The initiative will mark the first time that residents of Mott Haven and Port Morris will have access to continuous, high-quality, localized air pollution data.
BRONX, N.Y., Sept. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- South Bronx Unite, a community-led advocacy organization that's campaigned for cleaner air for more than 10 years, is announcing a new partnership with air quality monitoring provider QuantAQ that will see 25 sensors deployed across the community to capture a comprehensive view of local air quality.
South Bronx Unite and QuantAQ, alongside academic partner Columbia University and funders New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and WE ACT, are hosting a tour of the new sensor network as part of ClimateWeek NYC on Sept 20th. Public and press are invited to attend.
QuantAQ's air quality sensors will be deployed across various high-pollution sites (power plants, large-scale warehouses with high-volume diesel truck traffic, waste facilities, and others) as well as a local greenspace and pedestrianized plaza. Air quality data will be made available to the public and will show minute-by-minute changes in the concentration of particulate matter (PM) and harmful gas pollutants (including ozone, nitric oxide, and nitrogen dioxide). When this data is in place, policy makers will be able to analyze positive and negative impacts of local decisions.
"Residents of Mott Haven and Port Morris are exposed to pollution at rates unseen in other parts of New York," says Arif Ullah, Executive Director of South Bronx Unite. "As a result, we have some of the highest childhood asthma rates in the country, and until today we've lacked comprehensive data to back up what we already know: Air pollution is affecting every aspect of our community's health and well-being, and it's getting worse, not better."
South Bronx communities have historically lacked access to trusted air quality data, especially data that is both high quality and specific to a particular site. The QuantAQ sensors, a product called MODULAIR, are small units that record air pollution, both in gas phase (including CO, NO, NO2 and O3) and as particulate matter (sorted by size - PM1, PM2.5, and PM10). Monitoring this entire range of pollutants captures a variety of emission sources ranging from hyperlocal vehicle and industrial emissions to regional events such as wildfires.
"What makes this project unique is that we're building a coalition of stakeholders including leadership from South Bronx Unite, cutting-edge air quality researchers from Columbia, and municipal interests from New York State and city environmental control agencies." said Dr. Eben Cross, Chief Science Officer at QuantAQ. "All parties are coming together around a shared goal of improved monitoring capacity for the people who live in Port Morris and Mott Haven."
The sensors are encased in weather-proof boxes and powered via solar panels. Measurements are made continuously, transmitted to the cloud using the local cellular network, and viewed in a dashboard on a minute-by-minute basis.
Once the sensor network is fully deployed later this autumn, academic partners from Columbia University and South Bronx Unite leadership will share an analysis of baseline pollution trends across all sites. For the first time ever, the data will then be shared publicly and the community will be engaged in training, advocacy, and air quality understanding.
To be kept informed of project updates, including alerts of baseline pollution rates and an invitation to a winter debrief, contact the team at [email protected].
About the event at ClimateWeek NYC
The event will begin at 10am and will depart from the Maria Sola Community Garden at Lincoln Ave & E 134th St. The program will last roughly two hours and includes remarks from South Bronx Unite, QuantAQ scientists, Columbia researchers and others. A handful of polluting sites will be visited. Refreshments and discussion will conclude the program for those who wish. Register here for free tickets and event updates.
About South Bronx Unite
South Bronx Unite was formed in 2012 with the mission to bring together neighborhood residents, community organizations, academic institutions, and allies to improve and protect the social, environmental, and economic future of Mott Haven and Port Morris. The organization has led numerous high-impact actions encompassing public policy and legislative organizing, community advocacy and organizing, studies and collaborations.
About QuantAQ
QuantAQ provides air quality monitoring networks to groups hoping to gain actionable, truly local air quality data. Founded by atmospheric chemistry PhDs who combined their expertise with the latest in IoT hardware, machine learning, and user-friendly software design, the company has developed durable, professional-grade sensors that can detect a range of gasses and particulate matter with more convenience and at a fraction of the cost and complexity of traditional monitoring solutions.
Media Contact
Anna Bishop Rehrig, QuantAQ, 1 (617) 798-2923, [email protected], https://quant-aq.com/
Arif Ullah, South Bronx Unite, 1 (617) 798-2923, [email protected], https://www.southbronxunite.org/
SOURCE QuantAQ
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