Jack Caravanos
Jack Caravanos
Scroll
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, NYMS, Environmental Health Engineering, New York University, New York, NYDrPH, 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 MiningDissemination and Implementation of Evidence-based ProgramsEnvironmental Public Health ServicesGlobal HealthLead poisoning
-
Publications
Publications
Blood lead levels in mexico and pediatric burden of disease implications
AbstractCaravanos, 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
2014Journal title
Annals of Global HealthVolume
80Issue
4Page(s)
269-277AbstractBackground Although there has been success in reducing lead exposure with the phase-out of leaded gasoline, exposure to lead in Mexico continues to threaten the health of millions, much of which is from lead-based glazes used in pottery that leaches into food. Objectives An extensive historical review and analysis of available data on blood lead levels in Mexican populations was conducted. We used a calculated geometric mean to evaluate the effect of lead on the pediatric burden of disease. Methods An extensive bibliographic search identified 83 published articles from 1978 to 2010 with blood lead level (BLL) data in Mexican populations representing 150 data points from more than 50,000 study participants. Values from these publications were categorized into various groupings. We then calculated the incidence of disease and disability-adjusted life-years resulting from these BLLs using the World Health Organization's burden of disease spreadsheets for mild mental retardation. Results Reviewing all relevant studies, the geometric means of Mexican BLLs in urban and rural areas were found to be 8.85 and 22.24 ug/dL, respectively. Since the phase-out of leaded gasoline, the mean in urban areas was found to be 5.36 ug/dL and the average in rural areas is expected to be much higher. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) upper limit of blood lead in children under the age of 6 years is 5 ug/dL and the current U.S. average is 1.2 ug/dL. Our results indicate that more than 15% of the population will experience a decrement of more than 5 IQ points from lead exposure. The analysis also leads us to believe that lead is responsible for 820,000 disability-adjusted life-years for lead-induced mild mental retardation for children aged 0 to 4 years. Conclusion Lead continues to threaten the health of millions and remains a significant cause of disability in Mexico. Additional interventions in reducing or managing lead-based ceramic glazes are necessary to protect the public health.Blood lead levels in Mexico and pediatric burden of disease implications
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
2014Journal title
Annals of Global HealthVolume
80Issue
4Page(s)
e1-e11Case 2: Hurricane Sandy: training to improve response and recovery
Gotch, ., Rosen, ., & Caravanos, J. (n.d.). In Case Studies in Public Health Preparedness and Response to Disasters (1–).Publication year
2014Comparison of burden of disease from toxic waste sites with other recognized public health threats in India, Indonesia and the Philippines
Caravanos, J., Gutierrez-Hernandez, L., Ericson, B., & Fuller, R. (n.d.).Publication year
2014Journal title
Journal of Health and PollutionThe pediatric burden of disease from lead exposure at toxic waste sites in low and middle income countries
AbstractChatham-Stephens, K., Caravanos, J., Ericson, B., Landrigan, P., & Fuller, R. (n.d.).Publication year
2014Journal title
Environmental ResearchVolume
132Page(s)
379-383AbstractBackground: The impact of lead from toxic waste sites on children in low and middle income countries has not been calculated due to a lack of exposure data. We sought to calculate this impact in Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs). Materials and methods: Using an Integrated Exposure Uptake Biokinetic (IEUBK) model, we converted soil and drinking water lead levels from sites in the Blacksmith Institute[U+05F3]s Toxic Sites Identification Program (TSIP) into mean blood lead levels (BLLs). We then calculated the incidence of mild mental retardation (MMR) and DALYs resulting from these BLLs. Results: The TSIP included 200 sites in 31 countries with soil (n=132) or drinking water (n=68) lead levels, representing 779,989 children younger than 4 years of age potentially exposed to lead. Environmental lead levels produced a range of BLLs