Jack Caravanos

Clinical Professor of Environmental Public Health Sciences in the Department of Global and Environmental Health

Professional overview

For Dr. Jack Caravanos, life in the field ranges from jumping onto a motorcycle and navigating the jungles of Madre de Dios in the Peruvian Amazon studying toxic substances to traveling to remotes areas in Zambia, Indonesia, and Bolivia studying lead and other toxic wastes. By cooperating with local governments, his work provides safe, healthy, and evidence-based solutions for pollution problems in low- and middle-income countries.

In partnership with Pure Earth, an international non-profit organization, Dr. Caravanos is studying the impact of gold extraction with mercury in Peru and Indonesia. Since miners are in danger of mercury poisoning, his research team is planning interventions that teach safer techniques for gold extraction. In Kabwe, Zambia - a mining town with exposure to lead - his research will provide methods to institute safer mining practices and policy recommendations to improve environmental remediation laws.

Dr. Caravanos teaches Environmental Health for graduate students and Environmental Health in a Global World for undergraduate students. He also provides opportunities for student researchers in his ongoing projects, including in Indonesia (mercury) and Ghana (e-waste).

To learn more about Dr. Caravanos and his work, visit his website.

Education

BS, Health Science, Hunter College, New York, NY

MS, Environmental Health Engineering, New York University, New York, NY

DrPH, Environmental Health, Columbia University, New York, NY

Honors and awards

Presidential Award for Excellence in Community Service, Hunter College (2013)

Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching, Hunter College (2006)

Areas of research and study

Artisanal Gold Mining

Dissemination and Implementation of Evidence-based Programs

Environmental Public Health Services

Global Health

Lead poisoning

Publications

Publications

Distribution of lead in urban roadway grit and its association with elevated steel structures

Weiss, A. L., Caravanos, J., Blaise, M. J., & Jaeger, R. J. (n.d.).

Publication year

2006

Journal title

Chemosphere

Volume

65

Issue

10

Page(s)

1762-1771

10.1016/j.chemosphere.2006.04.079

Abstract

Abstract

In an effort to determine the source of exterior lead contamination, we investigated the concentration of lead in roadway grit along major thoroughfares in New York City and in certain areas under elevated steel structures supporting elevated rails. Such structures represent only one source of lead in roadway grit. While data revealed that the median lead concentration in roadway grit did not exceed the standard for a lead hazard in bare residential soil in any borough, the limit of 400 μg/g was exceeded 22%, 18%, 10.5%, and 7.7% of the time in Manhattan, Brooklyn, The Bronx, and Queens, respectively. The second part of the study revealed the presence of high concentrations of lead in roadway grit directly under elevated steel structures. The differences in the concentration of lead in roadway grit under steel structures in comparison to areas in NYC not near elevated rails was statistically significant. Of the eight sites studied from 225 total samples, the median roadway grit lead level was 340 ppm, while the level under steel structures was 1480 ppm. Preliminary efforts to determine particle size distribution revealed that 84% of the particles were in the range of 125-500 μm, but the highest concentration of lead was in the smallest fraction analyzed (

Efficacy of Grignard Pure to Inactivate Airborne Phage MS2, a Common SARS-CoV-2 Surrogate

Desai, G., Ramachandran, G., Goldman, E., Esposito, W., Galione, A., Lal, A., Choueiri, T. K., Fay, A., Jordan, W., Schaffner, D. W., Caravanos, J., Grignard, E., & Mainelis, G. (n.d.).

Publication year

2022

Journal title

Environmental Science and Technology

10.1021/acs.est.2c08632

Abstract

Abstract

Grignard Pure (GP) is a unique and proprietary blend of triethylene glycol (TEG) and inert ingredients designed for continuous antimicrobial treatment of air. TEG has been designated as a ″Safer Chemical” by the US EPA. GP has already received approval from the US EPA under its Section 18 Public Health Emergency Exemption program for use in seven states. This study characterizes the efficacy of GP for inactivating MS2 bacteriophage─a nonenveloped virus widely used as a surrogate for SARS-CoV-2. Experiments measured the decrease in airborne viable MS2 concentration in the presence of different concentrations of GP from 60 to 90 min, accounting for both natural die-off and settling of MS2. Experiments were conducted both by introducing GP aerosol into air containing MS2 and by introducing airborne MS2 into air containing GP aerosol. GP is consistently able to rapidly reduce viable MS2 bacteriophage concentration by 2-3 logs at GP concentrations of 0.04-0.5 mg/m3 (corresponding to TEG concentrations of 0.025 to 0.287 mg/m3). Related GP efficacy experiments by the US EPA, as well as GP (TEG) safety and toxicology, are also discussed.

