Project Descriptions
Present
Allegheny River Stewardship Project
Autism and Heavy Metal Exposure
Past
The Original Gardeners (OGs): A Summer Neighborhood Greening Project
The CAST: A University - High School Urban Community Collaborative Learning Experience
"State of Environmental Health Data" Report Now Online!!
A process, Implementation and Ultimate Outcome Evaluation of the Healthy Home Resources Inc- At Home, Environmental Asthma Exacerbation Reduction Intervention
Health Homes Resources has just been awarded a grant of $ 925,000 to conduct in-home environmental interventions to improve the health of low income asthmatic children. This grant proposal was developed by Evelyn Majoris of Healthy Homes Resources (Co-Principal Investigator), David Skoner, M.D. of Allegheny General Hospital (Co-Principal Investigator) and CONRAD (Dan) Volz, DrPH of GSPH/EOH (University of Pittsburgh, Evaluation Principal Investigator). This money will be used to provide services to an additional 100 children over 50 who are being recruited now for a pilot study. Children will be recruited from the north side communities of the City of Pittsburgh.
The pilot study, funded by the Heinz Endowment, will recruit 50 children who have environmentally induced asthma as determined by skin tests. These children will undergo baseline pulmonary function testing and other pre-intervention outcome measures will be recorded such as lost school days, rescue inhaler use and emergency room visits. Once baseline indicators are established the children and caretakers will undergo an educational program regarding identifying and removing environmental asthma triggers in the home. Additionally, the home of each child will be evaluated for the presence of triggers such as pet hair, molds, dust mites, cockroach parts and droppings and rodent particles. Each home will be cleaned by a remediation team based on the triggers identified.
To determine the effectiveness of the program air sampling will be performed both before and after the home cleaning intervention to determine the effect of the cleaning. This makes this study unique because it is the first study that will look at actual air levels of allergens and correlate them with asthma symptoms. These children will be followed for the next 18 months to determine the persistence of effect from the intervention, if any and to determine the effectiveness of ongoing education and home visit programs. Lessons learned from evaluating the pilot program will be used to refine the intervention for the next 100 children, funded by HUD. The HUD grant runs from October 1, 2004 thru Oct. 1, 2007.
Allegheny River Stewardship Project
The Allegheny River Stewardship Project is an effort by leading researchers, working together with concerned citizens of the Alle-Kiski Valley river communities, to determine the sources and types of river pollutants by monitoring the levels of toxins in fish living in the river. The goals of the Allegheny River Stewardship Project are to:
- Engage river community members to become involved in the stewardship of the Allegheny River.
- Understand the concentrations of important contaminants in river fish species, especially those that people eat.
- Associate contaminants in fish with potential pollution sources.
- Identify human exposures to these contaminants.
- Understand the risks to human health and the environment from these contaminants and pollution sources.
- Obtain and share data with policymakers so that there is action to solve identified problems and
- Form strategic partnerships with stakeholder groups along the Allegheny River to help insure ongoing stewardship activities.
The Duration of the Allegheny River Stewardship Project
Actual river fishing (sampling) will occur in May and early June of 2008. The Allegheny Stewardship Project is expected to last until Spring 2009 when researchers will hold a series of community meetings on outcomes of the sampling results. At that time a strategy for community action to solve identified priority problems will be determined.
The Partners for this project are:
- The University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Alle-Kiski Health Foundation
- RiverQuest
- Venture Outdoors
- Rachael Carson Homestead
The Principal Investigator is:
- Conrad Daniel Volz, DrPH, MPH, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Volz specializes in the identification and movement of contaminants through the air and soil into water and river sediment and how to block this movement.
The Academic Collaborators are:
- Dr’s Patricia Eagon
- Talal El Hafnawy
- Frank Houghton
- Jim Peterson
- Ravi Sharma
- Nancy Sussman
- Devra Davis
- Maryann Donovan.
The funders of the Allegheny Stewardship Project?
- Alle-Kiski Health Foundation
- The Heinz Endowments
- Highmark Foundation
- Healthy People-Healthy Places through the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute-Center for Environmental Oncology
- The Graduate School of Public Health-Department of Environmental and Occupational Health.