from 1.56 to 104.71. μg/dL. These BLLs equated to an estimated loss of 5.41-8.23 IQ points, resulting in an incidence of MMR of 6.03 per 1000 population and 76.1 DALYs per 1000 population. Discussion: Soil and water lead levels at toxic waste sites predict BLLs that lower the intelligence quotient (IQ), with the resulting MMR potentially limiting individual- and country-level development. The preventable burden of disease produced by these sites highlights the need for toxic waste sites to be systematically identified, evaluated, and remediated.Approaches to systematic assessment of environmental exposures posed at hazardous waste sites in the developing world: The Toxic Sites Identification Program
AbstractEricson, B., Caravanos, J., Chatham-Stephens, K., Landrigan, P., & Fuller, R. (n.d.).Publication year
2013Journal title
Environmental Monitoring and AssessmentVolume
185Issue
2Page(s)
1755-1766AbstractIn the developing world, environmental chemical exposures due to hazardous waste sites are poorly documented. We describe the approach taken by the Blacksmith Institute's Toxic Sites Identification Program in documenting environmental chemical exposures due to hazardous waste sites globally, identifying sites of concern and quantifying pathways, populations, and severity of exposure. A network of local environmental investigators was identified and trained to conduct hazardous waste site investigations and assessments. To date, 2,095 contaminated sites have been identified within 47 countries having an estimated population at risk of 71,500,000. Trained researchers and investigators have visited 1,400 of those sites. Heavy metals are the leading primary exposures, with water supply and ambient air being the primary routes of exposure. Even though chemical production has occurred largely in the developed world to date, many hazardous waste sites in the developing world pose significant hazards to the health of large portions of the population. Further research is needed to quantify potential health and economic consequences and identify cost-effective approaches to remediation.Assessing levels of lead contamination in soil and predicating pediatric blood lead levels in Tema, Ghana
Kwame-Aboh, I., Sampson, M., Atiemo, M., Nyaab, M., Abra-Kom, L., Caravanos, J., & Kuranchie-Mensah, H. (n.d.).Publication year
2013Journal title
Journal of Health and PollutionBurden of disease from toxic waste sites in India, Indonesia, and the Philippines in 2010
AbstractChatham-Stephens, K., Caravanos, J., Ericson, B., Sunga-Amparo, J., Susilorini, B., Sharma, P., Landrigan, P. J., & Fuller, R. (n.d.).Publication year
2013Journal title
Environmental health perspectivesVolume
121Issue
7Page(s)
791-796AbstractBackground: Prior calculations of the burden of disease from toxic exposures have not included estimates of the burden from toxic waste sites due to the absence of exposure data. Objective: We developed a disability-adjusted life year (DALY)-based estimate of the disease burden attributable to toxic waste sites. We focused on three low- and middle-income countries (LMICs): India, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Methods: Sites were identified through the Blacksmith Institute's Toxic Sites Identification Program, a global effort to identify waste sites in LMICs. At least one of eight toxic chemicals was sampled in environmental media at each site, and the population at risk estimated. By combining estimates of disease incidence from these exposures with population data, we calculated the DALYs attributable to exposures at each site. Results: We estimated that in 2010, 8,629,750 persons were at risk of exposure to industrial pollutants at 373 toxic waste sites in the three countries, and that these exposures resulted in 828,722 DALYs, with a range of 814,934-1,557,121 DALYs, depending on the weighting factor used. This disease burden is comparable to estimated burdens for outdoor air pollution (1,448,612 DALYs) and malaria (725,000 DALYs) in these countries. Lead and hexavalent chromium collectively accounted for 99.2% of the total DALYs for the chemicals evaluated. Conclusions: Toxic waste sites are responsible for a significant burden of disease in LMICs. Although some factors, such as unidentified and unscreened sites, may cause our estimate to be an underestimate of the actual burden of disease, other factors, such as extrapolation of environmental sampling to the entire exposed population, may result in an overestimate of the burden of disease attributable to these sites. Toxic waste sites are a major, and heretofore underrecognized, global health problem.Childhood blood lead reductions following removal of leaded ceramic glazes in artisanal pottery production: a success story