Environmental contamination in Nigeria

Caravanos, J. (n.d.).

Publication year

2017

Journal title

Journal of Health and Pollution

Volume

7

Issue

13

Page(s)

1

10.5696/2156-9614-7-13.1

Abstract

Abstract

~

Estimating the Prevalence of Toxic Waste Sites in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Dowling, R., Caravanos, J., Grigsby, P., Rivera, A., Ericson, B., Amoyaw-Osei, Y., Akuffo, B., & Fuller, R. (n.d.).

Publication year

2016

Journal title

Annals of Global Health

Volume

82

Issue

5

Page(s)

700-710

10.1016/j.aogh.2016.07.008

Abstract

Abstract

Background Exposure to heavy metals at contaminated industrial and mining sites, known also as hot spots, is a significant source of toxic exposure and adverse health outcomes in countries around the world. The Toxic Sites Identification Program (TSIP) developed by Pure Earth, a New York–based nongovernmental organization, is the only systematic effort to catalogue contaminated sites globally. To date, TSIP has identified and catalogued 3282 sites in low- and middle-income countries. The TSIP methodology is not designed to survey all contaminated sites in a country. Rather sites are prioritized based on their perceived impact on human health, and only a limited number of the most highly hazardous sites are surveyed. The total number of contaminated sites globally and the fraction of contaminated sites captured by TSIP is not known. Objective To determine the TSIP site capture rate, the fraction of contaminated sites in a country catalogued by TSIP. Methods Ghana was selected for this analysis because it is a rapidly industrializing lower middle income country with a heterogeneous industrial base, a highly urban population (51%), and good public records systems. To develop an estimate of the fraction of sites in Ghana captured by TSIP, assessors targeted randomly selected geographic quadrats for comprehensive assessment using area and population statistics from the Ghana Statistical Service. Investigators physically walked all accessible streets in each quadrat to visually identify all sites. Visual identification was supplemented by field-based confirmation with portable x-ray fluorescence instruments to test soils for metals. To extrapolate from survey findings to develop a range of estimates for the entire country, the investigators used 2 methodologies: a “bottom-up” approach that first estimated the number of waste sites in each region and then summed these regional subtotals to develop a total national estimate; and a “top-down” method that estimated the total number of sites in Ghana and then allocated these sites to each region. Both methods used cluster random sampling principles. Findings The investigators identified 72 sites in the sampled quadrats. Extrapolating from these findings to the entire country, the first methodology estimated that there are 1561 sites contaminated by heavy metals in Ghana (confidence interval [CI]: 1134-1987), whereas the second estimated 1944 sites (CI: 812-3075). The estimated total number of contaminated sites in Ghana is thus 7-9 times the number of sites captured through TSIP. On a population basis, it was estimated that there are between 31 and 115 contaminated sites per million inhabitants in Ghana. Conclusions The findings of this study indicate that the TSIP methodology provides a sound statistical basis for policy formulation. The statistical approaches used in this study can be replicated in other countries to improve estimates of the prevalence of contaminated sites. This information provides important input to calculations of the global burden of disease attributable to hazardous exposures at contaminated sites.

Estimating the prevalence of toxic waste sites in low- and middle-income countries: a Ghanaian case study

Dowling, R., Caravanos, J., & Ericson, B. (n.d.).

Publication year

2016

Journal title

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment

Abstract

Abstract

~

Exploratory health assessment of chemical exposures at an e-waste recycling and scrapyard facility in Accra, Ghana

Caravanos, J., Clarke, E., Osei, C., & Amoyaw-Osei, Y. (n.d.).

Publication year

2013

Journal title

Journal of Health and Pollution

Abstract

Abstract

~

Exposición a plomo : Una tarea pendiente en México

Téllez-Rojo, M. M., & Caravanos, J. (n.d.).