The Background to the Allegheny River Stewardship Project?
Results of the Pittsburgh Fish Consumption Study (fishes sampled in the fall of 2005) indicate that extracts from the flesh and fat of catfish and white bass from the contaminated Pittsburgh Pool surrounding the City of Pittsburgh moderately proliferated the growth of MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cell lines indicating the bioaccumulation of Estrogenic Active Substances (EAS) and/or metalloestrogens in fishes. Also, significantly higher levels of mercury and selenium were found in channel catfish caught upstream at Kittanning as opposed to those caught in the Pittsburgh Pool. Twenty-three percent of fish samples from Kittanning had mercury levels above the EPA human health standard of 0.3 parts per million (ppm). Power plant emissions are a major source of mercury, selenium and arsenic into aquatic environments. The plants located on the Allegheny River may be the source of higher mercury and selenium levels in Kittanning caught catfish; similarly industrial plant and municipal (especially from sewer overflows) effluent buildup in the Pittsburgh Pool could be the source of xenoestrogenic chemicals in the fishes caught there. But these are hypothesis and to further determine the sources of both the mercury and estrogenic substances more research, directly involving river communities, is needed. Additionally the fish caught at Kittanning pose a measurable risk to the health of semi- subsistence anglers and others who consume them and the boundaries of fish that are so highly contaminated with mercury needs to be determined so that fish consumption advisories can be accurately made. We also want to determine the estrogenicity of fish at other location points in the Alle-Kiski Valley, besides the original selected point at Kittanning to see if there may be more local sources of estrogenic compounds.
The Expected Short and Long Term Outcomes of the Project?
- To engage river community members through EOH efforts and those of other project partners in the planning, execution and data analysis portions of the project; specifically to teach both interested teenagers and community members the procedures associated with the catch and measurement, geographic positioning, gender identification, dissection, analysis and interpretation of results of the study. Expedition members will be encouraged to be critical members of the scientific team and will keep a log of observations of environmental problems.
- To understand the different spatial concentrations, along major sections of the Allegheny River, of important contaminants (carcinogenic, EDC-estrogenicity and /or toxic) of environmental public health significance in sentinel fish species including the organic and inorganic forms of mercury and arsenic, metalloestrogens such as cadmium, selenium from fly ash leeching, other heavy metals and the ability of extracts to make MCF-7 human breast cancer cell lines (proxy xenoestrogen measurement) grow by the analysis of new DNA produced and cells proliferated.
- To correlate these spatial concentrations with proximity to industrial facility effluents, power plant fallout or fly ash pile leechate, and municipal sewer overflows, former industrial or known waste sites and/or areas of environmental degradation (deforestation, over development etc.).
- To identify human exposures to the contaminants found in fish either through drinking water and/or fish consumption.
- To understand the risk posed to human or ecological health from these levels of contaminants in fish.
- To begin to understand the sources of emissions of contaminants into the Allegheny River and the contaminants fate in the environment.
- To obtain data, evidence and other information that can inform policymakers in preparing for a regional approach to water management.
- To form a strategic partnership with the RiverQuest, Venture Outdoors, The Rachael Carson Homestead, the Alle-Kiski Health Foundation and the Heinz Endowments to energize river communities, groups, schools and individuals to become stewards of the river. To raise awareness in this area of the centrality of the river to their health and well-being, not only in the sense of drinking water or fish consumption but for aesthetic, cultural, historical and recreational values.
- To set a project in motion where the lessons learned from the project will be transformed into very long-term community environmental and specific water quality goals so that the footprint of the project widens and deepens with the passage of time.
