ed States
ironmental Protection
Agency
Planning and Implementing
a Real-time Air Pollution
Monitoring and Outreach
Program for Your Community
The AirBeat Project of Roxbi
Massachusetts
Environmental Monitoring for Public Ace
& Community Tracking
-------
Disclaimer: This document has been reviewed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and approved
for publication. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommenda-
tion of their use.
-------
EPA/625/R-02/012
November 2002
Planning and Implementing a Real-time Air
Pollution Monitoring and Outreach Program
for Your Community
The AirBeat Project of Roxbury, Massachusetts
National Risk Management Research Laboratory
Office of Research and Development
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Cincinnati, OH 45268
50% Recycled/Recyclable
-—^— s\ Printed with vegetable-based ink on
( /^ _) paper that contains a minimum of
\r |(/ 50% post-consumer fiber content
— '^ processed chlorine free
-------
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The development of this handbook was managed by Scott Hedges (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory) with the support
of Eastern Research Group, Inc., an EPA contractor. Technical guidance was provided by the AirBeat proj-
ect partners. EPA would like to thank the following people and organizations for their substantial contribu-
tions to the contents of this handbook:
George Allen, NESCAUM (formerly of the Harvard School of Public Health)
Lee Alter, Western Governors' Association (formerly of NESCAUM)
Jennifer Charles, Charles Consulting
Matthew Goode, Suffolk County Conservation District
Patrick Kwon, NESCAUM
Jerry Sheehan, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
Jodi Sugerman-Brozan, Alternatives for Community & Environment
Gratitude is also expressed to the following individuals, who served as reviewers of the early drafts of
this handbook:
Norm Beloin, U.S. EPA Region I
Fred Corey, Aroostook Band ofMicmacs
James Hirtz, U.S. EPA Region VII
Swati Prakash, West Harlem Environmental Action, Inc.
Richard Wayland, U.S. EPA, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards
11
-------
r
CONTENTS
Page
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1-1
1.1 About the EMPACT Program 1-2
1.2 About the AirBeat Project 1-2
1.3 About This Handbook 1-4
1.4 For More Information 1-5
CHAPTER 2 HOW TO USE THIS HANDBOOK 2-1
CHAPTER 3 ABOUT GROUND-LEVEL OZONE AND FINE
PARTICULATE MATTER 3-1
3.1 About Ozone 3-1
3.2 About Fine Participate Matter 3-2
3.3 About Black Carbon 3-4
3.4 National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Ozone and Particulate Matter 3-5
3.5 Existing Monitoring Programs for Ozone and Particulate Matter 3-6
3.6 The Air Quality Index—A Tool for Reporting Air Quality Information 3-8
3.7 For More Information 3-9
CHAPTER 4 BEGINNING THE PROGRAM 4-1
4.1 Program Structure: Overview of a Community-Based
Air Pollution Monitoring and Outreach Program 4-1
4.2 Selecting Program Partners 4-2
4.3 Identifying Potentially Impacted Communities 4-4
4.4 Getting To Know the Community 4-5
4.5 Estimating Program Costs 4-6
CHAPTER 5 MONITORING 5-1
5.1 Overview of AirBeat's Monitoring Efforts 5-1
5.2 Key Steps in Designing and Implementing a Monitoring System 5-3
5.3 For More Information 5-12
CHAPTER 6 DATA MANAGEMENT 6-1
6.1 Introduction to Data Management 6-1
6.2 Overview of AirBeat's Data Management Efforts 6-2
6.3 Hardware Components Used to Operate the Data Management Center 6-4
6.4 Software Components Used to Operate the Data Management Center 6-5
6.5 Creating the AirBeat Web Site 6-8
6.6 Creating the Telephone Hotline 6-8
ill
-------
CHAPTER 7 EDUCATION AND OUTREACH 7-1
7.1
7.2
7.3
APPENDIX A
Developing an Outreach Plan 7-1
Education and Outreach Tools 7-6
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Outreach Efforts 7-14
THE PASO DEL NORTE ENVIRONMENTAL
MONITORING PROJECT
A-l
APPENDIX B THE ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY AIR PROJECT B-l
APPENDIX C THE ST. LOUIS REGIONAL CLEAN AIR PARTNERSHIP C-l
GLOSSARY.. . G-l
IV
-------
ed States
ironmental Protection
Agency
Planning and Implementing
a Real-time Air Pollution
Monitoring and Outreach
Program for Your Community
The AirBeat Project of Roxbi
Massachusetts
Environmental Monitoring for Public Ace
& Community Tracking
-------
Disclaimer: This document has been reviewed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and approved
for publication. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommenda-
tion of their use.
-------
EPA/625/R-02/012
November 2002
Planning and Implementing a Real-time Air
Pollution Monitoring and Outreach Program
for Your Community
The AirBeat Project of Roxbury, Massachusetts
National Risk Management Research Laboratory
Office of Research and Development
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Cincinnati, OH 45268
50% Recycled/Recyclable
-—^— s\ Printed with vegetable-based ink on
( /^ _) paper that contains a minimum of
\r |(/ 50% post-consumer fiber content
— '^ processed chlorine free
-------
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The development of this handbook was managed by Scott Hedges (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory) with the support
of Eastern Research Group, Inc., an EPA contractor. Technical guidance was provided by the AirBeat proj-
ect partners. EPA would like to thank the following people and organizations for their substantial contribu-
tions to the contents of this handbook:
George Allen, NESCAUM (formerly of the Harvard School of Public Health)
Lee Alter, Western Governors' Association (formerly of NESCAUM)
Jennifer Charles, Charles Consulting
Matthew Goode, Suffolk County Conservation District
Patrick Kwon, NESCAUM
Jerry Sheehan, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
Jodi Sugerman-Brozan, Alternatives for Community & Environment
Gratitude is also expressed to the following individuals, who served as reviewers of the early drafts of
this handbook:
Norm Beloin, U.S. EPA Region I
Fred Corey, Aroostook Band ofMicmacs
James Hirtz, U.S. EPA Region VII
Swati Prakash, West Harlem Environmental Action, Inc.
Richard Wayland, U.S. EPA, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards
11
-------
r
CONTENTS
Page
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1-1
1.1 About the EMPACT Program 1-2
1.2 About the AirBeat Project 1-2
1.3 About This Handbook 1-4
1.4 For More Information 1-5
CHAPTER 2 HOW TO USE THIS HANDBOOK 2-1
CHAPTER 3 ABOUT GROUND-LEVEL OZONE AND FINE
PARTICULATE MATTER 3-1
3.1 About Ozone 3-1
3.2 About Fine Participate Matter 3-2
3.3 About Black Carbon 3-4
3.4 National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Ozone and Particulate Matter 3-5
3.5 Existing Monitoring Programs for Ozone and Particulate Matter 3-6
3.6 The Air Quality Index—A Tool for Reporting Air Quality Information 3-8
3.7 For More Information 3-9
CHAPTER 4 BEGINNING THE PROGRAM 4-1
4.1 Program Structure: Overview of a Community-Based
Air Pollution Monitoring and Outreach Program 4-1
4.2 Selecting Program Partners 4-2
4.3 Identifying Potentially Impacted Communities 4-4
4.4 Getting To Know the Community 4-5
4.5 Estimating Program Costs 4-6
CHAPTER 5 MONITORING 5-1
5.1 Overview of AirBeat's Monitoring Efforts 5-1
5.2 Key Steps in Designing and Implementing a Monitoring System 5-3
5.3 For More Information 5-12
CHAPTER 6 DATA MANAGEMENT 6-1
6.1 Introduction to Data Management 6-1
6.2 Overview of AirBeat's Data Management Efforts 6-2
6.3 Hardware Components Used to Operate the Data Management Center 6-4
6.4 Software Components Used to Operate the Data Management Center 6-5
6.5 Creating the AirBeat Web Site 6-8
6.6 Creating the Telephone Hotline 6-8
ill
-------
CHAPTER 7 EDUCATION AND OUTREACH 7-1
7.1
7.2
7.3
APPENDIX A
Developing an Outreach Plan 7-1
Education and Outreach Tools 7-6
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Outreach Efforts 7-14
THE PASO DEL NORTE ENVIRONMENTAL
MONITORING PROJECT
A-l
APPENDIX B THE ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY AIR PROJECT B-l
APPENDIX C THE ST. LOUIS REGIONAL CLEAN AIR PARTNERSHIP C-l
GLOSSARY.. . G-l
IV
-------
1
INTRODUCTION
Over the past 15 years, an epidemic of asthma has been occurring in
the United States. Children, in particular, have been severely
affected. EPA's Office of Children's Health Protection estimates that
4.8 million children under 18 years of age—one out of every fifteen chil-
dren—have asthma. Asthma rates have increased 160 percent in the past 15
years in children under 5 years of age.