Publication year

2015

Journal title

Salud Publica de Mexico

Volume

57

Issue

2

Page(s)

115-116

Abstract

Abstract

~

Fighting indoor air pollution

Caravanos, J. (n.d.). In Newsletter of the Women's Occupational Health Resource Center.

Publication year

1981

Volume

3

Issue

3

Abstract

Abstract

~

Geo-Spatial Characterization of Soil Mercury and Arsenic at a High-Altitude Bolivian Gold Mine

Johnson, G. D., Pavilonis, B., Caravanos, J., & Grassman, J. (n.d.).

Publication year

2018

Journal title

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology

Volume

100

Issue

2

Page(s)

259-264

10.1007/s00128-017-2213-4

Abstract

Abstract

Soil mercury concentrations at a typical small-scale mine site in the Bolivian Andes were elevated (28–737 mg/kg or ppm) in localized areas where mercury amalgams were either formed or vaporized to release gold, but was not detectable beyond approximately 10 m from its sources. Arsenic was measurable, exceeding known background levels throughout the mine site (77–137,022 ppm), and was also measurable through the local village of Ingenio (36–1803 ppm). Although arsenic levels were high at all surveyed locations, its spatial pattern followed mercury, being highest where mercury was high.

Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 79 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks in 188 countries, 1990-2013 : A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013

Caravanos, J. (n.d.).

Publication year

2015

Journal title

The Lancet

Volume

386

Issue

10010

Page(s)

2287-2323

10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00128-2

Abstract

Abstract

Background: The Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor study 2013 (GBD 2013) is the first of a series of annual updates of the GBD. Risk factor quantification, particularly of modifiable risk factors, can help to identify emerging threats to population health and opportunities for prevention. The GBD 2013 provides a timely opportunity to update the comparative risk assessment with new data for exposure, relative risks, and evidence on the appropriate counterfactual risk distribution. Methods: Attributable deaths, years of life lost, years lived with disability, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) have been estimated for 79 risks or clusters of risks using the GBD 2010 methods. Risk-outcome pairs meeting explicit evidence criteria were assessed for 188 countries for the period 1990-2013 by age and sex using three inputs: risk exposure, relative risks, and the theoretical minimum risk exposure level (TMREL). Risks are organised into a hierarchy with blocks of behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks at the first level of the hierarchy. The next level in the hierarchy includes nine clusters of related risks and two individual risks, with more detail provided at levels 3 and 4 of the hierarchy. Compared with GBD 2010, six new risk factors have been added: handwashing practices, occupational exposure to trichloroethylene, childhood wasting, childhood stunting, unsafe sex, and low glomerular filtration rate. For most risks, data for exposure were synthesised with a Bayesian metaregression method, DisMod-MR 2.0, or spatial-temporal Gaussian process regression. Relative risks were based on meta-regressions of published cohort and intervention studies. Attributable burden for clusters of risks and all risks combined took into account evidence on the mediation of some risks such as high body-mass index (BMI) through other risks such as high systolic blood pressure and high cholesterol. Findings: All risks combined account for 57·2% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 55·8-58·5) of deaths and 41·6% (40·1-43·0) of DALYs. Risks quantified account for 87·9% (86·5-89·3) of cardiovascular disease DALYs, ranging to a low of 0% for neonatal disorders and neglected tropical diseases and malaria. In terms of global DALYs in 2013, six risks or clusters of risks each caused more than 5% of DALYs: dietary risks accounting for 11·3 million deaths and 241·4 million DALYs, high systolic blood pressure for 10·4 million deaths and 208·1 million DALYs, child and maternal malnutrition for 1·7 million deaths and 176·9 million DALYs, tobacco smoke for 6·1 million deaths and 143·5 million DALYs, air pollution for 5·5 million deaths and 141·5 million DALYs, and high BMI for 4·4 million deaths and 134·0 million DALYs. Risk factor patterns vary across regions and countries and with time. In sub-Saharan Africa, the leading risk factors are child and maternal malnutrition, unsafe sex, and unsafe water, sanitation, and handwashing. In women, in nearly all countries in the Americas, north Africa, and the Middle East, and in many other high-income countries, high BMI is the leading risk factor, with high systolic blood pressure as the leading risk in most of Central and Eastern Europe and south and east Asia. For men, high systolic blood pressure or tobacco use are the leading risks in nearly all high-income countries, in north Africa and the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. For men and women, unsafe sex is the leading risk in a corridor from Kenya to South Africa. Interpretation: Behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks can explain half of global mortality and more than one-third of global DALYs providing many opportunities for prevention. Of the larger risks, the attributable burden of high BMI has increased in the past 23 years. In view of the prominence of behavioural risk factors, behavioural and social science research on interventions for these risks should be strengthened. Many prevention and primary care policy options are available now to act on key risks.

