DiNEH Project

 Community-based research to assess the role of environmental exposures on health in the Eastern Navajo Agency


Current Upate for DiNEH Project
Current Upate for CUE-JTH 

DiNEH Project Collaborators

  • University of New Mexico Community Environmental Health Program
  • Soutwest Research and Information Center
DiNEH Team Picture

  • Navajo Area Indian Health Service, Community Uranium Exposure-Journey to Healing Program
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  • Crownpoint Service Unit, NAIHS
  • Community Research Advisory Board

  • Ed Carlisle - Churchrock

  • Jay R. DeGroat - Mariano Lake

  • Herbert Enrico - Littlewater

  • Thomas Manning, Sr. - Littlewater

  • Lynnea Smith - Crownpoint

  • Jean Whitehorse - Smith Lake

Activities of the DiNEH Project, 2001 - 2011

  • In collaboration with USEPA and Navajo EPA, sampled and tested 130 different water sources in study area; made use recommendations
  • Developed and distributed yellow warning posters for contaminated water sources
  • Completed water-use, land-use and health surey of 1304 residents
  • Found proximity to uranium wastes increases risk of hypertension, kidney disease and autoimmune disease
  • With NAIHS, conducted 14 uranium screening clinics; collected blood and urine samples from 267 DiNEH participants for testing of biological inductators of disease
  • Reported research results to each chapter

The final results of the DiNEH Project will be posted upon review and approval of the Navajo Nation Human Research Review Board.






DiNEH project is funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health, National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences, R25ES013208, R01ES014565; in-kind support from the Crownpoint Service Unit Indian Health Service; and UNM-GRC grant M01-RR-00997