title: PCBs in schools--where communities and science come together.
abstract: A novel aspect of the 8th International PCB Workshop at Woods Hole, MA, was the interaction between scientists and activists. While earlier workshops in this series had mentioned policy making, this Workshop focused on the problem of PCBs in schools. Focus on a problem brought an activist to give a plenary talk and facilitated a 1-day registration for other non-scientists to attend. The workshop was cohosted by the Superfund Research Programs at University of Iowa and Boston University and included active participation of each Program's Research Translation and Community Engagement Cores. A mandate of each National Institute of Environmental Health Science (NIEHS)-funded Superfund Research Program is bidirectional communication between scientists and community groups. The authors describe the events leading up to community involvement in the Workshop and the substance of the community engagement aspects of the workshop, in particular the participation by a parent-teacher group, Malibu Unites. The authors also discuss the value of such communication in terms of making important research accessible to those who are most affected by the results and poised to use it and the value of making scientists aware of the important role they play in society in addressing difficult questions that originate in community settings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Iowa College of Public Health, S337 College of Public Health Building, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA. david-osterberg@uiowa.edu.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Osterberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany S Talbot Building, Boston, MA, 02118, USA.
authors.forename: Madeleine Kangsen
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Scammell
mesh_terms: D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003256:Community Participation; D004777:Environment; D004782:Environmental Health / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000737:chemistry*; D012106:Research; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012574:Schools; D014495:Universities
chemical_list: D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls
keywords: Community engagement; Construction materials; Indoor air; Mitigation; PCBs; Research translation; Schools