At various sites around the country, volunteers will receive Eco-Pacs, complete with mobile pollution sensors, GPS devices and video cameras. These students will take measurements of three types of atmospheric pollution (carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide) and two types of water pollution (dissolved oxygen and pH levels) at various locations throughout their communities. Each time they go out they will use their GPS devices to record their exact location.
Participants will record instances of environmental concerns or hazards on short videos and post them on the Environmental Countdown (ECD) video sharing website.
After collecting the Eco-Pacs, NAHH and ECD will analyze the data and produce reports and Google Earth maps detailing the specific environmental problems facing these communities. HEAN will then work with local community-based organizations to formulate strategies for dealing with these environmental hazards. At the same time, HEAN will establish a Mobile Action Network, allowing community members to receive pollution and environmental health updates via text messages to their mobile phones.
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| Air & Water Monitor | GPS Device | Digital Video Camera |
18.5% of Hispanics live in areas with highly lead-polluted air. (Compare with 6% of non-Hispanic whites and 9.2% of non-Hispanic blacks.)
Hispanics are more than twice as likely as non-Hispanic whites to live in places that fall short of EPA standards for airborne particulate matter.
Hispanic children are 63% more likely to be hospitalized for asthma than non-Hispanic white children, a disparity that is increasing over time.
In addition to facing greater pollution exposure and poorer health across a wide range of categories, Hispanics face another disadvantage. According to nearly every "core access measure," Hispanics have worse access to health care than non-Hispanic whites. More specifically, Hispanics are far less likely to have health insurance, a source of ongoing care, or a regular primary care provider than their non-Hispanic white counterparts. And most of these disparities - including the three just listed - are on the rise.