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Poirier L, Salvatore D, Brown P, Cordner A, Mok K, Shapiro N. Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Exposure Risks in US Carceral Facilities, 2022. Am J Public Health 2024; 114:501-510. [PMID: 38489500 PMCID: PMC11008287 DOI: 10.2105/ajph.2024.307571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
Objectives. To assess the US incarcerated population's risk of exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs). Methods. We assessed how many of the 6118 US carceral facilities were located in the same hydrologic unit code watershed boundaries as known or likely locations of PFAS contamination. We conducted geospatial analyses on data aggregated from Environmental Protection Agency databases and a PFAS site tracker in 2022 to model the hydrologically feasible known and presumptive PFAS contamination sites for nearly 2 million incarcerated people. Results. Findings indicate that 5% (∼310) of US carceral facilities have at least 1 known source of PFAS contamination in the same watershed boundary and that it is at a higher elevation than the facility; also 47% (∼2285) have at least 1 presumptive source. A minimum of 990 000 people are incarcerated in these facilities, including at least 12 800 juveniles. Exposure risks faced by incarcerated youths are disproportionately underassessed. Conclusions. The long-term impacts from potential exposures to PFAS are preventable and exacerbate health inequities among incarcerated populations. Widespread public attention to PFASs can be parlayed into broader environmental monitoring for imprisoned people. (Am J Public Health. 2024;114(5):501-510. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307571).
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay Poirier
- Lindsay Poirier is with the Statistical and Data Sciences Program, Smith College, Northampton, MA. Derrick Salvatore was with the Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA. Phil Brown is with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and Department of Health Sciences, Northeastern University. Alissa Cordner is with the Department of Sociology, Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA. Kira Mok was with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University. Nicholas Shapiro is with the Institute for Society and Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles
| | - Derrick Salvatore
- Lindsay Poirier is with the Statistical and Data Sciences Program, Smith College, Northampton, MA. Derrick Salvatore was with the Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA. Phil Brown is with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and Department of Health Sciences, Northeastern University. Alissa Cordner is with the Department of Sociology, Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA. Kira Mok was with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University. Nicholas Shapiro is with the Institute for Society and Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles
| | - Phil Brown
- Lindsay Poirier is with the Statistical and Data Sciences Program, Smith College, Northampton, MA. Derrick Salvatore was with the Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA. Phil Brown is with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and Department of Health Sciences, Northeastern University. Alissa Cordner is with the Department of Sociology, Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA. Kira Mok was with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University. Nicholas Shapiro is with the Institute for Society and Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles
| | - Alissa Cordner
- Lindsay Poirier is with the Statistical and Data Sciences Program, Smith College, Northampton, MA. Derrick Salvatore was with the Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA. Phil Brown is with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and Department of Health Sciences, Northeastern University. Alissa Cordner is with the Department of Sociology, Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA. Kira Mok was with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University. Nicholas Shapiro is with the Institute for Society and Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles
| | - Kira Mok
- Lindsay Poirier is with the Statistical and Data Sciences Program, Smith College, Northampton, MA. Derrick Salvatore was with the Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA. Phil Brown is with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and Department of Health Sciences, Northeastern University. Alissa Cordner is with the Department of Sociology, Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA. Kira Mok was with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University. Nicholas Shapiro is with the Institute for Society and Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles
| | - Nicholas Shapiro
- Lindsay Poirier is with the Statistical and Data Sciences Program, Smith College, Northampton, MA. Derrick Salvatore was with the Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA. Phil Brown is with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and Department of Health Sciences, Northeastern University. Alissa Cordner is with the Department of Sociology, Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA. Kira Mok was with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University. Nicholas Shapiro is with the Institute for Society and Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles
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2
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Cordner A, Brown P, Cousins IT, Scheringer M, Martinon L, Dagorn G, Aubert R, Hosea L, Salvidge R, Felke C, Tausche N, Drepper D, Liva G, Tudela A, Delgado A, Salvatore D, Pilz S, Horel S. PFAS Contamination in Europe: Generating Knowledge and Mapping Known and Likely Contamination with "Expert-Reviewed" Journalism. Environ Sci Technol 2024; 58:6616-6627. [PMID: 38569050 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c09746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
