Factors that influence family response to contamination of water resources : the case of the Pigeon River

This study explores factors that affect differences in family reactions to a major threat of exposure to toxic substances in the environment. The problem of exposure to toxic waste is increasing in this country and world wide. Early studies have revealed a high risk for the communities and families. Exposure to toxic waste leads to medical, economic, social, and psychological problems. Protection from environmental hazards is a new role that the contemporary family must now play. Increasing instances of death, disability, loss of income, birth defects, and loss of property from environmental contamination have intensified the importance of family reactions to such threats. Families must participate in protests in order to defend their well being. The question addressed in this research is; what determines whether or not a family chooses to play this new familial role? This raises theoretical questions regarding how and under what conditions a family changes its pattern of functioning. A study model is developed to determine the relationships between the dependent variable, family response, and the independent variables: 1) environmental awareness; 2) family relationships; 3) level of stress; 4) risk perception; 5) perception of community; 6) SES; and 7) perception of social support. This study focusses on family response to the 85 year pollution of the Pigeon River by the Champion Paper Co. Residents of Cocke County, Tennessee have suffered from the consequences of the pollution for generations. In this study the family is the unit of analysis. Both extensive participant observation and a structured survey are used to collect data measuring various impacts of the pollution. Findings indicate multiple social, economical, and psychological impacts on the families of Cocke County. Factors determining family response are level of education, stress, risk perception, environmental awareness and social support. Most families in the community believe that the pollution of the Pigeon River represents a health threat to the community. By engaging in political activism in protest of the pollution, activist families have adopted a positive coping strategy. Non-activist families vary in their reasons for non-involvement. Fatalism, scarce resources and the lack of clear perception of contamination impede these families' mobilization. Finally, for a community that has been suffering the consequences of the pollution for 85 years, social activism represents the most effective strategy for creating the public pressure necessary to force a solution to the pollution problem. Names of participants have been changed to protect their rights.