From the Ground Up: Community-Based Participatory Research Reclaiming the Science of Lead

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Abstract

This article examines the work of community–academic partnerships that use community-based participatory research (CBPR) to address lead contamination and lead poisoning in urban environments. Drawing on case studies from Southern California and Newark, New Jersey, the authors show how collaborative research initiatives engage residents in sampling, data analysis, policy advocacy, and community education. These projects reframe lead poisoning as an environmental justice issue tied to historical industrial development, environmental racism, and systemic neglect while also reshaping research agendas and policy interventions.

Citation

Rubio, Juan Manuel, Bavisha Kaylan, Anthony Diaz, Patricia Flores, Maya Cheav, David C. Bañuelas, Ashley Green, Annika Hjelmstad, Ariane Jong-Levinger, Tim Schütz, Maya Carrasquillo, Alana M. W. LeBrón, and Jun Wu. 2025.
“From the Ground Up: Community-Based Participatory Research Reclaiming the Science of Lead.”
Environmental Justice. https://doi.org/10.1089/env.2024.0037