TerraGraphics Environmental Engineering and the University of Idaho have undertaken the International
Environmental Health and Restoration Initiative, a joint Research and Development project to adopt and apply environmental cleanup methodologies used
in the U.S. to hazardous waste sites in the developing world. This is accomplished through cooperative projects implemented
in conjunction with local governments, universities, and NGOs.
The Initiative provides financial and technical assistance to site assessment and characterization, development of community support
groups, and preliminary cleanup design activities. The conceptual cleanup plans are then used to support funding applications for
cleanup activities to be implemented at the local level in the participating countries. These projects utilize health intervention,
environmental remediation, and institutional controls techniques developed in the mining districts of northern Idaho and adapting
them to local cultural,
economic, and socio-economic conditions.
Strategies for improvement include:
- Site Characterization / Assessment
- Health Response Feasibility Studies
- Lead Health Intervention Programs
- Biological Monitoring
- Environmental Sampling
- Environmental Restoration
- Community Relations / Education
- Institutional & Industrial Controls
- Soil Remediation and Interior Decontamination
- Cleanup Design / Oversight
More than 50 sites have been reviewed in 20 countries since 2006. At this time, projects have been undertaken in Senegal,
Peru, Russia, China, Ethiopia/Kenya, and the Dominican Republic. Three of these sites were listed in the Blacksmith
Institute's yearly Top Ten Polluted Sites in the World. TerraGraphics is partnering with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and the Harvard University School of Public health to
address the global health effects of mining and smelting in the developing world. Long term project goals include the characterization
of new legacy sites to propose for cleanup, and development of funding sources for sites in Low Income Countries.