Evaluation of Serum Immunoglobulins among Individuals Living near Six Superfund Sites
The author of this paper is Dhelia M. Williamson. She works for the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention in the Division of Reproductive Health. Most of her publications have been on Multiple Sclerosis.
In her paper on serum immunoglobulins, Williamson studies six Superfund sites in Kentucky, Texas, California, Nebraska, Massachusetts, and North Carolina. She claims that people living near Superfund sites had weaker immune systems in comparison to those living less polluted environments. For sites where there were enough participants in the target group to make an analysis with the comparison group, she found that there was an increased prevalence in having test results of IgA, IgG, and IgM above or below the reference range for participants in the target group.
Williamson’s intended audience is the scientific community. The paper is written in the format of a scientific research paper and includes lots of data charts to back up what she is saying. There is no bias in this paper, as she tries to be as objective as possible with the data she collected.
The main strength of Williamson’s paper is data from nearly 4,000 participants all collected within a short time frame. The data is also standardized across the six Superfund sites through using the same study design, questionnaire, and immune biomarker test battery, all conducted by the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. However the problem with Williamson’s research lies in how she couldn’t access data to individuals. For some areas, the amount of participants was also too small, which can lead to more statistical error. Also, immunoglobins aren’t the best indicator of immune functions.
This information supports my thesis because it goes with the black sludge in the Gowanus Canal. Since there are businesses located right next to the canal, it’s highly possible that the individuals living and working in that area may be affected from the conditions at the canal. This source is also relevant when talking about the health concerns that many of the citizens may have especially when talking about what’ll happen if the canal floods.
Interesting piece. I wonder how much variation there is based on the TYPE of superfund site.