Lessons from a Secondary School-based Citizen Science Project to Address Arsenic Contamination of Well Water in ME & NH

Join Jane Disney, PHD, Associate Professor of Environmental Health at MDI Biological Laboratory, as she talks about how they have engaged middle school teachers and students as citizen scientists in collecting well water samples for analysis of arsenic and other heavy metals. After analysis of over 3000 well water samples, we have learned that a significant proportion of private wells in Maine and New Hampshire are contaminated with arsenic. Many of those are also contaminated with uranium, lead, or other heavy metals, which poses a significant health risk for families who are reliant on their wells as a drinking water source. Those risks include neurological disorders, cardiovascular disease, and cancer, as well as potential effects on aging.

A survey of well owners has revealed that they were more likely to mitigate heavy metal exposure in their households if they were involved with their child in collecting the water sample and providing information about their wells for the project. We are interested in the role that intergenerational learning plays in promoting public health and plan to expand on our findings by providing more opportunities for parent/child and grandparent/child interactions in the project.