Our Superfund Art Project has applied for a $24,000 grant from the State of Florida’s Department of Cultural Affairs.  This will be  “An Exhibition organized by the Superfund Art Project (SAP) and sponsored by the Thomas Center Galleries, City of Gainesville Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs in collaboration with Protect Gainesville Citizens, Inc. (PGC) .”

The Thomas Center Gallery seeks a Culture Builds Florida grant to support Region4: A Superfund Pollution/Solution, a multidisciplinary project that will build leadership and promote learning and wellness through an art exhibition, a web site, an exhibition catalogue, a traveling exhibition, a community forum, educational materials and other appropriate related programs generated by our partners that will explore the challenges of living in proximity to an EPA Superfund site and the opportunity this presents for educating the public and envisioning transformative action through a variety of initiatives—including the visual and performing arts.

We are seeking funding to support several components of the project, specifically the Thomas Center art exhibition Region4: A Superfund Pollution/Solution, the traveling exhibition, educational materials, and related programs. Funds will be used for project team member’s expenses, consultation with scholars/advisors, honorarium for speakers, travel, and printing costs.

Protect Gainesville’s Citizens has also applied for a $50,000  “Environmental Small Justice Grant” through the USEPA.  With this grant funding, our Technical Adviser will do original research on air quality as it relates to the Koppers Superfund site.

I. Understanding Dioxin-Like Compounds in Indoor Dust: Healthy Homes Initiative

Many of us are exposed to a variety of chemicals present in the house dust in our homes,  including dioxins or dioxin-like compounds. These include brominated flame-retardants
found in furniture, carpeting, and electronics within most residential homes; these compounds are currently being reviewed by EPA under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) with the goals to better understand and reduce risks associated with exposures to these brominated compounds.  This issue becomes more complex when residents
adjacent to a site being addressed under the Comprehensive Environmental Response and Liability Action (CERCLA), also known as “Superfund,” have an additional involuntary exposure to dioxins in their homes because of the Superfund site contamination in their
yards.

Understanding of the community’s exposure to multiple environmental risks associated with the potential ongoing contributions of exposures to Superfund and non-Superfund related dioxin-like compounds in residents’ homes is a critical objective of this project.  The outcome of this research will enable citizens to manage their exposures to dioxin-like
compounds, especially following the cleanup of residential soils impacted by the Koppers Superfund site. The results of this research will also provide information that can help residents reduce the stress associated with feelings of ongoing contamination in their
homes from the history of impacts from the adjacent Superfund site.

While this project is intended to research issues related to the residential exposures to contaminated house dust and consider methods to reduce exposures, the information
gathered during this study will be available to stakeholders, providing potential opportunities for partners to communicate to the public and options to reduce exposures.