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Using Air Sensors to Build Capacity to Measure Air Pollution Mitigation Strategies at Schools – A Case Study at Brookfield Elementary School, Oakland, CA
Citation:
Davidson, K., R. Baldauf, P. Deshmukh, W. Richardson, E. Canteenwala, R. Freed, S. Batka, AND R. Dodder. Using Air Sensors to Build Capacity to Measure Air Pollution Mitigation Strategies at Schools – A Case Study at Brookfield Elementary School, Oakland, CA. ASICS Conference, Oakland, CA, September 12 - 14, 2018.
Impact/Purpose:
Exposure to air pollution at schools located near large highways has been shown to be a public health concern. This poster provides a summary of results and design of sensor packages used for assessing air quality at a near-road school implementing roadside vegetation to mitigate traffic emission impacts. The results from this study will provide important methods to assess near-road air quality and the effectiveness of mitigation strategies. The methods described have, and will continue to be, used by EPA program offices, regions and external stakeholders interested in conducting air quality assessments at near-road schools
Description:
Research indicates that noise and vegetative barriers, separately or in combination, can reduce downwind air pollutant concentrations near busy roads. EPA and its project partners are participating in an ongoing effort to measure the spatial patterns of traffic-related gas- and particle-phase pollutants consistent with traffic activity both with and without a vegetation barrier at Brookfield Elementary School in Oakland, CA. Brookfield is directly adjacent to a busy goods movement corridor (I-880); a noise barrier currently separates the school from the highway shoulder. EPA collected initial air quality samples at the school before vegetation was planted on the downwind side of the sound wall in early 2017 using a combination of low-cost mobile and fixed sensors to establish on-site conditions. In the project’s second phase, EPA is developing low-cost BC and NOx mobile and fixed sensor packages that will be deployed at the school by teachers, staff and students to learn more about exposure to near-road pollutants including how newly planted vegetation affects their air quality over time. Prior to deployment, EPA is developing a hands-on training for teachers and staff on how to operate the sensors and evaluate the data. EPA is also developing educational materials to accompany the sensor deployment. The lessons learned at Brookfield will be transferable as a case-study to other schools/communities interested in air quality education and research.