GRASS VALLEY, CA, March 6, 2017 – The Sierra Science Lecture Series at the Nevada County Campus welcomes Joanne Hild, Dr. Peggy Reynolds, and Katy Janes in a presentation titled, Cadmium Exposure in a Gold-Mining Impacted Community. The presentation will be held on Tuesday evening, March 14, from 6:30 – 7:30 pm, in the Multipurpose Center, building, N-12. Come early and enjoy a meet-and-greet and refreshments at 6:00 pm.

The CHIME (Community Health Impacts of Mining Exposure) study is a multi-phase human health study in Gold Country to look at the impacts of our mining legacy on the people who live here. Sierra Streams Institute partnered with the Cancer Prevention Institute of California to measure and compare the amounts of cadmium and arsenic in the bodies of women with and without breast cancer residing in Gold Country. The study also involved environmental sampling of each participant’s home soil, dust, and water to begin to determine the routes of exposure of these heavy metals. Cadmium and arsenic are of particular interest because they are found at high levels throughout Gold Country and are known carcinogens.

About our presenters:

  • Joanne Hild

    Joanne Hild is the executive director of Sierra Streams Institute with an MS in zoology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She believes that community engagement is the key to successful environmental stewardship, and has developed a comprehensive citizen monitoring program with thirteen years of watershed data that is recognized statewide as a model of how to train local people to care for their environment. Ms. Hild is particularly excited to collaborate with our academic partners for the first local study of the human health effects of living in a mining-impacted community.

  • Peggy Reynolds

    Peggy Reynolds, PhD is a senior research scientist at the Cancer Prevention Institute of California in Berkeley. Dr. Reynolds is a cancer epidemiologist with a particular interest in the influence of environmental risk factors.  She has conducted a number of studies of breast cancer, exploring both traditional risk associations as well as environmental concerns of high public interest. She has a particular interest in partnering with community interest groups to develop research projects that are responsive to local concerns, and is delighted to partner with Sierra Streams Institute in this important human health study.

  • Katy Janes     received her BS in Geology from California State University Sacramento, and loved it so much she stayed on to get her MS in Geology, conducting research on salmonid restoration sites on the American and Feather Rivers. She also taught geology and field courses at Sac State as well as working as a research scientist with the Center for Watershed Sciences at UC Davis. Katy is passionate about learning how systems work and applying that understanding to solving problems through a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach.

This presentation is free, and the public is welcome and encouraged to attend. The Nevada County Campus is located at 250 Sierra College Drive, Grass Valley, CA 95945. Parking is $3 on campus and permits can be purchased at the kiosk machine at the main entrance to the campus. For more information about this presentation and others in this series, contact the series coordinator, Jason Giuliani at: jgiuliani@sierracollege.edu.

Sierra College District is rising to meet the needs of our community. Sierra College serves 3200 square miles of Northern CA with campuses in Roseville, Rocklin, Grass Valley, and Truckee. With approximately 125 degree and certificate programs, Sierra College is ranked first in Northern California (Sacramento north) for transfers to four year universities, offers career/technical training, and classes for upgrading job skills.  Sierra graduates can be found in businesses and industries throughout the region. More information at https://www.sierracollege.edu/.