Autism and Heavy Metal Exposure (with Children's Institute, Pittsburgh, PA)
Dr. Volz is Co-Principal Investigator for a project to determine if there is any connection between heavy metal exposures, particularly associated with coal fired plant energy production, and autism and/or autism exacerbations. This study will investigate the environment of Western Pennsylvania and its effect on the neurological development of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. The first portion of the study consists of creating a database of domicile, clinical and laboratory information on children followed by the Neurodevelopmental Service at the Children’s Institute. The sites of potential pollution affecting children in Western Pennsylvania will be documented, utilizing public sources of information. The PI will review the trends of this data, searching for commonalities of clinical and laboratory presentation in relation to patient domicile. The second portion of this study will describe the stack emissions from the coal-fired Shippingsport power plant in 2006 and 2007. The locations of exposure to the plumes will be determined, along with downwind exposure patterns occurring over subsequent weeks. Children with a form of autism or other Neurodevelopmental Disability followed at The Children’s Institute who live under or downwind of the plume will have their charts carefully examined for signs of deterioration in clinical status post exposure. The case histories of these children will be carefully recorded. A summary of these cases, lacking all identifying information, will be created in order to denote a view of medical effects from the exposures. Selected children will have measures of their immunological and metalloprotein functioning determined, and hair, nail, and urine studies will be done to ascertain whether they have difficulty eliminating heavy metals from their bodies. The specific duties of CHEC in this study are:
- Assist the Children’s Institute through its Principal Investigator (PI) with design of the study and hypothesis to be tested, particularly with aspects concerned with coal fired plant emissions, wastewater and waste coal and flyash.
- Research the placement locations of flyash piles throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania, obtain geographic coordinates and depict on Arc View Program layer. Assist PI in determining if proximity to flyash exposure through water or air exposure could affect autism-exacerbations.
- Attempt to obtain priority pollutant monitoring data from Allegheny County Health Department and PA Department of Environmental Resources. Also attempt to obtain samples of the actual PM10 and 2.5 filters for subsequent analysis by Dr. Kingston’s group at Duquesne University for an agreed upon suite of metals. Assist in the layering of this information on Arc View Maps.
- Model plume releases from the Bruce Mansfield plant in Shippingsport under “normal” conditions of release and release when oil discharge is present. Do a Department of Environmental Resources (DEP) file review to determine industry-DEP data on content of plume releases during the “mist” release phase. Compile a report on what is generally known about plume releases from this plant including its rated output, burn temperature, any isokinetic stack samples and data on releases in the period from 2006-2007.
- Assist the PI and Research Coordinator in developing a survey instrument to be given to caretakers of children selected for more detailed environmental exposure and clinical history.
- Advise the PI about evaluatory methods and investigate all potential variables of the clinical setting that could be compared against found pollution variables for possible correlation.
- Assist the PI in the formulation of reports to the Heinz Endowments as required and also participate in production of a manuscript or manuscripts following the description and/or correlation of clinical and environmental work
- Work with the PI’s assistant and Co-PI Dr. Skip Kingston, Duquesne as required for the successful outcome of the project.
Participating CHEC Graduate Students:
Drew Michanowicz – Second Year MPH Student, Risk Assessment Certificate Candidate.
Kyle Ferrer- First Year MPH Student, Risk Assessment Certificate Candidate.
Christy Lawson- DrPH student in epidemiology and MPH in Biostatistics student. Ms. Lawson is performing a special topics course with Dr. Volz.
The Original Gardeners (OGs): A Summer Neighborhood Greening Project
By involving urban high school students in community building, the Original Gardeners (OGs) Project benefits the community, high school students, and the university and its students. This collaboration between the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Healthy Environments and Communities (CHEC) and Healcrest Community Farm is an extension of CHEC’s College After School Team (CAST) program, which runs through the school year at Peabody High.
Over eight weeks for an average of twenty hours per week, ten high school students participate in a variety of activities:
- Working on a community urban farm in a nearby neighborhood
- Completing senior projects, under the guidance of staff and University of Pittsburgh graduate student mentors
- Keeping track of learning experiences through daily journaling
- Attending educational field trips to locations such as Nine Mile Run and Frick Environmental Center, covering such topics as pollution and health, sustainable development, urban farming and gardening, and cooking with herbs
Through the above activities, the program aims to achieve the following benefits:
- Empower the high school students to see how they can create change in the community
- Teach the students about important topics such as environmental health, nutrition, and sustainable community development
- Encourage the students to think about their career goals, and to pursue further education
- Provide college and graduate students with a valuable internship experience
- Deepen relationships between the University of Pittsburgh, community groups and neighborhoods
Staff members include CHEC-affiliated public health graduate students Andrea Arrington, Andrea Grana and Eric Hulsey; Graduate School of Public Health staff Tammy Thomas; and Healcrest Community Farm director Maria Graziani. CHEC staff member Dave Wheitner also assists intermittently.
