A Mixed Methods Approach to Understanding the Public Health Impact of a School-Based Citizen Science Program to Reduce Arsenic in Private Well Water.

IF 10.1 1区 环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Environmental Health Perspectives Pub Date : 2024-08-01 Epub Date: 2024-08-21 DOI:10.1289/EHP13421
Ashley Taylor, Alexis Garretson, Karen H Bieluch, Kate L Buckman, Hannah Lust, Cait Bailey, Anna E Farrell, Brian P Jackson, Rebecca Lincoln, Erin Arneson, Sarah R Hall, Bruce A Stanton, Jane E Disney
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background: Exposure to arsenic (As) in well water is a well-documented public health issue for Maine and New Hampshire, as well as for other states in the United States and abroad. Arsenic contamination of well water in these locations is primarily attributed to metasedimentary bedrock that leaches As into groundwater. However, As can also enter groundwater reserves from soils contaminated by the historical use of arsenical pesticides. Approximately half of the households in Maine and New Hampshire rely on private wells, many of which have elevated As. Arsenic exposure has been associated with an increased risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, reduced infection resistance, and lower intelligence quotient in children. Despite these known health impacts, well water testing and treatment are not universal.

Objectives: We have approached the problem of low well water testing rates in Maine and New Hampshire communities by developing the All About Arsenic (AAA) project, which engages secondary school teachers and students as citizen scientists in collecting well water samples for analysis of As and other toxic metals and supports their outreach efforts to their communities.

Methods: We assessed this project's public health impact by analyzing student data relative to existing well water quality datasets in both states. In addition, we surveyed private well owners who contributed well water samples to the project to determine the actions taken to mitigate As in well water.

Results: Students collected 3,070 drinking water samples for metals testing, and 752 exceeded New Hampshire's As standard of 5 ppb. The AAA data has more than doubled the amount of information available to public health agencies about well water quality in multiple municipalities across both states. Students also collected information about well types and treatment systems. Their data reveal that some homeowners did not know what type of wells they had or whether they had filtration systems. Those with filtration systems were often unaware of the type of system, what the system was filtering for, or whether the system was designed to remove As. Through interviews with pilot survey participants, we learned that some had begun mitigating their exposure to As and other toxic metals in response to test results from the AAA project.

Discussion: A school-based approach to collecting and analyzing private well water samples can successfully reach communities with low testing rates for toxic elements, such as As and other metals. Importantly, information generated through the program can impact household decision-making, and students can influence local and state policymaking by sharing information in their communities. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP13421.

采用混合方法了解以学校为基础的公民科学计划对公众健康的影响,以减少私人井水中的砷含量。
背景:在缅因州和新罕布什尔州以及美国其他州和国外,井水中的砷(As)暴露是一个有据可查的公共健康问题。这些地区井水砷污染的主要原因是成岩基岩将砷渗入地下水。不过,砷也可能从历史上使用含砷杀虫剂污染的土壤中进入地下水储备。缅因州和新罕布什尔州约有一半的家庭依靠私人水井取水,其中许多水井的砷含量都有所升高。砷暴露与癌症风险增加、心血管疾病、抗感染能力下降和儿童智商降低有关。尽管已知会对健康产生这些影响,但井水检测和处理并未普及:我们针对缅因州和新罕布什尔州社区井水检测率低的问题,开展了 "关于砷的一切"(AAA)项目,让中学教师和学生作为公民科学家参与收集井水样本,分析砷和其他有毒金属,并为他们在社区的推广工作提供支持:我们通过分析这两个州现有井水质量数据集的学生数据,评估了该项目的公共健康影响。此外,我们还调查了为该项目提供井水样本的私人水井所有者,以确定他们为减少井水中的砷而采取的行动:结果:学生们收集了 3070 份饮用水样本进行金属检测,其中 752 份超过了新罕布什尔州 5 ppb 的砷标准。AAA 数据为公共卫生机构提供了两州多个城市的井水质量信息,数量增加了一倍多。学生们还收集了有关水井类型和处理系统的信息。他们的数据显示,一些房主不知道他们的水井是什么类型的,也不知道他们是否有过滤系统。那些拥有过滤系统的业主往往不知道过滤系统的类型、过滤系统的用途,也不知道过滤系统的设计目的是去除 As。通过对试点调查参与者的访谈,我们了解到,一些人已经开始根据 AAA 项目的检测结果来减少砷和其他有毒金属的暴露量:讨论:以学校为基础收集和分析私人井水样本的方法可以成功地覆盖砷和其他金属等有毒元素检测率较低的社区。重要的是,通过该项目获得的信息可以影响家庭决策,学生可以通过在社区分享信息来影响地方和州政府的决策。https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP13421。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
Environmental Health Perspectives
Environmental Health Perspectives 环境科学-公共卫生、环境卫生与职业卫生
CiteScore
14.40
自引率
2.90%
发文量
388
审稿时长
6 months
期刊介绍: Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) is a monthly peer-reviewed journal supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Its mission is to facilitate discussions on the connections between the environment and human health by publishing top-notch research and news. EHP ranks third in Public, Environmental, and Occupational Health, fourth in Toxicology, and fifth in Environmental Sciences.
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