Invited Perspective : An Argument for Changing the Reporting Units for Lead in Blood

Caravanos, J., Nassif, J., Lanphear, B., Landrigan, P. J., Hu, H., & Fuller, R. (n.d.).

Publication year

2023

Journal title

Environmental health perspectives

Volume

131

Issue

9

10.1289/EHP12382

Abstract

Abstract

~

Lead intoxicated children in Kabwe, Zambia

Bose-O'Reilly, S., Yabe, J., Makumba, J., Schutzmeier, P., Ericson, B., & Caravanos, J. (n.d.).

Publication year

2018

Journal title

Environmental Research

Volume

165

Page(s)

420-424

10.1016/j.envres.2017.10.024

Abstract

Abstract

Kabwe is a lead contaminated mining town in Zambia. Kabwe has extensive lead contaminated soil and children in Kabwe ingest and inhale high quantities of this toxic dust. The aim of this paper is to analyze the health impact of this exposure for children. Health data from three existing studies were re-analyzed. Over 95% of children living in the most affected townships had high blood lead levels (BLLs) > 10 µg/dL. Approximately 50% of those children had BLLs ≥ 45 µg/dL. The existing data clearly establishes the presence of a severe environmental health crisis in Kabwe which warrants immediate attention.

Lead Levels in a Potters Population and Its Association With the Use of Different Glazes : Cross-Sectional Evaluation of the Approved Pottery Program

Peralta, N., Cantoral, A., Téllez-Rojo, M. M., Trejo-Valdivia, B., Estrada-Sánchez, D., Richardson-L, V., Caravanos, J., & Fuller, R. (n.d.).

Publication year

2022

Journal title

Frontiers in Toxicology

Volume

4

10.3389/ftox.2022.799633

Abstract

Abstract

Lead is one of the most harmful toxic metals to humans. In Mexico, though most potters still use a lead-based glazing process, a new lead-free glaze has been introduced to the production of pottery. The Approved Pottery Program (APP) promotes the production of lead-free pottery. As a component of the APP, we aimed to document in this pilot study the blood lead levels (BLLs) of a sample of potters and the association with the type of glaze used. A cross-sectional study was conducted based on information from 46 potters grouped by 26 workshops. We measured general sociodemographic characteristics, capillary BLLs, and the lead levels of the dirt floors of the workshops. The evaluation of associations and comparisons between glaze types was performed based on a regression model clustered by workshop. The median BLL measured was 13.6 μg/dl (IQR: 7.8–20.4 μg/dl), and 70% of the BLLs were greater than 10 μg/dl. Workshop managers presented higher BLLs compared to others working in the same workshop (median of 14.1 μg/dl (IQR: 11.6–25.3 μg/dl) versus 10.1 μg/dl (IQR: 5.2–16.7 μg/dl), respectively). The median BLLs of potters who used lead-free glaze in at least 80% of production were 8.8 μg/dl (95% CI: −17.3 to −0.3 μg/dl) lower than the BLLs of those who used lead-free glaze in less than 30% of production, adjusted by workshop role. Additionally, the lead levels were significantly lower in workshop dirt floors where lead-free glaze was used in at least 80% of the production compared to those that use less than 30% (180 versus 916 mg/kg; p < 0.05). The use of lead-free glaze in the production of pottery was associated with both lower BLLs in potters and lower soil lead levels in the workshop area.

Long term exterior dust lead loadings in New York City

Caravanos, J., Weiss, A., & Jaeger, R. (n.d.).

Publication year

2006

Journal title

Environmental Research

Volume

100

Issue

2

Page(s)

159

Abstract

Abstract

~

Measurement of Soil Lead Levels Adjacent to Lead-Sheathed Communications Cables

Caravanos, J., Landrigan, P. J., Nelson, B. K., Neisler, J. P., & Chang, H. Y. (n.d.).

