Utilizing Silicone Wristbands to Detect Environmental Contaminants Within the Yurok Tribal Community
- Co-Funded by The UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Care Center
- Principal Investigator: Beth Rose Middleton (brmiddleton@ucdavis.edu), Department of Native American Studies
- Community partner: The Yurok Tribe Environmental Program
- Graduate student: Tamara Solorzano (trsolorzano@ucdavis.edu)
The problem: Recent increases in adverse health conditions among Yurok Tribal members living on the Yurok reservation in northwestern California, including diverse types of cancers, have intensified concern among tribal members that contaminants from nearby forestry and agriculture activities may be a causative factor. While all people living or working on the Yurok Reservation may be acutely exposed to hazardous substances, Yurok Tribal members face additional exposures and adverse impacts through Tribal lifeways that include cultural and ceremonial activities as well as subsistence fishing, hunting and gathering.
The project: The goal of this study is to use silicone wristbands to develop data on personal chemical exposures of tribal members, in order to identify potential differences in the level and type of contaminant exposures by gender, location of residence, season, and life activities. Exposure levels will also be compared with exposures within other groups for which similar data is available. The study, originally requested by the Tribe, is expected to provide detailed information regarding individual contaminant exposures that may be beneficial in addressing Yurok Tribal members' concerns regarding everyday exposure on tribal lands. Tribal members who participate will receive an individual report of the contaminants found on their wristbands. After removing all identifiable information from the data, the project team will create informational graphics and handouts to disseminate findings to the Tribe. Data on contaminant exposure from the wristbands may correlate with contaminant detections in soil and water, thus creating a more complete dataset on environmental contaminants and pathways of exposure affecting Yurok Tribal members.
Contact
If you'd like more information about a particular project, please contact Ruth Williams (ruwilliams@ucdavis.edu) for details.