Kelsey Mathews is tackling Jackson’s illegal dumping issue

JANS – Second year Jackson State University doctoral student, Kelsey Mathews, is wearing a hazmat suit, thick gloves, goggles, and work boots. Instead of entering into a Level 3 infectious disease laboratory,  on a very warm summer day, she is headed out to catalog an illegal dumping site in the City of Jackson.

“You can never be too sure,” she says with a bright smile, while grabbing an arm full of cases with gadgets to collect soil samples, air quality samples, and environmental sound levels.

For the past year, Mathews  has conducted her doctoral research at the Community Noise Lab, an environmental health research laboratory at the Brown University School of Public Health. Her dissertation is focusing on the environmental impacts of illegal dumping in the city.

“Kelsey has moved the conversation on illegal dumping in Jackson from subjective feelings to objective data collection,” says Dr. Erica Walker, an Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at Brown University and Mathews’ research advisor.

To date, Mathews has cataloged 45 of the more than 70 reported illegal dumping sites in the City of Jackson. She has the cataloging process down to a science. Mathews begins by setting up the environmental sensors that collect real-time air quality data ranging from particulate matter to volatile organic compounds, meteorological conditions, and noise levels throughout her time at each site. While the environmental sensors are running, she measures the perimeter of each site and details its contents. She then  lays out a series of flags and collects soil samples at various depths. She may even go and check on the two real-time air pollution monitors Community Noise Lab runs in Jackson and compare data between these two monitors and her localized sensors.

Back in the lab, Mathews processes the soil samples for heavy metal and volatile organic compound analysis.

“Kelsey’s dedication goes beyond research; she understands that science is most powerful when it improves lives and strengthens community health,” says Dr. Cristina Nica, the Mississippi site supervisor for Community Noise Lab. We are so proud to see her work come to life.”

In addition to collecting primary data from each of these illegal dumping sites, Mathews  also collects a host of secondary data from sources including the Department of Transportation, United States Census Bureau, the Centers for Disease Control, and the Environmental Protection Agency. To date, she has amassed a dataset with over 350 variables for each site.

Summaries from the data collected from these illegal dumping sites is publicly  available on Community Noise Lab’s Illegal Dumping Data repository, with an update scheduled in December to include expansive environmental and socioeconomic data for each Jackson Ward.

“In addition to seeing where the reported sites are located in Jackson, you can also learn more about what we observe at each of them and their risk for negatively impacting community health and well-being,” Dr. Walker said.

Still smiling after a long day in the field, Mathews  is hopeful her work will positively impact  the City of Jackson.

“I have lived in this community for most of my life, and witnessed firsthand how environmental issues like illegal dumping affect public health, neighborhood well-being, and the city’s overall quality. Rooted in my passion for sustainability, equity, and justice, my research aims to advance a cleaner, healthier, and more equitable environment for all. These findings can inform data-driven planning, policy reform, and promote community engagement practices. I want to challenge people to observe their surroundings. Once we acknowledge the issue, we can begin remediation efforts. It is time to be the change that we want to see in Jackson, it’s time to stop and smell the trash!”

To visit the illegal dumping repository (or report an illegal dumping site), visit here: https://communitynoiselab.org/community-illegal-dumping-repository/