Heavy metals in moss guide environmental justice investigation: A case study using community science in Seattle, WA, USA
Abstract Heavy metal concentrations often vary at small spatial scales not captured by air monitoring networks, with implications for environmental justice in industrial‐adjacent communities. Pollutants measured in moss tissues are commonly used as a screening tool to guide use of more expensive res...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Ecosphere |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4109 |
| _version_ | 1811332798241308672 |
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| author | Sarah E. Jovan Christopher Zuidema Monika M. Derrien Amanda L. Bidwell Weston Brinkley Robert J. Smith Dale Blahna Roseann Barnhill Linn Gould Alberto J. Rodríguez Michael C. Amacher Troy D. Abel Paulina López |
| author_facet | Sarah E. Jovan Christopher Zuidema Monika M. Derrien Amanda L. Bidwell Weston Brinkley Robert J. Smith Dale Blahna Roseann Barnhill Linn Gould Alberto J. Rodríguez Michael C. Amacher Troy D. Abel Paulina López |
| author_sort | Sarah E. Jovan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Heavy metal concentrations often vary at small spatial scales not captured by air monitoring networks, with implications for environmental justice in industrial‐adjacent communities. Pollutants measured in moss tissues are commonly used as a screening tool to guide use of more expensive resources, like air monitors. Such studies, however, rarely address environmental justice issues or involve the residents and other decision makers expected to utilize results. Here, we piloted a community science approach, engaging over 55 people from nine institutions, to map heavy metals using moss in two industrial‐adjacent neighborhoods. This area, long known for disproportionately poor air quality, health outcomes, and racial inequities, has only one monitor for heavy metals. Thus, an initial understanding of spatial patterns is critical for gauging whether, where, and how to invest further resources toward investigating heavy metals. Local youth‐led sampling of the moss Orthotrichum lyellii from trees across a 250 × 250 m sampling grid (n = 79) and generated data comparable to expert‐collected samples (n = 19). We mapped 21 chemical elements measured in moss, including 6 toxic “priority” metals: arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, lead, and nickel. Compared to other urban O. lyellii studies, local moss had substantially higher priority metals, especially arsenic and chromium, encouraging community members to investigate further. Potential hotspots of priority metals varied somewhat but tended to peak near the central industrial core where many possible emission sources, including legacy contamination and converge. Informed by these findings, community members successfully advocated regulators for a second study phase—a community‐directed air monitoring campaign to evaluate residents' exposure to heavy metals—as is needed to connect moss results back to the partnership's core goal of understanding drivers of health disparities. This follow‐up campaign will measure metals in the PM10 fraction owing to clues in the current study that airborne soil and dust may be locally important carriers of priority metals. Future work will address how our approach combining bioindicators and community science ultimately affects success addressing longstanding environmental justice concerns. For now, we illustrate the potential to co‐create new knowledge, to help catalyze and strategize next steps, in a complex air quality investigation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T16:42:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fd9b0dfe00d14b538decac68ed10466b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2150-8925 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T16:42:22Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-fd9b0dfe00d14b538decac68ed10466b2022-12-22T02:39:12ZengWileyEcosphere2150-89252022-06-01136n/an/a10.1002/ecs2.4109Heavy metals in moss guide environmental justice investigation: A case study using community science in Seattle, WA, USASarah E. Jovan0Christopher Zuidema1Monika M. Derrien2Amanda L. Bidwell3Weston Brinkley4Robert J. Smith5Dale Blahna6Roseann Barnhill7Linn Gould8Alberto J. Rodríguez9Michael C. Amacher10Troy D. Abel11Paulina López12USDA Forest Service PNW Research Station Portland Oregon USADepartment of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences University of Washington Seattle Washington USAUSDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station Seattle Washington USAAmanda L Bidwell, LLC Seattle Washington USAStreet Sounds Ecology, LLC Seattle Washington USAUSDA Forest Service Air Resource Management Program Washington District of Columbia USAUSDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station Seattle Washington USADirt Corps Seattle Washington USAJust Health Action Seattle Washington USACity of Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment Seattle Washington USAForest Environment Health Research & Consulting, LLC North Logan Utah USADepartment of Urban and Environmental Planning and Policy Western Washington University Bellingham Washington USADuwamish River Community Coalition Seattle Washington USAAbstract Heavy metal concentrations often vary at small spatial scales not captured by air monitoring networks, with implications for environmental justice in industrial‐adjacent communities. Pollutants measured in moss tissues are commonly used as a screening tool to guide use of more expensive resources, like air monitors. Such studies, however, rarely address environmental justice issues or involve the residents and other decision makers expected to utilize results. Here, we piloted a community science approach, engaging over 55 people from nine institutions, to map heavy metals using moss in two industrial‐adjacent neighborhoods. This area, long known for disproportionately poor air quality, health outcomes, and racial inequities, has only one monitor for heavy metals. Thus, an initial understanding of spatial patterns is critical for gauging whether, where, and how to invest further resources toward investigating heavy metals. Local youth‐led sampling of the moss Orthotrichum lyellii from trees across a 250 × 250 m sampling grid (n = 79) and generated data comparable to expert‐collected samples (n = 19). We mapped 21 chemical elements measured in moss, including 6 toxic “priority” metals: arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, lead, and nickel. Compared to other urban O. lyellii studies, local moss had substantially higher priority metals, especially arsenic and chromium, encouraging community members to investigate further. Potential hotspots of priority metals varied somewhat but tended to peak near the central industrial core where many possible emission sources, including legacy contamination and converge. Informed by these findings, community members successfully advocated regulators for a second study phase—a community‐directed air monitoring campaign to evaluate residents' exposure to heavy metals—as is needed to connect moss results back to the partnership's core goal of understanding drivers of health disparities. This follow‐up campaign will measure metals in the PM10 fraction owing to clues in the current study that airborne soil and dust may be locally important carriers of priority metals. Future work will address how our approach combining bioindicators and community science ultimately affects success addressing longstanding environmental justice concerns. For now, we illustrate the potential to co‐create new knowledge, to help catalyze and strategize next steps, in a complex air quality investigation.https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4109air toxicsbioindicatorscitizen sciencecivic sciencecoarse particulate mattercommunity science |
| spellingShingle | Sarah E. Jovan Christopher Zuidema Monika M. Derrien Amanda L. Bidwell Weston Brinkley Robert J. Smith Dale Blahna Roseann Barnhill Linn Gould Alberto J. Rodríguez Michael C. Amacher Troy D. Abel Paulina López Heavy metals in moss guide environmental justice investigation: A case study using community science in Seattle, WA, USA Ecosphere air toxics bioindicators citizen science civic science coarse particulate matter community science |
| title | Heavy metals in moss guide environmental justice investigation: A case study using community science in Seattle, WA, USA |
| title_full | Heavy metals in moss guide environmental justice investigation: A case study using community science in Seattle, WA, USA |
| title_fullStr | Heavy metals in moss guide environmental justice investigation: A case study using community science in Seattle, WA, USA |
| title_full_unstemmed | Heavy metals in moss guide environmental justice investigation: A case study using community science in Seattle, WA, USA |
| title_short | Heavy metals in moss guide environmental justice investigation: A case study using community science in Seattle, WA, USA |
| title_sort | heavy metals in moss guide environmental justice investigation a case study using community science in seattle wa usa |
| topic | air toxics bioindicators citizen science civic science coarse particulate matter community science |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4109 |
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