@unpublished{pittir7066,
           month = {June},
           title = {Environmental Threat Perception in Southwest Pennsylvania: A Qualitative Study of Local Expert Opinion},
          author = {Greer Alyson Tiver},
            year = {2010},
        keywords = {acid mine drainage; chemical; coal; community; ecology; environment; equity; expert opinion; exposure; human health; hydraulic fracturing; interview; justice; key informant; lead; Marcellus shale; mental health; natural gas; pollution; public health; sustainable; threat},
             url = {http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/7066/},
        abstract = {Much recent national and international focus has been placed on environmental threats and their relationship to ecological and public health concerns. In order to address problems at a local level, a Pittsburgh Regional Environmental Threat Analysis (PRETA) is presently underway. As part of this project, ten in-depth interviews were conducted with experts in environmental fields to collect a range of ideas and observations about local environmental threats from those who work with these issues regularly. Experts' individual perceptions on current environmental problems and priorities in the southwest Pennsylvania region were gathered and analyzed qualitatively. Interviews reveal major threats to ecology and public health, including threats: (1) to water quality by Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) and wet weather events, (2) to air, water, and human safety from coal combustion and processing, (3) of a lack of equity, or lack of environmental justice, and finally, (4) of new and unknown chemicals and contaminants in the water supply, again posing risks to the quality of water resources. Using open-ended questions, experts cited organizations involved in prevention or remediation of threats, and overall themes were discovered from interview material. Major areas broached by informants included prevention, improved policy and regulation, and improved public education. This assessment of the state of environmental threats in the southwest Pennsylvania region is significant to public health because of the strong impacts that environmental issues have on the short and long-term physical and mental health of the population. By gathering threat perceptions and recommendations from local experts, this study notes the current state of affairs, informs the larger PRETA project, and creates a launch point for further work in ecological and environmental public health improvement.}
}