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Community-Engaged
Children's Health Study
in the Westside of Atlanta

Click to fill out sign up form

During a previous project, we discovered large and toxic amounts of lead in the Westside of Atlanta. Research shows that very high levels of lead can negatively affect the quality of food grown in the area, outdoor activities, and childhood development. Help us learn more about this human health issue, which impacts you and your community’s safety.

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We are looking for households from the Westside with at least one child between six months and six years old to participate in our study, which involves understanding and lessening children’s exposure to heavy metal and metalloids and other chemical contaminants by better estimating children’s soil ingestion rates. ​

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Caregiver participants will be asked to:​

  • Complete questionnaires during home visits​ (an initial visit once enrolled and follow-up visit 6 to 18 months later)

  • Allow the collection of paint, dust, and soil samples from their household during home visits​

  • Allow trained researchers to collect capillary blood and urine samples from their child during home visits​

  • Attend optional quarterly Town Hall meetings to be informed of study findings​​

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Each caregiver will receive: ​

  • $60 incentive for their time​ (and $15 for each additional child enrolled) during each home visit

  • Their household's soil, paint, dust, and child's exposure results

  • Educational materials about soil contamination and exposure​

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FAQ
  • When will the home visit take place?
    Our team will work with you to schedule a time that is most convenient for you and our team. A follow-up home visit will be conducted 6 to 18 months after the initial visit.
  • How long will the home visits take?
    The time it will take for our team to collect the paint, dust, and soil samples will vary depending on the size of your home. Usually, indoor paint and dust collection will take about 1 hour, while outdoor soil sampling will take about 2-3 hours. Urine and blood samples collected from your child will take around 30 minutes to obtain. During this time, you will be able to complete the caregiver survey. All samples will be collected during the same time frame, so the total process will take about 3 hours.
  • What kind of samples will you be taking from my household?
    We will collect paint, dust, and soil samples from participating households during home visits. Noninvasive urine and minimally invasive blood samples, will be collected from participating children.
  • What happens if you find high levels of contamination within my household?
    In the event that high levels of contamination are found, we will connect you and your household to appropriate contacts at the Georgia Poison Control, Georgia Department of Public Health, and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
  • How do I receive my household's results?
    Our research team has worked diligently to create a comprehensive and approachable report back for your family. A sample can be found here. Once you receive your report, we are more than happy to answer any additional questions via phone or email.
  • Will my child feel pain?
    The urine sampling is noninvasive and shouldn’t hurt. You will collect the urine from your child by yourself after the study team instructs you on how to do so, and blood samples will be taken by trained medical professionals. Previous users of the device we’ll be using for blood collection (Tasso+ device) have reported that it hurts less than a finger prick, so your child should feel very minimal pain.
  • How much blood will you collect from my child?
    We will collect less than 1mL of blood.
  • From where will you draw blood from my child?
    On your child’s arm, we will attach a device called Tasso+, which will prick the surface of the skin and draw capillary blood (blood collected from the surface of the skin) into a sample pod.
  • What will the survey ask?
    The survey that all caregivers will be asked to complete primarily consists of questions about your general demographic and household information, education, income, gardening history, and beliefs regarding soil contamination.
Interest Form

Interested?

Please fill out this form to sign up as a participant in our study!

Additional Resources
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