Community Engagement Core (CEC)

The uncertainty about risk and appropriate courses of action surrounding emerging contaminants in drinking water creates an atmosphere of confusion, blame, anxiety, and mistrust in communities impacted by these issues. The goal of the Community Engagement Core (CEC) addresses these challenges by facilitating engagement and information exchange among constituencies impacted by 1,4-DX issues in Long Island, New York, and through outreach with communities in other states.

The CEC develops bidirectional partnerships with target communities to enhance understanding of the health risks posed by the emerging water contaminant 1,4-dioxane (1,4-DX) in the environment and provides interventional strategies to improve public health and inform health policy.

Its efforts focus primarily on communities in Nassau and Suffolk counties of Long Island, New York. These communities include residents whose public drinking water wells are impacted by nearby EPA Superfund sites. The CEC creates opportunities for constituent groups, including federal, state, and local governmental agencies, to learn from each other and share information.

It encourages and facilitates interactions among communities and experts to complement and support the YSRC’s overarching objective of the YSRC to foster research that improves exposure assessment, health evaluations, and mitigation of emerging contaminants in drinking water. The initiatives developed by the CEC are anticipated to be transferable to other communities facing similar challenges, including those in the state of New Hampshire.

Addressing the complex issues around 1,4-DX in drinking water requires scientific research to be combined with actions to address public health and policy concerns. This makes meaningful involvement of affected communities a key consideration.

Through its outreach and education activities, the CEC will have a significant impact on the health of human populations impacted by emerging water contaminants and the resolution of similar challenges at Superfund sites in the United States and beyond.

Leaders:
Nicole Deziel, PhD, MHS
Adrienne Esposito (Citizens Campaign for the Environment)