Archive for Community

Greenfest 2014: What questions should our CEET researchers be asking about environmental health?

Posted by Adrian Hoppel

· Thursday, February 12th, 2015

· No Comments

One of the key missions of the Community Outreach and Engagement Core is to create multidirectional communication between community members and CEET researchers to integrate community concerns into research questions. To evaluate how well we are accomplishing our mission we attended Greenfest 2014 – Philadelphia’s largest environmental festival. The Clean Air Council, an active partner and member of our Stakeholder Advisory Board, hosts Greenfest. We asked the public ‘what questions should our CEET researchers be asking about environmental health?’ The public provided a variety of topics, questions, and concerns!

Following the festival, we classified the community’s interests and questions into themes. We cross-referenced the themes with the CEET research topics by affinity group. Themes higher on the list were brought up more often by community members. If multiple themes appeared the same number of times then the themes were listed alphabetically.

Through our analysis we have shown that our researchers are exploring a wide variety of environmental health issues and the majority of themes that were identified by the community at Greenfest 2014. We also found areas that the community is concerned about, but CEET is currently not exploring. These themes included: recycling, green space, plastic degradation, animal waste runoff, energy consumption, and nuclear waste (highlighted in yellow). This type of analysis informs CEET researchers about interests that the community has in environmental health that CEET should consider in the future.

We will continue to collect community interests and questions regarding environmental health at community events and evaluate our multidirectional communication between our researchers and the public. To find out more about the research being done by CEET researchers, see our website.

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Categories : CEET Blog, COEC Blog

Tags : #IamEH, CEET, COEC, Community, evaluation, Greenfest

STEER Student Oscar Serpell’s Work with GIS and the Lancaster Community

Posted by Adrian Hoppel

· Friday, July 25th, 2014

· 1 Comment

STEER

The Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology (CEET) of the University of Pennsylvania has received an NIEHS award for summer internships for selected undergraduate students (the Short Term Educational Experiences for Research (STEER). The program includes ten weeks of summer activities including lectures and field trips that expose students to the field of environmental health science through mentorship, coursework, and field experience. Click here for more information on STEER.

Meet 2014 STEER Student Oscar Serpell

I am a rising senior at the University of Pennsylvania studying Environmental Management and Sustainability. I also have a minor in Biological Anthropology,
exploring how humans have historically interacted with our environment on a biological level. This combination of studies has given me an appreciation of how significant our modern times are in the narrative of our species. After graduation, I will be going on to complete a Master of Environmental Studies degree with a concentration in Resource Management. Environmental Toxicology, and lead poisoning specifically, is of interest to me because it is a striking example of how irresponsible environmental decision-making can lead to profound human health effects and substantial loss of resources (in this case, the high cost of remediation).

What is your summer research project?

For my research this summer with the STEER Internship Program, I am assisting Mr. Rich Pepino and Dr. Marilyn Howarth with the determination of the potential correlation between high lead levels in the soil and elevated blood lead levels (EBLL’s) in young children. Over the years Professor Pepino has collected samples in Lancaster City and identified hot spots of high lead levels in the soil. Using ‘Geographic Information Systems’ (GIS), I am mapping the several dozen non-random soil samples taken by Professor Pepino, and over-laying data that shows the areas of the city that have the greatest number of children with EBLL’s, provided to us by Dr. Michael Horst, an epidemiologist at Lancaster General Hospital.

Childhood lead exposure, even in very small doses, can lead to serious behavioral and cognitive impairments that can affect an individual for the rest of their lives. The most common lead exposures for children are through lead contaminated paint chippings, dust, toys, and water. Recent research also clearly indicates that soil may also represent a significant risk to children in the 0-6 year age bracket. Click here for more information on lead and CEET’s activities in Lancaster.

What are the implications of your research?