While the extent of environmental contamination by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has mobilized considerable efforts around the globe in recent years, publicly available data on PFAS in Europe were very limited. In an unprecedented experiment of "expert-reviewed journalism" involving 29 journalists and seven scientific advisers, a cross-border collaborative project, the "Forever Pollution Project" (FPP), drew on both scientific methods and investigative journalism techniques such as open-source intelligence (OSINT) and freedom of information (FOI) requests to map contamination across Europe, making public data that previously had existed as "unseen science". The FPP identified 22,934 known contamination sites, including 20 PFAS manufacturing facilities, and 21,426 "presumptive contamination sites", including 13,745 sites presumably contaminated with fluorinated aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) discharge, 2911 industrial facilities, and 4752 sites related to PFAS-containing waste. Additionally, the FPP identified 231 "known PFAS users", a new category for sites with an intermediate level of evidence of PFAS use and considered likely to be contamination sources. However, the true extent of contamination in Europe remains significantly underestimated due to a lack of comprehensive geolocation, sampling, and publicly available data. This model of knowledge production and dissemination offers lessons for researchers, policymakers, and journalists about cross-field collaborations and data transparency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alissa Cordner
- Department of Sociology, Whitman College, Walla Walla, Washington 99362, United States
| | - Phil Brown
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology and Department of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Ian T Cousins
- Department of Environmental Science, Stockholm University, Stockholm SE-10691, Sweden
| | - Martin Scheringer
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, Zürich 8092, Switzerland
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Catharina Felke
- Norddeutscher Rundfunk, Ressort Investigation, Berlin 10117, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Derrick Salvatore
- Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, Woburn, Massachusetts 01801, United States
| | - Sarah Pilz
- Freelance Journalist, Weißenfelder Straße 7, Parsdorf, Munich 85599, Germany
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3
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Mueller R, Salvatore D, Brown P, Cordner A. Quantifying Disparities in Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Levels in Drinking Water from Overburdened Communities in New Jersey, 2019-2021. Environ Health Perspect 2024; 132:47011. [PMID: 38656167 PMCID: PMC11041625 DOI: 10.1289/ehp12787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Policymakers have become increasingly concerned regarding the widespread exposure and toxicity of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). While concerns exist about unequal distribution of PFAS contamination in drinking water, research is lacking. OBJECTIVES We assess the scope of PFAS contamination in drinking water in New Jersey (NJ), the first US state to develop regulatory levels for PFAS in drinking water. We test for inequities in PFAS concentrations by community sociodemographic characteristics. METHODS We use PFAS testing data for community water systems (CWS) (n = 491 ) from the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) from 2019 to 2021 and demographic data at the block group level from the US Census to estimate the demographics of the NJ population served by CWS. We use difference in means tests to determine whether CWSs serving "overburdened communities" (OBCs) have a statistically significant difference in likelihood of PFAS detections. OBCs are defined by the NJDEP to be census block groups in which: a) at least 35% of the households qualify as low-income, b) at least 40% of the residents identify as people of color, or c) at least 40% of the households have limited English proficiency. We calculate statewide summary statistics to approximate the relative proportions of sociodemographic groups that are served by CWSs with PFAS detections. RESULTS We find that 63% of all CWSs tested by NJDEP from 2019 to 2021 had PFAS detections in public drinking water, collectively serving 84% of NJ's population receiving water from CWSs. Additionally, CWSs serving OBCs had a statistically significant higher likelihood of PFAS detection and a higher likelihood of exposure above state MCLs. We also find that a larger proportion of people of color lived in CWS service areas with PFAS detections compared to the non-Hispanic white population. DISCUSSION These findings quantitatively identify disparities in PFAS contamination of drinking water by CWS service area and highlight the extent of PFAS drinking water contamination and the importance of PFAS remediation efforts for protecting environmental health and justice. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP12787.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosie Mueller
- Department of Economics, Whitman College, Walla Walla, Washington, USA
| | | | - Phil Brown
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Alissa Cordner
- Department of Sociology, Whitman College, Walla Walla, Washington, USA
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4
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Mok K, Salvatore D, Powers M, Brown P, Poehlein M, Conroy-Ben O, Cordner A. Federal PFAS Testing and Tribal Public Water Systems. Environ Health Perspect 2022; 130:127701. [PMID: 36515533 PMCID: PMC9749477 DOI: 10.1289/ehp11652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Kira Mok
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Derrick Salvatore
- Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Martha Powers
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Phil Brown
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Maddy Poehlein
- PFAS Project Lab, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Otakuye Conroy-Ben
- School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Alissa Cordner
- Department of Sociology, Whitman College, Walla Walla, Washington, USA
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5
