Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #116703

Viola Waghiyi, Alaska Community Action on Toxics/St. Lawrence Island Environmental Health & Justice Project, 505 W. Northern Lights, Suite 205, Anchorage, AK 99503, 907.222.7714, vi@akaction.net

The Y'upik people of Saint Lawrence Island, Alaska live near two Formerly Used Defense (FUD) facilities that many tribal elders have long suspected to be the cause of widespread health problems. The health concerns of the Y'upik people as well as a biomonitoring and environmental health study funded by the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) show an association between elevated levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) in blood and a high incidence of cancer and other health outcomes. Results of the study fueled the community's previously identified need to gain support through a congressional investigation of health effects within the community. This presentation will outline the community's pre-existing struggle for a cleaner environment and better health, and demonstrate how a combination of monitoring for the PCB load among community members and recording incidence of PCB-related diseases supported community organizing. In addition, the presentation will describe the collaborative efforts among tribal communities, public health scientists and federal agencies.

Learning Objectives:

• To describe the public health risks to the Y’upik people and the environmental contamination issues on St. Lawrence Island due to chemical releases from two Formerly Used Defense (FUD) facilities.
• To present the biomonitoring and health studies conducted at the site that resulted in the discovery of health outcomes ranging from cancer to neurological disorders.
• To describe the successes and challenges of collaborative efforts between the Y’upik people, environmental health organizations and federal health and environmental agencies.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation