Pure Earth uses the database to help Organization, United Nations national governments evaluate existing Environment Programme, or and potential environmental health other organizations. problems, analyze trends, and set Search for peer-reviewed journal priorities for cleanup.. articles about polluted sites. Will my site screening lead to a What if a site does not currently cleanup project at the site? affect people, but in the near One goal of the inventory is to help Pure future? Earth and local governments identify Some do not have immediate sites that require immediate attention. chemical exposures to humans but may There is never a guarantee that your site pose a risk to people in the near future. screening will lead to a cleanup project, For example, a rusting storage tank of but if the screening indicates there is a ammonia is threatening to burst, and significant public health risk, it is a then poison a local population. While possibility. Investigators should explain there are no test results that show an the program goals to any curious locals, immediate pathway to a population, but should not promise any further clearly this site is a risk to human health. action or create expectations among the local population that the site will be In this case, list the affected population cleaned. as the number of people at risk if the tank fails and leaks. List as much How do I locate polluted sites to information related to the potential assess? hazard as you can describing the – are many ways to identify sites. issue to others so they can visualize the Here are some good sources: problem, and your thinking on your Ask your Country Coordinator or screening. Regional Coordinator for a site list. What language should I use when I Ask a environmental enter information into the database? organization or university You are free to information in your environmental studies local language or English. If you enter department. your screening in your local language, Ask the local government we will translate it and paste English text (starting with the pollution control next to your original text. We will not delete your text. agency or health agency). Specifically ask about industrial areas, and if industries for which What is the Pure Earth Index? Pure Earth often finds The Pure Earth Index is a score from contamination issues are that indicates the relative human present. health risk posed by a site (10 indicates Search newspaper records for the highest risk). The Pure Earth Index is automatically generated from data articles about polluted sites. Search for reports from the about pollutant types, pollutant government, World Health concentrations, pathways, and
Pure Earth uses the database to help national governments evaluate existing and potential environmental health problems, analyze trends, and set priorities for cleanup.. Will my site screening lead to a cleanup project at the site? One goal of the inventory is to help Pure Earth and local governments identify sites that require immediate attention. There is never a guarantee that your site screening will lead to a cleanup project, but if the screening indicates there is a significant public health risk, it is a possibility. Investigators should explain the program goals to any curious locals, but should not promise any further action or create expectations among the local population that the site will be cleaned. How do I locate polluted sites to assess? are many ways to identify sites. Here are some good sources: Ask your Country Coordinator or Regional Coordinator for a site list. Ask a environmental organization or university environmental studies department. Ask the local government (starting with the pollution control agency or health agency). Specifically ask about industrial areas, and if industries for which Pure Earth often finds contamination issues are present. Search newspaper records for articles about polluted sites. Search for reports from the government, World Health Organization, United Nations Environment Programme, or other organizations. Search for peer-reviewed journal articles about polluted sites. What if a site does not currently affect people, but in the near future? Some do not have immediate chemical exposures to humans but may pose a risk to people in the near future. For example, a rusting storage tank of ammonia is threatening to burst, and then poison a local population. While there are no test results that show an immediate pathway to a population, clearly this site is a risk to human health. In this case, list the affected population as the number of people at risk if the tank fails and leaks. List as much information related to the potential hazard as you can – describing the issue to others so they can visualize the problem, and your thinking on your screening. What language should I use when I enter information into the database? You are free to information in your local language or English. If you enter your screening in your local language, we will translate it and paste English text next to your original text. We will not delete your text. What is the Pure Earth Index? The Pure Earth Index is a score from that indicates the relative human health risk posed by a site (10 indicates the highest risk). The Pure Earth Index is automatically generated from data about pollutant types, pollutant concentrations, pathways, and
USAID-PE_TSIPHandbook-1-1.docx