Publications by authors named "Matthew A Aubourg"
Article Synopsis
- Despite a decline in coal use in the US, over 90 million metric tons were exported in 2023, creating concerns about coal dust exposure among residents of Curtis Bay, Baltimore, who live near an open-air coal terminal.
- A study aimed to address community concerns by analyzing settled dust samples from two locations near the terminal, using advanced techniques like scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to identify coal particles.
- The analysis confirmed the presence of coal dust in both residential areas, with higher concentrations closer to the terminal, substantiating the residents' long-standing worries about coal dust accumulation in their environment.
Introduction: Curtis Bay (CB) is an environmental justice (EJ) community in South Baltimore. With a high concentration of industrial polluters and compounding non-chemical stressors, CB has experienced socioeconomic, quality of life, and health burdens for over 100 years. Today, these polluters include the open-air CSX Coal Terminal, waste-to-energy incinerators, and heavy diesel traffic through residential areas.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Bangladesh has reduced malaria incidence and mortality by over 75% between 2010 and 2020. Widespread long-lasting insecticidal net (LLIN) distribution and use is one of the measures responsible for this success. Recalcitrant malaria hotspots within the Chittagong Hill Tracts districts suggest important drivers of malaria risk may remain uncharacterized.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: In this evaluation of COVID-19 preventative response programs in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), we aimed to explore community understandings of COVID-19, assess operational successes and challenges of COVID response activities, and identify barriers to practicing COVID-19 preventative behaviors.
Methods: Thirty-one semi-structured interviews were conducted from April to September 2021 in South Kivu, DRC, with community members ( = 16) and programmatic stakeholders ( = 15) (healthcare providers, government officials, and developmental and NGO staff engaged in COVID-19 response).
Findings: Most community members were aware of COVID-19 and its global burden, but few were aware of local transmission in their area.