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ATSDR webinar outlines community-engagement tools and principles for land reuse
Summary
A Module 1 ATSDR webinar guided environmental and health professionals through exposure pathways, community-engagement principles, and practical tools—ATSDR’s Communication Toolkit, Action Model and Playbook, Photovoice, HIA and PACE EH—to support health-focused land reuse.
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry’s Environmental Health and Land Reuse webinar (Module 1) presented practical guidance for environmental and health professionals on engaging communities in land reuse and redevelopment.
Presenters said the role of an environmental or health professional is to act as an invited, non-regulatory advisor who helps identify hazards and communicate risks while prioritizing community perspectives. "Your role as an environmental or health professional can be pivotal in engaging the development community," the moderator said, framing the training’s emphasis on partnership and plain language.
Why it matters: presenters emphasized that communities often know local sites and histories that technical teams may miss, and that respectful engagement and clear expectations help overcome distrust. The session recommended using census and local data to understand who is affected and urged plain-language explanations of exposure pathways.
Key takeaways included the five elements of exposure pathways (source, environmental fate and transport, exposure point, exposure route, and potentially exposed population), the need to consider past and future exposure conditions, and the importance of identifying community champions to sustain projects. Huda, one presenter, summarized the exposure approach: "Each element is evaluated to determine if people could be exposed to site-related contamination."
The webinar introduced ATSDR tools for engagement—the Communication Toolkit and Community Engagement Playbook—and practical methods such as visioning exercises, Photovoice, and community meetings with translation and accessible materials. Laurel noted a local example in which updated demographic data (from 21% to roughly 50% Hispanic in one community between census counts) changed outreach needs and underscored the value of language access.
The session closed by directing attendees to downloadable resources and an optional CDC TRAIN post-test for continuing education credits; presenters provided an email contact (atsdr.landreuse@cdc.gov) for follow-up.
The webinar did not issue formal policy directives; it focused on techniques, resources, and examples practitioners can adapt locally.