Publication year

2024

Journal title

Environmental health perspectives

Volume

132

Issue

3

Page(s)

37701

10.1289/EHP14086

Abstract

Abstract

~

Niveles de plomo en sangre en méxico y su implicación para la carga pediátrica de la enfermedad

Caravanos, J., Dowling, R., Téllez-Rojo, M. M., Cantoral, A., Kobrosly, R., Estrada, D., Orjuela, M., Gualtero, S., Ericson, B., Rivera, A., & Fuller, R. (n.d.).

Publication year

2014

Journal title

Annals of Global Health

Volume

80

Issue

4

Page(s)

e1-e11

Abstract

Abstract

~

Pollution and global health – An agenda for prevention

Landrigan, P. J., Fuller, R., Hu, H., Caravanos, J., Cropper, M. L., Hanrahan, D., Sandilya, K., Chiles, T. C., Kumar, P., & Suk, W. A. (n.d.).

Publication year

2018

Journal title

Environmental health perspectives

Volume

126

Issue

8

10.1289/EHP3141

Abstract

Abstract

SUMMARY: Pollution is a major, overlooked, global health threat that was responsible in 2015 for an estimated 9 million deaths and great economic losses. To end neglect of pollution and advance prevention of pollution-related disease, we formed the Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health. Despite recent gains in understanding of pollution and its health effects, this Commission noted that large gaps in knowledge remain. To close these gaps and guide prevention, the Commission made research recommendations and proposed creation of a Global Observatory on Pollution and Health. We posit that successful pollution research will be translational and based on transdisciplinary collaborations among exposure science, epidemiology, data science, engineering, health policy, and economics. We envision that the Global Observatory on Pollution and Health will be a multinational consortium based at Boston College and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health that will aggregate, geocode, and archive data on pollution and pollution-related disease; analyze these data to discern trends, geographic patterns, and opportunities for intervention; and make its findings available to policymakers, the media, and the global public to catalyze research, inform policy, and assist cities and countries to target pollution, track progress, and save lives.

Pollution and health : a progress update

Fuller, R., Landrigan, P. J., Balakrishnan, K., Bathan, G., Bose-O'Reilly, S., Brauer, M., Caravanos, J., Chiles, T., Cohen, A., Corra, L., Cropper, M., Ferraro, G., Hanna, J., Hanrahan, D., Hu, H., Hunter, D., Janata, G., Kupka, R., Lanphear, B., … Yan, C. (n.d.).

Publication year

2022

Journal title

The Lancet Planetary Health

Volume

6

Issue

6

Page(s)

e535-e547

10.1016/S2542-5196(22)00090-0

Abstract

Abstract

The Lancet Commission on pollution and health reported that pollution was responsible for 9 million premature deaths in 2015, making it the world's largest environmental risk factor for disease and premature death. We have now updated this estimate using data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuriaes, and Risk Factors Study 2019. We find that pollution remains responsible for approximately 9 million deaths per year, corresponding to one in six deaths worldwide. Reductions have occurred in the number of deaths attributable to the types of pollution associated with extreme poverty. However, these reductions in deaths from household air pollution and water pollution are offset by increased deaths attributable to ambient air pollution and toxic chemical pollution (ie, lead). Deaths from these modern pollution risk factors, which are the unintended consequence of industrialisation and urbanisation, have risen by 7% since 2015 and by over 66% since 2000. Despite ongoing efforts by UN agencies, committed groups, committed individuals, and some national governments (mostly in high-income countries), little real progress against pollution can be identified overall, particularly in the low-income and middle-income countries, where pollution is most severe. Urgent attention is needed to control pollution and prevent pollution-related disease, with an emphasis on air pollution and lead poisoning, and a stronger focus on hazardous chemical pollution. Pollution, climate change, and biodiversity loss are closely linked. Successful control of these conjoined threats requires a globally supported, formal science–policy interface to inform intervention, influence research, and guide funding. Pollution has typically been viewed as a local issue to be addressed through subnational and national regulation or, occasionally, using regional policy in higher-income countries. Now, however, it is increasingly clear that pollution is a planetary threat, and that its drivers, its dispersion, and its effects on health transcend local boundaries and demand a global response. Global action on all major modern pollutants is needed. Global efforts can synergise with other global environmental policy programmes, especially as a large-scale, rapid transition away from all fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy is an effective strategy for preventing pollution while also slowing down climate change, and thus achieves a double benefit for planetary health.

