A Community-Based Participatory Research Program to Assess Community Lead Exposure Risk: Establishing Research Priorities

Background : Lead is an environmental health hazard that disproportionately impacts communities of color across the United States. Recent incidents of widespread lead exposure have been linked to aging infrastructure, historical land use, and challenges in lead remediation. Purpose: To determine community research priorities for a subsequent lead exposure assessment in a primarily Latino community. Methods : Four focus groups were conducted with community members (n= 73) in Norristown, PA and data were collected from Fall 2022 to Spring 2023. Open coding was used to conduct a thematic analysis of the transcript data. Results : Four themes were identified: 1) sources of concern, 2) lack of information surrounding lead, 3) systemic neglect, and 4) financial implications. Future research priorities include identifying contamination sources through testing of the household water supply, household paint, and soil as well as personal blood lead levels. Conclusions & Implications : There was broad community support for a lead exposure risk assessment that investigated soil, tap water, and paint sources of lead, as well as the prevalence of elevated blood lead levels in all generations. The study also highlighted the lack of information about lead exposure in non-English speaking communities, the need for providing language-appropriate information, and the necessity for multiple lead exposure assessment methods.