Gary Families Can Now Test Home Air, Soil and Water for Toxins
Gary and other Lake County residents are being asked to help gauge dangerous pollutants after an initial study found contamination at alarming levels.
'By participating, you could learn more about pollution in your home, whether you have been exposed, and how that might affect the health of your family and the community,' said Ellen Wells, director of the occupational and environmental health sciences program at Purdue University and lead researcher of the study.
In the first phase of the study, researchers and volunteers collected hundreds of dust and air samples. They found road-dust levels in Gary and northern Lake County to be far above those in other Indiana cities. Lead in Gary soil measured twice the EPA's safety limit for polluted areas, and elevated levels of iron and manganese contamination were discovered as well.
Now, researchers are recruiting hundreds more volunteers from across the county — including Gary, Hammond, East Chicago and Whiting — to help quantify how pollution and other environmental contaminants affect residents' health.
Tim DaSilva, a community ambassador for the study from East Chicago and research assistant with Purdue University Northwest, says it's important to get the 'Black perspective' on studies like this, especially in areas like East Chicago, Hammond, Whiting and Gary, because when people aren't informed on these issues, they aren't given the proper compensation from the environmental hardship they endure.
'Historically, many minorities, not just Black people, but Black people included, have been gate kept from the environmental sector, even though it's their communities that are most affected, because a lot of times low-income areas are built on heavily polluted soil or areas that have very, very bad air pollution,' DaSilva said.
He pointed to examples like the West Calumet housing complex in East Chicago, a public housing complex predominantly occupied by minorities, which was built atop an old lead refinery. A 1998 government report found that 30% of children at the complex had high levels of lead in their blood, but residents weren't officially notified by the Department of Housing and Urban Development of the contamination until 2016. In 2019, the last of the complex was torn down after strong community protest.
The study aims to collect data from residents of northern Lake County, focusing on environmental contaminants and their impact on neurological health. Upon completion, the study's findings could inform regulatory levels and community actions to improve environmental conditions.
Chemicals tested include air particles (soot), gas and fumes, heavy metals (including lead), and PFAS chemicals — man-made chemicals used in industrial sites, cookware, and clothing. Exposure to lead can lead to severe brain damage, including developmental delays and behavioral problems, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Air particles, like particulate matter, are tiny pieces of soot caused by pollution and fumes that can settle deep into the lungs and cause respiratory issues, asthma, and premature death. PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — known as 'forever chemicals' for their inability to be destroyed — have been linked to a number of health issues, including cancer, liver damage, infertility, endocrine disruption and developmental problems in children.
Participants will be given an environmental sampling kit, which can be used to collect water, dust, soil, and air in and around their home.
Participants will also be given two silicone wristbands, one to test for pollutants in the air to wear during daily activities, and the other to leave in their home to test home pollution for a week.
After about one to two weeks, participants will be brought to Purdue University Northwest to submit their environmental samples, undergo a standard assessment, fill out a questionnaire, and collect biological samples (hair, nails, a drop of blood and saliva). No DNA measurements will be performed on any samples. After analysis, any samples used will be destroyed.
Wells said their testing methodology considers both environmental contaminants and socioeconomic factors that influence people's health to help determine specific environmental risks to health outcomes.
'There are a lot of things that can influence health conditions,' she said. 'In public health, the concept is that for any given health condition, it's usually the result of multiple risk factors. When we're running the statistical analysis, we can control for those other factors so that we get a better idea of what is the independent relationship of an environmental risk factor on the health outcome, while we're controlling for what we know about other factors that can influence health.'
Community ambassadors are set to expand recruitment efforts this summer. Anyone interested in participating can email LakeCountyEnv@purdue.edu or call (765) 496-4823.
The post Gary Families Can Now Test Home Air, Soil and Water for Toxins appeared first on Capital B Gary.
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