The problem is even worse among some inner-city populations. In certain
neighborhoods of New York City, for example, one out of every five
children has asthma. In Roxbury, an urban neighborhood in the heart of
Boston, the asthma hospitalization rate is annually among the highest in
Massachusetts (in 1992, it was five times the state average). Although
people of all ages, races, and ethnic groups have been affected by asthma,
nationwide data show that the epidemic is most severe among lower income
and minority children.
These data have lead to heightened concern about the quality of air that
inner-city children are breathing—both indoors and out. In recent years,
scientists have developed a better understanding of the role that air pollu-
tants can play in exacerbating asthma symptoms and triggering asthma
attacks. Much work has been done to reduce children's exposures to indoor
air pollutants and allergens such as cigarette smoke, cockroach particles, dust mites, and animal hair since
these are considered among the most common asthma triggers. At the same time, there is growing recogni-
tion of a need for better information on children's exposures to outdoor air pollutants.
Throughout most of the United States, levels of outdoor air pollutants are much lower today than in
the past. However, in some parts of the country (particularly urban areas), outdoor air pollution is still a
concern. Pollutants of concern1 include ground-level ozone (which is formed by the chemical reaction of pol-
lutants from cars, trucks, buses, power plants, and other sources) and particulate matter (which includes dust,
dirt, soot, smoke, and liquid droplets emitted into the air by sources such as cars, trucks, buses, factories, and
construction activities). Both of these pollutants have been linked to asthma and other respiratory illnesses.
To protect their respiratory health, inner-city residents need timely access to air quality data. Levels of
outdoor air pollutants such as ozone and particulate matter vary from day to day and even during the course
of a single day. Access to air quality forecasts and real-time data can allow residents to reduce their exposures
when pollutant levels are high. For children and others with asthma, reducing exposures to asthma triggers
can be part of a multi-faceted approach to managing symptoms that also includes behavior changes, drug
therapy, and frequent medical follow-ups. Patient education is also key to this approach.
many urban areas, outdoor air
pollution is still a concern.
1 Another class of pollutants that can cause special threats in urban areas is air toxics, which are those air pollutants that are known or suspected
to cause cancer or other serious health problems. Air toxics are not addressed in this handbook. For more information on nationwide efforts to
monitor and reduce emissions of air toxics, visit EPAs Air Toxics Web site at http://www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/.
INTRODUCTION
-------
In 1999, a team of academic, community, and government organizations launched a pilot project to collect
and communicate real-time data2 on air pollution in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts.
This pilot project, which became known as AirBeat, was funded with a grant from EPA's EMPACT
Program. The AirBeat project had two main goals: 1) to develop and implement real-time ambient air
pollution monitoring and data management techniques for ozone, fine particulate matter (PM2 5), and
other air quality parameters, and 2) to communicate real-time air quality data to the public in a way that
can be easily understood and used by community residents to reduce human exposure.
To meet these goals, AirBeat established an ambient air quality monitoring station in the center of Roxbury.
This station continuously collects air pollution data, which are presented in real time for public access on
the AirBeat Web site (http://www.airbeat.org/) and via a telephone hotline system (617-427-9500). The
AirBeat team also developed an extensive outreach program for educating the public about air pollution,
health effects, and precautionary measures.
This technology transfer handbook presents a case study about the AirBeat project. It describes how AirBeat
got its start, how the project's partners approached the technical and human challenges facing them, and
what lessons they learned in the process. The handbook also provides information, recommendations,
suggestions, and tips to assist other groups in developing or refining a comparable program for their own
community. These recommendations, tips, and suggestions come primarily from the AirBeat project, but
also to a limited extent from case studies, lessons learned, and recommendations gleaned from other compa-
rable environmental monitoring projects. The handbook is written primarily for community organizers,
non-profit groups, local government officials, tribal officials, and other decision-makers who will imple-
ment, or are considering implementing, air quality monitoring and outreach programs.
