Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Time-Relevant Communication of Ozone and Particulate AirPollution Data: A Pilot Project to Raise Public Awareness and Promote ExposureReduction
EPA Grant Number: R827058Title: Time-Relevant Communication of Ozone and Particulate AirPollution Data: A Pilot Project to Raise Public Awareness and Promote ExposureReduction
Investigators: Goode, Matthew E. , Allen, George , Sheehan, Jerry , Alter, Lee , Loh, Penn
Institution: Suffolk County Conservation District
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: November 1, 1998 through October 31, 2000
Project Amount: $527,000
RFA: Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and Community Tracking (EMPACT) (1998) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Environmental Statistics , Water , Sustainable and Healthy Communities , Air , Ecological Indicators/Assessment/Restoration
Objective:
The Roxbury Air Monitoring project, known as AIRBEAT, is a collaborative effort to pilot real-time ambient air pollution monitoring and data management techniques for ozone, fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and black carbon (BC) soot, and to provide these data to the public in ways that increase accessibility of the data. The project has run its pilot course, completing 2.5 years of operation. All major objectives have been successfully accomplished. Operation will continue with sustainability mechanisms in place for long-term viability. Technical and administrative details can be found in the final report filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), or by contacting the Project Officer, Madalene Stevens, at stevens.madalene@epa.gov.Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
Task status: The project's four main tasks have been accomplished. These are:Task | Status as of September 30, 2001 |
1. Time-relevant environmental monitoring | Equipment installation complete. Routine monitoring on an hourly basis. Quality control on all systems ongoing. |
2. Time-relevant information management, processing, and delivery | Data management system installed. Software applications developed and tested. Delivery system has and will continue to be operational. |
3. Time-relevant communication | Web Site, hotline, fax system all set up and publicly accessible |
4. Evaluation | Baseline public survey and on-street interviews were followed by independent evaluation, task reviews, and follow-up interviews with appropriate partner-participants. Evaluation completed in June 2002. Forty page evaluation on file, contact Suffolk County Conservation District (SCCD) or the EPA. |
The AIRBEAT project has met all of the goals and objectives set forth in the proposal and the Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and Community Tracking (EMPACT) program, and should be considered a highly successful project. The three technology objectives: (1) to deploy and demonstrate innovative real-time air monitors; (2) to design and implement a data management center; and (3) to develop multiple communication venues, have been completely achieved, along with the appropriate evaluation, documentation, and ability to transfer these technologies.
Monitoring. AIRBEAT in Roxbury has the following monitors providing real-time information to three information-processing centers:
- CAMM for PM2.5;
- TEOM for fine particulates PM2.5, (the TEOM was turned off in March 2001);
- Ozone;
- Aethalometer (model AE21) for BC soot, a diagnostic of mobile source pollution;
- Meteorological stations for wind speed and direction, temperature, humidity, etc;
- Nox for Nitrogen oxides (NO), Nitrogen dioxide (NO2); and
- Carbon monoxide (CO).
In addition to these monitoring devices, the Hazecam, a digital camera located in Swampscott, MA, 18 km from Boston, is deployed as part of the project to demonstrate the effects of urban air pollution on visibility. Photographs from this suburban location provide comparative visibility effects of local and regional haze-particle air pollution.
Data Management System. The data delivery system functions on high- and low-tech levels to provide data to the public on an hourly basis. AIRBEAT's data management center (DMC) was designed to standardize, archive, distribute, and insure the quality of the data collected. AIRBEAT's Web Site is available to the public. The data management center can integrate data from Internet resources, and an ozone map is included on the Web site. The Web site also provides links to other Web sites, including the EPA EMPACT homepage, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and additional sites related to asthma, air pollution, and other EMPACT programs.
In addition to the real time air quality information currently available on the AIRBEAT Web Site, a hotline (617-427-9500) also responds to the public need for data; air quality index (AQI)-color coded flags are displayed at two prominent locations in Roxbury; and a fax, e-mail, and beeper notification of air quality (AQ) information also has been implemented. Communicating real-time AQI information via radio and television has been pursued, but implementing this is an ongoing challenge. Although not projected in the original scope of work, the latter venues were added to supplement the 'low-tech' means to expand and facilitate data access by the public.
Communication and Training. The project team worked with two entities strong in technical capabilities: Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM) and Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH); and an organization, Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE), with a strong community presence. For all three organizations, AIRBEAT dovetailed with projects underway with different funding sources. This allowed ideas and activities from multiple projects to feed into and enhance the AIRBEAT project. It also is key to their sustainability. In addition, the AIRBEAT project met the regulatory needs of the MA DEP, which further enhanced the sustainability of the air monitors and data management center. The use of e-mail appears to have greatly facilitated this communication.
