Expanding California Biomonitoring Database through Statewide Surveillance and Targeted Population Studies

Details

Capability: Community Engagement and Health Education

Subcapability: Community Engagement

Project Timeline: 2009 though 2020

Biomonitoring California (originally the California Environmental Contaminant Biomonitoring Program) is a legislatively mandated, complex, multidisciplinary program implemented collaboratively with the Department of Toxic Substance Control, the Environmental Health Laboratory Branch, the Environmental Health Investigations Branch, and the Office of Environment of Health Hazard Assessment. Funded through a cooperative agreement with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Sequoia Foundation is the designated bona fide fiscal agent and supplies staffing drawn from a pool of experienced scientists, public health professionals, and community engagement specialists. Our staff have taken a leadership role in designing and implementing a broad range of biomonitoring programs designed to determine baseline levels of environmental contaminants in Californians, establish time trends in chemical levels, and assess the effectiveness of current regulatory programs.  

The program has encompassed dozens of community-based research projects statewide, for which SF staff were responsible for survey development, recruitment, sampling, data collection and management, health education, public outreach, community engagement, translation services, conferences, committee meetings, partner and collaborator meetings, and evaluation. Biomonitoring California relies on SF staff to:

•       -- Engage community leaders, including providing information on biomonitoring and how it can support community health

•       -- Collaborate with community-based organizations to recruit participants

•       -- Conduct exposure assessment interviews in a variety of languages

•       -- Develop language- and culturally-appropriate project materials

•       -- Report laboratory results to study participants

•       -- Present overall study results to the communities studied and the general public