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Salvatore D, Mok K, Garrett KK, Poudrier G, Brown P, Birnbaum LS, Goldenman G, Miller MF, Patton S, Poehlein M, Varshavsky J, Cordner A. Presumptive Contamination: A New Approach to PFAS Contamination Based on Likely Sources. Environ Sci Technol Lett 2022; 9:983-990. [PMID: 36398312 PMCID: PMC9648201 DOI: 10.1021/acs.estlett.2c00502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Revised: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
While research and regulatory attention to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has increased exponentially in recent years, data are uneven and incomplete about the scale, scope, and severity of PFAS releases and resulting contamination in the United States. This paper argues that in the absence of high-quality testing data, PFAS contamination can be presumed around three types of facilities: (1) fluorinated aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) discharge sites, (2) certain industrial facilities, and (3) sites related to PFAS-containing waste. While data are incomplete on all three types of presumptive PFAS contamination sites, we integrate available geocoded, nationwide data sets into a single map of presumptive contamination sites in the United States, identifying 57,412 sites of presumptive PFAS contamination: 49,145 industrial facilities, 4,255 wastewater treatment plants, 3,493 current or former military sites, and 519 major airports. This conceptual approach allows governments, industries, and communities to rapidly and systematically identify potential exposure sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derrick Salvatore
- Department
of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Northeastern
University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Kira Mok
- Department
of Sociology and Anthropology and Department of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Kimberly K. Garrett
- Department
of Sociology and Anthropology and Department of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Grace Poudrier
- Department
of Sociology and Anthropology and Department of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Phil Brown
- Department
of Sociology and Anthropology and Department of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department
of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Linda S. Birnbaum
- National
Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, United States
- Duke
University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | | | - Mark F. Miller
- National
Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and U.S. Public Health
Service, Research
Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, United States
| | - Sharyle Patton
- Health
and Environment Program, Commonweal, Bolinas, California 94924, United States
| | - Maddy Poehlein
- PFAS
Project Lab, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Julia Varshavsky
- Department
of Health Sciences and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Alissa Cordner
- Department of Sociology, Whitman College, Walla Walla, Washington 99362, United States
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6
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Cordner A, Goldenman G, Birnbaum LS, Brown P, Miller MF, Mueller R, Patton S, Salvatore DH, Trasande L. Correction to The True Cost of PFAS and the Benefits of Acting Now. Environ Sci Technol 2021; 55:12739. [PMID: 34472851 PMCID: PMC8830045 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c04938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
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7
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Cordner A, Goldenman G, Birnbaum LS, Brown P, Miller MF, Mueller R, Patton S, Salvatore DH, Trasande L. The True Cost of PFAS and the Benefits of Acting Now. Environ Sci Technol 2021; 55:9630-9633. [PMID: 34231362 PMCID: PMC8296683 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c03565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Alissa Cordner
- Department
of Sociology, Whitman College; Walla Walla, Washington 99362, United States
| | | | - Linda S. Birnbaum
- Scientist
Emeritus, National Institute of Environmental
Health Sciences; Research
Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709-2233United States
- Scholar
in Residence, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 97708, United States
| | - Phil Brown
- Department
of Sociology and Anthropology and Department of Health Sciences, Northeastern University; Boston, Massachusetts 02115-5005, United States
| | - Mark F. Miller
- National
Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and U.S. Public Health
Service; Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709-2233United States
| | - Rosie Mueller
- Department
of Economics, Whitman College; Walla Walla, Washington 99362, United States
| | - Sharyle Patton
- Health
and
Environment Program, Commonweal; Bolinas, California 94924, United States
| | - Derrick H. Salvatore
- Department
of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Northeastern
University; Boston, Massachusetts 02115-5005, United States
| | - Leonardo Trasande
- Center for
the Investigation of Environmental Hazards, New York University Grossman School of Medicine; New York City, New York 10016-6402, United States
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8
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Powers M, Brown P, Poudrier G, Ohayon JL, Cordner A, Alder C, Atlas MG. COVID-19 as Eco-Pandemic Injustice: Opportunities for Collective and Antiracist Approaches to Environmental Health. J Health Soc Behav 2021; 62:222-229. [PMID: 33843313 PMCID: PMC9302881 DOI: 10.1177/00221465211005704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has coincided with a powerful upsurge in antiracist activism in the United States, linking many forms and consequences of racism to public and environmental health. This commentary develops the concept of eco-pandemic injustice to explain interrelationships between the pandemic and socioecological systems, demonstrating how COVID-19 both reveals and deepens structural inequalities that form along lines of environmental health. Using Pellow's critical environmental justice theory, we examine how the crisis has made more visible and exacerbated links between racism, poverty, and health while providing opportunities to enact change through collective embodied health movements. We describe new collaborations and the potential for meaningful opportunities at the intersections between health, antiracist, environmental, and political movements that are advocating for the types of transformational change described by critical environmental justice.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Phil Brown
- Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Cole Alder
- Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
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9
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Cordner A. Staring at the Sun during Wildfire Season: Knowledge, Uncertainty, and Front-Line Resistance in Disaster Preparation. Qual Sociol 2021; 44:313-335. [PMID: 33612894 PMCID: PMC7886304 DOI: 10.1007/s11133-020-09470-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
As climate change increases the frequency and severity of disasters, and population and social changes raise the public's vulnerability to disaster events, societies face additional risk of multiple disaster events or other hazards occurring simultaneously. Such hazards involve significant uncertainty, which must be translated into concrete plans able to be implemented by disaster workers. Little research has explored how disaster managers incorporate different forms of knowledge and uncertainty into preparations for simultaneous hazards or disaster events, or how front-line disaster workers respond to and implement these plans. In this paper I draw on ethnographic research working as a wildland firefighter, interviews with firefighters and fire managers, and state and agency planning documents to examine preparations for two events occurring in Central Oregon in August 2017: (1) the height of wildfire season and (2) hundreds of thousands of anticipated visitors for a total solar eclipse. I find that different qualities of risk, hazard, and uncertainty across these two events were central to the development and implementation of disaster plans. Agency leaders devised worst-case scenario plans for the eclipse based on uncertain predictions regarding hazards from the eclipse and the occurrence of severe wildfires, aiming to eliminate the potential for unknown hazards. These plans were generally met with skepticism by front-line disaster workers. Despite the uncertainties that dominated eclipse-planning rhetoric, firefighters largely identified risks from the eclipse that were risks they dealt with in their daily work as firefighters. I conclude by discussing implications of these findings for conceptual understandings of disaster planning as well as contemporary concerns about skepticism and conspiracy theories directed at government planning and response to disaster events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alissa Cordner
- Whitman College, 345 Boyer Ave, Walla Walla, WA 99362 USA
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10
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Cordner A, De La Rosa VY, Schaider LA, Rudel RA, Richter L, Brown P. Correction: Guideline levels for PFOA and PFOS in drinking water: the role of scientific uncertainty, risk assessment decisions, and social factors. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 2020; 30:585-586. [PMID: 32029887 PMCID: PMC8076034 DOI: 10.1038/s41370-020-0207-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alissa Cordner
- Department of Sociology, Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA, USA.
| | - Vanessa Y De La Rosa
- Silent Spring Institute, Newton, MA, USA
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | - Lauren Richter
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Phil Brown
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
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11
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Cordner A, De La Rosa VY, Schaider LA, Rudel RA, Richter L, Brown P. Correction: Guideline levels for PFOA and PFOS in drinking water: the role of scientific uncertainty, risk assessment decisions, and social factors. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 2019; 29:861. [PMID: 30926894 PMCID: PMC6803515 DOI: 10.1038/s41370-019-0134-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
This paper was originally published under a standard licence. This has now been amended to a CC BY licence in the PDF and HTML.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alissa Cordner
- Department of Sociology, Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA, USA.
| | - Vanessa Y De La Rosa
- Silent Spring Institute, Newton, MA, USA
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | - Lauren Richter
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Phil Brown
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
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12
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Cordner A, Poudrier G, DiValli J, Brown P. Combining Social Science and Environmental Health Research for Community Engagement. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2019; 16:E3483. [PMID: 31546760 PMCID: PMC6766000 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16183483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2019] [Revised: 09/02/2019] [Accepted: 09/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Social science-environmental health (SS-EH) research takes many structural forms and contributes to a wide variety of topical areas. In this article we discuss the general nature of SS-EH contributions and offer a new typology of SS-EH practice that situates this type of research in a larger transdisciplinary sensibility: (1) environmental health science influenced by social science; (2) social science studies of environmental health; and (3) social science-environmental health collaborations. We describe examples from our own and others' work and we discuss the central role that research centers, training programs, and conferences play in furthering SS-EH research. We argue that the third form of SS-EH research, SS-EH collaborations, offers the greatest potential for improving public and environmental health, though such collaborations come with important challenges and demand constant reflexivity on the part of researchers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alissa Cordner
- Sociology Department, Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA 99362, USA.
