Assessing and Addressing Exposures to Soil Contaminants Related to Urban Gardenin

对负担得起的健康食品（包括有机和当地生产的食品）的需求增加了公众对家庭、学校和社区花园的兴趣。除了粮食安全、经济节约和减少与粮食运输和大规模生产相关的环境影响外，花园还提供城市绿色空间、娱乐和社区建设活动的机会，以及对公共卫生的各种好处。然而，花园土壤（特别是城市土壤）可能含有许多可能对人类健康构成风险的污染物。许多市中心的花园位于经济地位较低的社区，通常位于可能有土壤污染历史的空地和废弃房产上。然而，许多社区的土壤污染程度仍然不确定。由于在诸如纽约市的城市地区中蔬菜园的数量不断增加，园艺可能增加环境对土壤污染物的暴露（例如，与其他地区相比，在城市社区中可能已经更大了。现有的风险评估和风险沟通工作不足以解决社区关切的问题，也没有将研究结果与支持社区花园所需的教育和公共卫生行动战略直接联系起来。纽约市和纽约州其他地方的社区已确定了与土壤污染和公共卫生有关的几项关键需求，包括要求进一步开展研究、教育和培训;成立工作组（有社区参与）以解决关切的问题;以及创建一个更好的沟通和合作研究的工具。 通过社区研究伙伴关系（包括康奈尔大学研究人员和推广教育工作者、纽约州卫生部和社区组织绿色拇指等），该项目旨在通过合作研究解决社区关切的问题，直接为制定教育和公共卫生行动战略提供信息。主要项目活动包括：（1）评估土壤和蔬菜污染物水平（2）将研究结果转化为有效的教育和公共卫生行动战略，以解决社区关注的问题，减少土壤污染物的暴露和由此产生的公共卫生风险;（3）确定未来的研究需要，以充分表征城市园丁的潜在暴露和风险;（4）评估教育和推广计划在有效解决社区问题和减少与城市园艺活动相关的土壤污染物暴露方面的成功。 公共卫生相关性：该项目对公众健康的预期影响包括通过使用健康的园艺实践和行为以及有效的管理策略来减少土壤污染物的暴露，从而改善园丁和其他社区成员的健康。此外，项目研究结果旨在为公共卫生政策和计划提供信息，以鼓励社区对城市园艺的益处和风险的认识，以改善公共卫生。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The need for affordable, healthy foods (including organic and locally produced items) has increased public interest in home, school and community gardens. In addition to food security, economic savings, and reduced environmental impacts associated with food transport and large-scale production, gardens provide urban green space, opportunities for recreation and community building activities, and diverse benefits for public health. However, garden soils (and urban soils in particular) can contain a number of contaminants that may pose risks to human health. Many inner-city gardens are located in communities of lower economic status, often on vacant lots and abandoned properties that may have a history of soil contamination. However, the extent of soil contamination in many communities remains uncertain. Due to the growing number of vegetable gardens in urban areas such as New York City, gardening could increase environmental exposures to soil contaminants (e.g., lead) that may already be greater in urban communities as compared to other areas. Existing risk assessments and risk communication efforts do not sufficiently address community concerns or directly link research findings to the education and public health action strategies needed to support community gardens. Communities in New York City and elsewhere in New York State have identified several key needs related to soil contamination and public health, including requests for further research, education and training; the formation of workgroups (with community involvement) to address issues of concern; and the creation of a vehicle for better communication and collaborative research. Through a community-research partnership (including Cornell researchers and Extension educators, the New York State Department of Health and community-based organization Green Thumb, and others), this project aims to address community concerns through collaborative research to directly inform the development of education and public health action strategies. Key project activities include: (1) Assessing soil and vegetable contaminant levels (and other soil properties) and human exposures through gardening activities in urban community gardens, and evaluating the effectiveness of management strategies in mitigating associated health risks; (2) Translating research findings into effective education and public health action strategies to address community concerns and reduce exposures to soil contaminants and resulting public health risks; (3) Identifying future research needs to sufficiently characterize potential exposures and risks for urban gardeners; and (4) Evaluating the success of education and outreach programs in effectively addressing community concerns and reducing exposures to soil contaminants related to urban gardening activities. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The anticipated impacts of this project on public health include improved health of gardeners and other community members through the use of healthy gardening practices and behaviors and effective management strategies to reduce exposures to soil contaminants. Additionally, project research findings aim to inform public health policies and programs to encourage community-based awareness about both the benefits and risks of urban gardening to improve public health.