TerraGraphics has been engaged in childhood lead health response, mining/smelting cleanup, and environmental restoration projects for more than thirty years. We have been continuously involved with Coeur d'Alene Basin / Bunker Hill Smelter Site for more than 25 years. TerraGraphics personnel have has also worked on several other major North American lead sites including Dallas and El Paso in Texas; the Niagara and Riverdale Projects in Toronto, and Trail, British Columbia, Canada; ASARCO/Tacoma and Lake Roosevelt in Washington State; East Helena, Butte/Anaconda and the Clark Fork River in Montana; and Anzon Industries and Marjol Battery sites in Pennsylvania.

The Bunker Hill, Idaho site is one of the nation's largest Superfund efforts and has received considerable national attention. The $500M in combined federal, State and industry remediation efforts in Idaho's Silver Valley resulted in 90+% decreases in children's blood lead levels and reduced the incidence of lead intoxication among children from nearly 100% in the 1970s to <2% today. TerraGraphics collaborated with State agencies, the U.S. EPA and the University of Idaho (UOI) in the full spectrum of these efforts; ranging from implementing the first blood lead survey, to risk assessment, design of the Lead Health Intervention Program and remediation strategy, and implementing the health cleanup. Ian von Lindern has continuously worked on this site since 1974 and has served on the U.S. EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) and Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) for lead since the 1970's.

In 2005 the National Academy of Science (NAS) released a comprehensive evaluation of the three decades of public health and Superfund response at this site entitled Superfund and Mining Megasites - Lessons from the Coeur d'Alene River Basin, The NAS found the scientific and technical practices and decision making processes regarding human health risks were sound and made several recommendations how the techniques developed at the Idaho site could apply to other cleanups and environmental restoration projects. TerraGraphics and the University of Idaho established the International Environmental Health and Restoration Initiative in 2006 to apply these lessons-learned in the developing world.

Adapting the U.S. Experience in Developing Countries

Accomplishing similar success at international sites requires a substantial R&D effort to identify, modify and improve techniques that can be effective in the host countries. Existing technologies and methods must be adapted to accommodate local cultural, socio-economic and ecologic conditions. Equally important is the identification and utilization of those country and cultural-specific factors and mechanisms that facilitate community acceptance and participation. U.S. experience has shown that many of the programs key to implementing and sustaining the human health goals are accomplished at the lower levels of government and social services.

The underlying strategy of the International Initiative is to develop local expertise in technical, governmental and community relations arenas; and then assist these individuals to implement the health response activities. This strategy has been implemented by recruiting, training and providing on-the-job experience to local individuals through graduate programs, private employment and technical assistance to in-country government and University personnel. Training and employing local citizens, governments, and contractors in the cleanup of their own communities was critical to the success of health response strategies in the Coeur d'Alene Basin in Idaho, and these techniques are proving even more effective in developing countries.

• EPA CASAC
• EPA Superfund
• GBD Concept Map Poster