The legacy of lead pollution: (dis)trust in science and the debate over Superfund |
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Authors: | Chris M Messer Thomas E Shriver Alison E Adams |
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Institution: | 1. Department of Sociology, Colorado State University – Pueblo, Pueblo, CO, USA;2. Department of Sociology and Anthropology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA;3. School of Forest Resources &4. Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA |
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Abstract: | Lead contamination is a significant health hazard in communities around the world, but this environmental toxin often remains unknown to residents living near hazardous sites. This research investigates a unique case where residents were informed of lead contamination but rejected official and scientific narratives regarding environmental risks. The case study involves a decommissioned smelter in Colorado. Drawing from data collected over three years, the researchers examine how officials and experts communicated the severity of environmental health hazards. Despite these efforts, residents opposed the Environmental Protection Agency’s attempts to place the site on the National Priorities List for federal cleanup. The government’s framing of science and environmental risk failed to resonate with homeowners, despite the known and significant scientific evidence confirming environmental health hazards, and residents’ perceptions of lead contamination were mitigated by material concerns, including property values and community stigma. Implications for future research on lead contamination, environmental risk, and trust in science are discussed. |
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Keywords: | Lead pollution environmental hazards risk trust in science environmental health U S Environmental Protection Agency |
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