Graduate Student Policy Brief Competition for 2016
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
UCLA Center for the Study of Women invites submissions to the 5th Annual Student Policy Brief Competition. Up to three students will be selected to work with CSW researchers and staff on revising a policy brief for distribution to
key community partners and public officials throughout California. Selected students will receive a $500 stipend and have their briefs published on the CSW website and on CSW’s eScholarship site on the California Digital Library.
Criteria: UCLA graduate student enrolled in AY 2015-16
Topic: Petrochemicals and the Public Health: Addressing Gender Health Disparities and Limiting Exposure
Petrochemicals, which are manufactured from crude oil and natural gas liquids, are used to produce thousands of products, including plastics, soaps, detergents, paints, drugs, fertilizer, pesticides, explosives, synthetic fibers. Petrochemicals
are found in cars, clothing, computers and other electronic equipment, and furniture. Some of these can release volatile organic compounds (VOC) into the air, which can cause respiratory health problems. Exposure to toxic environmental agents has been linked
to adverse reproductive and developmental health outcomes. Further, many chemical exposures harmful to health disproportionately affect vulnerable populations, including women, children, and underserved communities. Limiting exposure can seem a formidable
challenge but is necessary and a pressing issue for all.
In addition, the extraction and processing of oil and natural gas takes place, as does the manufacture of consumer objects made from petrochemical ingredients, in many locations throughout the US. The environmental and health affects
for nearby residents are often insufficiently regulated or monitored. The recent methane leak in Porter Ranch, CA, which led to evacuations and lingering health problems as well as a lawsuit against the Southern California Gas Co filed by the South Coast Air
Quality Management District (Los Angeles Times, January 26, 2016), shows that regulatory mechanisms are insufficient. Another recent article described the efforts of some “youth and environmental groups” who “recently sued the city, arguing that the Planning
Department had been improperly "rubber-stamping" drilling applications and had required fewer protections for neighbors around drilling sites in predominantly black and Latino neighborhoods than those in white areas” (“South L.A. residents want city to act
on Jefferson Boulevard oil drilling site,” Los Angeles Times, January 25, 2016). Oversight and community involvement continue to be vital in protecting the public health—especially of vulnerable communities.
Students are invited to submit policy briefs on such topics as improving indoor air quality; promoting the use of non-toxic cleaners in schools, homes, and businesses; addressing gender health disparities from exposure; and assessing
and promoting the safety of fragrance ingredients used in personal care products. Case studies that illustrate activist activities—whether effective or ineffective—to limit exposures are also encouraged.
Length: Approximately 750 words, excluding bibliography/sources, graphs, tables, and images.
Deadline for Submission: April 25, 2016
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UCLA Center for the Study of Women