CALPUFF and CAFOs: Air Pollution Modeling and Environmental Justice Analysis in the North Carolina HOG Industry

Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) produce large amounts of animal waste, which potentially pollutes air, soil and water and affects human health if not appropriately managed. This study uses meteorological and CAFO data and applies an air pollution dispersion model (CALPUFF) to estimate ammonia concentrations at locations downwind of HOG CAFOs and to evaluate the disproportionate exposure of children, elderly, whites and minorities to the pollutant. Ammonia is one of the gases emitted by swine CAFOs and could affect human health. Local indicator of spatial autocorrelation (LISA) analysis uses census block demographic data to identify hot spots where both ammonia concentrations and the number of exposed vulnerable population are high. We limit our analysis to one watershed in North Carolina and compare environmental justice issues between 2000 and 2010. Our results show that the average ammonia concentrations in hot spots for 2000 and 2010 were 2.5-3-Times higher than the average concentration in the entire watershed. The number of people living in the areas where ammonia concentrations exceeded the minimal risk level was 3647 people in 2000 and 3360 people in 2010. We recommend using air pollution dispersion models in future environmental justice studies to assess the impacts of the CAFOs and to address concerns regarding the health and quality of life of vulnerable populations

CALPUFF and CAFOs: Air Pollution Modeling and Environmental Justice Analysis in the North Carolina HOG Industry

Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) produce large amounts of animal waste, which potentially pollutes air, soil and water and affects human health if not appropriately managed. This study uses meteorological and CAFO data and applies an air pollution dispersion model (CALPUFF) to estimate ammonia concentrations at locations downwind of HOG CAFOs and to evaluate the disproportionate exposure of children, elderly, whites and minorities to the pollutant. Ammonia is one of the gases emitted by swine CAFOs and could affect human health. Local indicator of spatial autocorrelation (LISA) analysis uses census block demographic data to identify hot spots where both ammonia concentrations and the number of exposed vulnerable population are high. We limit our analysis to one watershed in North Carolina and compare environmental justice issues between 2000 and 2010. Our results show that the average ammonia concentrations in hot spots for 2000 and 2010 were 2.5-3-Times higher than the average concentration in the entire watershed. The number of people living in the areas where ammonia concentrations exceeded the minimal risk level was 3647 people in 2000 and 3360 people in 2010. We recommend using air pollution dispersion models in future environmental justice studies to assess the impacts of the CAFOs and to address concerns regarding the health and quality of life of vulnerable populations

Analyzing the Relationship Between Perception of Safety and Reported Crime in n Urban Neighborhood Using GIS and Sketch Maps

This study analyzes the perception of safety among residents of Main South neighborhood in Worcester, MA, USA and compares it to reported crimes. This neighborhood is the focus of a community-based crime reduction project funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the policy development arm of the U.S. Department of Justice. We collected social disorder and violent crime data from the Worcester Police Department and conducted 129 household surveys to understand residents’ perception of safety in the neighborhood and trust in community institutions. The surveys included a map on which residents indicated where they felt unsafe. The goal of this research was twofold: (1) to use geographic information systems (GIS) to analyze the differences in perception of neighborhood safety by gender and length of residency in the neighborhood and (2) to explore the relationship between reported crime and perception of safety in the community. Findings indicate that the strength of the correlation between perceived safety and reported crime varies and that gender and length of residency are significant factors that shape perceptions of safety. Implications of this research suggest the need for comprehensive community-based development initiatives to offer differentiated strategies that address a broad range of safety perceptions and crime experiences among a diverse group of residents

Mapping Patient Distributions Informs Community-Oriented Primary Care in Four Community Health Centers in Central Massachusetts

