The Log | School News
In Brief
New Group Aims to Protect Durham County Residents From Lead Poisoning Hazards
Recent water samples with high lead levels
from a number of Durham, N.C., residences
have raised public concern about the safety
of the county’s drinking water. To address
these concerns,members of the Nicholas
School’s Children’s Environmental Health
Initiative (CEHI), community advocates, city
officials and county public health
officials have formed the
Durham Environmental
Lead Collaborative
(DELC).
“DELC’s mission is to protect Durham County residents from lead poisoning hazards from all sources,”said Marie Lynn Miranda, CEHI director and associate research professor at the Nicholas School.
DELC members met for the first time in February and began to draft an action plan to form the basis for a communitywide “ Lead Summit,” said Miranda, who serves as facilitator for the group.
In addition to water, other potential sources of lead exposure include deteriorating lead-based paint in dust and soil; lead-containing vinyl miniblinds; traditional medicines or cosmetics; imported food; batteries and hobby materials; and some ceramics and pottery.
The new group will focus its efforts on especially vulnerable populations such as pregnant women and children, she said. It also will place a priority on identifying and testing houses that are considered at risk of exposure from household plumbing and lead paint.
DELC members identified four areas critical to protecting public health: water testing; public education; coordination of blood lead testing; and coordination of testing for lead paint, dust and soil.The group planned to seek community input on its action plans in each of these areas through a variety of activities, including the March summit.
Miranda believes DELC will serve as a model for other communities who wish to bring together diverse stakeholders and establish a common mission and meaningful action plan. “I am very impressed with the many talented and capable people from our community who are participating.The commitment to working collaboratively toward a common mission is absolutely critical to protecting public health,” she said.
Participating DELC members include the Durham City Manager’s Office; Durham Water Management; the Durham County Health Department; the Partnership Effort for the Advancement of Children’s Health; Community Partners Against Lead; the Durham Affordable Housing Coalition; the Durham People’s Alliance; the Durham Department of Community Development; the Durham Department of Neighborhood Improvement Services; the North Carolina Children’s Environmental Health Branch; and the Children’s Environmental Health Initiative.
Orbach Presents on West Coast Marine Resource Management at AAAS
Michael K. Orbach, professor of the practice of marine affairs and policy at the Nicholas School, took part in a symposium panel examining “Emerging Information Needs for Long- Term,West Coast Marine Resource Management”at the 2007 annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in San Francisco.
His February presentation,“Human Institutional Ecology in Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management Regimes,” summarized the elements of the human and institutional ecologies of West Coast U.S. fisheries necessary for a full understanding of the “total ecology.”
The AAAS meeting is the largest general science conference of the year. It attracts thousands of researchers, policymakers, students and reporters from around the world.