Research

Nice Profiles: Maria Jose Talayero Schettino, Emily Benfer,and Marya Lieberman

• ​Jul 24, 2024 Environmental Health News. Op-ed: How my family’s culinary traditions opened my eyes to invisible environmental threats. "Lead-tainted clay pots like my grandmother used in Mexico underscore the need for better environmental education among healthcare professionals. Every Mexican Independence Day, Día de Muertos and Christmas, my grandmother would lovingly prepare classic dishes like Pozole and Romeritos using her prized glazed clay pottery. As a child, these meals were the highlight of my year — flavors immersed in tradition, memories carved into each plate. The kitchen alive with the aroma of spices, the laughter of family echoing through the air and the clay pottery, glowing under a soft light, holding the essence of our heritage. It was a scene straight out of a book. But little did I know within those beautiful pots lay a silent intruder into our culinary traditions and bloodstreams, casting a shadow over our most cherished moments. Despite seven years as a practicing physician, I’d remained oblivious to this danger in our kitchens well into adulthood. The revelation came after I left the medical field and became a toxicology student in the U.S., when I realized that Mexicans were unwittingly exposed to lead through this beloved tradition, as the brain-damaging metal lurked in many of these clay pots, leaching into our food and drinks. It was a personal awakening to insidious environmental harms and the health profession’s inadequate training and response to them. Cultural traditions hold deep meaning in our lives, often forming the backbone of our heritage and identity. However, when cherished practices pose hidden health risks, such as lead exposure from traditional glazed clay pottery, the conflict between preserving culture and ensuring safety emerges. Despite well-documented dangers of lead, this practice persists in many Mexican households, partly due to a lack of awareness and insufficient intervention from the medical community. My journey of discovering this danger highlights the urgent need for better environmental health education among healthcare professionals and underscores the importance of finding solutions that safeguard both our traditions and our health. Cultural traditions hold deep meaning in our lives, often forming the backbone of our heritage and identity. However, when cherished practices pose hidden health risks, such as lead exposure from traditional glazed clay pottery, the conflict between preserving culture and ensuring safety emerges." Dr. Maria Jose Talayero Schettino was guest speaker at CLASH Faith and Leaders Luncheon last October and did a Video presentation at this Spring's Council of Social Work conference. Too bad no local media bothered to cover these events

• ​July 22, 2024. Press release. Low-Income Tenants Find a Dedicated Champion at George Washington University "GW Law Professor Emily A. Benfer’s research sheds light on how the U.S. eviction system leads to health inequities. [.....] The clients represented by students in Benfer’s GW Law clinic are all from D.C., but students working with the clinic also engage in policy advocacy at both the local and federal level. Currently, clinic students are working on a federal bill to prevent lead poisoning in the federal Housing Choice Voucher program, a form of tenant-based rental assistance. Their efforts resulted in the introduction of a bi-partisan bill this legislative session." Professor Benfer was a guest speaker at NEOBHC Lead Convening in 2018. A copy of the clinic's analysis of the Lead Safe Housing for Kids Act is attached. 

• July 22, 2024 Press release. Taking her science to the streets. " 'The crucial first step in all science,' she explains, 'is to refine the question you’re trying to answer. You can have the most advanced analytical techniques, but if you’re not engaged in analyzing something that matters—that makes a difference to people’s lives—then your science won’t make an impact. That’s where the community comes in. When we’re asking questions that have to do with the community’s needs, then we are in a better place to work alongside the community in gathering data and implementing a solution.' The value of Lieberman’s approach became apparent in 2016 when she grew concerned hearing news reports about the number of children in the local community suffering from the effects of lead poisoning. Along with colleagues in public health, data science, and physics, Lieberman helped launch Notre Dame’s Lead Innovation Team, and she used her lab’s expertise to develop low-cost lead screening kits, which were ultimately provided free of charge to the local community. CLASH has tested Dr. Lieberman's home lead test kit in our investigation of DIY home testing.