Background Based on the philosophy that family medicine training should occur in community-based practices and hospitals, the Worcester Family Medicine Residency (WFMR) training program was structured to combine learning opportunities in an academic medical center with outpatient care training in three unique community-based practices: the Barre Family Health Center, a rural site thirty miles west of Worcester, the Family Health Center of Worcester, a federally funded community health center serving a poor and culturally diverse urban population, and the Hahnemann Family Health Center, a hospital-owned health center serving a socioeconomically diverse population in the northeast part of Worcester. The WFMR received an AAMC “Regional Medicine-Public Health Education Centers-Graduate Medical Education (RMPHEC-GME)” grant to further integrate public health training into the clinical training experience. As part of the effort, collaboration was begun between the department of Family Medicine and Community Health at UMASS Medical School, the academic home of the WFMR, and geographers at Clark University, a local resource providing expertise in mapping of data using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Mapping Patient Distribution A series of thematic maps were generated from actual practice data on the patients being served by each residency site and also by Fitchburg Community Health Center. Faculty champions from each site attended two training sessions to learn more about the capabilities of mapping. They were then asked to lead faculty at their site in discussion to define five maps they would like to see made from their own patient data. Most sites chose a map showing the distribution of the entire patient population, some requested a map of their pediatric patients, and then the rest were designed to depict the spread of certain chronic diseases, including asthma, hypertension, coronary disease, and diabetes. Maps were generated using geocoding and point density tools in ArcGIS Desktop software. The main goal of this mapping activity was to educate physicians in training about where their patients live and facilitate discussion about environmental factors that impact health. These maps can also be used by practitioners to communicate important information to their patients about available community resources such as gyms, parks, health clinics, and supermarkets (as shown on some maps). Making Maps Available Online One element of the grant initiative was to build an online resource to aid faculty in teaching about population health concepts. This portal, the Community Health Toolkit (http://www.umassmed.edu/fmch/toolkit.aspx), provides three types of information to aid clinicians in both their teaching and their practice. The “Data on Communities” section was developed as part of the UMMS/Clark University collaboration. In total, 24 thematic maps were generated by the GIS team at Clark University and uploaded to the “Data on Communities” web section of the Community Health Toolkit. Other sections of the Community Health Toolkit include “Learning about Populations” which provides links to a variety of local, regional and national health indicators, and a “Community Resources” section which provides links to community resources for patients. The Toolkit is presented to learners along the continuum of medical education, including second year students in the Population Health Clerkship, first year residents in the Family Medicine and Community Health rotation, then used as a resource by residents as they complete presentations and research projects

Vulnerability-Based Spatial Sampling Stratification for the National Children\u27s Study, Worcester County, Massachusetts: Capturing Health-Relevant Environmental and Sociodemographic Variability

Background: The National Children\u27s Study is the most ambitious study ever attempted in the United States to assess how environmental factors impact child health and development. It aims to follow 100,000 children from gestation until 21 years of age. Success requires breaking new interdisciplinary ground, starting with how to select the sample of \u3e 1,000 children in each of 105 study sites; no standardized protocol exists for stratification of the target population by factoring in the diverse environments it inhabits. Worcester County, Massachusetts, like other sites, stratifies according to local conditions and local knowledge, subject to probability sampling rules.Objectives: We answer the following questions: How do we divide Worcester County into viable strata that represent its health-relevant environmental and sociodemographic heterogeneity, subject to sampling rules? What potential does our approach have to inform stratification at other sites?Results: We developed a multivariable, vulnerability-based method for spatial sampling consisting of two descriptive indices: a hazards/stressors exposure index (comprising three proxy variables), and an adaptive capacity/sociodemographic character index (five variables). Multivariable, health-relevant stratification at the start of the study may improve detection power for environment-child health associations down the line. Eighteen strata capture countywide heterogeneity in the indices and have optimal relative homogeneity within each. They achieve comparable expected birth counts and conform to local concepts of space. Conclusion: The approach offers moderate to high potential to inform other sites, limited by intersite differences in data availability, geodemographics, and technical capacity. Energetic community engagement from the start promotes local stratification coherence, plus vital researcher-community trust and co-ownership for sustainability

Manganese in residential drinking water from a community-initiated case study in Massachusetts

Background: Manganese (Mn) is a metal commonly found in drinking water, but the level that is safe for consumption is unknown. In the United States (U.S.), Mn is not regulated in drinking water and data on water Mn concentrations are temporally and spatially sparse. Objective: Examine temporal and spatial variability of Mn concentrations in repeated tap water samples in a case study of Holliston, Massachusetts (MA), U.S., where drinking water is pumped from shallow aquifers that are vulnerable to Mn contamination. Methods: We collected 79 residential tap water samples from 21 households between September 2018 and December 2019. Mn concentrations were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. We calculated descriptive statistics and percent of samples exceeding aesthetic (secondary maximum containment level; SMCL) and lifetime health advisory (LHA) guidelines of 50 µg/L and 300 µg/L, respectively. We compared these concentrations to concurrent and historic water Mn concentrations from publicly available data across MA. Results: The median Mn concentration in Holliston residential tap water was 2.3 µg/L and levels were highly variable (range: 0.03–5,301.8 µg/L). Mn concentrations exceeded the SMCL and LHA in 14% and 12% of samples, respectively. Based on publicly available data across MA from 1994–2022, median Mn concentration was 17.0 µg/L (N = 37,210; range: 1–159,000 µg/L). On average 40% of samples each year exceeded the SMCL and 9% exceeded the LHA. Samples from publicly available data were not evenly distributed between MA towns or across sampling years. Impact statement: This study is one of the first to examine Mn concentrations in drinking water both spatially and temporally in the U.S. Findings suggest that concentrations of Mn in drinking water frequently exceed current guidelines and occur at concentrations shown to be associated with adverse health outcomes, especially for vulnerable and susceptible subpopulations like children. Future studies that comprehensively examine exposure to Mn in drinking water and its associations with children’s health are needed to protect public health. © 2023, The Author(s)