Pollution and non-communicable disease : time to end the neglect

Fuller, R., Rahona, E., Fisher, S., Caravanos, J., Webb, D., Kass, D., Matte, T., & Landrigan, P. J. (n.d.).

Publication year

2018

Journal title

The Lancet Planetary Health

Volume

2

Issue

3

Page(s)

e96-e98

10.1016/S2542-5196(18)30020-2

Abstract

Abstract

~

Prevalence and predictors of residential health hazards : A pilot study

Klitzman, S., Caravanos, J., Deitcher, D., Rothenberg, L., Belanoff, C., Kramer, R., & Cohen, L. (n.d.).

Publication year

2005

Journal title

Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene

Volume

2

Issue

6

Page(s)

293-301

10.1080/15459620590958741

Abstract

Abstract

This article reports the results of a pilot study designed to ascertain the prevalence of lead-based paint (LBP), vermin, mold, and safety conditions and hazards and to validate observations and self-reports against environmental sampling data. Data are based on a convenience sample of 70 dwellings in a low-income, urban neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. The vast majority of residences (96%) contained multiple conditions and/or hazards: LBP hazards (80%), vermin (79%), elevated levels of airborne mold (39%), and safety hazards (100%). Observations and occupant reports were associated with environmental sampling data. In general, the more proximate an observed condition was to an actual hazard, the more likely it was to be associated with environmental sampling results (e.g., peeling LBP was associated with windowsill dust lead levels, and cockroach sightings by tenants were associated with Blatella germanica [Bla g 1] levels). Conversely, the more distal an observed condition was to an actual hazard, the less likely it was to be associated with environmental sampling results (e.g., water damage, alone, was not statistically associated with elevated levels of dust lead, Bla g 1, or airborne mold). Based on the findings from this pilot study, there is a need for industrial hygienists and others to adopt more comprehensive and integrative approaches to residential hazard assessment and remediation. Further research-using larger, randomly drawn samples, representing a range of housing types and geographical areas-is needed to clarify the relationship between readily observable conditions, occupant reports, and environmental sampling data and to assess the cumulative impact on human health.

Prevention-intervention strategies to reduce exposure to e-waste

Heacock, M., Trottier, B., Adhikary, S., Asante, K. A., Basu, N., Brune, M. N., Caravanos, J., Carpenter, D., Cazabon, D., Chakraborty, P., Chen, A., Barriga, F. D., Ericson, B., Fobil, J., Haryanto, B., Huo, X., Joshi, T. K., Landrigan, P., Lopez, A., … Suk, W. (n.d.).

Publication year

2018

Journal title

Reviews on Environmental Health

Volume

33

Issue

2

Page(s)

219-228

10.1515/reveh-2018-0014

Abstract

Abstract

As one of the largest waste streams, electronic waste (e-waste) production continues to grow in response to global demand for consumer electronics. This waste is often shipped to developing countries where it is disassembled and recycled. In many cases, e-waste recycling activities are conducted in informal settings with very few controls or protections in place for workers. These activities involve exposure to hazardous substances such as cadmium, lead, and brominated flame retardants and are frequently performed by women and children. Although recycling practices and exposures vary by scale and geographic region, we present case studies of e-waste recycling scenarios and intervention approaches to reduce or prevent exposures to the hazardous substances in e-waste that may be broadly applicable to diverse situations. Drawing on parallels identified in these cases, we discuss the future prevention and intervention strategies that recognize the difficult economic realities of informal e-waste recycling.

Probabilistic estimates of prenatal lead exposure at 195 toxic hotspots in low- and middle-income countries

Zajac, L., Kobrosly, R. W., Ericson, B., Caravanos, J., Landrigan, P. J., & Riederer, A. M. (n.d.).