AIRBEAT has developed an internship program that includes extensive training in air pollution and AIRBEAT related issues. Information about AIRBEAT is now routinely incorporated into other programs conducted by ACE, and has reached the community in 30-50 workshops conducted over the course of the EMPACT grant.
The partners worked closely together to develop the contextual material and other additional information on the AIRBEAT Web Site. ACE incorporated awareness and use of time-relevant air monitoring data into many of its previously established environmental justice programs in Roxbury. ACE has also developed special materials to enhance community-wide awareness of AIRBEAT, and is developing relationships with local health care facilities to more effectively utilize the data.
These programs, as well as training materials, have helped K-12 grade students understand air pollution, its sources, how it is measured, and what the AQI means in understanding the relationship between asthma and ambient AQ in relation to their health.
Evaluation. An independent evaluator, Strauss Associates, assessed the following:
- Whether the project met the goals and objectives as stated in its proposal;
- Whether the project met the EMPACT program goal of providing the public access to clearly-communicated, time-relevant, useful, and accurate environmental monitoring data in an ongoing and sustainable manner; and
- Whether the project achieved the overall goal of the EMPACT program, i.e., does it (or will it) assist the local community in day-to-day decision-making about their health and the environment?
The success of AIRBEAT in Roxbury suggests that health concerns that result from air pollution issues can be addressed through community-based approaches, and therefore may serve as a model for urban groups across the country.
This project proves that communicating air quality information to the community assists the local community in day-to-day decisionmaking about their health and the environment.
The principal investigator (PI) and the project manager came from SCCD, a local government entity. This ensured that the community component remained a strong focus as the project managers weighed decisions among competing priorities.
For AIRBEAT, the inclusion of ACE, an environmental justice organization with established roots in the community, was essential to the success in communicating time-relevant data and effecting changes in behavior and local policies.
Securing an independent evaluator also contributed to its success. We made every effort to integrate the evaluator into regular channels of project communication, such as monthly meetings. This enhanced the project's success because the evaluation took on a formative role. Project staff changed the Web site, hotline script, and other public communication vehicles to accommodate problems uncovered by the evaluation. The independent evaluator was able to lay these problems on the table with a clarity that allowed project experts immediately to address and resolve the issues for the good of the whole project.
Relationship to Goals of the Project. The goals of Roxbury AIRBEAT are intended to raise awareness of air quality issues in an urban, largely Black (70 percent) and Latino (18 percent) community. The project was designed to demonstrate an innovative, reliable system of real-time air monitors for ozone and particulates, as well as related weather parameters, and to implement an appropriate data-management system to process, distribute, and archive the data. The leading objective was the mandate to develop an active outreach and education program to increase community awareness and use of the information.
From the onset of the project, we placed a high emphasis on building a partnership between the scientist-investigators and the Roxbury community. The following efforts were designed specifically to achieve this:
· Involving the community at the assessment stage prior to implementation;
· Encouraging a mutual information flow such that the community is viewed as experts comparable to the scientist-investigators; and
· Making community receptivity to the project a major goal to allow for greater acceptance of the project and a vested interest in its outcome.
Relevance to Protection of Environment and Human Health. The overall goal of the EMPACT program, to assist the local community in day-to-day decisionmaking about their health and the environment has been achieved with anticipated ongoing results. Observable accomplishments and ongoing activities have evolved over the course of the project to support the stated objectives: promote access, awareness, and use of time-relevant data through an active outreach and educational campaign; affect and improve daily decisions to reduce the harmful effects of air pollutants; and bolster the community's effectiveness in shaping local policies that affect air pollution.
To accomplish this, the project has developed educational materials, distributed flyers, and conducted numerous activities, such as workshops, classes, and tours to promote awareness and use of time-relevant data. These activities have reached many hundreds of community residents, especially youth, and will be ongoing and sustainable after EMPACT funding has ended. The community partners continue their efforts to promote access to time-relevant data with ongoing efforts to encourage local radio and television outlets to incorporate air quality information into the weather forecasts, ongoing contact with health professionals, and efforts to enhance the visual flag warning system.
The user-friendly Web site also has contributed to these goals. Roxbury residents can now to make decisions at a personal level regarding outdoor activities based on current air quality information. Data from AIRBEAT have helped students understand pollution and its trends in their neighborhood. Students also have learned how to analyze and compare data with standards to recognize trends, and to show that Dudley Square is a "hotspot" for air pollution: its air quality is poorer than nearby areas in Boston. The students can now talk more effectively with community leaders and government officials about how air pollution affects their lives. Access to the local air quality monitoring data empowers students and residents to make a stronger case for change.
