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TIFO & the Sho-Pai Tribe had our 3-year EPA grant terminated in March after months without access to funds, hurting our work & communities. Join tomorrow’s town hall (5/28, 3–5 pm ET) hosted by EPN & partners to demand action. Register: environmentalprotectionnetwork.org/ffog-may-22-20…

Not-so-fun fact: Lead poisoning affects 1 in 3 children worldwide. Casey, Ian, and Sandra Spearman (former TIFO student now working for IHME) are in D.C. for the First Annual Research Conference on Global Lead Exposure, kicking off tomorrow!

TIFO is spinning trivia at the Wellness for All Fair downtown Moscow. Come say hello, enjoy the fine weather & pleasant tunes, and get to know the many organizations and businesses in town celebrating whole-body health, while advocating for access to healthcare as a human right.

Did you know? Office space is available in the TIFO building. Come be our neighbor and join a building with nonprofit neighbors doing incredible work. pullman.craigslist.org/.../moscow.../…

Shymkent, Kazakhstan—home to 1.1M people—was once the USSR’s top lead producer. As a result, lead pollution threatens families. TIFO partner Petr Sharov of EHPMI shares what the team found at a playground near the smelter. Funded in part by The Sigrid Rausing Trust.

TIFO volunteer Bryn Thoms out in 100°F Kazakhstan heat, casually blasting X-rays into the soil to detect heavy metals—because who doesn’t love a little science with a side of sunburn? Not so hot news, this playground has high lead levels. The sweat is real, and so is the data.

Pro tips from the field (thanks, Marina!): 🕶️ Dig your pits in the shade (work with the sun so you don't melt!) 🧰 Keep tools close to ensure good samples 📏 Use the same side of the screen for clean XRF reads 💪 And most importantly—bring a great team!

This park in Shymkent, Kazakhstan, looks like any other, but the soil tells a different story. Lead levels here range from 400 to 2,500 parts per million or ppm (for reference, soil lead levels greater than 400 ppm exceed the EPA's level of significant contamination).

Hidden in plain sight. Bryn tested the paint at this Shymkent playground and found 78,000 ppm of lead. It may not be as easily ingested as soil dust, but lead at this level is still a serious risk, especially where kids play. No safe level of lead. Period.

A wide range of skills rounds out our fieldwork. 😆 💪 (This stunt is performed by a trained professional. Please do not try this at home. 😉) #TIFO #terragraphicsinternational #environmentalhealth #environmentalscience #environmentaljustice #skills

Marina and Bryn joined our partners at EHPMI for a site tour of the former Litafoni Factory in Kutaisi—Georgia’s first chemical plant, now a 13-hectare toxic site. Locals still walk, graze cattle, and collect scrap here, while pollution seeps toward the Rioni River.

When your childhood sandbox skills finally pay off! Sampling the depths at the Litafoni Chemical Plant in Kutaisi, Georgia, because big contamination needs big equipment. #TIFO #terragraphicsinternational #environmentalhealth #scienceinaction #environmentalassessment

Thank you to everyone who joined us in the garden to connect and reflect. TIFO remains steadfast in the fight for environmental justice and a more equitable future for all. We couldn't do it without your support. We are so grateful!