An interagency partnership applied to the study of environmental health in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas

An environmental monitoring investigation was initiated in the Lower Rio Grande Valley in response to concerns about the potential link between local residents' health and environmental pollution. Concerns expressed by residents of the community related to industrial emissions, agricultural pesticide use, and inadequate infrastructure. A field investigation was conducted jointly by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the State of Texas during two sampling periods in 1993. The results provided preliminary data about the levels, sources, and pathways of actual human exposure in the Valley. Samples of indoor and outdoor air, house dust, soil, food, drinking water, urine, blood, and breath were collected and analyzed for several compound classes. This paper presents an overview of the study including the study design, the survey methods, participant selection, and communication of the results. This project has the potential to set a new model for environmental health research which integrates public health concerns, exposure reduction, illness prevention, and regulatory activities of many agencies. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.