IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v9y2012i8p2894-2909d19505.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Epidemiologic Methods Lessons Learned from Environmental Public Health Disasters: Chernobyl, the World Trade Center, Bhopal, and Graniteville, South Carolina

Author

Listed:
  • Erik R. Svendsen

    (Department of Global Environmental Health Sciences, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University Health Sciences Center, ENHS SL-29, 1440 Canal St., Suite 2100, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
    Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA)

  • Jennifer R. Runkle

    (Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
    Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA)

  • Venkata Ramana Dhara

    (Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA)

  • Shao Lin

    (Bureau of Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology, State University of New York-Albany, Albany, NY 84870, USA)

  • Marina Naboka

    (Radioecological Center of the National Academy of Sciences, Kiev 04050, Ukraine)

  • Timothy A. Mousseau

    (Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA)

  • Charles L. Bennett

    (South Carolina College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA and Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston SC 29403, USA)

Abstract

Background : Environmental public health disasters involving hazardous contaminants may have devastating effects. While much is known about their immediate devastation, far less is known about long-term impacts of these disasters. Extensive latent and chronic long-term public health effects may occur. Careful evaluation of contaminant exposures and long-term health outcomes within the constraints imposed by limited financial resources is essential. Methods : Here, we review epidemiologic methods lessons learned from conducting long-term evaluations of four environmental public health disasters involving hazardous contaminants at Chernobyl, the World Trade Center, Bhopal, and Graniteville (South Carolina, USA). Findings : We found several lessons learned which have direct implications for the on-going disaster recovery work following the Fukushima radiation disaster or for future disasters. Interpretation: These lessons should prove useful in understanding and mitigating latent health effects that may result from the nuclear reactor accident in Japan or future environmental public health disasters.