If a correlation between location and high lead levels does exist, it would suggest that there might be historic industrial practices or activities in Lancaster’s past other than lead paint that are leading to soil lead levels of significant concern to public health. Any further evidence for or against this hypothesis will require an extensive and systematic lead surveillance project like the one we hope to fund with this grant. If a concentration was found, and an appropriate source was identified, this project would provide the field of Environmental Toxicology with further evidence that sources other than paint need to be considered when attempting to help communities remediate its lead hazards.

What new skills have you gained through this experience?

I started this internship with no prior experience with GIS. I have learned so much just by working with this data and now feel confident in constructing basic maps with the software. I have also learned from Rich how to track down the information you need, and the people you need to contact. As he puts it, you need to find all the pieces before you start building the puzzle.

Posted by Adrian Hoppel

· Monday, June 16th, 2014

· No Comments

Researchers Receive Grant Driven by Community Concerns

Researchers from the Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology have recently been awarded a $10 million grant from the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to study asbestos exposure pathways that lead to mesothelioma, the bioremediation of this hazardous material, and mechanisms that lead to asbestos-related diseases.

The grant creates a new Center, Penn Superfund Research and Training Program (SRP) Center, Directed by Ian Blair, PhD, a researcher with extensive experience in biomarker research elucidating the toxicology of chemicals. This blog will continue to highlight the exciting research that comes from the grant.

Penn Superfund Research and Training Program (SRP) Center

The Penn Superfund Research and Training Program (SRP) Center evolved from community concerns about living near the BoRit Asbestos Superfund site in Ambler, PA. The Penn Superfund Center is academically located at CEET in Philadelphia, about 20 miles South of Ambler. The Center’s approach will be interdisciplinary involving researchers from the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Medicine as well as Fox Chase Cancer Center. A unique interdisciplinary training program will marry environmental science and environmental health sciences so that doctoral and postdoctoral students will be trained in both complementary disciplines. Unique features of this training include participation in Superfund webinars sponsored by NIEHS and internships in technology transfer at CTT and the EPA.

What Will the Center Do?

The Center will address community-based questions or concerns that have been previously identified by the community through the Community Outreach and Engagement Core:

Can we remediate asbestos without moving it from the original disposal site?
What do we know about the fate and transport of asbestos in the environment by water and air?
What do we know about the exposure pathways that were responsible for the mesothelioma cluster in Ambler? And why is the incidence higher in women?
Is susceptibility to mesothelioma genetic?
Can asbestos-related disease be prevented?
Is there a blood test to determine whether a person will get asbestos-related disease?

About the Community

Ambler residents have a long history of occupational and/or environmental exposure to asbestos. As a result residents of the area face very serious long-term health consequences. The Pennsylvania Department of Health and the COEC at CEET determined an increased rate of mesothelioma in the area compared to other adjacent zip codes. Women had a greater risk than men, despite being less likely to have worked in the asbestos industry. Our researchers will continue to investigate and work with the community to acquire more information about exposure pathways that led to these health risks. The residents in South and West Ambler remain at risk for environmental exposure.

The work and results from the Center’s research will inform other areas of asbestos exposure across the country. For example, a sociological study to identify how asbestos exposure can occur and whether this can explain the cluster of asbestos-induced mesotheliomas in Ambler will be conducted by Fran Barg and Ted Emmett. The results may be applicable to the 15 other Superfund asbestos sites in the US.

This award and the development of the Penn Superfund Research and Training Program Center is the first NIEHS Superfund grant driven by problems identified in a community-academic partnership and promotes bi-directional communication between the University and the community. The interdisciplinary center is uniquely qualified to address the concerns relating to asbestos exposure that have been identified by the Ambler community.

How Can You Get Involved?

The SRP website is currently being developed and will have the most up to date information regarding the Center, the research, and how to get involved.

You can also visit Resources for Education and Action for Community Health in Ambler (REACH Ambler) and the BoRit Community Advisory Group (CAG) Website

We want to hear from you!

Please share with us any questions you have regarding asbestos or any other environmental health issues by using the comment field, contact us, Twitter or Facebook!

