​Environmental Protection Agency Proposal​

Environmental health in a broad sense has to do not only with the relationship that exists between people and their immediate surroundings but perhaps more importantly, the outcome of that relationship for the people. In recent times, the news media has brought to the attention of the general public a serious public health menace emanating from the northeastern regions of Brazil. The epidemic – Zika virus – has had such debilitating consequences that the World Health Organization cautioned the international community to be on high alert (McKay 2016.) Taking a close look at the situation however, the recent outbreak of the Zika virus is only a symptom of a myriad of health issues faced by inhabitants of the affected areas in northeastern Brazil. There are other health issues such as diarrhea, dengue fever, and zika virus to mention but a few. Besides the presence of mosquito-borne illnesses, there are other pressing issues which warrant solutions. The lack of trust between the local people and their elected officials as well as a clear comprehension of policies is a contributory factor to the poor quality of the built and ambient environments; the nature of the built environment due to poor planning consequently leads to the collection and accumulation of waste materials in close proximity to living spaces and that negatively impacts the health of the people.

The absence of effective community-participation in issues which affect their own communities has been shown to result in incomplete projects that would otherwise have had a lasting positive impact on the lives of the people (Nance & Ortolano 2007.) In the Caete River Basin for instance, the location of the ceramic industry has been implicated in illegal deforestation and changes in water courses (Guimarães 2011). Furthermore, the fishing industry found in the lower river basin, specifically in Caratateua has brought with it certain unintended consequences. Among them are squatting due to the migration of citizens from other parts of Brazil. The influx of high numbers of people leads to overpopulation and places undue pressure on existing infrastructure (Christian & Costa, 2007) such as sewage system and living spaces. In addition to the high numbers of people, perhaps the most urgent problem facing the communities in the Caete River Basin is the activities of the fishing industry itself. Studies suggest that the fish processing plants have been the main culprits behind such pollution activities as oil spills and release of solid waste into the Caete estuary (Guimarães 2011.) Due to the pollution witnessed in the northeastern regions of Brazil and the consequent disparities that exist in health and functioning of the inhabitants, it is imperative to outline some of the relevant goals that the current proposal seeks to accomplish. Considering the low level of education and history of little interest in policy issues, it is absolutely important to conscientize the dwellers of the affected communities of the importance of health consequences of their immediate surroundings; in order to achieve the objective of active community involvement, a community-based participatory research approach will be conducted. In a city like Recife, Nance & Ortolano (2007) observe that a lack of communication and agreement among such relevant stakeholders as scientific experts and policymakers often results in incomplete projects that were originally meant to solve pressing environmental health needs of the community. In view of the importance of agreement and communication among stakeholders to the success of environment related health projects, the current proposal will involve knowledge brokers who are familiar with scientific concepts and policy matters as well. Knowledge brokers will be in a better position to explain vital scientific findings to legislators and be able to influence their decisions to achieve the goal of informed policies (Pennell et al., 2013)

An essential component of bringing about lasting change is to make the affected areas more habitable through better regulatory efforts and effective management of the ecosystem (Pezzoli et al., 2014.) Without proper management of the ecosystem, affected communities such as Bahia, Recife, Natal to mention but a few will continue to experience the results of environmental degradation such as loss of biodiversity, climate change (Nance & Ortolano 2007; Guimarães 2011) – which lead to natural disasters such as flooding – deteriorating oceans to mention but a few.

Proposed Work

In tackling the problems facing the northeastern region of Brazil, the current proposal will focus on only a subsection of the region – the Caete River Basin. The Caete River Basin exhibits a good number of environmental pollution characteristics that have resulted in undesirable health consequences for the inhabitants of all 18 communities that make up that geographic area. There have been some evidence-based interventions carried out elsewhere which have yielded favorable results. The objectives for developing a long lasting solution will be based on modified versions of three of the most relevant interventions. The first step will be aimed at community-based participatory efforts as outlined in the South-East Halifax Environmental Awakening project. In order to effectively engage the community and get the relevant stakeholders involved in environmental sanitation efforts, community workshops will be organized. The workshops will essentially educate the populace about why natural disasters and diseases occur. Having researchers explain the causes will go a long way to get the people more involved in the environmental issues that affect them. Concerns of the affected individuals will be addressed as well. Such concerns as being involved in scientific research in order to help researchers tailor solutions to fit the needs of the people (Wing et al., 1996.) The inclusion of a Speakers Bureau will be organized by the local government. The Speakers Bureau will enable members of affected communities to voice their concerns about the environmental issues they face while at the same time the involvement of health educators and environmental experts will provide the necessary training to equip the people to take small incremental steps to assist in alleviating the problems faced by their communities.

