Toxic Tour-addressing health inequities related to environmental justice: A partnership between the Bayview Hunters Point community, the San Francisco Department of Public Health, and the University of California San Francisco

This session will discuss the history of a community-driven Popular Education project that has become a staple in health education for the community and public health workers, and how it can be readily adapted for other localities. Bayview Hunters Point (BVHP), a San Francisco neighborhood, is home to 35,000 residents. Over half the land is zoned for industrial use, including; a federal Superfund site, a sewage treatment plant that handles 80% of San Francisco's waste water; 100 Brownfield sites , and over 100 contaminated industrial sites. The health of residents is greatly affected by cumulative daily exposure to these toxic materials. BVHP residents are hospitalized at higher rates than other city residents for diseases and conditions related to their environment and exceed the statewide averages for many chronic diseases and abnormalities including asthma, cancer, congestive heart failure, hypertension, diabetes, emphysema, and birth defects. In 2002, the Bayview Hunters Point Health and Environmental Assessment Task Force partnered with the San Francisco Department of Public Health and the University of California at San Francisco to develop “Toxic Tour,” an innovative and interactive three hour mobile workshop to educate medical healthcare providers, local community members, and public health activists. The tour takes participants through the three square-mile neighborhood, providing an opportunity for participants to witness and through in-depth commentary, gain a comprehensive understanding of the environmental and health inequities that residents are exposed to daily by living in proximity to toxic industries. The tour includes recommendations for clinicians to use when working with residents and techniques to develop partnerships and methodologies to organize and advocate for eliminating health inequities.