The Koppers Superfund site is a former wood treatment facility located in a residential neighborhood in Gainesville, Florida. Improper waste disposal methods led to widespread soil and water contamination from numerous toxic chemicals, including dioxin. Soil sampling in the neighborhood adjacent to Koppers found dioxin concentrations above the Florida SCTL and residential yards are slated for remediation. Many residents in this low-income neighborhood have experienced high levels of anxiety and fear because of the soil contamination and disclosure that indoor dust samples also indicate high levels of dioxin and dioxin-like chemicals in their homes. The Gainesville Environmental Health Education Project was developed with the goal of reducing residents’ exposure to hazardous chemicals in their home environment by addressing gaps in knowledge and understanding about routes of exposure, risk behaviors and the attention needed to keep infants, children and pets safe from contact with harmful chemicals – communicated in easy-to-comprehend language and hands-on activities. The culminating event will be the Eco-Health Festival, a family-friendly event to be held for 500 families next May at the neighborhood elementary school. This project is supported by a $25,000 EPA Environmental Justice grant administered by Suwannee River Area Health Education Center, in Alachua, Florida.
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