Women’s Health and the Environment A Workshop on Challenges and Opportunities in Western New York

Katherine Street Peninsula, 1924 (Buffalo River) Grain Elevators, 2012 (Buffalo River) Broderick Park, 2012 (Upper Niagara River) Water Pollution in WNY

Contaminants biomagnify as they move up the food chain. Contaminants come from many sources and can build up in the bodies of fish. Water Pollution = Polluted Fish

When we eat polluted fish, the chemicals in their bodies can pass to our bodies and build up over time. Eating a lot of polluted fish may be bad for our health. Fish caught from some rivers and lakes in Western New York are polluted with harmful chemicals.

What we are doing to address this issue: -Identify who utilizes our waterways for fishing and eating fish -Education and on-the-ground outreach, and community events -Identify methods to help subsistence communities decrease their exposure to chemicals -Creation of multilingual outreach materials targeted to different communities and sectors of the public -Developing partnerships with the government and community groups to help with dissemination and distribution of information

Burmese Community Health Event October 2011

Many of the favorite fish of the Burmese community and other subsistence communities are fish which tend to build up a lot of contamination in their bodies.

Family Fishing Day Event Broderick Park

Family Fishing Day Event Broderick Park

Public Health Outreach Materials

Public Health Outreach Materials Doula Training Guide The Risks and Benefits of Eating Locally Caught Fish and How to Make Fish Meals Safer to Eat Jericho Road Ministries

Risk Reduction Communications

Challenges / Opportunities Ahead -Clean up the water! -Expand reach of education and outreach efforts -Advocate for water cleanup -Empower and build agency among subsistence communities to do the same -Food alternatives / Food security -Celebrate our waterways and cultural traditions centered on the importance of healthy waterways and clean fish