Toxic Environments, Toxic Bodies: An Interdisciplinary Workshop, Baton Rouge, LA; March 2, 2007

ASEH（美国环境历史学会）提议组织并主办一个跨学科研讨会，汇集科学家、环境历史学家和科学历史学家，讨论环境健康的新方法。这个名为“有毒环境，有毒身体”的讲习班将在路易斯安那州巴吞鲁日举行，包括圆桌讨论，然后参观巴吞鲁日和新奥尔良之间的“化学走廊”，使与会者能够与受环境健康问题直接影响的社区接触，同时继续圆桌会议上开始的讨论。从这些讨论中获得的结论和信息将发表在同行评议的期刊《环境史》上。检测毒素，特别是内分泌干扰物的新技术和新方法越来越引起人们对我们生活中普遍存在和持续存在的合成化学物质的关注。正如环境历史学家和科学历史学家所表明的那样，传统的毒理学概念框架，如剂量-反应关系，不足以作为处理内分泌干扰物和其他低剂量环境毒素的工具。理解21世纪的新化学体需要新的概念框架。科学家和政策制定者正在努力创建这些新框架，历史学家可以提供关于早期框架如何失败的观点，并提供理解不断变化的不确定性概念的新工具，从而提供帮助。这个跨学科的研讨会可以帮助那些从事环境史工作的人重新思考我们如何理解科学以及我们如何与科学家和公众沟通的问题，它可以帮助科学家理解历史方法对毒理学的价值。更广泛的影响研讨会的五篇文章将刊登在同行评议的期刊《环境史》的环境健康特刊上。为了继续在研讨会上开始的跨学科对话，科学家和历史学家将共同撰写论文，并且该集合将包括至少两位科学作者。ASEH还将在其网站上发布来自研讨会的教学单元，其中包括有毒地点的地理信息系统层等材料，这些材料将有毒沉积物的历史地图与高发病率地区联系起来。这些材料将对所有人开放。教学单位的受众包括本科生和研究生，以及对社区污染和疾病相关感兴趣的人。ASEH会员和其他访问我们网站的人都要求在线教学资源，表明对这些材料的兴趣和受众。我们将与演讲者合作，在路易斯安那州和其他地方找到感兴趣的群体，并在教学单位发布后发出通知。

IntroductionThe ASEH (American Society for Environmental History) proposes to organize and host an interdisciplinary workshop that brings together scientists, environmental historians, and historians of science to discuss new methodological approaches in environmental health. Called "Toxic Environments, Toxic Bodies," this workshop will take place in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and will include roundtable discussions followed by a visit to the "chemical corridor" between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, allowing participants to engage with communities affected directly by environmental health concerns, while continuing the discussions begun in the roundtable. The conclusions and information gained from these discussions will be published in the peer-reviewed journal, Environmental History.Intellectual MeritNew technologies and methods for the detection of toxins, particularly endocrine disruptors, have drawn increasing attention toward the pervasive and persistent presence of synthetic chemicals in our lives. As environmental historians and historians of science have shown, the traditional conceptual frameworks of toxicology, such as dose-response relationships, are inadequate tools for dealing with endocrine disruptors and other low-dose environmental toxins. Understanding the new chemical bodies of the twenty-first century requires new conceptual frameworks. Scientists and policymakers are struggling to create these new frameworks, and historians can help both by providing perspective on how earlier frameworks failed and by providing new tools for understanding changing conceptions of uncertainty. This interdisciplinary workshop can help those working in environmental history to rethink questions of how we understand science and how we communicate with scientists and the public, and it can help scientists understand the value of a historical approach to toxicology.Broader ImpactsFive articles from the workshop will appear in the peer-reviewed journal, Environmental History, in a special issue devoted to environmental health. To continue the interdisciplinary dialogue begun at the workshop, scientists and historians will co-author papers, and the set will include at least two scientific authors. ASEH will also post teaching units derived from the workshop on its website, featuring materials such as Geographic Information Systems layers of toxic sites that correlate historical maps of toxic deposits with areas of high rates of illness. These materials will be accessible to everyone. The audience for the teaching units includes undergraduate and graduate students as well as people interested in correlating contamination and illness in their communities. ASEH members and others who visit our website have requested online teaching resources, indicating an interest and an audience for these materials. We will work with the speakers to identify interested groups in Louisiana and elsewhere, and will send announcements once the teaching units are posted.