Evaluating Cumulative Environmental Exposure to Metals and Non-metals and Community-level Health Using Geospatial Modeling and Personal Exposure Assessment

- Project -

Funder: 
NIH / National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
PIs: 

Description:

Tribal communities are concerned about the impact of environmental contamination on their health as well as the health of their animals. Sources of environmental contaminants on tribal lands include abandoned mine waste, power plants, oil and gas production, pesticide use, and open burning / dumping of trash. Pollutants are released to the environment through different pathways: water, air, soil, and plants. Human and animal exposure to these contaminants contributes to health disparities observed in these communities by exacerbating the risk from existing mine-waste exposure. There are three specific aims of this project: (1) model environmental exposure that combines water, air, and soil pathways across our partner tribal communities (Navajo Nation, Cheyenne River Sioux and Apsaálooke (Crow)) based on an existing geospatial model for Navajo Nation and data from ongoing work; (2) ground truth the model through individual-level measurement of exposure using silicone wristband samples, GPS tracking, dietary data collection, and biomonitoring sample collection; and (3) collect community-level health survey data to examine the relation between exposure and disease.