Pollution-health link to be studied

Residents of seven North Charleston neighborhoods will learn more about the connection between environmental pollution and their health through a $1.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, the project's lead researcher says.

The four-year grant was awarded to the University of South Carolina to work with communities to determine if there is a link between multiple sources of pollution and residents' health in seven neighborhoods. The neighborhoods, which make up the Lowcountry Alliance for Model Communities, are: Accabee, Chicora/Cherokee, Five Mile, Howard Heights, Liberty Hill, Union Heights and Windsor.

Residents of the busy industrial section of North Charleston often complain about health problems they think are connected to pollution, said Sacoby Wilson, a USC professor and the grant's lead project investigator. The grant, he said, will use rigorous science to determine if there is a link. "It will bring science to community organizing.

"They are telling a powerful story," Wilson said of communities' residents, "and this will strengthen it."

Wilson, an environmental health scientist, also works on health issues connected to industrial hog farms and landfills in North Carolina.

Herb Fraser-Rahim, LAMC's interim environmental director, said, "when community members know about environmental issues, they can do more to protect themselves."

The project, he said, will attempt to determine which pollutants are affecting people and how they are harming them.

Then, researchers and community leaders will work on how to solve the problems. The communities, he said, will be involved in all phases of the project.

"This is major," Fraser-Rahim said about landing the grant. "This is the first time we're going to have a well-documented study about what the pollutants are and how they impact the health of people in the community."

Wilson said if the connections are made, the communities can push for changes that will improve residents' health and quality of life. That could include shifting traffic patterns, changing zoning and improving pollutions controls on large vehicles, he said.

Wannetta Mallette, North Charleston's citywide project manager, said the city is supportive of the grant. When the research is complete, she said, the findings likely will be used to help residents of other North Charleston communities.

Reach Diane Knich at 937-5491 or dknich@postandcourier.com.