<![CDATA[Hazardous and Toxic Waste (HTW) utilization in cement plants poses public health risks from dioxin-furan and heavy metal emissions, while limited public awareness may hinder preparedness. This study aims to assess community awareness, evaluate existing risk communication practices, and identify strategies for mitigating health disasters associated with HTW utilization in cement plants. This mixed-method study combined a survey of 97 residents with in-depth interviews with four experts across three Indonesian cement plants that use HTW. Residents knew the sources of pollution and perceived the plants as a large threat. However, many wanted more information about the potency of these threats and were unfamiliar with chronic carcinogenic risks. While all three plants had emergency response procedures, none had formal health disaster communication strategies. Experts supported adapting the Ministry of Health’s “Extraordinary Health Event” framework for chronic industrial health risks and proposed using existing community engagement and social media channels. Effective risk communication should integrate existing emergency frameworks, prioritize inter-agency coordination, and apply phased, verified disclosure to avoid social panic. Embedding chronic health disaster communication into regulatory and public health systems may improve preparedness and response.]]>
Copyrights © 2026