| | - Grace Poudrier
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Jesse DiValli
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Phil Brown
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
- Department of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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13
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Cordner A, Richter L, Brown P. Environmental Chemicals and Public Sociology: Engaged Scholarship on Highly Fluorinated Compounds. Environ Sociol 2019; 5:339-351. [PMID: 32566692 PMCID: PMC7304546 DOI: 10.1080/23251042.2019.1629271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2018] [Accepted: 06/05/2019] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
We report here on a multifaceted body of research on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), chemicals that have become a well-known group of 'emerging contaminants' in recent years. Our PFAS Project team of over 10 researchers - faculty, postdocs, graduate students, and undergraduates - has been working since 2015 to study the extent and health effects of PFAS contamination through a broad model of engaged public sociology. Our model of research combines organic public sociology with elements of community-based participatory research, a related but distinct research form most widely used in the environmental health sciences. Based on long-term, place-based relationships, our engaged public sociology has led to numerous academic, regulatory, and social movement effects. We argue that this form of engaged, intervention-oriented public sociology is appropriate and beneficial for research in many areas of environmental sociology given the social and ecological stakes in the current moment. Engaged public sociology involves collaborative, reflexive research with broadly-conceived communities or publics. It facilitates the creation of previously undone science by addressing research topics of interest to community members, and allows researchers to directly contribute to environmental and social justice movements by acting as reflexive, observant participants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alissa Cordner
- Department of Sociology, Whitman College, 345 Boyer Ave, Walla Walla, WA, USA
| | - Lauren Richter
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
- Silent Spring Institute, Newton, MA, USA
| | - Phil Brown
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
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14
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Cousins EM, Richter L, Cordner A, Brown P, Diallo S. Risky Business? Manufacturer and Retailer Action to Remove Per- and Polyfluorinated Chemicals From Consumer Products. New Solut 2019; 29:242-265. [PMID: 31126215 DOI: 10.1177/1048291119852674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
In the absence of comprehensive environmental regulation, under what conditions can social movement pressure on the private sector generate substantive change? We explore this question in relation to per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a class of persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic chemicals that are widely used in consumer products and industrial processes yet remain largely understudied and weakly regulated. This paper focuses on the strengths and limitations of one high-profile shame campaign by Greenpeace that has called for clothing and outdoor brands to eliminate PFAS from their products. We find that while the campaign appears to have spurred widespread awareness of PFAS in the apparel industry, corporate action remains fragmented and leaves broader environmental and social justice concerns unaddressed. We highlight the urgent need for comprehensive federal regulation for toxic chemicals, increased funding for green chemistry, and collaborative governance of global production networks.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Alissa Cordner
- 2 Department of Sociology, Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA, USA
| | - Phil Brown
- 1 Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
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Cordner A, De La Rosa VY, Schaider LA, Rudel RA, Richter L, Brown P. Guideline levels for PFOA and PFOS in drinking water: the role of scientific uncertainty, risk assessment decisions, and social factors. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 2019; 29:157-171. [PMID: 30622333 PMCID: PMC6455940 DOI: 10.1038/s41370-018-0099-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 142] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2018] [Revised: 10/21/2018] [Accepted: 11/12/2018] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Communities across the U.S. are discovering drinking water contaminated by perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and determining appropriate actions. There are currently no federal PFAS drinking water standards despite widespread drinking water contamination, ubiquitous population-level exposure, and toxicological and epidemiological evidence of adverse health effects. Absent federal PFAS standards, multiple U.S. states have developed their own health-based water guideline levels to guide decisions about contaminated site cleanup and drinking water surveillance and treatment. We examined perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) water guideline levels developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state agencies to protect people drinking the water, and summarized how and why these levels differ. We referenced documents and tables released in June 2018 by the Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council (ITRC) to identify states that have drinking water and groundwater guideline levels for PFOA and/or PFOS that differ from EPA's health advisories (HAs). We also gathered assessment documents from state websites and contacted state environmental and health agencies to identify and confirm current guidelines. Seven states have developed their own water guideline levels for PFOA and/or PFOS ranging from 13 to 1000 ng/L, compared to EPA's HA of 70 ng/L for both compounds individually or combined. We find that the development of PFAS guideline levels via exposure and hazard assessment decisions is influenced by multiple scientific, technical, and social factors, including managing scientific uncertainty, technical decisions and capacity, and social, political, and economic influences from involved stakeholders. Assessments by multiple states and academic scientists suggest that EPA's HA is not sufficiently protective. The ability of states to develop their own guideline levels and standards provides diverse risk assessment approaches as models for other state and federal regulators, while a sufficiently protective, scientifically sound, and enforceable federal standard would provide more consistent protection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alissa Cordner
- Department of Sociology, Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA, USA.
