
• Developing strategies on how to build partnerships among communities and local official
• Addressing environmental concerns is a step toward enhancing the quality of life

Keywords: Community Involvement, Environmental Justice

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation