Project RECREATE

Project RECREATE focused on understanding exposure and health risks for low contact recreational users of the Anacostia River. 84.1% of survey respondents who engaged in canoeing, kayaking, rowing, rafting, or paddling were exposed to water on their bodies during recreation. Some 27.2% of those exposed to water reported getting water in their mouth while recreating, and 60.7% of that group reported swallowing some of this water. This is the first study to examine the exposure to contaminants faced by the recreational population of the Anacostia River. This work was funded by a grant from the Smithsonian-UMD seed grant program.