| | - Vanessa Y De La Rosa
- Silent Spring Institute, Newton, MA, USA
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | - Lauren Richter
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Phil Brown
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
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Abstract
Understandings of environmental governance both assume and challenge the relationship between expert knowledge and corresponding action. We explore this interplay by examining the context of knowledge production pertaining to a contested class of chemicals. Per-and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs) are widely used industrial compounds containing chemical chains of carbon and fluorine that are persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic. Although industry and regulatory scientists have studied the exposure and toxicity concerns of these compounds for decades, and several contaminated communities have documented health concerns as a result of their high levels of exposure, PFAS use remains ubiquitous in a large range of consumer and industrial products. Despite this significant history of industry knowledge production documenting exposure and toxicity concerns, the regulatory approach to PFASs has been limited. This is largely due to a regulatory framework that privileges industry incentives for rapid market entry and trade secret protection over substantive public health protection, creating areas of unseen science, research that is conducted but never shared outside of institutional boundaries. In particular, the risks of PFASs have been both structurally hidden and unexamined by existing regulatory and industry practice. This reveals the uneven pathways that construct issues of social and scientific concern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Richter
- Social Science Environmental Health Research Institute, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
- Silent Spring Institute, Newton, MA, USA
| | - Alissa Cordner
- Department of Sociology, Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA, USA
| | - Phil Brown
- Departments of Sociology and Anthropology and Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
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Cordner A, Wilkie AA, Wade TJ, Hudgens EE, Birch RJ, Gallagher JE. Gender and Racial/Ethnic Disparities: Cumulative Screening of Health Risk Indicators in 20-50 Year Olds in the United States. J Health Dispar Res Pract 2017; 10:1. [PMID: 31179164 PMCID: PMC6550323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
This study explored potential gender and racial/ethnic disparities in overall health risk related to 24 health risk indicators selected across six domains: socioeconomic, health status and health care, lifestyle, nutritional, clinical, and environmental. Using the 2003-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES), it evaluated cross-sectional data for 5,024 adults in the United States. Logistic regression models were developed to estimate prevalence odds ratios (PORs) adjusted for smoking, health insurance status, and age. Analyses evaluated disparities associated with 24 indicator variables of health risk, comparing females to males and four racial/ethnic groups to non-Hispanic Whites. Non-Hispanic Blacks and Mexican Americans were at greater risk for at least 50% of the 24 health risk indicators, including measures of socioeconomic status, health risk behaviors, poor/fair self-reported health status, multiple nutritional and clinical indicators, and blood lead levels. This demonstrates that cumulative health risk is unevenly distributed across racial/ethnic groups. A similarly high percentage (46%) of the risk factors was observed in females. Females as compared to males were more likely to have lower income, lower blood calcium, poor/fair self-reported health, more poor mental health days/month, higher medication usage and hospitalizations, and higher serum levels of some clinical indicators and blood cadmium. This analysis of cumulative health risk is responsive to calls for broader-based, more integrated assessment of health disparities that can help inform community assessments and public health policy.
