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Director: Martin Boudot
Across the globe, the Earth bears the past scars and current open wounds of mineral extraction operations. Of particular concern is the toxic metal Lead. Though it has been outlawed as an additive in everyday consumer goods like gasoline, house paint, and plumbing materials, lead is still highly valued as a component for the manufacture of building materials, weapons, and batteries. Wherever lead is extracted, refined, or turned into essential products that keep economies moving, the element leaves a poisonous legacy behind.
This issue is particularly troubling in Évin-Malmaison, a small village in France where contamination from lead refining has left the surrounding environment so damaged that farms, schools, parks, and homes now sit on ground that is too toxic to be safe for families. A team of journalists and scientists have taken up an effort to study and document the area – especially the effect of lead poisoning on the IQ levels of the local children – so as to reveal not just the environmental impacts of lead, but also its more damaging effects on the quality of life of Évin-Malmaison’s residents.
About the Speaker
Dr. Morrone is a professor and coordinator of the nationally accredited Environmental Health Science program at Ohio University and the Chair of the Department of Social and Public Health. She is the author of numerous books and papers about the health impacts from environmental exposures with a specific focus on health equity and environmental justice.
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53 MIN
Dr. Sarah C. Davis is a professor of environmental studies in the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service at Ohio University, and is an expert in ecosystem ecology and bioenergy systems. She researches system-level energy conversion efficiency, carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling, and greenhouse gas fluxes in managed ecosystems. Her work includes assessments of Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) in drought-tolerant plants, perennial grasses, and system designs for waste and fertilizer management. Dr. Davis is author of over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. She teaches courses in Ecology and Environmental Issues, Bioenergy, Environmental Science and Public Policy, and Strategies for Resilient Agriculture.
Andrew Scott (Fleabag, 1917) and Paul Mescal star in Andrew Haigh’s adaptation of the critically-acclaimed 1987 Japanese novel Strangers by Taichi Yamada. Thematically rich and nuanced, the film and the cast have been nominated for and won numerous awards, including Best Film, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and Best Direcor at the 2023 British Independent Film Awards.
