It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Saturday, January 06, 2024
Pollution-tracking citizen science project offers New York students a breath of fresh air
Fordham University researchers partner with Bronx schools to collect air quality data, highlight impacts of climate change and economic inequality
LEFT: INCIDENCE OF ASTHMA-RELATED EMERGENCY ROOM VISITS BY CHILDREN IN NEW YORK CITY NEIGHBORHOODS, ALONG WITH AIR QUALITY DATA COLLECTED BY A FRESH AIR SITE IN ONE OF THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS. RIGHT: ONE OF THE SENSORS DISTRIBUTED AMONG SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY CENTERS AS PART OF FRESH AIR.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 4, 2024 – Climate change is one of the biggest issues of the 21st century, a crisis that affects the fate of the entire world as well as our place in it. A warming Earth will destroy ecosystems, flood cities, and lead to countless suffering and death for people worldwide. Part of the challenge of dealing with climate change is helping people understand its complex impacts.
In The Physics Teacher, co-published by AIP Publishing and the American Association of Physics Teachers, researchers from Fordham University partnered with middle and high schools in the Bronx and Manhattan in a citizen science project to collect real-time air quality data. Their project, Fordham Regional Environmental Sensor for Healthy Air (FRESH Air) seeks to improve air quality data while educating the community about the effects of climate change.
The researchers supplied students with commercial air quality sensors along with kits to build their own, which collected indoor and outdoor air pollution measurements at their schools. In the process, those students learned about one of the most immediate effects of climate change.
“We identified asthma, especially childhood asthma, as being a major concern among members of the Bronx community,” said author Stephen Holler. “Respiratory diseases like asthma have a strong connection to air quality, which is negatively impacted by the changing climate. This became the focal point for the project: to educate the Bronx community about climate change through the negative impacts of air quality that are adversely affecting them on a daily basis.”
Thanks to the air quality sensors and the data they produced, students could draw connections between the quality of their air and the health of their planet.
“In June 2023, the students witnessed an orange haze over New York City due to extensive wildfires in eastern Canada, which were a consequence of the warming climate,” said Holler. “This provided a first-hand experience of the connection between the changing climate and the air they breathe.”
The data collected thanks to FRESH Air has revealed more than just impacts from climate change. This study also highlighted disparities between schools in low-income and high-income communities.
“As we partner with the schools and community organizations, we are getting a picture of the asymmetric distribution of pollution,” said Holler. “At some locations, indoor air quality closely tracks outdoor air quality, indicating that some schools are ‘leaky’ and not filtering out particulate matter, exposing students and staff to potential respiratory and cardiovascular disease.”
Ultimately, the researchers at Fordham hope to inspire more students to develop an interest in science.
“The citizen science aspect of the project enables the students and communities to feel they are part of a scientific endeavor and one that has a direct impact on their lives,” said Holler. “Many people do not understand that the scientific process is fundamentally a shared experience. As one of my colleagues is fond of saying, ‘Science is something we do all together.’”
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The article “Project FRESH Air: A community engagement project about health and climate” is authored by Stephen Holler, Usha Sankar, Mark McNeil, Melanie Knuts, and Jahred Jack. It appears in The Physics Teacher on Jan. 4, 2024 (DOI: 10.1119/5.0136945) and can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1119/5.0136945.
ABOUT THE JOURNAL
Dedicated to the strengthening of the teaching of introductory physics at all levels, The Physics Teacher includes tutorial papers, articles on pedagogy, current research, and news in physics, as well as history, philosophy, and biography. See https://aapt.scitation.org/journal/pte.
ABOUT AAPT
AAPT is an international organization for physics educators, physicists, and industrial scientists with members worldwide. Dedicated to enhancing the understanding and appreciation of physics through teaching, AAPT provides awards, publications, and programs that encourage teaching practical application of physics principles, support continuing professional development, and reward excellence in physics education. AAPT was founded in 1930 and is headquartered in the American Center for Physics in College Park, Maryland.
Air pollution significantly impacts human health, with Hainan Province in China aiming to achieve world-leading ambient air quality by 2035, despite already having relatively good air quality in China. The existing Ambient Air Quality Standards (AAQS) offer insufficient guidance for further enhancing air quality in Hainan, which stands at the forefront of China's environmental protection efforts. Consequently, it is imperative to develop Hainan's local AAQS. This initiative, responding to WHO's strengthened guidelines, aims to address unique regional challenges in air quality assessment, like high background pollutant levels and other complex environmental factors. The development of these tailored standards is crucial for further improving air quality and health outcomes in Hainan and can serve as a model for other regions seeking to surpass national benchmarks and achieve global air quality leadership.
In a landmark study published in Eco-Environment & Health on 28 October 2023, a team from Tsinghua University and several other Chinese institutions presents a comprehensive approach to developing local AAQS tailored for Hainan Province, China. This initiative is part of Hainan's broader effort to enhance its ecological environment and achieve world-class air quality by 2035.
The study began by looking at air quality standards from different countries and regions, focusing on how they measure and limit pollution. For Hainan, the researchers suggested new, realistic goals for reducing common pollutants, considering health effects over both short and long periods. They used these goals, along with local data and international guidelines, to create Hainan's own standards.
To predict if Hainan can meet these goals, the researchers used a computer program called the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model. This program helped them see how the air quality might change by 2035 with different ways of controlling pollution. They found that with strong policies, Hainan could indeed meet these new, stricter air quality goals by 2035.
Lead researcher Bin Zhao from Tsinghua University emphasizes, "Developing local AAQS is critical for regions like Hainan, where the standard needs to reflect local conditions while aiming for global leadership in air quality. Our research is a step towards achieving that delicate balance."
The pioneering work of establishing local AAQS in Hainan Province represents a significant step towards a healthier environment and serves as a model for regions worldwide. As the province moves towards implementing these standards, it embarks on a path to achieving world-leading air quality by 2035.
The study estimates that adhering to the new standards could prevent thousands of premature deaths annually by 2035 due to reduced long-term exposure to PM2.5 and O3. This proactive approach not only promises a healthier future for Hainan's residents but also sets a precedent for other regions to develop their own localized air quality standards.
The National Key R&D Program of China (2022YFC3700702); The Energy Foundation, and the Tsinghua-Toyota Joint Research Institute Inter-disciplinary Program.
Eco-Environment & Health (EEH) is an international and multidisciplinary peer-reviewed journal designed for publications on the frontiers of the ecology, environment and health as well as their related disciplines. EEH focuses on the concept of "One Health" to promote green and sustainable development, dealing with the interactions among ecology, environment and health, and the underlying mechanisms and interventions. Our mission is to be one of the most important flagship journals in the field of environmental health.
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