Vulnerability-based spatial sampling stratification for the National Children\u27s Study, Worcester County, Massachusetts: capturing health-relevant environmental and sociodemographic variability

BACKGROUND: The National Children\u27s Study is the most ambitious study ever attempted in the United States to assess how environmental factors impact child health and development. It aims to follow 100,000 children from gestation until 21 years of age. Success requires breaking new interdisciplinary ground, starting with how to select the sample of \u3e 1,000 children in each of 105 study sites; no standardized protocol exists for stratification of the target population by factoring in the diverse environments it inhabits. Worcester County, Massachusetts, like other sites, stratifies according to local conditions and local knowledge, subject to probability sampling rules. OBJECTIVES: We answer the following questions: How do we divide Worcester County into viable strata that represent its health-relevant environmental and sociodemographic heterogeneity, subject to sampling rules? What potential does our approach have to inform stratification at other sites? RESULTS: We developed a multivariable, vulnerability-based method for spatial sampling consisting of two descriptive indices: a hazards/stressors exposure index (comprising three proxy variables), and an adaptive capacity/sociodemographic character index (five variables). Multivariable, health-relevant stratification at the start of the study may improve detection power for environment-child health associations down the line. Eighteen strata capture countywide heterogeneity in the indices and have optimal relative homogeneity within each. They achieve comparable expected birth counts and conform to local concepts of space. CONCLUSION: The approach offers moderate to high potential to inform other sites, limited by intersite differences in data availability, geodemographics, and technical capacity. Energetic community engagement from the start promotes local stratification coherence, plus vital researcher-community trust and co-ownership for sustainability

Integrated Assessment of Shallow-Aquifer Vulnerability to Multiple Contaminants and Drinking-Water Exposure Pathways in Holliston, Massachusetts

Half of U.S. drinking water comes from aquifers, and very shallow ones (table) are especially vulnerable to anthropogenic contamination. We present the case of Holliston, a Boston, Massachusetts suburb that draws its drinking water from very shallow aquifers, and where metals and solvents have been reported in groundwater. Community concerns focus on water discolored by naturally occurring manganese (Mn), despite reports stating regulatory aesthetic compliance. Epidemiologic studies suggest Mn is a potentially toxic element (PTE) for children exposed by the drinking-water pathway at levels near the regulatory aesthetic level. We designed an integrated, community-based project: five sites were profiled for contaminant releases; service areas for wells were modeled; and the capture zone for one vulnerable well was estimated. Manganese, mercury, and trichloroethylene are among 20 contaminants of interest. Findings show that past and/or current exposures to multiple contaminants in drinking water are plausible, satisfying the criteria for complete exposure pathways. This case questions the adequacy of aquifer protection and monitoring regulations, and highlights the need for integrated assessment of multiple contaminants, associated exposures and health risks. It posits that community-researcher partnerships are essential for understanding and solving complex problems

Spatial Analysis of Drug Poisoning Deaths and Access to Substance-Use Disorder Treatment in the United States

Mortality rates from drug overdose have increased exponentially throughout the US for the past 30 years. Age-adjusted death rates from drug poisoning for 1999-2016 were analyzed at the county level using space-time cube and hot spot analysis, and a composite index of patient access to substance-use disorder treatment and services per each county has been calculated. More than two-thirds of all US counties have been classified as hot spots. Combining mortality hot spots with the accessibility index highlights 81 counties with high disease burden and low access to treatment providers. These areas deserve special attention as state and local government and public health organizations seek new prevention and intervention strategies to address the opioid epidemic

Analyzing the Relationship between Perception of Safety and Reported Crime in an Urban Neighborhood Using GIS and Sketch Maps

This study analyzes the perception of safety among residents of Main South neighborhood in Worcester, MA, USA and compares it to reported crimes. This neighborhood is the focus of a community-based crime reduction project funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the policy development arm of the U.S. Department of Justice. We collected social disorder and violent crime data from the Worcester Police Department and conducted 129 household surveys to understand residents’ perception of safety in the neighborhood and trust in community institutions. The surveys included a map on which residents indicated where they felt unsafe. The goal of this research was twofold: (1) to use geographic information systems (GIS) to analyze the differences in perception of neighborhood safety by gender and length of residency in the neighborhood and (2) to explore the relationship between reported crime and perception of safety in the community. Findings indicate that the strength of the correlation between perceived safety and reported crime varies and that gender and length of residency are significant factors that shape perceptions of safety. Implications of this research suggest the need for comprehensive community-based development initiatives to offer differentiated strategies that address a broad range of safety perceptions and crime experiences among a diverse group of residents