Documenting Experiences of Black Aluminum Smelting Workers in West Badin, North Carolina: A Community-Engaged Survey Approach

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.