Jones, D., Perez, M., Ericson, B., Sanchez, D., Gualtero, S., Smith-Jones, A., & Caravanos, J. (n.d.).Publication year
2013Journal title
Journal of Health and PollutionPage(s)
23Exploratory 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
2013Journal title
Journal of Health and PollutionRapid assessment of environmental health risks posed by mining operations in low- and middle-income countries: Selected case studies
AbstractCaravanos, J., Ericson, B., Ponce-Canchihuamán, J., Hanrahan, D., Block, M., Susilorini, B., & Fuller, R. (n.d.).Publication year
2013Journal title
Environmental Science and Pollution ResearchVolume
20Issue
11Page(s)
7711-7718AbstractPrevious 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.The burden of disease from pediatric lead exposure at hazardous waste sites in 7 Asian countries
AbstractCaravanos, J., Chatham-Stephens, K., Ericson, B., Landrigan, P. J., & Fuller, R. (n.d.).Publication year
2013Journal title
Environmental ResearchVolume
120Page(s)
119-125AbstractIdentification and systematic assessment of hazardous wastes sites in low and middle-income countries has lagged. Hazardous waste problems are especially severe in lower income Asian countries where environmental regulations are non-existent, nonspecific or poorly enforced. In these countries extensive unregulated industrial development has created waste sites in densely populated urban areas. These sites appear to pose significant risks to public health, and especially to the health of children.To assess potential health risks from chemical contamination at hazardous waste sites in Asia, we assessed 679 sites. A total of 169 sites in 7 countries were classified as contaminated by lead. Eighty-two of these sites contained lead at levels high enough to produce elevated blood lead levels in surrounding populations.To estimate the burden of pediatric lead poisoning associated with exposure to lead in soil and water at these 82 lead-contaminated sites, we used standard toxicokinetic models that relate levels of lead in soil and water to blood lead levels in children. We calculated blood lead levels, and we quantified losses of intelligence (reductions in IQ scores) that were attributable to lead exposure at these sites.We found that 189,725 children in the 7 countries are at risk of diminished intelligence as a consequence of exposure to elevated levels of lead in water and soil at hazardous waste sites. Depending on choice of model, these decrements ranged from 4.94 to 14.96 IQ points. Given the restricted scope of this survey and the conservative estimation procedures employed, this number is almost certainly an underestimate of the full burden of disease.Exposure to toxic chemicals from hazardous waste sites is an important and heretofore insufficiently examined contributor to the Global Burden of Disease.Cost effectiveness and health impact of remediation of highly polluted sites in the developing world
Landrigan, P. J., Caravanos, J., & Breysse, P. (n.d.).Publication year
2012An innovative approach to interdisciplinary occupational safety and health education
AbstractRosen, M. A., Caravanos, J., Milek, D., & Udasin, I. (n.d.).Publication year
2011Journal title
American Journal of Industrial MedicineVolume
54Issue
7Page(s)
515-520AbstractBackground: The New York and New Jersey Education and Research Center (ERC) provides a range of graduate continuing education for occupational safety and health (OSH) professionals in training. A key element of the education is to provide interdisciplinary training to industrial hygienists, ergonomists, occupational medicine physicians and other health and safety trainees to prepare them for the collaboration required to solve the complex occupational health and safety problems they will face in their careers. Methods: This center has developed an innovative interdisciplinary training approach that provides an historical aspect, while allowing the graduate students to identify solutions to occupational issues from a multi-disciplinary approach. The ERC developed a tour that brings students to sites of historical and/or contemporary significance in the occupational safety and health and environmental fields. Results: The ERC has conducted five tours, and has included 85 students and residents as participants. 