The goal of this project is to elucidate the policy-making process to mitigate environmental exposures and elevate resident voices to address legacy pollutants and ongoing contaminants that result…

This $500,000 federal Project Grant, awarded on February 1, 2025 by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Research Program (CFDA 66.509), aims to elucidate the policy-making process to mitigate environmental exposures and elevate resident voices in the Commerce City-North Denver neighborhoods of Colorado.

The key activities include: (1) developing models to assess the cumulative health burden experienced by marginalized communities due to social and environmental exposures, and (2) facilitating roundtables for residents to engage in the state and local policy-making process regarding environmental issues and develop solutions with public and private agencies. The University of Illinois will receive a $347,608 subaward to provide data, analysis, and support for presentations and manuscripts related to this research. Deliverables include annual and final reports, and the development of a framework to evaluate the cumulative burden of chemical and non-chemical stressors in the target communities, as well as create opportunities for resident engagement, advocacy, and leadership.

The goal of this project is to elucidate the policy-making process to mitigate environmental exposures and elevate resident voices to address legacy pollutants and ongoing contaminants that result in negative health outcomes.activities:the specific objectives are to: (1) develop models of the cumulative health burden experienced by marginalized communities to address whether the relationships between cumulative social and environmental exposures and health outcomes are consistent across communities and diseases along colorado's front range and (2) facilitate roundtables where residents have a deliberate and meaningful opportunity to engage the state and local policy-making process regarding environmental exposures, promote their concerns, and develop solutions in concert with public and private agencies.subrecipient:the university of illinois will receive a subaward for $347,608. They will provide data and analysis support for both the health and environmental exposure data along with providing support for development of presentations and manuscripts associated with this research.outcomes:deliverables include annual and final reports. A framework will be developed that will assess the cumulative burden attributable to multiple simultaneous chemical and non-chemical stressors in colorado and to create sustainability in the commerce city-north denver neighborhoods through meaningful opportunities for engagement, advocacy, and leadership of residents; elevation of health and environmental issues in state and local policy and decision-making processes. Direct beneficiaries include residents of the commerce city-north denver neighborhoods, human health, the environment and the general public.