Abstract
The research project titled “The Use of Community-Led Health Impact Monitoring Databases
in Risk Communication to Protect Vulnerable Groups from Transboundary Pollution in the Case of
Hongsa Coal-Fired Power Plant, Lao PDR” is part of a participatory action research initiative on
“The Development of Community-Led Health Impact Monitoring in Nan Province, Thailand: A
Case of Transboundary Pollution from the Hongsa Power Plant, Lao PDR - Phase 2.” The objectives
are:
(1) to create collaborative operational spaces that strengthen transdisciplinary researcher and citizen
science networks; (2) to build and develop citizen scientist networks for health surveillance, particularly
focusing on pregnant women and young children in mercury-contaminated risk areas, as well as
farmers affected by acid gases; (3) to promote the joint analysis and interpretation of data from the
C-Site Platform between transdisciplinary researchers and citizen scientist networks for effective risk
communication; and (4) to establish a policy dialogue platform for exchanging strategies and measures
to protect vulnerable groups from transboundary pollution.
Project activities included strengthening the networks of transdisciplinary researchers, citizen
scientists, government agencies, and local authorities in monitoring health impacts related to the
coal-fired power plant; enhancing health literacy among public health officials, community health
volunteers, and local communities in maternal and child health care within mercury exposure risk
areas; developing adaptive strategies for vulnerable farmers affected by transboundary pollution;
communicating risks to target groups and the public; and advocating for policy measures to protect
vulnerable populations.
The study found that: (1) the use of citizen science in environmental monitoring has been
accepted and implemented at the community level, with schools taking a leading role; (2) pregnant
women, fetuses, and young children face health risks from methylmercury, which enters the body
through the consumption of fish and shellfish from mercury-contaminated water sources; and
(3) changes in agricultural productivity may result from a combination of factors, including spatial
management practices, appropriate farming methods, farmers’ knowledge, costs of effective system
implementation, labor, climate change, and the potential impacts of transboundary pollution. Therefore,
farmers must possess the understanding, awareness, and capacity to monitor and respond to these
complex and multifaceted challenges.