Publication year

2020

Journal title

Environmental Research

Volume

183

10.1016/j.envres.2020.109251

Abstract

Abstract

Background: Prior estimates of pediatric lead-related disease burden in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) used population estimates of maternal blood lead levels (BLLs). This approach may underestimate fetal BLLs by not considering potentially high prenatal lead exposure from toxic hotspots. Objectives: We developed a probabilistic approach to using the Adult Lead Methodology (ALM) to estimate fetal BLLs from prenatal exposure to lead-contaminated soil at hotspots in the Toxic Site Identification Program (TSIP). Methods: We created distributions for each ALM parameter using published literature and extracted soil lead measurements from the TSIP database. Each iteration of the probabilistic ALM randomly selected values from the input distributions to generate a site-specific fetal BLL estimate. For each site, we ran 5000 model iterations, producing a site-specific fetal BLL distribution. Results: 195 TSIP sites, in 33 LMICs, met our study inclusion criteria; an estimated 820,000 women of childbearing age are at risk for lead exposure at these sites. The predicted geometric means (GM) for site-specific fetal BLLs ranged from 3.3 μg/dL to 534 μg/dL, and 98% of sites had estimated GM fetal BLLs >5 μg/dL, the current reference level of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), while 11 sites had estimated GM fetal BLLs above the CDC chelation threshold of 45 μg/dL. Discussion: The TSIP soil lead data and this probabilistic approach to the ALM show that pregnant women living near TSIP sites may have BLLs that put their fetus at risk for neurologic damage and other sequelae, underscoring the need for interventions to reduce lead exposure at toxic hotspots.

Protecting communities by remediating polluted sites worldwide

Hanrahan, D., Ericson, B., & Caravanos, J. (n.d.).

Publication year

2015

Journal title

Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers: Civil Engineering

Volume

169

Issue

5

Page(s)

33-40

10.1680/jcien.15.00034

Abstract

Abstract

Millions of people worldwide are suffering health risks as a result of living near highly contaminated sites including abandoned industrial and mining sites, and polluting artisanal areas. More than 3000 sites across 50 developing countries have been identified. Nearly 100 million people are at risk at just these sites. The main impact falls on people in low- and middle-income countries, with children being particularly vulnerable. Interventions have been implemented at about 100 of these sites, with significant success in reducing impacts. This paper aims to draw the attention of practising engineers to the scale and impacts of the problem and to encourage expanded efforts to implement cost-effective solutions. Tackling contaminated sites is part of broader efforts under the umbrella of the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution to reduce environmental pollution, which is one of the largest contributors to the burden of disease worldwide. Clean-up is required but prevention of pollution must also be a high priority.

Rapid assessment of environmental health risks posed by mining operations in low- and middle-income countries : Selected case studies

Caravanos, J., Ericson, B., Ponce-Canchihuamán, J., Hanrahan, D., Block, M., Susilorini, B., & Fuller, R. (n.d.).

Publication year

2013

Journal title

Environmental Science and Pollution Research

Volume

20

Issue

11

Page(s)

7711-7718

10.1007/s11356-012-1424-9

Abstract

Abstract

Previous studies have evaluated associated health risks and human exposure pathways at mining sites. Others have provided estimates of the scale of the issue based in part on surveys. However, a global census of mining-related hazardous waste sites has been lacking. The Toxic Sites Identification Program (TSIP) implemented by Blacksmith Institute (New York, NY, USA) since 2009 is an ongoing effort to catalogue a wide range of chemically contaminated sites with a potential human health risk (Ericson et al., Environ Monit Assess doi:10.1007/s 10661-012-2665-2, 2012). The TSIP utilizes a rapid assessment instrument, the Initial Site Screening (ISS), to quickly and affordably identify key site criteria including human exposure pathways, estimated populations at risk, and sampling information. The resulting ISS allows for comparison between sites exhibiting different contaminants and pollution sources. This paper explores the results of a subset of ISSs completed at 131 artisanal and small-scale gold mining areas and 275 industrial mining and ore processing sites in 45 countries. The authors show that the ISS captures key data points, allowing for prioritization of sites for further investigation or remedial activity.

Reducing blood lead levels in children exposed to electronic waste recylcing in Montevideo, Uruguay

Caravanos, J., Feola, G., Laborde, A., Dowling, R., & Hernandez, L. (n.d.).

Publication year

2016

Abstract

Abstract

~