Taking a close look at the relationship between government officials and the people of most communities in the northeastern regions of Brazil, there seems to be a disconnect in terms of the amount of say each has when it comes to matters affecting the environment. Additionally, the industries responsible for pollution, mainly the fishing and agricultural industries, seem to be oblivious of the plight of their employees who are mostly made up of local inhabitants. The level of pollution will be quantified and the relevant stakeholders notified. Studies will be conducted based on the outcome of the Speakers Bureau. Studies show that non-biodegradable materials used in fishing have found their way into water bodies (Santos et al., 2009) while at the same time raw sewage which can have detrimental health effects if untreated tends to find its way into the estuary (Guimarães et al., 2011.) As a result of the poor maintenance of the environment, most of the communities in the Caete area report diarrhea as well as other vector borne diseases due to stagnant water (Life at zika epicenter a struggle for afflicted family 2016.) In a bid to improve communication among the relevant stakeholders, a knowledge broker will be chosen based on his/her knowledge and understanding of current affairs and policy implementation. Researchers will be drawn from the Coastal Studies Institute of the Federal University of Pará, Center for Environmental Analysis & Planning at the State University of Sao Paolo and Department of Geography at the Federal University of Ceará. The knowledge broker will be tasked with the responsibility of maintaining a channel of communication between the researchers from the Universities and the government representatives. The Knowledge Brokers, University researchers and chosen government officials will together form the Action Committee. The role of scientific research in eliminating the adverse environmental health problems faced by affected communities cannot be underestimated. In the same vane, it is important to translate research findings into a more comprehensible format for the sake of efficient policy implementation. In order to facilitate the proper comprehension of empirical evidence, it is important to involve government officials, researchers and also inhabitants for the smooth flow of information. The knowledge broker will be tasked with the responsibility of clearly communicating vital scientific information between government officials on the one hand as well as scientific researchers on the other hand. The researchers will be made up of a group of representatives from the Universities who are most closely situated to and hence are familiar with the environmental pollution faced by the inhabitants. The knowledge broker will be assisted by a public health nurse and a physician. The role of the public health nurse and physician will be to help interpret lab tests performed on the local dwellers. The aim of the blood tests is to ascertain the source of diarrhea, and vector-borne diseases in the area. Environmental science experts from local universities will also conduct studies to determine the role of non-biodegradable materials in causing water stagnation and flooding. Health data from the studies will be shared with the inhabitants first in order to create a sense of inclusivity. Data from the study of environmental pollution will be shared both with the inhabitants and policymakers first before publishing results or contacting any media house. Research shows that a community-based approach to research coupled with information-sharing with the concerned parties goes a long way to change the status quo regarding power imbalances while at the same time increasing adherence to the recommendations of experts as there is a rationale and sense of inclusivity to do so (Emmett & Desai 2010.)

A vital function of the knowledge broker will be to help legislators and other state and local government officials to be more familiar with research conducted by the universities that seek to efficiently remove the amount of waste in affected communities while at the same time ensuring that policies create better alternatives for waste disposal from industries. Specifically, the functions of the knowledge broker will be to aid in policy formulation. During the policy formulation phase, decision-makers seek advice from the scientific community in order to (Pennell et al., 2013) create an organized response to the problem of waste disposal. In addition to connecting legislators to environmental science experts from the Universities, the knowledge broker will ensure that decisions made by government officials are in line with evidence found within the literature as well as being sensitive to the demands of the inhabitants. Finally comes the policy assessment phase where the implemented policies will be assessed to determine the level of success or otherwise of the policies implemented as well as how to further improve it for sustainability.