New Community Resource
Lessons Learned on the Road to Environmental Cleanup
When either an individual or group suspects an environmental exposure in their community, they may not know where to begin to investigate and fix the problem. Who is responsible? What are the best strategies to remediate the situation? And what should residents do and not do? With funding from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), our University Centers developed three educational modules to guide community members through what can be a daunting process. Drawing from our experiences working with communities, regulatory agencies, industry and government officials, we have told the stories of three environmental cleanups and assembled lessons learned and strategies that communities and others can use to navigate this difficult process. The videos are accompanied by interactive educational components that help the viewer gain insight into the process.
We tell the story of three contaminated sites: Ambler, PA, with asbestos contamination from manufacturing, Wilmington, MA, with chemicals dumped in open pits , and Fernald, OH, with contamination from uranium refinery. The activities at each site led to significant contaminant exposure to community members. The first module of this educational package provides some background information about the three sites.
It takes about 3 hours to view all three modules. They are designed so that a community group might view one module including the interactive portions at each of three meetings and then discuss. Each module is followed by an evaluation.
Click this link to access the modules.
- To begin the first module, click on the triangle in the circle.
- To see the menu, click on the 3 horizontal bars in the upper left-hand corner of your screen.
- Click on NEXT in the lower right-hand corner to advance through the pages.
- The modules can be accessed at the Menu page. Click on each module, and then click on NEXT to advance through the pages. The interactive components, such as Case Scenario 1, have no sound.
- View the acknowledgments and credits from the CREDITS button on the Menu page.
Three Centers contributed to this project:
- University of Cincinnati, Center for Environmental Genetics, led by Susan Pinney, Center Director. (Lead)
- University of Pennsylvania, Center for Excellence in Environmental Toxicology, led by Marilyn Howarth, Community Engagement Core Director
- MIT Superfund Research Program Center, led by Kathleen Vandiver, Community Engagement Core Director
For inquiries or comments about these modules, contact Dr. Susan Pinney at pinneysm@ucmail.uc.edu.