Beaufort County, South Carolina

Assessing the health impacts of increased urban sprawl due to water contamination

 

Beaufort County, South Carolina

Assessing the health impacts of increased urban sprawl due to water contamination

 

The Challenge

The economies and cultures that rely upon healthy coastal waters are being threatened by growing levels of pollution coming from the effects of particular forms of development and the increase in impermeable surfaces that allow pollutants to run off into the sea.

The Goal

Provide Gullah/Geechee people with essential information to avoid exposure to harmful toxins, capture the local environmental knowledge of the Gullah/Geechee people, and ensure the continuity of their sustainable livelihood practices.

Project Overview

St. Helena Island in Beaufort County, SC is a rural Sea Island with a predominantly Gullah/Geechee population that is still reliant upon the waters that surround the island for subsistence. The Gullah/Geechee people are a unique national ethnic group that lives along the Intercoastal Waterway of the southeast. Ascertaining the water quality in our communities is an urgent priority. Many Gullah/Geechee households depend on fish, shellfish, and other coastal resources for their livelihoods, through small-scale commercial endeavors and through direct consumption of these resources (Ellis, 2013).

 

Research suggests that rates of Gullah/Geechee local fish consumption potentially expose this segment of the population to higher levels of the neurotoxin methylmercury (MeHg) (Kamen et al. 2012, Ellis, 2013, Ellis et al. 2014). This project will provide Gullah/Geechee people with essential information to avoid exposure to harmful toxins, capture the local environmental knowledge of the Gullah/Geechee people, and ensure the continuity of their sustainable livelihood practices.

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PROJECT SPONSOR

tex

Project Team

Community Lead

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Queen Quet

CHIEFTESS AND HEAD-OF-STATE

Gullah/Geechee Nation

Community Science Fellow

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Tiffany Mouzon

PROGRAM COORDINATOR

Marshall-Motley Scholars Program,
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.

About Us

The Community Science Exchange is a platform led by a coalition of partner societies, launched for elevating, sharing, and expanding the reach of science performed by, for, and with communities.

Contact

communitysci@agu.org