80% of participants rated the tour as providing a high amount of OSH knowledge gained. 98% of the participants felt the goal of providing interdisciplinary education was achieved. Conclusions: This tour has been successful in bridging the OSH fields to better understand how occupational and environmental exposures have occurred, in order to prevent future exposures so that workplace conditions and health can be improved.Assessing the exposure risks and potential health effects from chemical contamination at an electronic and electrical recycling and waste site in Accra, Ghana
Caravanos, J., Clarke, E., & Lambertson, C. (n.d.).Publication year
2011Journal title
Journal of Health and PollutionVolume
1Issue
1Contaminacion por metales en suelos de la ciudad de Torreon, Coahuila, Mexico
Garcia, G., Vargas, ., Rubio Andrade, M., Rosales Gonzalez, M., Goytia Acevedo, R., Garcia, G., Arenas, J., Meza Velazquez, R., & Caravanos, J. (n.d.).Publication year
2007Journal title
Revista Chapingo Serie Zonas AridasA survey of spatially distributed exterior dust lead loadings in New York City
AbstractCaravanos, J., Weiss, A. L., Blaise, M. J., & Jaeger, R. J. (n.d.).Publication year
2006Journal title
Environmental ResearchVolume
100Issue
2Page(s)
165-172AbstractThis work documents ambient lead dust deposition values (lead loading) for the boroughs of New York City in 2003-2004. Currently, no regulatory standards exist for exterior concentrations of lead in settled dust. This is in contrast to the clearance and risk assessment standards that exist for interior residential dust. The reported potential for neurobehavioral toxicity and adverse cognitive development in children due to lead exposure prompts public health concerns about undocumented lead sources. Such sources may include settled dust of outdoor origin. Dust sampling throughout the five boroughs of NYC was done from the top horizontal portion of pedestrian traffic control signals (PTCS) at selected street intersections along main thoroughfares. The data (n=214 samples) show that lead in dust varies within each borough with Brooklyn having the highest median concentration (730 μg/ft2), followed in descending order by Staten Island (452 μg/ft2), the Bronx (382 μg/ft2), Queens (198 μg/ft2) and finally, Manhattan (175 μg/ft2). When compared to the HUD/EPA indoor lead in dust standard of 40 μg/ft2, our data show that this value is exceeded in 86% of the samples taken. An effort was made to determine the source of the lead in the dust atop of the PTCS. The lead in the dust and the yellow signage paint (which contains lead) were compared using isotopic ratio analysis. Results showed that the lead-based paint chip samples from intact signage did not isotopically match the dust wipe samples taken from the same surface. We know that exterior dust containing lead contributes to interior dust lead loading. Therefore, settled leaded dust in the outdoor environment poses a risk for lead exposure to children living in urban areas, namely, areas with elevated childhood blood lead levels and background lead dust levels from a variety of unidentified sources.An exterior and interior leaded dust deposition survey in New York City: Results of a 2-year study
AbstractCaravanos, J., Weiss, A. L., & Jaeger, R. J. (n.d.).Publication year
2006Journal title
Environmental ResearchVolume
100Issue
2Page(s)
159-164AbstractEnvironmental concentrations of leaded dust were monitored by weekly sample collection of interior and exterior settled dust that had accumulated due to atmospheric deposition. The weekly deposition amounts were measured and the cumulative rates of lead in dust that deposited on a weekly basis over 2 year's time were determined. The sampling analysis revealed that the median values of leaded dust for the interior plate (adjacent to the open window), unsheltered exterior plate, and the sheltered exterior plate were 4.8, 14.2, and 32.3 μg/feet2/week, respectively. The data supports the existence of a continuous source of deposited leaded dust in interior and exterior locations within New York City. Additional data from a control plate (interior plate with the window closed) demonstrate that the source of the interior lead deposition was from exterior (environmental) sources. Because of the ubiquitous nature of lead in our environment and the toxic threat of lead to the cognitive health of children, this data provides a framework for the understanding of environmental exposure to lead and its potential for continuing accumulation within an urban environment.Distribution of lead in urban roadway grit and its association with elevated steel structures
