Residents to help with EPA-backed health project

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A toxic-threat checkup for the International District

Residents to help with EPA-backed health project

By LISA STIFFLER

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Armed with hand-held computers equipped with digital cameras, International

District residents will soon be participating in a unique effort to catalog

toxic threats in the neighborhood.

The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday awarded a two-year, $86,000 grant

to the International District Housing Alliance, a non-profit community

organization. The money will be used to educate residents about environmental

health risks and to analyze information collected about potential dangers.

" There's a lot of hope and excitement around it, " said Stella Chao, the housing

alliance's executive director.

Residents in the urban neighborhood are mostly Asians or Pacific Islanders, and

some have a limited ability to speak English. Many are elderly and low-income.

To use the data recorders effectively, the group has matched older residents

with English-speaking youths.

" The tool really allows us to transcend language, " said Joyce Pisnanont, who is

heading the effort for the alliance.

The technology will be used in part to assess residents' exposure to vehicle

exhaust and toxic chemicals, such as lead in drinking water and old paint, and

the risk posed by mold, asbestos and pesticides in homes.

The group has used the technology in the past to take stock of problems ranging

from dangerously cracked sidewalks to overflowing trash, but also to document

the neighborhood's positive features, including gathering places and education

centers.

Funding from Sustainable Seattle, a local non-profit, will pay for the data

collection. The EPA will pay to analyze the data and do public outreach and

education.

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The EPA also will help with any necessary chemical testing, said McArthur,

air toxics coordinator with the agency's regional office. " We allow the

community to lead the process, " she said.

The grant -- one of 12 awarded nationally -- is part of a new federal program

called Community Action for a Renewed Environment.

The International District alliance will take the lead in managing the grant,

and work with multiple partners, including city departments and the University

of Washington.

If research shows that people are at risk from exposure to hazardous substances,

the group can apply for another grant -- totaling up to $350,000 -- to help

correct the problems.

The alliance Monday also received a $50,000 grant to investigate " brownfields "

-- property that's vacant or underused, or believed to be contaminated with

toxic chemicals.

The money can be used to review historical records detailing the pollution.