Black Rights, Public Health, Health Equity
Documenting Experiences of Black Aluminum Smelting Workers in West Badin, North Carolina: A Community-Engaged Survey Approach
Cherrel Manley, Elizabeth Teka, Pavithra Vasudevan, Elizabeth S. McClure
June 8, 2026 at 1:15:15 PM
Abstract
Between 1917 and 2007, Alcoa operated an aluminum smelting plant in Badin, North Carolina, resulting in hazardous occupational and environmental exposures in West Badin, a predominantly Black community. We partnered with the Concerned Citizens of West Badin Community to document the experiences of prior employees and their families. Fourteen interviews were coded for recurring themes. Occupational exposures included asbestos, extreme heat, and dust inhalation. Additional workplace stressors included take-home exposures and racism. Health conditions most frequently reported included cancer, heart disease, and lung disease. This survey served as a tool for documenting their experiences, identifying ongoing environmental concerns, supporting community organizing, and highlighting the resilience of the West Badin community.
Partnering with the Concerned Citizens of West Badin Community, the authors used a community-engaged survey to document the experiences of predominantly Black former Alcoa aluminum-smelter employees and their families exposed to asbestos, extreme heat, dust, and take-home contamination between 1917 and 2007. Reported health conditions clustered around cancer, heart, and lung disease, and findings serve as a tool for community organizing and policy advocacy in this historically Black, environmentally burdened community.