Outreach History

BINATIONAL CENTER OF HAZARDOUS WASTE AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

Several groups began working independently on assessing risk from hazardous waste and through the efforts centered at the University of Arizona, a binational program evolved. They included:

Dr. A. Jay Gandolfi at Sociedad Quimica de Mexico meeting.

Superfund Basic Research Outreach Program
This NIEHS-sponsored grant program was awarded to the University of Arizona and included projects in toxicology, engineering and environmental sciences. This grant program had a unique component in which the results of the NIEHS laboratory research were applied much earlier to the environmental problems of the US-Mexico border. Dr. Dean E. Carter was the Director of this outreach effort.

Programa de Medio Ambiente (Program of the Environment)(PUMA)
This program was established by Dr. Octavio Rivero-Serrano at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico to provide training in toxicology techniques and instruction in risk assessment. The program sponsored courses on hazardous materials for firemen and on forming hazmat teams. Dr. Octavio Rivero-Serrano contracted with EnvironMD to provide the courses. EnvironMD was a small company in Tucson, AZ that was owned by a former student of our Toxicology Program, Dr. Steven Pike.

Udall Center for Public Policy
Later, Dr. Robert Varady from the Udall Center for Public Policy at the University of Arizona worked with the Superfund Outreach effort concentrating on border health and environmental issues.

To nurture these US-Mexico efforts, the Deans of the Colleges of Pharmacy, Sciences, Agriculture and Engineering at the University of Arizona provided additional funds.

AFTA provided the motivation for concerns about improper hazardous disposal along the Border between the United States and Mexico. When Dr. Pike introduced Dr.Rivero-Serrano to Dr. Carter, their common interests and concerns for the Border were immediately apparent. Dr. Rivero-Serrano wanted to develop an academic partner that was strong in Toxicology knowledge and research. The University of Arizona had been graduating MS and PhD students in Toxicology since 1973 and had an active research program. After a meeting in which the University of Arizona Toxicology faculty went to Mexico City and gave a series of research seminars, the Mexican and American faculty began to form interactions. Faculty participating included: Dean Carter, I. Glenn Sipes, A.Jay Gandolfi, Charlene McQueen, Octavio Rivero-Serrano, Guadalupe Ponciano, Patricia Ostrosky –Wegman and Mariano Cebrian.

This was the beginning of a strong relationship that was reinforced when Dr. William Suk and the NIEHS began sponsored research and border policy meetings (primarily in Tucson, AZ) that included more than 100 US and Mexican scientists, policy makers and engineers. These meetings laid the groundwork for the US-Mexican Binational Center for Environmental Studies and Toxicology that is taking shape at the University of Arizona. It is interesting to note that PUMA has moved on to other activities and Dr. Carter retired but a whole new set of faculty on both sides of the Border have taken over the reins of leadership as Dr. Carter's vision continues to come to fruition.

Background