For the Final Paper assignment, develop a White Paper of 2500 to 3500 words taking a position and recommending a policy to address health impacts associated with exposure to a specific agent located in toxic waste sites, industrial centers, or other proposals associated with a marginalized community. In the White Paper, you will need to address the conflicting concerns regarding health impacts at two points on the biopsychosocial continuum. In most situations, there will be both positive and negative impacts. Often socio-economic opportunities and the benefits of overcoming poverty are pitted against the adverse biological health impacts associated with exposure. After you have defined the issues, including the toxicokinetics associated with the exposure, you will want to make a risk assessment of the options. As part of the risk assessment, you will need to review mitigation options at each level of the hierarchy of control. Finally, you will need to take a position on a policy opportunity that addresses the issues you have defined. This policy review should evaluate federal environmental and occupational policies associated with the agents for their impact on public health and health equity.
Examples of topics that can be addressed include local toxic waste sites, chemical plants, transportation centers, COVID-19 and essential workers, or specific agents which impact marginalized workers locally, regionally, nationally, or globally.
Supporting Material:
Largely based on the work of Dr. Benjamin Chavis, Jr, in 1982 a formal study of environmental justice began. Five years later, the United Church of Christ Commission for Racial Justice published the landmark report connecting toxic waste sights and marginalized populations. This report is the first reading of this week. The body of the report gives us the foundation of the Final Paper. Following the classic research format, the report provides us with a background, and a review of the research methodologies used to gather evidence, the findings, and conclusions.
From this foundation, Toxic Wastes and Race at Twenty 1987-2007 gives us meaningful updates and support for the Final Paper.
1. Commission for Racial Justice. (1987) Toxic Wastes and Race in the United States. United Church of Christ, preface through Conclusions and Recommendations (35 pages) Attached
2. Justice and Witness Ministries. (2007) Toxic Wastes and Race at Twenty 1987-2007. United Church of Christ (175 pages) Attached
Content Expectations:
1. Direct, Indirect, and Cumulative Impacts should be incorporated.
2. A description of the toxicokinetics of the agent or agents you are focusing on including how the agent enters the body, how it is filtered out or absorbed, how it is metabolized and/or absorbed, the route of excretion/storage, at least two relevant exposure levels, mitigation options, and prevention options.
3. Evaluate federal environmental and occupational policies associated with the agents for their impact on public health and health equity.
4. Use of evidence provided by at least four peer-reviewed primary research sources.
5. Review of conflicting positions with evidence supporting both positions.
6. Provide full APA citations and references using the 7th edition of the APA Manual.
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