UA SRP at the 2013 Pacific Basin Consortium for Environment and Health
Dec. 4, 2013
In September, 2013, University of Arizona Superfund Research Program (UA SRP) researchers and students travelled to Hawaii to attend and present at the 15th International Conference of the Pacific Basin Consortium for Environment and Health, held from September 24-27, 2013 at the East-West Center in Honolulu. The theme of this year’s conference was “Environmental Exposure in Indigenous Communities.” Presenters from 19 countries came together to engage in topics ranging from emerging pollutants, such as E-waste, to traditional environmental issues, like air and water pollution. At the meeting Dr. William Suk, Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health and Science (NIEHS) SRP, received the PBC Chairman’s Award in honor of the major impact he has had on the PBC. Another highlight of the meeting was the participation of her Royal Highness Chulabhorn Mahidol, a Princess of Thailand who is also a Professor of Chemistry.
This year’s conference featured a focus on social and policy issues. One such session, chaired by UA SRP Director Raina Maier and UA SRP investigator Jim Field, was entitled “Developing a Framework for Socially Responsible Mining.” It featured international researchers who discussed social aspects and environmental impacts of mining from the local to global scale. Two UA SRP trainees, Nazune Menka and Michael Stovern, gave research updates from their field work at a mining site in Arizona.
UA SRP student travel to the conference was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Nine students from the UA presented two posters and gave seven oral presentations. Trainee Juliana Gil-Loaiza said the conference, “increased my understanding of the integration of environmental remediation and its impact in environmental health assessment.”
For more information about PBC and this year’s conference, see http://www.pacificbasin.org/