. 2018 Jan 5;15(1):76.

doi: 10.3390/ijerph15010076.

Community Engaged Cumulative Risk Assessment of Exposure to Inorganic Well Water Contaminants, Crow Reservation, Montana

Margaret J Eggers^{1

2}, John T Doyle^{3

4}, Myra J Lefthand⁵, Sara L Young⁶, Anita L Moore-Nall⁷, Larry Kindness⁸, Roberta Other Medicine^{9

10}, Timothy E Ford¹¹, Eric Dietrich¹², Albert E Parker^{13

14}, Joseph H Hoover¹⁵, Anne K Camper^{16

17

18}

Affiliations

¹ Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173980, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA. mari.eggers@montana.edu.
² Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee, Little Big Horn College, Crow Agency, MT 59022, USA. mari.eggers@montana.edu.
³ Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee, Little Big Horn College, Crow Agency, MT 59022, USA. doylej@lbhc.edu.
⁴ Crow Water Quality Project, P.O. Box 370, Little Big Horn College, Crow Agency, MT 59022, USA. doylej@lbhc.edu.
⁵ Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee, Little Big Horn College, Crow Agency, MT 59022, USA. myrajlefthand@gmail.com.
⁶ Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee, Little Big Horn College, Crow Agency, MT 59022, USA. saralyoung@hotmail.com.
⁷ Department of Earth Sciences, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173480, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA. amoorenall@yahoo.com.
⁸ Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee, Little Big Horn College, Crow Agency, MT 59022, USA. kindnesslarry@yahoo.com.
⁹ Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee, Little Big Horn College, Crow Agency, MT 59022, USA. roberta.othermedicine@ihs.gov.
¹⁰ Environmental Health Department, Crow/Northern Cheyenne Indian Health Service Hospital,Crow Agency, MT 59022, USA. roberta.othermedicine@ihs.gov.
¹¹ School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 715 N. Pleasant Street,Amherst, MA 01003, USA. teford@umass.edu.
¹² Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173980, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA. eric.dietrich@gmail.com.
¹³ Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173980, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA. parker@math.montana.edu.
¹⁴ Department of Mathematical Sciences, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173980,Bozeman, MT 59717, USA. parker@math.montana.edu.
¹⁵ Health Sciences Center, MSC09 5360, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA. JoHoover@salud.unm.edu.
¹⁶ Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173980, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA. acamper@montana.edu.
¹⁷ Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee, Little Big Horn College, Crow Agency, MT 59022, USA. acamper@montana.edu.
¹⁸ College of Engineering, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173980, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA. acamper@montana.edu.

PMID: 29304032
PMCID: PMC5800175
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15010076

Community Engaged Cumulative Risk Assessment of Exposure to Inorganic Well Water Contaminants, Crow Reservation, Montana

Margaret J Eggers et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018.

. 2018 Jan 5;15(1):76.

doi: 10.3390/ijerph15010076.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173980, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA. mari.eggers@montana.edu.
² Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee, Little Big Horn College, Crow Agency, MT 59022, USA. mari.eggers@montana.edu.
³ Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee, Little Big Horn College, Crow Agency, MT 59022, USA. doylej@lbhc.edu.
⁴ Crow Water Quality Project, P.O. Box 370, Little Big Horn College, Crow Agency, MT 59022, USA. doylej@lbhc.edu.
⁵ Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee, Little Big Horn College, Crow Agency, MT 59022, USA. myrajlefthand@gmail.com.
⁶ Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee, Little Big Horn College, Crow Agency, MT 59022, USA. saralyoung@hotmail.com.
⁷ Department of Earth Sciences, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173480, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA. amoorenall@yahoo.com.
⁸ Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee, Little Big Horn College, Crow Agency, MT 59022, USA. kindnesslarry@yahoo.com.
⁹ Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee, Little Big Horn College, Crow Agency, MT 59022, USA. roberta.othermedicine@ihs.gov.
¹⁰ Environmental Health Department, Crow/Northern Cheyenne Indian Health Service Hospital,Crow Agency, MT 59022, USA. roberta.othermedicine@ihs.gov.
¹¹ School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 715 N. Pleasant Street,Amherst, MA 01003, USA. teford@umass.edu.
¹² Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173980, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA. eric.dietrich@gmail.com.
¹³ Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173980, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA. parker@math.montana.edu.
¹⁴ Department of Mathematical Sciences, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173980,Bozeman, MT 59717, USA. parker@math.montana.edu.
¹⁵ Health Sciences Center, MSC09 5360, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA. JoHoover@salud.unm.edu.
¹⁶ Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173980, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA. acamper@montana.edu.
¹⁷ Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee, Little Big Horn College, Crow Agency, MT 59022, USA. acamper@montana.edu.
¹⁸ College of Engineering, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173980, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA. acamper@montana.edu.

PMID: 29304032
PMCID: PMC5800175
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15010076

Abstract

An estimated 11 million people in the US have home wells with unsafe levels of hazardous metals and nitrate. The national scope of the health risk from consuming this water has not been assessed as home wells are largely unregulated and data on well water treatment and consumption are lacking. Here, we assessed health risks from consumption of contaminated well water on the Crow Reservation by conducting a community-engaged, cumulative risk assessment. Well water testing, surveys and interviews were used to collect data on contaminant concentrations, water treatment methods, well water consumption, and well and septic system protection and maintenance practices. Additive Hazard Index calculations show that the water in more than 39% of wells is unsafe due to uranium, manganese, nitrate, zinc and/or arsenic. Most families' financial resources are limited, and 95% of participants do not employ water treatment technologies. Despite widespread high total dissolved solids, poor taste and odor, 80% of families consume their well water. Lack of environmental health literacy about well water safety, pre-existing health conditions and limited environmental enforcement also contribute to vulnerability. Ensuring access to safe drinking water and providing accompanying education are urgent public health priorities for Crow and other rural US families with low environmental health literacy and limited financial resources.

Keywords: CBPR; Native American; chemicals; cumulative risk assessment; drinking water; environmental health; environmental justice; exposure assessment; health risks; risk communication.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The founding sponsors had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, and in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

**Figure 1**
The local ZIP code regions are known to Reservation residents and map reasonably well to watersheds: Pryor and South Billings ZIP codes are in the Pryor Creek Hydrologic Unit (HU); Fort Smith, St. Xavier and Hardin fall within the Bighorn Lake and River HU; and the Wyola, Lodge Grass, Garryowen and Crow Agency ZIP codes comprise the Montana portion of the Little Bighorn River HU.

**Figure 2**
Hazard indices for home wells on the Crow Reservation. Values 1.0 and higher (red and dark red circles) represent wells with water unsafe for lifetime consumption. Town locations, rivers and boundaries provided by States of Montana and Wyoming [151,152].

See this image and copyright information in PMC

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Community Engaged Cumulative Risk Assessment of Exposure to Inorganic Well Water Contaminants, Crow Reservation, Montana

Affiliations

Community Engaged Cumulative Risk Assessment of Exposure to Inorganic Well Water Contaminants, Crow Reservation, Montana

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Figures

References

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Grants and funding

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Full Text Sources

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Medical