Cumulative Impacts Project + The Northport Project

Cumulative Impacts Working Group

This Working Group receives information about and participates in the Cumulative Impacts Project.

This is a project of CHE with the Science and Environmental Health Network (SEHN), along with an advisory group of environmental health and justice advocates, scientists, scholars, and agency staff members.

“Cumulative impacts” refers to the total harm to human health and the environment that results from combinations of assaults and stressors over time.

The Cumulative Impacts Project is dedicated to promoting science, law, and policy that will reduce cumulative impacts.

Our laws and decision-making structures have either ignored cumulative impacts or called for addressing them without saying how.

This is beginning to change, however. The Cumulative Impacts Project aims to move that conversation forward by pooling information on cumulative impacts in three spheres:

Ecosystems—local, planetary, climate change

Communities—environmental justice and vulnerable populations

Human health—multiple factors in disease and disability

These three spheres represent different aspects of the problem of cumulative impacts and leverage points for addressing it. They also overlap and affect each other.

Together they call for new precautionary decision structures and initiatives aimed at reducing total environmental impacts.

The Cumulative Impacts Project website collects the latest science, emerging best practices, analytical tools, and legal shifts that can reduce cumulative harm to our planet, our communities, and ourselves.

This information is being collected on the Cumulative Impacts Project website which launched in May 2011. Visit this website 
at:  http://www.cumulativeimpacts.org/home.html

The Cumulative Impacts Working Group conducts monthly conference calls about a project or issue related to cumulative impacts on human health and the environment, often with one presenter followed by discussion.

We hope you will join us!

Contact the Cumulative Impacts Project to learn more, suggest resources for the website,  and add your ideas.

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If you think THE NORTHPORT PROJECT is the perfect opportunity to be one of the communities to participate in this groundbreaking, over due and extremely necessary research please contact The Cumulative Impacts Project and let them know!

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A Community Awareness Program designed to Educate, Protect, Empower and Impact the residents of Northport, Washington.

EDUCATE

“There are in fact two things, science and opinion; the former begets knowledge, the later ignorance.” – Hipporates

Programs such as the Cumulative Impacts on Health: New Community- Based Research, offered by The Collaborative On Health And The Environment (www. http://www.healthandenvironment.org/partnership_calls/9380), and many Other exciting new programs dedicated to bringing together scientist, researchers and communities affected by chronic exposure to environmental toxins. These communities are finally getting the chance to have a voice get scientifically correct information and educational programs that will gi the education and the power they have long deserved, but been denied.

These programs are meant to educate the residents on the current toxins they are exposed to, as well as the different routes of exposure. This information is not meant to scare residents or cause a panic within the community. The educational information, workshops, programs and meetings are necessary to provide the community with the knowledge and the tools to protect themeselves.  Knowledge is power, the power to learn ways to reduce the amount of exposure to the toxins known to be above the recommended safety levels, the power to protect their health by free annual health screenings, the power to keep themselves healthy by learning the many different minerals and vitamins that they may need more, or less, of.and lessening the risks to these toxins that are known to be found at a higher than normal level in the area. With this information they are empowered to protect themselves and their families. They are also empowered with the opportunity to help future generations avoid the possible health issues they have faced, or watched their families and friends face for over three generations.

 

PROTECT

“Many can help one.: – Unknown

The most important thing the program wants to accomplish is to be able to offer free annual health screenings to residents. It is undeniable that the health issues, diseases and cancers found in the area and linked to the multiple toxins the community has been chronically exposed to.

However, free annual health screenings will lead to early detection of most, if not all, of the health issues. Early detection is the key to surviving any illness, disease, or cancer.

EMPOWER

“Blame is safer than praise.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Not only that, but the free annual health screenings can serve as a long term epidemiological research study that toxicologists are admittedly in desperate need of. The results of the diagnosed issues from the years of annual health screenings can give accurate data as to whether or not the current safety levels for chronic exposure to many of these toxins are set to low, as well as identify other health issues they are possibly causing, or triggering.

Another important field of data would be the levels of specific toxins of concern found in their blood work done annually on residents, (which could lead to enough data to result in research regarding the correlation of elevated toxins and deficient or elevated minerals and/or vitamins.) It could be possible that simple vitamin and mineral supplements could cure, or at least ease the symptoms of, some of these illnesses.)

IMPACT

“Sometimes the people whom we’ve known for only a short amount of time have a bigger impact on us than those we’ve known forever” – Unknown

There is nothing we can do about the health impact the decades of pollutants we were unknowingly exposed have created. However, by participating in surveys and studies, the Northport residents can impact the health of future generations for the better.

By being given the opportunity to participating in surveys and studies, the Northport residents have a chance to use the negative impacts these toxins created not only in their health, but in their quality of life. They can help scientists and researchers learn and discover treatments and possibly cures to these illnesses, and I turn impact the health of future generations for the better.

NORTHPORT

A Beautiful Town, Getting Better Everyday!

Our environment is getting safer every day, in part because of the research and cleaner, safer practices being done by Teck, which has resulted in a reported 96% decrease of heavy metal toxins being disposed of into the Columbia River.

The organizations and individuals mentioned below spent decades fighting for accurate studies, extensive research, and epidemiological studies for the Upper Columbia River and the small communities living along it; Thanks to Citizens for a Clean Columbia (CCC), The Colville Confederate Tribe, The Lake Roosevelt Water Quality Council, The Upper Columbia United Tribes, Lake Roosevelt Forum, and every other group and individual who united to get studies done on the Upper Columbia River and brought attention to the contamination the research discovered. The results of their research & persistence forced Teck to stop dumping slag into the river in 1996.

Thanks to the members of the Pakootas Tribe who had the courage to petition the EPAand finally get the ball rolling on the previous and current Remedial Investigation & Feasibility Studies, as well as the Human Health Risk Assessment. Thanks to the countless others I did not specifically name. It is because of the participation ofeach individualperson, fighting for the same goal, which brings about change.

Also, In recent years the work done by the EPA and the Department of Ecology, as well as their willingness to include the above mentioned tribes and organizations in the decision making,(specifically due to EPA Project Manager Helen Botcher and

Dpt. Of Ecology Toxicologist John Rowland and Chuck Gruenfeilder)

THE FUTURE OF NORTHPORT Northport is one of the most beautiful areas in the world. Our family never plans to sell the family farm or leave the area. We also want to see Northport grow through tourism and local businesses,

The Northport Project’s hope is to NOT scare people away from Northport. We want t0 make it clear visitors are in no danger of enjoying the many recreational activities our area has to offer–several studies have proven that annual recreational exposure to the area does not pose any health risks at all

However, we want to ensure the residents who are exposed to the toxins, 365 days of the year, are educated and protected, so they can continue living in the town they love so much. Also, we want to empower the residents. By their participation in studies and research they will not only protect the health of future generations of Northport residents, but of future generations of communities just like ours throughout the entire world.

THE NORTHPORT PROJECT

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”

Learn more at: http://www.northportproject.com To receive updates on all studies and other information via e-mail make sure to register at our blog (register button at top right)