Abstract
Abstract
Local industries are often a driving force for the local economy. Due to the inter-dependency between the local economy and the industry, environmental issues perceived by the residents are sometimes overlooked. The community-based participant environmental justice study reported here presents how different groups of stakeholders worked together to solve environmental concerns from the residents of Moncure, North Carolina. Town hall meetings were held to discuss environmental issues of the community with representatives from both the community and local industries. A study design was prepared by scientists from North Carolina Central University and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in order to provide independent scientific data on the air pollutants of interest to the residents. Two one-week-long samplings were conducted in January and August in 2007 to conduct a survey concerning the levels of air pollutants including volatile organic compounds (VOC) and aldehydes. During each sampling season, samples were collected for 24 hours each day for 7 consecutive days. Seasonal variability for both selected VOCs and aldehyde compounds of interest were observed. It was concluded that the levels of VOCs and aldehydes in the community were not above the levels of health concerns and lower than the values typically observed in other places in both the United States and other countries. During this study, the role of a community liaison was well perceived not only for his role in organizing the study but also in the facilitation of the field data collections. The community liaison maintained communication between the different research and community stakeholders.
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