Global Green News
BURIED CHEMICAL WEAPONS, PUBLIC HEALTH & SPRING VALLEY
A Scoping Study of Potential Community Health Risks in the Spring Valley Neighborhood of Northwest Washington, DC featuring:
Professor Thomas A. Burke, Ph.D., M.P.H
Beth A. Resnick, M.P.H., Assistant Scientist
Mary A. Fox, Ph.D., M.P.H., Assistant Professor
Department of Health Policy and Management
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
moderated by Paul F. Walker, Ph.D., Legacy Program Director, Global Green USA
Date: Thursday, 17 July 2008, 3:30 - 5:30 pm
Location: Friends of the Earth, Washington D.C.
1717 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Suite 600 (Nearest Metro Station: Dupont Circle, South Exit)
Background
During and immediately after World War I, chemical warfare research and testing was conducted on the American University campus and the surrounding areas, now known as Spring Valley. The discovery of buried ordinance in 1993 by utility workers led to the establishment of a multi-agency effort led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to identify and remediate hazards in the Spring Valley area.
This Public Health Scoping Study was conducted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH) at the request of the DC Department of Health in response to a recommendation by the Mayor's Spring Valley Scientific Advisory Panel. The purpose of the study was to provide a synthesis of existing environmental exposure and health data, characterize potential health risks to the Spring Valley community, identify key information gaps, and provide recommendations for further study and tracking of contaminant exposures and health outcomes. The study was completed in 2007.
This is the third seminar sponsored by Global Green USA and Friends of the Earth on the ongoing survey, remediation, and cleanup of chemical weapons and related toxic residues in northwest Washington DC. Prior seminars have included community activists, the US Army Corps of Engineers, and the US Environmental Protection Agency. Professor Burke and the Johns Hopkins team will discuss the results of their recent study and recommendations for further data collection, risk assessment, and community follow-up.
Please RSVP by July 15 to:
Global Green USA
Cristian Ion
1717 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036-2002, USA
Tel: +1 (202) 222 0700
Fax: +1 (202) 222 0703
E-mail: cion@globalgreen.org
Friends of the Earth
Lucy Axton
1717 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036-2002, USA
Tel: +1 (202) 222 0754
E-mail: LAxton@foe.org
