School of Public Health

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The collections in this community comprise faculty research works, as well as graduate theses and dissertations.

Note: Prior to July 1, 2007, the School of Public Health was named the College of Health & Human Performance.

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Anacostia River

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    Should We Put Our Feet in the Water? Use of a Survey to Assess Recreational Exposures to Contaminants in the Anacostia River
    (Libertas Academica, 2015-04-29) Murray, Rianna; Wilson, Sacoby; Dalemarre, Laura; Chanse, Victoria; Phoenix, Janet; Baranoff, Lori
    The Anacostia River, a tributary of the Potomac River that flows into the Chesapeake Bay, is highly contaminated with raw sewage, heavy metals, oil and grease, trash, pathogens, excessive sediments, and organic chemicals. Despite this contamination, recreation on the river is very popular, including kayaking, canoeing, rowing, and sport fishing. There is currently no information available on the potential health risks faced by recreational users from exposure to the river’s pollutants. A total of 197 recreational users of the Anacostia River were surveyed regarding general demographic information and their recreational behavior over the previous year, including frequency and duration of recreation and specific questions related to their water exposure. 84.1% of respondents who engaged in canoeing, kayaking, rowing, rafting, or paddling were exposed to water on their bodies during recreation. Some 27.2% of those exposed to water reported getting water in their mouth while recreating, and 60.7% of that group reported swallowing some of this water. This is the first study to examine the exposure to contaminants faced by the recreational population of the Anacostia River.
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    An Assessment of Exposure to Pollution by Recreational Users of The Anacostia Watershed: Project Recreate
    (2013) Murray, Rianna Teresa; Wilson, Sacoby; Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    The Anacostia River, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay, is highly contaminated with raw sewage, heavy metals, oil and grease, trash, pathogens, excessive sediments and organic chemicals. Many people use this river on a regular basis for recreational purposes, including kayaking, canoeing, rowing and sport fishing. The contaminants in the river potentially pose threats to human health for recreational users. While there has been some study of the exposure to subsistence fishers in this region there is currently little information available on the risks faced by recreational users. This work gathered pilot data on recreational users with the purpose of assessing any associated exposure risks to contaminants. The high levels of contamination in the Anacostia River and the popularity of recreation makes this an important public health issue. This study is the first to combine an evaluation of risk and risk perception for the recreational population of the Anacostia River.