The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #48767

Reginald Harris, MA, BS, Office of Enforcement, Compliance and Environmental Justice, US EPA Region III, 1650 Arch Street, 3EC00, Philadelphia, PA 19103, 215-814-2988, harris.reggie@epa.gov

The title of this presentation is “A Review of Comprehensive Risk Characterization Studies Conducted in EPA Region III”. Perspectives are provided regarding the comprehensive risk and environmental exposure assessments conducted by EPA Region III in Chester, Pennsylvania and South/Southwest Philadelphia. Chester, Pennsylvania is a community with a population of approximately 43,000. Chester’s population may be characterized as being 75 percent minority with a high unemployment rate, and a considerable low-income population. The community studied in the South/Southwest Philadelphia has a population of more than 150,000 persons, many of whom may be characterized as low-income and/or minority. The genesis of these Regional attempts to characterize community risk and exposure will be examined. Focus will be placed on the development of assessment methodology, exposure characterization, cumulative assessment, data gaps, research and assessment needs, and the integration of environmental and public health data into the assessment process will be examined. Report findings and assessment outcomes will be discussed. Challenges faced in the attempt to conduct these assessments and the limitations of such assessments will also be addressed.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe and characterize the sources of risk and exposure in the cited at risk minority and low-income communities.
• Desribe the risk and exposure assessment methodologies used in the studies.
• Identify data gaps.
• Discuss and evaluate outcomes data.
• Assess risks and exposures as characterized by this studies.
• Evaluate the findings in terms of Environmental Justice implications for minority and low-income communities.

Keywords: Environmental Justice, Minority Research

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.