HERCULES Exposome Research Center, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
Department of History, World Languages and Cultures, Central Michigan University, 1200 S. Franklin St., Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Dec 12;19(24):16686. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192416686.
The Michigan PBB Oral History Project documented community residents' descriptions of a large-scale chemical contamination-the PBB contamination-that occurred in Michigan in 1973. These oral histories document residents' and others' experiences during and after the contamination. We conducted a grounded theory qualitative analysis of 31 oral histories to examine the experiences of community members, researchers, lawyers, and others who actively sought out and contributed essential information about the contamination and its impacts. Our findings highlight several challenges encountered in the development of this knowledge including four central themes-contested knowledge, community skills, inaction, and uncertainty. Integrating environmental health literacy, community capacity, and contested illness frameworks, we examine the contributions of community residents, scientists (from inside and outside the community), and others to the development of knowledge to inform decisions and sustain action regarding this large-scale contamination. We close with a discussion of lessons learned regarding efforts to build environmental health knowledge within uncertain and often contested contexts and for promoting environmental health and action related to large-scale chemical contaminations. Our findings suggest the importance of integrated frameworks for examining and promoting the critical role of community skills, leadership, participation, sense of community, and community power in promoting environmental health.
密歇根州 PBB 口述历史项目记录了社区居民对 1973 年密歇根州发生的大规模化学污染（PBB 污染）的描述。这些口述历史记录了居民在污染期间和之后的经历。我们对 31 份口述历史进行了扎根理论定性分析，以研究积极寻求和提供有关污染及其影响的重要信息的社区成员、研究人员、律师和其他人员的经历。我们的研究结果突出了在发展这方面知识时遇到的几个挑战，包括四个核心主题——有争议的知识、社区技能、不作为和不确定性。我们整合了环境健康素养、社区能力和有争议的疾病框架，考察了社区居民、科学家（来自社区内外）和其他人员对发展知识的贡献，这些知识可用于就这一大规模污染做出决策和维持行动。最后，我们讨论了在不确定和经常有争议的情况下建立环境健康知识以及促进与大规模化学污染相关的环境健康和行动方面的经验教训。我们的研究结果表明，综合框架对于审查和促进社区技能、领导力、参与、社区意识和社区权力在促进环境健康方面的关键作用非常重要。