Potential Applications. This project has built a foundation for future work. Several opportunities for building on this foundation are described in the report.
An evaluation revealed five critical components that led to the project's success:
- The community and its leaders had already identified a need for the information to be generated by the project and thus were receptive to the project efforts;
- The organizations that comprised the project team had both strong technical skills and strong roots in the community;
- The individuals responsible for doing the work had good working relationships and communication skills;
- The power structure of the project ensured that the needs of the community remained a strong focus; and
- The evaluation process contributed useful information that allowed us to improve the project, and focused project attention on improving performance.
Long-range goals cannot fully be evaluated until the program has been in place for some time. However, there are early indications of success of AIRBEAT's efforts. For example, ACE interns have clearly stated that they have changed their behavior (outdoor activities) based on air quality information, and have passed this information and advice on to their families. Time-relevant data from the PM2.5 and BC monitors have been used in presentations to political leaders and transportation officials, thus bolstering the community's effectiveness in shaping policies that affect air pollution.
Informing the Scientific Community and Transferring Technology to Other Sites. AIRBEAT has been invited to contribute to EPA's Tech Transfer Handbook. This will be the primary vehicle for transferring the technology developed through this project. A follow-up EMPACT project based to a great extent on AIRBEAT, slated for the Northern Manhattan community, demonstrates the transferability of AIRBEAT's methodology and project design.
The entire project has been documented in quarterly and annual reports prepared by project participants. In addition, there is highly technical documentation of portions of the project, such as the data management software and standard operating procedures for the air monitors. To communicate and disseminate the results of this project, members of the AIRBEAT team have presented at conferences, participated in evaluations, and published papers.
Several of the systems/sets of materials developed under this grant are transferable to other programs. These include:
- The CAMM, an innovative technology at the beginning of this project now is commercially available.
- The data management center has been revised in such a way that it can be modified and used at other sites, and the technical expertise of NESCAUM staff can be drawn upon if problems arise.
- The curriculum material developed by ACE to teach air pollution and the interpretation and use of air quality information is in written form, and transferable to other EMPACT programs, especially in similar urban areas.
Ancillary Benefits. Project partners have found this project beneficial to their ongoing programs. For example, the MA DEP learned how to provide real-time data. Real-time data for fine particulates focused attention and resulted in solutions to their data presentation objectives.
Other benefits are more tangible. For example, MA DEP hired and trained a Roxbury native to be an air monitor technician. This capacity building will help ensure sustainability of monitoring technology and provide role models for interested young people.
There have been efforts to incorporate AIRBEAT information into existing programs with clinics and schools, which already have established credibility and constituencies within the community. This has been critical to the rapidity and extent to which members of the Roxbury community have become aware of this information, and thus use it. The information, presently being used in many ways, will expand over time as more people, especially medical personnel, learn how to access and use it.
The AIRBEAT project has been highly successful. It has pioneered new technology and empowered members of the community to make decisions about their personal health. In addition, it has engaged community agencies in advocating environmental and health interests in urban planning decisions, which will be sustained after the EMPACT funding has ceased. The objective of developing contextual material to assist understanding and interpretation of time-relevant data also has been fully achieved with respect to the Web Site and communication venues, along with appropriate documentation and dissemination ability. Together, these achievements demonstrate that the AIRBEAT project met the EMPACT program goal of providing the public access to clearly-communicated, time-relevant, useful, and accurate environmental monitoring data in an ongoing and sustainable manner.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 4 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
asthma, upper-respiratory disease, urban air quality, particulate matter, black carbon, ground level ozone, community-based participatory research, diesel fuel, Northeast, EPA Region 1, air monitoring., RFA, Scientific Discipline, Health, Air, Geographic Area, Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, particulate matter, air toxics, Environmental Chemistry, State, Monitoring/Modeling, Susceptibility/Sensitive Population/Genetic Susceptibility, Environmental Monitoring, Ecological Risk Assessment, genetic susceptability, tropospheric ozone, health effects, sensitive populations, EMPACT, particulates, air pollutants, exposure and effects, stratospheric ozone, community-based approach, fine particles, particulate, ozone , chemical characteristics, health risks, PM 2.5, ozone, public information, exposure, fine particulates, modeling, air pollution, carbon black, diesel exhaust, human exposue, Massachusetts (MA), children, human exposure, mobile sources, web site development, community-based, community outreach, ecosystem health, public access, PM2.5, environmental effects, fine particle levels, public outreach, outreach and education, atmospheric chemistry, real-time monitoring, soot, air quality, environmental hazard exposures, toxicsRelevant Websites:
http://www.airbeat.org Exit
http://www.nescaum.org/realtimepm
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Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe 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.