The Encuentros Project is supported by a grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health (RO1-ES11367). The purpose of the project is to evaluate environmental lead exposure among children in the border communities of El Paso, Texas and Cd. Juarez, Mexico using a community-based public health research approach. The El Paso-Juarez border region is characterized by many factors that may increase the risk for childhood lead exposure, including poverty, overcrowding and substandard housing, lack of infrastructure, and history of an extensive mining industry. The study objectives are to: 1) estimate the geographic distribution of environmental lead contamination in
El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico; 2) estimate the prevalence of elevated blood lead levels (EBL) in children, 3) differentiate chronic lead exposure in children with EBL, 4) fractionate lead in blood samples of children with EBL, and 5) involve end-users to evaluate a scientifically-based culturally relevant prevention/intervention strategy.

The research team is headed by Dr. Maria Amaya, Professor of Nursing in the School of Nursing at the University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas. The multidisciplinary team includes scientists from The University of Texas at El Paso, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso, the Paso del Norte Center for Border Health Research, and a Coalition of Community based organizations including the Femap Foundation, Organización Popular Independiente, Inc. (OPI), Adults and Youth United Organization (AYUDA), and Salud y Desarrollo Comunitario, A.C. (SADEC). The Project interacts with the community through the Binational Task Force (Junta Directiva).

The Project is in the third of five years. Estimation of the geographic distribution of outdoor environmental lead contamination is in progress. Teams of researchers and community health workers are collecting soil samples from 500 blocks in El Paso and Cd. Juarez. Indoor household testing is planned in the third year of the study, as well as testing the blood lead levels of a representative sample of children in each city.

This website fulfills the mission of community-based participatory research as envisioned by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The purposes of this website are: 1) to link the research team and the community partners to the larger binational community; 2) to provide timely information about the project; and 3) to provide one mechanism for input and feedback from the community.