AbstractWeiss, A. L., Caravanos, J., Blaise, M. J., & Jaeger, R. J. (n.d.).Publication year
2006Journal title
ChemosphereVolume
65Issue
10Page(s)
1762-1771AbstractIn 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 (<63 μm). Lead contamination of roadway grit from restoration of elevated painted steel structures is a public health problem as these lead particulates get re-suspended in the ambient environment and are wafted and tracked into residences.Long term exterior dust lead loadings in New York City
Caravanos, J., Weiss, A., & Jaeger, R. (n.d.).Publication year
2006Journal title
Environmental ResearchVolume
100Issue
2Page(s)
159A multihazard, multistrategy approach to home remediation: Results of a pilot study
AbstractKlitzman, S., Caravanos, J., Belanoff, C., & Rothenberg, L. (n.d.).Publication year
2005Journal title
Environmental ResearchVolume
99Issue
3Page(s)
294-306AbstractMany residential hazards are disproportionately concentrated in older, urban dwellings and share common underlying causes, such as uncorrected moisture problems and inadequate maintenance and cleaning. Comprehensive and affordable approaches to remediation are needed, but the feasibility and efficacy of such approaches has not been well documented. To address this gap, a multihazard, multimethod intervention, addressing deteriorated lead-based paint and lead dust, vermin, mold, and safety hazards was pilot-tested in a sample of 70 pre-1940 dwellings. Dwellings received paint stabilization, dust lead cleaning, integrated pest management (IPM), mold cleaning, and safety devices, as needed. The median remediation cost for labor and materials was $864.66 (range: $120.00-5235.33) per dwelling. Environmental conditions were evaluated prior to, immediately following, and an average of 5 months after remediation. Between the baseline and 5-month follow-up periods, significant reductions were achieved in the number of dwellings with multiple (i.e., three or four) problems (75% vs. 23%, P<0.0001); high levels of dust lead on floors and window sills (67% and 46% declines, P<0.01); evidence of cockroaches or rodents (43% and 36% declines, P<0.01); and fire, electrical and/or fall hazards (between 67% and 88% declines, P<0.01). Significant reductions were also observed in the geometric mean (GM) dust lead levels on floors and window sills (13.3 vs. 5.0 μg/ft2 and 210.6 vs. 81.0 μg/ft2, respectively, P<0.0001) and Blatella germanica (Bla g1) levels among dwellings with elevated baseline levels (7.7 vs. 0.09 U/g, P<0.0001). Reductions in mold dust levels were of borderline statistical significance (50% decline, P=0.07). The greatest declines in dust lead and Bla g1 levels occurred in dwellings having the highest baseline levels and, for Bla g1, in dwellings in which occupants attended training sessions. These results indicate that a comprehensive approach to hazard remediation can be highly effective and cost efficient and that overall improvements can be maintained. Further research is needed to clarify the most effective sampling strategies, educational and behavioral interventions, and optimal intervention frequency.Prevalence and predictors of residential health hazards: A pilot study
AbstractKlitzman, S., Caravanos, J., Deitcher, D., Rothenberg, L., Belanoff, C., Kramer, R., & Cohen, L. (n.d.).Publication year
2005Journal title
Journal of Occupational and Environmental HygieneVolume
2Issue
6Page(s)
293-301AbstractThis 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.Asbestos abatement response actions under AHERA
Caravanos, J. (n.d.).Publication year
1988Journal title
Journal of the National Asbestos CouncilTraining requirements of the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA)
Caravanos, J. (n.d.).Publication year
1987Journal title
ECON: Environmental ContractorVolume
2Development of an interactive inter-state community hospital based regional tumor registry.
Stellman, J., Caravanos, J., & Taub, R. N. (n.d.).Publication year
1983Journal title
Progress in clinical and biological researchVolume
120Page(s)
165-169