Transcript ARSENIC CONSORTIUM February 16, 2011 The following abridged list of priorities came from a day-long meeting of stakeholders and Dartmouth SRP investigators who.

ARSENIC CONSORTIUM
February 16, 2011
The following abridged list of priorities came from a day-long meeting of stakeholders and Dartmouth SRP
investigators who specialize in research, regulation, community outreach and capacity building surrounding
the issues of arsenic in well water and arsenic in food, particularly rice. The group agreed that in order to
successfully achieve any of the actions listed below, a Mission Statement for the Consortium must be
crafted, and a targeted, consistent Risk Communication Message must be developed.
Top Priorities:
•Build a website (part of the Dartmouth Toxic Metals Superfund site) to provide centralized information on
arsenic in well water that would include information on:
-Maps showing locations of high arsenic areas, wells with high arsenic, etc.
-How to interpret your water testing results for arsenic
-Remediation information (types of systems, contacts for finding remediation companies)
-Explanation of the differences between a Point of Use System (POU) and a Whole House System
(POE).
-Selecting the appropriate Remediation System
-Short video “vignette testimonials” of well owners who have remediation systems or who have had
their well tested, explaining the process they went through
-Health risk information
•Hold a Regional Arsenic Meeting for arsenic researchers, health organizations, state and federal
government representatives, health officers, private well owners, to discuss the issues relating to arsenic in
water and food.
•Partner with targeted organizations to promote well water testing and risk message
- American Academy of Pediatrics (and state equivalent)
- Pediatric Health Specialty Units
- NH Public Health Association
- NH Association of Realtors
- Mortgage Bankers Association
•Provide incentives to encourage private well testing
•
Provide information for NH Health Officers Annual Report Including:
• health related information on arsenic
• state lab statistics on towns
• HEAL
•
Send out copies of the movie In Small Doses: Arsenic to:
• NH Health Officers
• NHPTV
• Realtors
• Drinking Water Boards
Include a cover letter with the video which includes the mission statement, risk message, and suggestions
for best ways to show video (at town meetings, on local cable stations, etc.)
Questions to Consider:
Environmental Justice issue—how provide for folks who can’t afford to get their wells tested or treated?
How utilize existing knowledge more effectively?
Participant list:
Joe Ayotte, USGS, Keith Robinson, USGS, Louise Hannan, NH DHHS, David Wunsch, National
Groundwater Association, Cindy Klevens, NH DES, Paul Susca, NH DES, David Gordon, NH DES,
Larry Spencer, Plymouth State University and Holderness Conservation Commission, Courtney Horvath,
Mary Lou Guerinot, Tracy Punshon, Bruce Stanton, Kathryn Cottingham, Tom Hampton, Margaret
Karagas, Vicki Sayarath, Celia Chen, Nancy Serrell, Xun Shi and Laurie Rardin from the Dartmouth
Toxic Metals Superfund Research Program
Visit the NH Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) Program website
(http://www.nh.gov/epht/ ) for State and National environmental health data. The site is
designed to improve public health by providing science-based information on the trends
and distributions of environmentally-related diseases.
Visit our website at: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~toxmetal
This project is supported by NIH Grant number P42ES007373 from the National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not
necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of Environment Health Sciences, or the
National Institutes of Health.