A partnership housed within the Nicholas School of the Environment will receive a 2008 National Achievement in Environmental Justice Award from the Environmental Protection Agency today at a ceremony in Atlanta, Ga.
The Children's Environmental Health Initiative is a program dedicated to the prevention of lead poisoning in children in North Carolina and is "committed to fostering environments where all children can prosper," according to its Web site.
CEHI Director Marie Lynn Miranda, associate professor of environmental sciences and policy and director of undergraduate programs, and her fellow researchers have led efforts over the last six years to identify households at high risk for lead poisoning, so that intervention can occur before children are adversely affected.
"All of our faculty at the Nicholas School are incredibly proud of [Miranda]," said Bill Chameides, dean of the Nicholas School. "She's done great work and she's absolutely deserving of this award."
In order to predict lead poisoning risk, CEHI performs geospatial and statistical analyses using a tool called the Childhood Lead Exposure Risk Model to organize data from a variety of sources, including the U.S. Census and blood lead screening tests, Miranda said.
The model is effective "because it can take into account all the many factors that affect blood lead levels simultaneously and then present a compelling map to users," Miranda said.
For instance, analysis has shown that income and race are among the key risk factors for lead exposure, Miranda said in a University release.
"Part of [CEHI's] work has ended up identifying strata of our society-quite often economically disadvantaged parts of our society-that are disproportionately impacted by pollutants," Chameides said.
Because the most common source of lead in the U.S. comes from deteriorating lead-based paint, relatively simple methods can be used to decrease lead exposure.
"Once we know where the high-risk houses are, we can use that information to prioritize expenditure of housing rehabilitation dollars, to educate parents on lead-safe cleaning practices and to direct blood lead screening resources," Miranda explained.
So far, the model has been implemented in 43 counties in N.C. as well as in a few other states, according to the University release. It has been used in Durham county since 2002. Miranda cautioned, though, that the amount of local data available to CEHI is partially due to its "proximity, reputation and rapport" with North Carolina, and it is more difficult to obtain access in other regions.
CEHI was nominated for the EPA award by "more than a half-dozen different local partners," said Tim Lucas, national media relations and marketing specialist for the Nicholas School.
"Dr. Miranda has been a driving force in a lot of projects, programs and initiatives that... address environmental health and environmental justice issues facing society," he said.
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