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Cordner A, Richter L, Brown P. Can Chemical Class Approaches Replace Chemical-by-Chemical Strategies? Lessons from Recent U.S. FDA Regulatory Action on Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances. Environ Sci Technol 2016; 50:12584-12591. [PMID: 27934269 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6b04980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Concern about the toxicity and exposure of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) is growing among scientists, regulators, and residents of contaminated communities. In 2016, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) removed three food contact substances (FCSs) containing perfluorinated chemicals from the list of approved FCSs due to concerns regarding chemical safety. To investigate the significance and limitations of the FDA's regulatory action for environmental health research, advocacy, and regulation, we conducted a media analysis and qualitative interviews with a range of involved stakeholders. We find that the FDA's regulatory action represents a potential shift from chemical-by-chemical regulation toward class-based regulation, where groups of chemicals can be identified as sharing properties and risks, and are thus evaluated and regulated together. The FDA decision sets an important precedent of using a petition process to delist chemicals based on a safety standard. However, the narrow reach of this action also highlights the need for more comprehensive, precautionary chemical regulation capable of thoroughly evaluating classes of chemicals, and raises important questions about how classes of chemicals are delimited in environmental health science and regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alissa Cordner
- Whitman College , Department of Sociology, 345 Boyer Ave., Walla Walla, Washington 99362, United States
| | - Lauren Richter
- Northeastern University , Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Phil Brown
- Northeastern University , Department of Sociology and Anthropology, and Department of Health Sciences, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
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Gallagher JE, Wilkie AA, Cordner A, Hudgens EE, Ghio AJ, Birch RJ, Wade TJ. Factors associated with self-reported health: implications for screening level community-based health and environmental studies. BMC Public Health 2016; 16:640. [PMID: 27460934 PMCID: PMC4962351 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-016-3321-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2015] [Accepted: 07/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Advocates for environmental justice, local, state, and national public health officials, exposure scientists, need broad-based health indices to identify vulnerable communities. Longitudinal studies show that perception of current health status predicts subsequent mortality, suggesting that self-reported health (SRH) may be useful in screening-level community assessments. This paper evaluates whether SRH is an appropriate surrogate indicator of health status by evaluating relationships between SRH and sociodemographic, lifestyle, and health care factors as well as serological indicators of nutrition, health risk, and environmental exposures. Methods Data were combined from the 2003–2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys for 1372 nonsmoking 20–50 year olds. Ordinal and binary logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios and 95 % confidence intervals of reporting poorer health based on measures of nutrition, health condition, environmental contaminants, and sociodemographic, health care, and lifestyle factors. Results Poorer SRH was associated with several serological measures of nutrition, health condition, and biomarkers of toluene, cadmium, lead, and mercury exposure. Race/ethnicity, income, education, access to health care, food security, exercise, poor mental and physical health, prescription drug use, and multiple health outcome measures (e.g., diabetes, thyroid problems, asthma) were also associated with poorer SRH. Conclusion Based on the many significant associations between SRH and serological assays of health risk, sociodemographic measures, health care access and utilization, and lifestyle factors, SRH appears to be a useful health indicator with potential relevance for screening level community-based health and environmental studies. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-016-3321-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane E Gallagher
- Environmental Public Health Division, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Drop: 58C, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27711, USA
| | - Adrien A Wilkie
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Environmental Public Health Division, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Drop: 58C, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27711, USA
| | - Alissa Cordner
- Sociology Department, Whitman College, 345 Boyer Ave, Walla Walla, WA, 99362, USA
| | - Edward E Hudgens
- Environmental Public Health Division, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Drop: 58C, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27711, USA
| | - Andrew J Ghio
- Environmental Public Health Division, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Drop: 58C, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27711, USA
| | | | - Timothy J Wade
- Environmental Public Health Division, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Drop: 58C, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27711, USA.
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Abstract
In the past decade, exposure to flame retardant chemicals has become a pressing health concern and widely discussed topic of public safety for firefighters in the United States. Working through local, state, and national unions and independent health and advocacy organizations, firefighters have made important contributions to efforts to restrict the use of certain flame retardants. Firefighters are key members in advocacy coalitions dedicated to developing new environmental health regulations and reforming flammability standards to reflect the best available fire science. Their involvement has been motivated by substantiated health concerns and critiques of deceptive lobbying practices by the chemical industry. Drawing on observations and interviews with firefighters, fire safety experts, and other involved stakeholders, this article describes why firefighters are increasingly concerned about their exposure to flame retardant chemicals in consumer products, and analyzes their involvement in state and national environmental health coalitions.
