Morales Alma Anides, Huerta Diego, Ramírez-Andreotta Mónica D
Department of Environmental Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, USA.
Division of Community, Environment and Policy, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
J Borderl Stud. 2024 Nov 27. doi: 10.1080/08865655.2024.2428637.
In the rural U.S. - Mexico border towns, transboundary sanitary sewage overflows (SSOs) are of concern. The high concentrations of pathogens present in SSOs poses a threat to the shared ecosystem and communities' health and well-being. Concerns related to an SSO effluent situated adjacent to a school in Naco, Arizona led to a academic-government-school partnership to assess children's exposure factors, environment and health related risk perceptions, and risk communication preferences. A survey administered to school staff (n=9 and parents (n=31) observed a lower hand/object-to-mouth behavior for children ages 4-6 compared to values in the literature, and the need to further assess exposure factors for children over six. While there was a general negative risk perception to SSOs, approximately half of respondents did not have/were not sure of any SSO related events. Using Bioregion/One Health and cross-border governance frameworks, this study highlights the governing barriers that exist during SSO events and underscores the need for community participation, effective intervention, and risk communication strategies.
在美国与墨西哥接壤的边境乡村城镇，跨界生活污水溢流（SSO）令人担忧。生活污水溢流中存在的高浓度病原体对共享的生态系统以及社区居民的健康与福祉构成了威胁。亚利桑那州纳科市一所学校附近的生活污水溢流排放引发了担忧，这促使学术界、政府和学校建立合作关系，以评估儿童的接触因素、与环境及健康相关的风险认知，以及风险沟通偏好。对学校工作人员（9人）和家长（31人）进行的一项调查发现，与文献中的数据相比，4至6岁儿童的手/物体接触口腔行为较少，并且有必要进一步评估6岁以上儿童的接触因素。虽然总体上对生活污水溢流存在负面风险认知，但约一半的受访者没有/不确定是否发生过任何与生活污水溢流相关的事件。本研究运用生物区域/同一健康和跨境治理框架，突出了生活污水溢流事件中存在的治理障碍，并强调了社区参与、有效干预和风险沟通策略的必要性。
