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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Shannon P. Márquez, PhD, MEng, Division of Environmental and Occupational Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health, San Antonio Regional Campus, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, MC 7976, San Antonio, TX 78229, 210 562-5511, marquezs@uthscsa.edu

Activities at Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas-which included depot level logistics and maintenance as the largest industrial complex in South Texas, employing approximately 30,000 military and civilian personnel- spanned more than 70 years. Spills, leaks, and the disposal practices of the day resulted in the environmental contamination. After years of operations, in 1994 Kelly AFB was designated for closure and conversion, and it was revealed that toxic shallow groundwater plumes extended 5-miles off base and impacted over 50,000 homes on the southwest side of San Antonio where more than 90% are low-income and Latino. Primary toxins of concern include PCE, TCE, vinyl chloride, benzene, and arsenic; subsequent investigations have revealed that air emissions may also have had an adverse impact on the community's health. For nearly a decade, the Southwest Workers Union (SWU), a community-based organization, has attempted to engage stakeholders around the community's health, cleanup, and economic development concerns and empower the affected community. Accordingly, a major collaboration between the University of Texas School of Public Health and SWU's Committee for Environmental Justice Action (CEJA) includes the implementation of a collaborative problem-solving approach and cumulative risk assessment model that will be used to achieve justice, identify, and address the environmental health issues, and prioritize the areas of concern identified by the affected community: environmental cleanup, environmental health, and community revitalization.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, participants will be able to

• Define the sources contamination, exposure routes, and environmental health impacts resulting from military toxics at Kelly AFB.
• Analyze a framework for decision-making and cumulative risk assessment model developed for community-driven environmental health research.
• Understand the spectrum of community-based participatory research techniques used to educate and empower the affected community.

Keywords: Environmental Health, Environmental Justice

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation