RAPID: Evaluating the Role of Pollution Monitoring on Improving Coastal Community Social Well-Being Following a Petrochemical Fire and Spills into Galveston Bay

这个快速反应研究（Rapid）项目考察了水和海产品污染监测对公众对石油化工泄漏后信息和风险认知的作用。该项目为沿海社区的风险认知提供了新的见解，这些风险认知来自德克萨斯州休斯顿的Deer Park火灾和德克萨斯州加尔维斯顿湾的驳船碰撞事故。目前，这两种干扰的生态和社会影响尚不完全清楚。然而，人们仍然关注水生生物群接触石油衍生碳氢化合物和阻燃化学品，以及它们的消费可能对人类健康造成的影响。本项目通过以下方式解决这些问题：首先，监测加尔维斯顿湾的水、贝类和鱼类中的污染物水平。污染物水平每月测量一次，持续1年。其次，使用健康问卷评估沿海社区对不良健康影响的风险认知或关注。第三，将水和生物群中的污染物水平信息与可接受的监管限制进行比较，并用于向当地社区领导人通报海鲜消费和娱乐威胁。最终，本研究的结果将为沿海社区在人为干扰后的风险感知提供见解，并有助于建立风险沟通框架，提供即时和后续的环境质量分析。这笔拨款支持NSF HDBE项目的使命，即了解人与环境的相互作用及其对人为灾害的反应。该项目使用质谱法测量德克萨斯州加尔维斯顿湾水域和生物群中石油衍生碳氢化合物和阻燃剂的含量。每个月将沿着加尔维斯顿湾的一个样带采集水样，作为每月加尔维斯顿湾调查的一部分，将从德克萨斯州公园和野生动物部门获得生物群样本。收集的生物群样本将包括沿海社区通常作为海鲜消费的牡蛎和鱼类。社会福祉将通过向加尔维斯顿湾地区社区居民分发的在线调查进行评估，包括那些受鹿园火灾和驳船漏油影响的居民。调查结果将衡量个人身心健康、风险认知和保护行动等社会福祉。研究结果将通过与加尔维斯顿湾基金会合作，传达给沿海社区的利益相关者。结果将包括在加尔维斯顿湾的水、贝类和鱼类中测量的污染物水平的时间趋势，以及污染物水平是否高于或低于既定监管水平的风险评估。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This Rapid Response Research (RAPID) project examines the role of pollution monitoring in water and seafood on public perceptions of information and risk following petrochemical spills. This project provide new insights into coastal community risk perceptions following the recent petrochemical spills from the Deer Park fire (Houston, Texas) and barge collision in Galveston Bay, Texas. At present, the ecological and societal impacts of both disturbances are not fully known. However, concern remains for the exposure of aquatic biota to oil-derived hydrocarbons and flame retardant chemicals, and likely human health effects upon their consumption. This project addresses these concerns in the following ways: First, the levels of pollutants are monitored in water, shellfish and fish from Galveston Bay. Pollutant levels are measured once per month, over a 1 year duration. Second, coastal community risk perceptions or concerns for adverse health effects are assessed using health questionnaires. Third, information on pollutant levels in water and biota are compared to acceptable regulatory limits, and used to inform local community leaders of sea food consumption and recreational threats. Ultimately, the findings of this research will provide insights into coastal community risk perceptions immediately following man-made disturbances, and help to develop a risk communication framework that provides both immediate and follow-up analysis of environmental quality. This grant supports the NSF HDBE program's mission to understand human-environment interactions and their responses to man-made disasters. This project uses mass spectrometry to measure the levels of oil-derived hydrocarbons and flame retardants in the waters and biota of Galveston Bay, Texas. Water samples will be taken monthly along a transect of Galveston Bay, and biota samples will be obtained from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department as part of their monthly surveys of Galveston Bay. The biota samples collected will include oysters and fish commonly consumed as seafood by coastal communities. Social well-being will be assessed using an online survey disseminated to residents of communities in the Galveston Bay area, including those affected by the Deer Park fire and barge oil spill. Survey responses will measure social well-being as individual physical and mental health, risk perceptions, and protective action. The results of research will be communicated to coastal community stakeholders by partnering with the Galveston Bay Foundation. Results will comprise temporal trends of pollutant levels measured in water, shellfish and fish from Galveston Bay, and a risk assessment of whether pollutant levels are above or below established regulatory levels.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.