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Abstract
Science on emerging environmental health threats involves numerous ethical concerns related to scientific uncertainty about conducting, interpreting, communicating, and acting upon research findings, but the connections between ethical decision making and scientific uncertainty are under-studied in sociology. Under conditions of scientific uncertainty, researcher conduct is not fully prescribed by formal ethical codes of conduct, increasing the importance of ethical reflection by researchers, conflicts over research conduct, and reliance on informal ethical standards. This paper draws on in-depth interviews with scientists, regulators, activists, industry representatives, and fire safety experts to explore ethical considerations of moments of uncertainty using a case study of flame retardants, chemicals widely used in consumer products with potential negative health and environmental impacts. We focus on the uncertainty that arises in measuring people's exposure to these chemicals through testing of their personal environments or bodies. We identify four sources of ethical concerns relevant to scientific uncertainty: 1) choosing research questions or methods, 2) interpreting scientific results, 3) communicating results to multiple publics, and 4) applying results for policy-making. This research offers lessons about professional conduct under conditions of uncertainty, ethical research practice, democratization of scientific knowledge, and science's impact on policy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alissa Cordner
- 345 Boyer Ave., Whitman College, Department of Sociology
| | - Phil Brown
- Northeastern University, Department of Sociology and Anthropology and Department of Health Sciences, 360 Huntington Avenue, 318INV, Boston, MA 02115,
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Abstract
Chemicals that are widely used in consumer products offer challenges to product manufacturers, risk managers, environmental regulators, environmental scientists, and the interested public. However, the factors that cause specific chemicals to rise to the level of regulatory, scientific, and social movement concern and scrutiny are not well documented, and scientists are frequently unclear about exactly how their research impacts policy. Through a case study of advocacy around flame retardant chemicals, this paper traces the pathways through which scientific evidence and concern is marshaled by both advocacy groups and media sources to affect policy change. We focus our analysis around a broad coalition of environmental and public health advocacy organizations and an investigative journalism series published in 2012 in the Chicago Tribune. We demonstrate that the Tribune series both brought the issue to a wider public audience and precipitated government action, including state policy revisions and federal Senate hearings. We also show how a broad and successful flame retardant coalition developed, leveraged a media event, and influenced policy at multiple institutional levels. The analysis draws on over 110 in-depth interviews, literature and Web site reviews, and observations at a flame retardant manufacturing company, government offices, and scientific and advocacy conferences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alissa Cordner
- Department of Sociology, Whitman College, 345 Boyer Ave. Walla Walla, Washington 99362, USA.
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Cordner A. The health care access and utilization of homeschooled children in the United States. Soc Sci Med 2012; 75:269-73. [DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2011] [Revised: 01/22/2012] [Accepted: 02/07/2012] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Cordner A, Ciplet D, Brown P, Morello-Frosch R. Reflexive Research Ethics for Environmental Health and Justice: Academics and Movement-Building. Soc Mov Stud 2012; 11:161-176. [PMID: 22690133 PMCID: PMC3370411 DOI: 10.1080/14742837.2012.664898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Community-engaged research on environmental problems has reshaped researcher-participant relationships, academic-community interaction, and the role of community partners in human subjects protection and ethical oversight. We draw on our own and others' research collaborations with environmental health and justice social movement organizations to discuss the ethical concerns that emerge in community-engaged research. In this paper we introduce the concept of reflexive research ethics: ethical guidelines and decision-making principles that depend on continual reflexivity concerning the relationships between researchers and participants. Seeing ethics in this way can help scientists conduct research that simultaneously achieves a high level of professional conduct and protects the rights, well-being, and autonomy of both researchers and the multiple publics affected by research. We highlight our research with community-based organizations in Massachusetts, California, and Alaska, and discuss the potential impacts of the community or social movement on the research process and the potential impacts of research on community or social movement goals. We conclude by discussing ways in which the ethical concerns that surface in community-engaged research have led to advances in ethical research practices. This type of work raises ethical questions whose answers are broadly relevant for social movement, environmental, and public health scholars.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - David Ciplet
- Sociology Department, Brown University, Providence, USA
| | - Phil Brown
- Sociology Department, Brown University, Providence, USA
| | - Rachel Morello-Frosch
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management and School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, USA
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Brown P, Cordner A. Lessons learned from flame retardant use and regulation could enhance future control of potentially hazardous chemicals. Health Aff (Millwood) 2011; 30:906-14. [PMID: 21555474 DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.2010.1228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Flame retardant chemicals, used in many furniture and electronic products to slow combustion, are an example of science and policy problems related to chemical usage. Drawing on a literature review and interviews with stakeholders, we argue that early warnings of the health hazards some flame retardants pose were not heeded as their use expanded to different products. Continued use of flame retardants coincides with their increased presence in people and adverse human health effects. We recommend policy changes applicable to oversight of chemicals in general: examining classes of chemicals rather than individual ones, assessing alternative methods and materials, product labeling, and stronger regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phil Brown
- Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
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