Volunteer Water Information Network |
What We Do
The Environmental Quality Institute (EQI) conducts research in several areas through the University of North Carolina at Asheville (UNCA). The EQI was founded by Dr. Richard Maas, and is directed by Dr. Steven Patch . The EQI serves citizen groups, governmental agencies, and the private sector by providing information on water quality and other environmental concerns. The objective of the EQI is to conduct technically rigorous and unbiased research to help interested parties gain accurate technical understanding of complex environmental issues. It is our belief that if individuals, governmental agencies, and industry can be provided with information about exposure to toxic pollutants, they can then make intelligent choices about how to reduce their exposure, if necessary, in a cost effective manner. We also believe that by monitoring the quality of our natural resources we can discover potential negative impacts while they are still reversible and find out how well existing resource protection programs are working. The EQI has established a Volunteer Water Information Network (VWIN) which provides monitoring at over 300 stream, river, and lake sites in North Carolina , Tennessee , and Georgia . The VWIN program is extremely cost effective because samples are taken by trained community volunteers and analysis is provided by advanced undergraduate researchers under faculty supervision at UNCA. The EQI is actively involved in researching lead, arsenic, mercury, and other environmental exposures to the public. Exposure risks we have assessed include lead in drinking water, food, homes, soil and vinyl products; arsenic in pressure-treated lumber, soil, and water; mercury in fish and hair; pesticides; and VOC's. The EQI has undertaken many projects with the goal of identifying lead exposure risks. The EQI is currently involved in researching the exposure to lead from drinking water, paint, dust, soil, and ceramics. Thanks to a grant from the Center for Disease Control, EQI has been able to establish a Lead Poisoning Prevention Program for Western North Carolina . The goal of the program is to provide education and outreach with the goal of reducing lead exposure in young children. EQI's lead research has included the testing for potential lead exposure from several types of plumbing components such as faucets, well pumps, valves and water meters. Additionally, we have examined the effects of different water chemistries on lead dissolution from plumbing components. The EQI has also conducted research on lead exposure from various consumer products, such as jewelry and artificial Christmas trees. In addition to lead exposure research, the EQI is involved in researching exposure to other contaminants. The EQI currently has projects examining the exposure to arsenic from pressure-treated lumber, soil, and drinking water. The EQI is certified to analyze lead, copper, and arsenic in drinking water nationally through NELAC and by the state of North Carolina Health and Human Services. For further information on having your home or water tested for lead or arsenic, please contact Clean Water Lead Testing on the web or call (828) 251-6800. The EQI has also tested mercury levels in fish, and we recently established a partnership with the environmental organizations, Greenpeace and the Sierra Club, which allows individuals to have their hair tested for mercury. |