Have a suggestion for a topic to be covered in our blog? Let us know! We would love to cover a topic that you are interested in learning more about!

Follow #IamEH for all of our posts and learn about what environmental health questions are being asked all over the country!

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Categories : CEET Blog

Tags : #IamEH, Ambler, Asbestos, CEET, Community, research, Superfund

Researchers Work with Community to Investigate Asbestos Health Effects in Ambler

Posted by Adrian Hoppel

· Monday, June 16th, 2014

· 1 Comment

Researchers Work with Community to Investigate Asbestos Health Effects in Ambler

Several researchers have recently been awarded a grant from the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to study asbestos exposure pathways that lead to mesothelioma, the bioremediation of this hazardous material, and mechanisms that lead to asbestos-related diseases.

What is mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is a cancer that develops in people exposed to asbestos usually affecting the lining of the lungs. Asbestos use has declined dramatically over the past few decades but the incidence of mesothelioma remains steady. The cancer can take anywhere from 20 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos before it shows obvious signs. Many people who have developed mesothelioma can trace their exposure to their workplace because asbestos was used widely for insulation around pipes and in ships and brake pads in vehicles.

How are community members exposed to asbestos?

Workers are not the only group exposed to asbestos. There are some community circumstances that can expose residents. BoRit Asbestos Site in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania straddles the townships of Ambler, Upper Dublin and Whitpain. It exists as a result of waste disposal by the former Keasby and Mattison Company, Certainteed Corporation, and Nicolet Industries, which all produced large volumes of asbestos products including: paper, millboard, electrical insulation, brake linings, piping, conveyor belts, high pressure packings, roofing shingles, cement siding, asbestos cement pipe, automobile parts, laboratory table tops and other products. Various types of asbestos were used in these operations including crocidolite (Blue asbestos), amosite (Brown Asbestos) and crysotile (White Asbestos). Asbestos manufacturing operations occurred on or near the site from 1897 through the late 1980s. Some intermediate cleanup of part of the site has been undertaken, but fraying asbestos products are still observable on the surface of parts of the site, which is adjacent to residential neighborhoods.

The waste disposal sites were known as the “white mountains” and community activities such as sledding and playing on the site were commonly reported in the past.These activities would have led to asbestos fibers being propelled into the air making them available for people to inhale them. Workers, families of workers, and former residents who lived near these sites may have been significantly exposed to asbestos.

What are the health risks of asbestos exposure?

As a result of living in Ambler and/or working in the asbestos plants there, residents of the area face very serious long-term health consequences. The Pennsylvania Department of Health and the COEC at CEET determined an increased rate of mesothelioma in the area compared to other adjacent zip codes. Women had a greater risk than men even though few women worked in the asbestos industry. Our researchers will continue to investigate and work with the community to acquire more information about exposure pathways that led to these health risks. The residents in South and West Ambler remain at risk for environmental exposure and have an increased risk of developing mesothelioma.

Do you want to learn more?

If you would like to learn more about environmental exposure and what we are doing at the University of Pennsylvania, please feel free to explore our website and the target communities page.

The Penn Superfund Research and Training Program (SRP) Center website is currently being developed and will have the most up to date information regarding the Center, the research, and how to get involved.

You can also check out Resources for Education and Action for Community Health in Ambler (REACH Ambler) and the BoRit Community Advisory Group (CAG) Website

How to get involved?

The easiest way to stay involved is to follow the COEC at CEET on Twitter and Like Us on Facebook. We will post regular updates on events all around Philadelphia.

We want to hear from you!

Please share with us any questions you have regarding asbestos or any other environmental health issues by using the comment field, contact us, Twitter or Facebook!

Have a suggestion for a topic to be covered in our blog? Let us know! We would love to cover a topic that you are interested in learning more about!

Follow #IamEH for all of our posts and learn about what environmental health questions are being asked all over the country!

1 Comment

Categories : COEC Blog

Tags : #IamEH, Ambler, Asbestos, CEET, COEC, Community, Public Health, Superfund