Grantee Research Project Results
Filtration for Respiratory Exposure to wildfire Smoke from Swamp Cooler Air (FRESSCA)
EPA Grant Number: R840242Title: Filtration for Respiratory Exposure to wildfire Smoke from Swamp Cooler Air (FRESSCA)
Investigators: Solomon, Gina M , Stephens, Brent , Heidarinejad, Mohammad , English, Paul , Balmes, John R. , Miller, Shelly , Wagner, Jeff , Martinez, Nayamin , Garzon-Galvis, Catalina
Current Investigators: Solomon, Gina M , Miller, Shelly , Balmes, John R. , Stephens, Brent , Heidarinejad, Mohammad , English, Paul , Wagner, Jeff , Martinez, Nayamin , Garzon-Galvis, Catalina
Institution: Public Health Institute , Illinois Institute of Technology , University of California - San Francisco , University of Colorado Boulder , California Department of Public Health , Central California Environmental Justice Network
Current Institution: Public Health Institute , Illinois Institute of Technology , California Department of Public Health , University of California - San Francisco , University of Colorado Boulder , Central California Environmental Justice Network
EPA Project Officer: Chung, Serena
Project Period: September 1, 2021 through August 31, 2024
Project Amount: $994,407
RFA: Interventions and Communication Strategies to Reduce Health Risks of Wildland Fire Smoke Exposures (2021) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Wildfires , Air Quality and Air Toxics
Description:
Agricultural workers in California’s San Joaquin Valley are disproportionately exposed to wildfire smoke. The topography of the region traps smoke plumes from wildfires in both Northern and Southern California, resulting in extremely high particulate matter concentrations for many weeks each wildfire season. Structural limitations make it challenging to control smoke exposure during work hours in this population. Significant exposures also occur when vulnerable workers and their families are in their homes during nonwork hours, which should be mitigated, and is the focus of this proposal. Low-income families in the San Joaquin Valley rarely have air conditioning; instead, homes are cooled with rooftop evaporative (“swamp”) coolers. These devices are economical, energy efficient, and effective at cooling in dry climates. However, evaporative coolers bring in large quantities of unfiltered outdoor air, creating a serious hazard when wildfire smoke and heat events coincide. No filter for rooftop evaporative coolers currently exists, yet filtration should be feasible for this purpose.
Objective:
This project seeks to reduce wildfire smoke exposures and health risks among agricultural workers and other low-income families by designing and field testing an affordable and effective filtration system for rooftop evaporative coolers.
Approach:
The study team brings together experts in engineering, indoor air quality, public health, medicine, and community organizing to tackle a problem that was brought to our attention by farmworker families themselves. The FRESSCA project will include three phases: (1) Design a filter that is effective, easy to install, and affordable; (2) test the filter in the homes of agricultural workers in the San Joaquin Valley, with continuous monitoring of indoor and outdoor particulate matter concentrations, and more intensive testing in a subset of homes; (3) Implement a participant engagement strategy to evaluate EC filtration systems and identify potential barriers to widespread use.
Expected Results:
If our project is successful, we expect to have an affordable and effective field-tested filter design that could in the future (not as part of this project) be mass-produced for use in homes with evaporative coolers throughout the Western U.S., thereby protecting thousands of low-income people from the adverse effects of both heat and wildfire smoke. Combined with education and participant engagement, we expect to demonstrate reduced respiratory symptoms and improved quality-of-life in the study population compared to controls during wildfire smoke events.
Publications and Presentations:
Publications have been submitted on this project: View all 13 publications for this projectJournal Articles:
Journal Articles have been submitted on this project: View all 1 journal articles for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
Air, indoor air, residential, particulates, PM2.5, PM10, innovative technology, engineering, monitoring, exposure, Environmental Justice, Latino, community-based, farmworker, agriculture, California, CA, Region 9Progress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.