2006 National Environmental Public Health Conference

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Name of Session:

Session A 5

The Impact of Hazardous Waste on Human Health: Policy, Analyses, and Community Issues

Description of Session:

The discoveries of toxic substances and hazardous waste sites near residential areas in the United States during the 1970s prompted the public to press for policies that would mitigate, clean up, and repair environmentally damaged sites. The overarching environmental and public health legislation that was to be used as a policy tool to assuage the public’s environmental and health concerns was the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), also referred to as Superfund. As part of the Superfund process, determining the impacts of hazardous substances on human health requires knowledge and analyses of exposure and dose. Because duration and frequency of contaminant concentrations vary for a multitude of compounds, difficulties exist in precisely defining a community’s past, present, and future exposure and the contaminant’s impacts on human health. To assist community groups in understanding the sometimes-complex policies and methodologies, state and local public health officials can facilitate a community’s involvement in the decision-making process, thereby providing an effective environmental and public health tool. It is the goal of this conference session to explore the "trilogy paradigm" of environmental public health: policy, analysis, and community issues. The session brings together experts in fields of policy, analysis, and community involvement for presentations based on their expertise and experiences.