Recreation and risk around Los Alamos: are Hispanics more at risk?

The Department of Energy (DOE) and other federal facilities are involved in massive remediation and restoration efforts on lands that may eventually be turned over for recreation or other uses by the public. In addition, other sites are expected to continue their ongoing missions, but recreation may be sanctioned, or not discouraged, on their remediated lands. Understanding the amount and types of recreation of regional residents who might use such lands, as well as their willingness to use these lands, is critical to determining both cleanup and restoration standards, and potential future risk. In this article the recreational rates, current recreational use, and willingness to recreate on Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico are examined for 356 people interviewed at a well-attended gun show in Albuquerque, NM. There were few significant ethnic differences in recreational rates, although Hispanics had higher fishing rates and lower bird-watching rates than whites. Women hunted less, and photographed more, than men. Younger people fished and hunted more, and bird-watched less, than older people. There were no differences in recreational rates as a function of income or education. These data can be used for understanding potential exposure of people in the vicinity of Los Alamos.