CLEAR CEC hosts public forum with community members on VOCs

CLEAR's Community Engagement Core (CEC) held its first Public Forum with community members on June 27, 2023. The Forum was held at the Kemeny Recreation Center in the 48217 zip code, containing Boyntown and Oakwood Heights neighborhoods. The event introduced CLEAR's research and key members of the team to community members, and provided information about harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs), like benzene and toluene. In addition to CLEAR researchers and trainees, several members of the Community Advisory Board were present to address queries.  

In preparation for the forum, the Center for Urban Studies passed out more than 6,000 leaflets weeks before the scheduled forum in hopes to recruit community members to attend. There were 37 residents that attended the June forum at Kemeny Recreation Center. The residents had the option to sign in with their name and contact information so they can be contacted by the Community Engagement Core in the future. Presenters at the forum included; Dr. Carol Miller, Dr. Theresa Holtrop, Laprisha Daniels, and Benita Rangira, and Dr. Lyke Thompson. The presentations included topics such as the problems of volatile organic compounds (VOC), VOCs that the CLEAR Center is studying and their hazards, how VOCs get into homes and the hazards of VOCs for women, particularly pregnant women.  The team presented a detailed series of measures that families can use to protect themselves from VOCs in the home.