From Results to Action - Implementing an Indoor Air Quality Pilot Project

One of the key differences between community-based participatory research (CBPR) and more conventional scientific research is the expectation that a project does not end with finalized results, but rather with taking action based on those results. Using an indoor air quality pilot project as an example, we will discuss how the consideration of potential actions and applications for the project findings should be integrated into planning throughout the life of a project. We will also share general reflections on effective CBPR from the perspective of both science and community partners on the project. In 2015, Taking Neighborhood Health to Heart (TNH2H), a community-based organization in Northeast Denver, researchers from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and AGU's Thriving Earth Exchange partnered to conduct a pilot project investigating indoor air quality in a Denver community. This partnership formed in response to community concerns about potential environmental contamination from dry cleaning operations, specifically through spills of the compound perchloroethylene. The exploration of the presence of radon, another indoor air quality concern common across the state of Colorado, was also added to the project. Using an iterative process, the team designed a sampling plan, selected a target location, and recruited homes and residents to participate in the pilot project. Radon and perchloroethylene data were then collected in 15 homes. Following data collection, results were first shared with project participants, after which de-identified data were shared with the members of TNH2H. Together TNH2H and researchers then developed strategies for public dissemination of the project findings. While we did not find levels of percholorethylene above the `action level' in any of the participating homes; however, we did find more frequent occurrences of radon levels above the `action level' than we had anticipated. For example, 80% of the homes in our study had radon levels requiring remediation while the reported average percentage for the Denver County is only 40% of homes. These results are currently driving our partnership to pursue actions that will lower residents' exposure to radon and improve public health in the TNH2H communities.