The students have already made great progress at Healcrest Farm: weeding and maintainence of the existing garden at the farm, clearing and tilling an area for their own vegetable/herb plot, clearing a large area of invasive Japanese knotweed and establishing a Humanure outdoor composting toilet, and constructing a rainwater collection system!
The Original Gardening Team wishes to thank the following for their support: the Frick Environmental Center, Greenlots, Healcrest Community Farm, the Heinz Endowments, Joanie Lapic, Mildred's Daughters Farm, Nine Mile Run Watershed Association, Casey at River Valley School, the Rosedale Block Cluster, Whole Foods, and the caring neighbors in the surrounding communities.
The CAST: A University - High School Urban Community Collaborative Learning Experience
The CAST (College After School Team) is a program that allows university students to participate in an after-school program for high school students at a local urban high school.
The CAST provides a framework wherein university students can collaborate with high school students on projects related to school, community, and environmental issues impacting health, well-being, and achievement. The program should appeal to university students interested in a variety of fields, including medicine, social work, public health, environmental studies, urban studies, and education.
While engaged in group learning processes and projects, university students also serve as role models and exert positive peer pressure to prepare the high school students they work with for college. More broadly, the CAST aims to help high school and university students alike learn how to take control of their lives, engage in improving their communities and environments, become leaders and agents of change, and move towards positive futures.
University students working with the CAST program are expected to form meaningful mentoring relationships with high school students. At the onset of the program, university students receive training in effective mentoring, in working in groups, and, with Earth Force, in a problem-solving process for approaching community and environmental problems. The CAST then meets at Peabody High School on Fridays from 2 to 5 PM during the academic year. Besides the Friday sessions, university students in the program also spend 2 additional hours per week, arranged at their own convenience, working on projects with high school students.
Examples of potential projects (from Fall 2004) include:
- Air pollution monitoring project (with GASP: Group Against Smog and Pollution)
- Organizing and training a core of "youth ambassadors" for pregnancy prevention (with the East Liberty Family Health Care Center)
- Male Responsibility and Leadership Project (with Healthy Start)
- Learning about international food issues, including nutritional aspects thereof (with nutrition specialists)
- A study on school cafeteria food and nutrition (with nutrition specialists)
- An energy audit of the high school building (with Conservation Consultants)
- Community gardening and renovation of a community center (with the Union Project)
- Developing an educational puppet show on lead poisoning for pre-schoolers (with Healthy Homes Resources)
- An exploration of stereotypes in rap music (with the possibility of recording at the Computer Clubhouse)
- Making a documentary film about The CAST program itself (with a professional filmmaker)
"State of Environmental Health Data" Report Now Online!!
We have posted online the first version of our report on the state of environmental health information in the Pittsburgh region, and disseminated copies for feedback at our April conference in conjunction with CHE-Penn (Collaborative on Health and the Environment in Pennsylvania). We'd like your feedback!
Our goal is to create the foundation for a consolidated information inventory and data needs assessment that will benefit numerous information producers and consumers within the environmental health community and help to direct future energies in this area.
We are not currently attempting to collect actual datasets, but rather information about the pertinence, availability and major strengths/weaknesses of the data, and descriptions of current endeavors that have already compiled and creatively linked information. The report covers the following types of data:
- Consumption/demand/production
- Source monitoring/emissions estimates
- Environmental monitoring (air, water and land)
- Human exposure
- Built environment characteristics
- Physical and mental health outcomes and behaviors
Our report also includes the following:
- Opinions regarding where the major environmental health "information gaps" exist
- Opinions regarding next steps in improving regional environmental health data
- Case studies of successful and unsuccessful attempts to obtain and utilize environmental health data for specific purposes
We are gathering input from government, non-profit, for-profit, advocacy and community organizations. If you'd like to provide input after reading the report, please e-mail Dave Wheitner or call him at 412-648-2342.