About CHEC
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| CHEC was founded in 2004 at the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH) under a grant from the Heinz Endowments. | ||||
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Mission & Goals
Our mission is to improve environmental health in Western Pennsylvania through community-based research.
We take a community-based approach to analyze the social, economic, political, policy, behavioral and geographical variables associated with environmental health issues, as well as the traditional physical-chemical aspects of local environmental health problems.
Faculty & Staff
The Principal Investigator for and Director of CHEC is Conrad (Dan) Volz, DrPH, MPH.
View all staff»
Services
- Providing community-based participatory environmental research projects;
- Performing exposure & risk assessment studies;
- Offering access to local environmental health data; &
- Providing opportunities for collaboration, prioritization of environmental problems, conferencing, & outreach in order to help people improve their lives & neighborhoods.
Activities
By using a community-derived definition of environmental health, we set the stage for community engagement, which we believe is essential for the success of our work. In addition to conventional environmental hazards, such as pollution of air and water by toxic contaminants, the scope of our interests includes the impact on health and well-being by such things as urban sprawl and "bad neighborhoods," as well as education about modifiable behavioral risk factors for health. These include: home use of pesticides/herbicides, consumer choices of household products, and nutrition, and the physical social, and cultural determinants that influence them. As a starting point, we have chosen to focus our efforts on water management (including water quality, the amount of contaminants in our water , wastewater and sewage, stormwater runoff, flooding and land use policies). Along with a focus fly ash waste contamination of air and water of the local environment by coal fired electrical power plants. CHEC is able to follow the physical and chemical transport of contaminants released from point and non-point water pollution sources and all waste streams of coal-fired electrical plants through all environmental media. In addition, assess the impact of each mode of exposure on human and ecological receptors (fishes, birds, etc.). CHEC will also assess the risk that these exposures present for particular disease endpoints. |
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Examples of CHEC’s Current or Planned Activities:
Allegheny River Stewardship Project
Engage river community members to become involved in the stewardship of the Allegheny River;
- Understand the concentrations of important contaminants in river water, sediment & fish species;
- Associate contaminants that are bioaccumulated in fish with potential pollution sources;
- Identify human exposures to these contaminants;
- Understand the risks posed by discovered contaminants to human health & the environment;
- Obtain and share data with policymakers; &
- Form strategic partnerships with stakeholder groups along the Allegheny River watershed to solve discovered identified problems.
Workshops
Organize workshops designed to:
- Produce shared visions;
- Prioritize issues; and
- Provide assurance of effective Southwestern PA water management in an era of:
- Climate change,
- Overuse of environmental & ecological assets wetland development, continued development of green space & critical watersheds, etc.), &
- Misuse of environmental & ecological assets (wetland development, continued development of green space & critical watersheds, etc.).
Additional Projects
- Determine the geographical position of waste coal & flyash dumps within Southwestern Pennsylvania relative to susceptible population groups & vital ecological and environmental resources;
- Explore possible connections between coal combustion products & waste with specific human & ecological health outcomes; &
- Determine the regional concentration gradients of heavy metals in both air & water & how this affects neighborhood & community exposure & risk patterns.
Environmental Health Education:
- Educate physicians, universities, high schools, & the public.
- Research & provide data on regional health & the environment for community groups & researchers.
Developments
- Building bridges between the study of ecological health (plants & animals) & human environmental & public health. CHEC’s position is that ecological health is a significant human public health issue.
- Producing urban green space & community gardens for sustainable living.
More Info...
CHEC Informational Brochure (PDF) | Collaborative Partners (PDF) | All Publications»
