CHE Partnership Call - Evaluating the Impact of Cumulative Stressors on Health

Monday, April 19, 2010

Report Out from Report Out from Strengthening Environmental Justice Strengthening Environmental Justice

Research and Decision Making :Research and Decision Making : A Symposium on the Science of A Symposium on the Science of

Disproportionate Environmental Health Disproportionate Environmental Health ImpactsImpacts

Devon Payne-Sturges, DrPHAssistant Center Director for Human Health

National Center for Environmental Research, EPA

Purpose of the Symposium To lay the groundwork to develop a

systematic and scientifically defensible approach for incorporating environmental justice concerns into EPA’s decision making process.

“How do you identify disproportionately impacted population groups and communities?”

“How can we translate EJ concerns into language understood by EPA Risk Assessors, Analysts and Decision Makers?”

Symposium Themes & Structure Understanding contributors to disproportionate

environmental health impacts to facilitate their consideration in decision making Commissioned 7 technical papers on state of the science

○ Proximity to environmental hazards○ Multiple exposures and cumulative impacts○ Unique exposures○ Vulnerability/susceptibility○ Physical Infrastructure○ Community capacity to participate in the decision making process○ Psychosocial stress

Informing policy and decision making to protect environmental health

Informing research to advance policy

Observations There is disconnect between what the community

leaders know about what EPA does and EPA’s understanding about what policy/reg actions are/are not successful on the ground

States matters – they can make or break EPA’s good intentions – regulations

More holistic impact assessment methodologies are needed – particularly cumulative impacts, joint effects of social and physical environments.

Equity impact assessment approach is needed – borrow the best from HIA

EPA needs to engage more with the public and community-based organizations to get their input into our research agendas

Cumulative Stressors/Impacts Need to address multiple factors and places

related to the environment when addressing public health

Be aware of the other stressors in relation to stressors being considered in risk analysis and adjust for what is being left out.

Look at qualitative approaches Cumulative impacts/risk is more of a policy

problem rather than a research problem Look for a broader definition of health

Next Steps Development of meeting summary report AJPH will publish a special issue on policy

and science issues in environmental justice The commissioned papers will be revised per

discussions at the Symposium and will be submitted to AJPH for publication

Call for papers – due August 1, 2010

Development of an action agenda and will be announced this summer with input from community coalition.

Thank you

http://epa.gov/ncer/events/news/2010/03_17_10_calendar.html

Disproportionate Impacts Symposium webpage

Devon C. Payne-Sturges, DrPHAssistant Center Director for Human HealthORD/ National Center for Environmental ResearchU.S. Environmental Protection AgencyPhone: 202 343-9852| Fax: 202 233-0677e-mail: payne-sturges.devon@epa.gov