This document summarizes a presentation on the differences between junk science and solid science and provides examples of how scientific studies can be used to influence policy decisions and advocacy campaigns. It discusses two case studies, including one on the health impacts of diesel pollution. The presentation emphasizes using credible scientific sources like the EPA and peer-reviewed studies to demonstrate the risks of diesel exhaust in creating "diesel hot spots" where health risks are increased. It provides tips on messaging and targeting decision-makers using the scientific data on this issue.

1. Ellen
Junk Science vs. Solid
Science: Know the
difference, how to use it,
and where to get it
:ĂŶƵĂƌLJ Ϯϳ͕ ϮϬ ϭ Ϯ
ĂǀŝĚ Z͘ ĞůĞďƌĞnjnjĞ
ĚĂǀŝĚΛ ƚ Ś ĞŽ ĞĐ ͘Ž ƌŐ

2. t Ś LJ ď Ž ƚ Ś Ğ ƌ
ǁ ŝ ƚ Ś Ɖ Ğ Ɛ Ŭ LJ
Ɛ Đ ŝ Ğ ŶĐ Ğ ͍
« Science: the good, the bad, the
ugly
«Case study #1: Science and transit
«Case study #2: Diesel pollution
and health

3. ĂƐ Ğ Ɛ ƚ ƵĚ LJ η Ϯ
, Ğ Ăů ƚ Ś ŝ ŵ Ɖ ĂĐ ƚ Ɛ
Ž Ĩ Ě ŝ Ğ Ɛ Ğ ů
Ɖ Ž ů ů Ƶƚ ŝ Ž Ŷ

4. t Ś LJ Ś Ăǀ Ğ Ś Ğ Ăů ƚ Ś
Ɛ ƚ ƵĚ ŝ Ğ Ɛ ͍
Greater influence
Source for policy makers
Understand the issue from another
angle
Influence the whole campaign

6. t Ś Ğ ƌĞ Ě ŝ Ě ƚ Ś Ğ Ɛ ƚ ƵĚ ŝ Ğ Ɛ
Đ Ž ŵ Ğ Ĩ ƌŽ ŵ ͍
« US EPA
«Clean Air Task Force (staff scientists;
modeling after US EPA methodology)
«Ohio Dept. of Health
«Center for Disease Control

7. Diesel exhaust affects public health:
Asthma Attacks
Aggravation of Chronic Bronchitis
Painful Breathing
Leukemia
Heart and Lung Disease
Cancer
Preventable Death
Courtesy of Clean Air Task Force

8. Diesel impacts on Franklin County
Source: Clean Air Task
Force
Ohio impacts (adults):
• 409 Premature Deaths
•392 Non-Fatal Heart Attacks
•48,969 Work Loss Days (WLD)
•288,641 Minor Restricted Activity Days
(MRAD)

9. Estimated Child Asthma Prevalence in Franklin
County, By Race, 2004
19.5
16
9.5
12.2
0
5
10
15
20
25
Hispanic Black Asian White
Race
Source-Ohio Department of
Health, Burden of Asthma
Percentage

11. Coalition building and
maintenance/Grassroots
key contacts
«New studies and news articles
highlighting scientific/health data
share with coalition groups
through individual e-mail or
listervs
«Encourage partner groups to share
new studies with you
«Studies can be part of the
“recruitment packet” when courting
new groups.

13. Development
«Create fact sheet (or use one that is
already created) that highlight scientific
data on the issue you are working on
(ex. CATF)
«Create your own report

16. What is a Diesel Hot Spot?
ƌĞĂ ŝŶ ǁ Ś ŝĐ Ś ƚ Ś Ğ ƌŝƐ Ŭ Ž Ĩ Ś ĞĂůƚ Ś ŝŵ Ɖ ĂĐ ƚ Ɛ Ĩ ƌŽ ŵ Ğdž Ɖ Ž Ɛ Ƶ ƌĞ ƚ Ž Ž Ŷ Ͳ
ƌŽ ĂĚ , Ğŵ ŝƐ Ɛ ŝŽ Ŷ Ɛ ŝƐ ůŝŬ ĞůLJ ƚ Ž ďĞ Ɛ ŝŐ Ŷ ŝĨ ŝĐ ĂŶ ƚ ůLJ ŝŶ Đ ƌĞĂƐ ĞĚ͘
– tĞ ĚĞĨŝŶĞĚ Ă ŚŽƚ ƐƉŽƚ ĂƐ ĂŶ Ăƌ ĞĂ ǁ ŝƚ Ś ŝŶ ŽŶĞͲƋ Ƶ Ă ƌ ƚ Ğƌ ŵ ŝ ů Ğ Ž Ĩ Ă ƌ ŽĂ Ě ǁ Ă LJ
ǁ ŝƚ Ś W D Ğŵ ŝ Ɛ Ɛ ŝ ŽŶ ů Ğǀ Ğů Ɛ Ž Ĩ Ăƚ ů ĞĂƐ ƚ ϲ ϳ ϱ Ő ͬ ŵ ŝ ͬ Ě Ă LJ ͘
ZĞĐ ĞŶ ƚ Ɛ ƚ Ƶ ĚŝĞƐ ŝŶ ĚŝĐ Ăƚ Ğ ƚ Ś Ăƚ ǁ ŝƚ Ś ŝŶ ƚ Ś ŝƐ ĚŝƐ ƚ ĂŶ Đ Ğ͗
– Ŷ ŝŶĐƌĞĂƐĞĚ ƌŝƐŬ ĨŽƌ ĐĂŶĐĞƌ ĂŶĚ ů ĞƵ ŬĞŵ ŝĂ ŝŶ ĐŚ ŝů ĚƌĞŶ ; Ϯ ϱ Ϭ LJ ĂƌĚƐͿ ͕
– Ğǀ Ğů ŽƉ ŵ ĞŶƚ ŽĨ ĂƐƚ Ś ŵ Ă ŝŶ ĐŚ ŝů ĚƌĞŶ ; ϵ Ϭ ŵ Ğƚ ĞƌƐͿ ͕
– , ŽƐƉ ŝƚ Ăů ŝnj Ăƚ ŝŽŶƐ Ě Ƶ Ğ ƚ Ž ĂƐƚ Ś ŵ Ă Ĩ Ž ƌ ĐŚ ŝů ĚƌĞŶ ; ϱ Ϭ Ϭ ĂŶĚ Ϯ Ϭ Ϭ ŵ Ğƚ ĞƌƐͿ ͕
– W ƌĞŵ Ăƚ Ƶ ƌĞ Ě ĞĂƚ Ś ; ϱ Ϭ ƚ Ž ϭ Ϭ Ϭ ŵ Ğƚ ĞƌƐͿ ͘
d Ś Ğ ŵ ŝŶ ŝŵ Ƶ ŵ ϲ ϳ ϱ Ő ͬ ŵ ŝͬ ĚĂLJ W D ůĞǀĞů ďĂƐ ĞĚ Ž Ŷ ĞƐ ƚ ŝŵ Ăƚ ĞƐ Ž Ĩ ƚ Ś Ğ
W D ůĞǀĞů͗
– D Ăũ Žƌ Ƶ ƌď ĂŶ Ăƌƚ ĞƌŝĂů ƌŽĂĚ ǁ ĂLJ ǁ ŝƚ Ś ĂŶ ĂŶŶƵ Ăů Ăǀ ĞƌĂŐ Ğ ĚĂŝů LJ ƚ ƌĂĨ Ĩ ŝĐ ů Ğǀ Ğů ; d Ϳ
Ž Ĩ Ϯ Ϭ ͕ Ϭ Ϭ Ϭ ; ĞŶǀ Ğƌ Ɛƚ Ƶ ĚLJ ͕ Ϯ Ϭ Ϭ Ϭ Ϳ
– ŽŶŐ ĞƐƚ ĞĚ Ƶ ƌď ĂŶ ĂƌĞĂ Ś ŝŐ Ś ǁ ĂLJ ǁ ŝƚ Ś ĂŶ d Ž Ĩ ϯ Ϯ ͕ Ϭ Ϭ Ϭ ; ƌŝĞ Ž Ƶ Ŷƚ LJ ͕ E z Ϯ Ϭ Ϭ Ϯ Ϳ
– ϭ ϵ ϵ ϰ ' ƌĞĂƚ ƌŝƚ ƚ Ž Ŷ Ɛƚ Ƶ ĚLJ ŝĚĞŶƚ ŝĨ ŝĞĚ Ă Ϯ ϰ ͕ Ϭ Ϭ Ϭ d ƚ Ś ƌĞƐŚ Ž ů Ě ; ĚŝĨ Ĩ ŝĐƵ ů ƚ ƚ Ž
ĐŽ ŵ Ɖ ĂƌĞ Ś ŝŐ Ś ǁ ĂLJ ƚ LJ Ɖ Ğ ƚ ƌĂĨ Ĩ ŝĐͿ

17. B oil d ow n m essag e
«20% of central Ohioans live in a
diesel hot spot (elevated health
risk)
«23% of those in a diesel hot spot
suffer from asthma
«OR
«28% of Columbus lives in a
diesel hot spot (more than one in
four!)

18. D Ğ Ě ŝ Ă Ě ǀ Ž Đ ĂĐ LJͲĂů ů
Ăď Ž Ƶƚ ƚ Ś Ğ ŵ Ğ Ɛ Ɛ ĂŐ ŝ ŶŐ
« #1 air toxic risk in the U.S.
«More than 40 different known toxins.
«Those in the trucking industry higher
risk (32%-49%) of heart disease than
general population
«Diesel hot spots report and health
impact fact sheet.
«Messenger matters!

20. «Know what to lead with.
«Know who to have at the
meeting.
«What will be the biggest
influence on the decision
maker-health? Economy?
Environment?
Ğ Đ ŝ Ɛ ŝ Ž ŶͲŵ ĂŬ Ğ ƌ
ĂĚ ǀ Ž Đ ĂĐ LJ

21. , Ž ǁ ƚ Ž Ž ƵŶƚ Ğ ƌ
dž ͘ Đ ů ŝ ŵ Ăƚ Ğ Đ Ś ĂŶŐ Ğ

23. Ohio Environmental Council
1 2 0 7 G rand view A venue, S uite
2 0 1
Columb us , OH 4 3 2 1 2
( 6 1 4 ) 4 8 7 -7 5 0 6
w w w . theOEC. org
How You Can Get
I nv ol v ed
« Become an OEC M emb er
J oi n a net w or k of mor e
t h an 3 , 0 0 0 i nd i v i d u al s
g r ou p s ar ou nd t h e
s t at e
« T ak e A ct i on
S i g n u p f or OEC’ s
act i on al er t s , cal l
w r i t e y ou r l aw mak er s ,
g et i nv ol v ed i n
commu ni t y i s s u es
« D onat e t o t h e OEC
H el p s ecu r e h eal t h y
ai r , l and , and w at er
f or al l Oh i oans