Suggested Citation

  • Erik R. Svendsen & Jennifer R. Runkle & Venkata Ramana Dhara & Shao Lin & Marina Naboka & Timothy A. Mousseau & Charles L. Bennett, 2012. "Epidemiologic Methods Lessons Learned from Environmental Public Health Disasters: Chernobyl, the World Trade Center, Bhopal, and Graniteville, South Carolina," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-16, August.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:9:y:2012:i:8:p:2894-2909:d:19505
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/9/8/2894/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/9/8/2894/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Minkler, M. & Blackwell, A.G. & Thompson, M. & Tamir, H.B., 2003. "Community-Based Participatory Research: Implications for Public Health Funding," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 93(8), pages 1210-1213.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Lotte Prevo & Stef Kremers & Maria Jansen, 2020. "Small Successes Make Big Wins: A Retrospective Case Study towards Community Engagement of Low-SES Families," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(2), pages 1-13, January.
    2. Currie, Melissa & King, Gillian & Rosenbaum, Peter & Law, Mary & Kertoy, Marilyn & Specht, Jacqueline, 2005. "A model of impacts of research partnerships in health and social services," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 28(4), pages 400-412, November.
    3. Hollynd Boyden & Mayela Gillan & Javier Molina & Ashok Gadgil & Winston Tseng, 2023. "Community Perceptions of Arsenic Contaminated Drinking Water and Preferences for Risk Communication in California’s San Joaquin Valley," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-18, January.
    4. Edith M. Williams & Julien Terrell & Judith Anderson & Laurene Tumiel-Berhalter, 2016. "A Case Study of Community Involvement Influence on Policy Decisions: Victories of a Community-Based Participatory Research Partnership," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-9, May.
    5. You, Weimu & Chen, Weifeng & Agyapong, Michael & Mordi, Chima, 2020. "The business model of Do-It-Yourself (DIY) laboratories – A triple-layered perspective," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    6. Andrew Binet & Vedette Gavin & Leigh Carroll & Mariana Arcaya, 2019. "Designing and Facilitating Collaborative Research Design and Data Analysis Workshops: Lessons Learned in the Healthy Neighborhoods Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-15, January.
    7. Timothy J. Downs & Laurie Ross & Robert Goble & Rajendra Subedi & Sara Greenberg & Octavia Taylor, 2011. "Vulnerability, Risk Perception, and Health Profile of Marginalized People Exposed to Multiple Built‐Environment Stressors in Worcester, Massachusetts: A Pilot Project," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(4), pages 609-628, April.
    8. Nicolette I. Teufel-Shone & Anna L. Schwartz & Lisa J. Hardy & Hendrik D. De Heer & Heather J. Williamson & Dorothy J. Dunn & Kellen Polingyumptewa & Carmenlita Chief, 2018. "Supporting New Community-Based Participatory Research Partnerships," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-12, December.
    9. Beth Rose Middleton & Sabine Talaugon & Thomas M. Young & Luann Wong & Suzanne Fluharty & Kaitlin Reed & Christine Cosby & Richard Myers, 2019. "Bi-Directional Learning: Identifying Contaminants on the Yurok Indian Reservation," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(19), pages 1-18, September.
    10. Monika Doshi & William D Lopez & Hannah Mesa & Richard Bryce & Ellen Rabinowitz & Raymond Rion & Paul J Fleming, 2020. "Barriers & facilitators to healthcare and social services among undocumented Latino(a)/Latinx immigrant clients: Perspectives from frontline service providers in Southeast Michigan," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(6), pages 1-18, June.
    11. Suparak Suriyankietkaew & Krittawit Krittayaruangroj & Nacharee Iamsawan, 2022. "Sustainable Leadership Practices and Competencies of SMEs for Sustainability and Resilience: A Community-Based Social Enterprise Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-36, May.
    12. Lisa J. Hardy & Kevin Shaw & Amy Hughes & Elizabeth Hulen & Priscilla R. Sanderson & Candi Corrales & Travis Pinn & Jamie Esplain & R. Cruz Begay, 2020. "Building a Narrative of Equity: Weaving Indigenous Approaches into Community-Engaged Research," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(14), pages 1-9, July.
    13. Alexandra Sauter & Verena Lindacher & Jana Rueter & Janina Curbach & Julika Loss, 2020. "How Health Promoters Can Assess Capacity Building Processes in Setting-Based Approaches—Development and Testing of a Monitoring Instrument," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(2), pages 1-15, January.
    14. Julika Loss & Nicola Brew-Sam & Boris Metz & Helmut Strobl & Alexandra Sauter & Susanne Tittlbach, 2020. "Capacity Building in Community Stakeholder Groups for Increasing Physical Activity: Results of a Qualitative Study in Two German Communities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-17, March.
    15. Mansha Parven Mirza & Rooshey Hasnain & Kathryn B. Duke, 2018. "Fostering Community-Academic Partnerships to Promote Employment Opportunities for Refugees with Disabilities: Accomplishments, Dilemmas, and Deliberations," Societies, MDPI, vol. 8(3), pages 1-15, September.
    16. Susan E. Peters & Hao D. Trieu & Justin Manjourides & Jeffrey N. Katz & Jack T. Dennerlein, 2020. "Designing a Participatory Total Worker Health ® Organizational Intervention for Commercial Construction Subcontractors to Improve Worker Safety, Health, and Well-Being: The “ARM for Subs” Trial," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(14), pages 1-15, July.
    17. Shelley Gower & Zakia Jeemi & Niranjani Wickramasinghe & Paul Kebble & David Forbes & Jaya A R Dantas, 2022. "Impact of a Pilot Peer-Mentoring Empowerment Program on Personal Well-Being for Migrant and Refugee Women in Western Australia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-17, March.
    18. Howden-Chapman, P. & Crane, J. & Matheson, A. & Viggers, H. & Cunningham, M. & Blakely, T. & O'Dea, D. & Cunningham, C. & Woodward, A. & Saville-Smith, K. & Baker, M. & Waipara, N., 2005. "Retrofitting houses with insulation to reduce health inequalities: Aims and methods of a clustered, randomised community-based trial," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(12), pages 2600-2610, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:9:y:2012:i:8:p:2894-2909:d:19505. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.