Abstract

This project will support the recipient institution's environmental work in Palestine but, in contrast to previous work, will focus on the health implications of declining environmental quality. (The work in Palestine will be linked with work in Israel, but IDRC support will focus on that portion of the work in Palestine. Some components also involve research by Jordanian scientists, but they are funded independently.) Methods will involve both joint research projects on topics of relevance to environmental health, plus a series of round tables to bring together researchers and policymakers as well as analysts and practitioners from different regions and sectors.

Four main foci for work have been identified: pesticides and sustainable agriculture; collection and disposal of hazardous waste; lead poisoning prevention; and dioxin hazards. In addition, an overlapping research focus will involve alternatives for environmental conflict resolution. Results will be reviewed annually in workshops and published in a book. Given the interwoven nature of both Israeli and Palestinian societies, linkages from research to policy can be expected to be rapid. Emphasis throughout the research and workshops will be not only to define the problems but to bring out the social and economic causes, and use these to suggest ways in which the environment can be managed to reduce or eliminate health hazards.

Post-Project Summary

Due to the discovery of a major USAID (United States Agency for International Development) pesticide project in the area, the emphasis shifted to integrated pest management as a response to the problem of over-use of pesticides in the region. In November 1999, a 2-day conference was held in Bethlehem, with representation by a major IPM project currently being carried out in Jordan. Israeli and Palestinian experts compiled a report on the sources of hazardous waste in the West Bank and Gaza and on its treatment. This revealed that although the amounts of such waste were relatively small (compared to those in Israel) there was no effective way of disposing of them and, as such they posed a long-term threat to water quality. Inadequate disposal of medical waste also constituted a dangerous health hazard. The report resulting from this study provided a basis for a 3-day seminar in October 1999 on solid and hazardous waste disposal in Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The meeting was attended by representatives of the relevant ministries, local governments and the academic community, and resulted in some 20 recommendations for joint action. A study of lead exposure in 350 children (2-6 years) in Israel, West Bank and Gaza was carried out, along with a study of 20 workers in a lead smelter and their families. The findings suggest that the cognitive, behavioral and performance scores of the children of lead workers are lower than those of children in families not exposed to lead. The results were presented to 200 participants at a 2-day workshop held as part of the Israeli International Conference on Environmental Quality, July 2000. The study also drew attention to the fact that a number of the children tested were suffering from iron deficiency, the subject of a high-level conference held in Jerusalem in January 2000. The conference was attended by representatives of the Centers for Disease Control, USA, and the Canadian Department of Health, as well as 120 officials, health professionals, manufacturers and academics. The results were to be published in the Journal of Public Health and major follow-up (possibly in the form of mandatory food fortification) was proposed. A pilot project on dioxins in incinerator ash and human blood indicated that people living near dumps could be at risk. This was the basis for a research proposal supported by the ministries of the environment in both Israel and the Palestinian Authority aimed at determining the long-term danger of exposure to dioxins from waste disposal, pesticides and other sources. Finally, an environmental conflict resolution initiative - a week-long workshop animated by Larry Susskind of the Consensus Building Institute (CBI) in Boston, USA - resulted in the proposal of a centre for the mediation of conflict to be managed jointly by Israelis and Palestinians. Funding for the centre's first year of operation was obtained.

Recipient Institution(s)