Author: Jack Caravanos (Page 1 of 2)
Reuters News story on coronavirus and availability of respirators and masks. February 2020
Wall Street Journal Interview and story.
Jack Caravanos on Mercury Amalgamation in the Peruvian Andes
https://youtu.be/7OsDhY-QzMs
Dr. Jack Caravanos, Clinical Professor at NYU’s College of Global Public Health, embarks on a site visit assessing interventions to mitigate the harm of mercury poisoning in the mining villages of Puno and Ollachea, Peru. It’s a three-year study funded by the U.S. State Department and supervised by the non-profit organization Pure Earth (where Jack is Director of Research). In this video, you will see Dr. Caravanos “commuting” across the Ollachea River, workers pre-processing gold containing rocks, and using mercury to extract gold, at great personal risk, to build a better life.
Whether in Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, or the Amazon, liquid mercury is the most popular and common method for extracting gold particles from soil and rock worldwide. In this mine in Peru, rocks are first sorted for quartz content by a group of about 200 women; then mercury is used to extract gold particles that are embedded in the quartz rocks.
As we all know, mercury is a serious human neurotoxin, and it bio-accumulates in the environment. At $42 per gram, however (the weight of a small paper clip), the economic pressure to forgo personal risk for family sustenance is just too high, so mercury exposures continue.
Jack and Pure Earth are using engineering interventions and educating workers to mitigate this harm; they visit sites and conduct testing to see if solutions are effective and sustainable.
Ericson, B., Hariojati, N., Susilorini, B., Crampe, L.F., Fuller, R., Taylor, M.P. and Caravanos, J., 2018. Assessment of the prevalence of lead-based paint exposure risk in Jakarta, Indonesia. Science of The Total Environment. Dec 2018
- Columbia University – School of Public Health; DrPH, Env Science – 1984
- Polytechnic University ( NYU Tandon School of Eng.); MS Env Science – 1979
- Hunter College, City University of New York; BS Health Science (EHS) – 1977
- New York University, College of Global Public Health; Jan 2017 to present; Professor (clinical); Env Public Health
- Hunter College (now CUNY SPH), 1982-2017; Professor (tenured); Public Health
- New York University – College of Global Public Health; 2014-2016 ; Adj. Professor; Env. Health
- Rutgers University, School of Public Health; 1987-2017; Course Director/Instructor; Cont Ed. & Training
- Queensborough Community College; 1985; Adj. Assistant Professor; Biology
- St Joseph’s College (Maine); 1984-1984; Adj. Instructor; Nursing Dept (EHS)
- Felician College (New Jersey); 1980-1983; Adj. Instructor; Nursing Dept (EHS)
Other Assignments (non-teaching)
- Pure Earth / Blacksmith Institute, NY, NY; 2006 – present; Director of Research / Science Advisor
- Global Alliance for Health & Pollution, USA; 2012 – present: Senior Technical Advisor
- Center for Occupational & Env Health (NYU/CUNY); 2009 – present; Director (training center)
- DC-37 / NYC Dept of Personnel, NYC; -1987; Right-to-Know (Health & Safety) trainer
- Public Employees Federation (PEF) NYC, NY; 1985-1986; Health and Safety trainer
- US National Park Service, NYC, NY; 1985; Environmental impact assessment
- ATT Corporation, (headquarters) NYC, NY; 1985; Right-to-Know trainer
- Lebanon Township, Board of Supervisors, NJ; 1984; Environmental health risk assessment
- Communications Workers of America, NYC, NY; 1983-1984; Statistical analyst/ programmer
- Blue Cross Health Education Center, NYC, NY; 1980-1984; Environmental health educator
- Hunter College CUNY; 1977-1982; College Laboratory Technician (Environmental)
© 2024 Jack Caravanos
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