1.1 ABOUT THE EMPACT PROGRAM
This handbook was developed by EPA's EMPACT Program (http://www.epa.gov/empact). EPA created
EMPACT (Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and Community Tracking) to promote new and
innovative approaches to collecting, managing, and communicating environmental information to the
public. Working with communities across the country, the program takes advantage of new technologies
to provide community members with timely, accurate, and understandable environmental information they
can use to make informed, day-to-day decisions about their lives. EMPACT projects cover a wide range of
environmental issues, including water quality, ground water contamination, smog, ultraviolet radiation, and
overall ecosystem quality. Some projects were initiated by EPA, while others (including the AirBeat project)
were launched by EMPACT communities themselves through EPA-funded Metro Grants.
1 .2 ABOUT THE AIRBEAT PROJECT
Planning for the AirBeat project began in 1997 and 1998. EMPACT began funding AirBeat in 1999,
and that spring the project started operating its air pollution monitoring station in the center of Roxbury.
Real-time delivery of air quality data began in 2000 with the launch of the AirBeat Web site and telephone
hotline system.
AirBeat focused on the Roxbury neighborhood for two reasons. First, there has been heightened concern
over outdoor air quality in Roxbury due to high rates of asthma and other respiratory illnesses. And second,
there are a number of strong community organizations in Roxbury that have been working for years on a
variety of environmental health and justice issues.
^ In this handbook, the term "real time" is used to indicate that data are presented to the public almost as soon as they are collected, with only a
slight delay for data processing and quality assurance. AirBeat reports pollutant concentrations as hourly averages, with results generally made
available to the public within 15 minutes of the end of the averaging period.
1-2 CHAPTER 1
-------
Roxbury is a heavily urbanized neighborhood. Its population of 60,000 people is about 70 percent African
American and 18 percent Latino. The poverty rate is more than 30 percent in the neighborhood and 45
percent for children under 18 (U.S. Census Report, 1990). Environmental concerns in Roxbury include
high traffic volumes, vacant lots, illegal trash dumps, and pollution from autobody shops.
In the mid 1990s, concern over outdoor air quality in Roxbury began to focus on motor vehicles, especially
exhaust from diesel trucks and buses. Research conducted in 1996 revealed that there were more than 15
truck and bus depots within a one-mile radius of Roxbury, garaging more than 1,150 diesel vehicles. In
1997, local environmental and community organizations formed a coalition called Clean Buses for Boston
to pressure the regional transit agency to convert its bus fleet from diesel to cleaner alternatives. Some of
these organizations also began discussions with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
(MA DEP) aimed at establishing an ambient air quality monitoring station in Roxbury.
AirBeat's monitoring and outreach project grew out of these efforts. In 1998, MA DEP decided to set up
a monitoring station in the Dudley Square area of Roxbury (see map) to measure levels of PM2.5 in the
ambient air. The station was to be part of MA DEP's statewide monitoring network. With funding from
an EMPACT grant, the AirBeat team was able to expand the Dudley Square monitoring effort to include
continuous measurements of PM2 5, ground-level ozone, and black carbon soot (BC). (Black carbon, a
INTRODUCTION
1-3
-------
component of PM2 5, was chosen because it is a strong indicator of local diesel emissions. See Section 3.3
for more information about BC.) The team also decided to set up a state-of-the-art data management and
delivery system so that the Dudley Square monitoring station would be the first station in the common-
wealth to present air quality data to the public in real time, using a Web site (http://www.airbeat.org) and
other communication venues. In addition, the AirBeat team planned an extensive outreach program to
educate the public about the connections between air pollution and health effects.
The AirBeat project is a partnership between:
• Alternatives for Community & Environment (ACE), a Roxbury-based, non-profit environmental
justice organization that coordinates AirBeat's education and outreach efforts.
• Harvard University School of Public Health, which developed some of the innovative instrumentation
set-ups for the AirBeat monitoring station and shared responsibility for implementing the real-time
measurements.
• MA DEP, which operates 42 ambient air monitoring stations throughout Massachusetts and has
overall responsibility for the Roxbury station.
• Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM), an interstate association of
air quality control agencies that managed AirBeat's data management and mapping efforts and the
development of the project's Web site and hotline.
• Suffolk County Conservation District, which acted as the lead agency, responsible for coordinating the
AirBeat project.
Chapters 4 through 7 of this handbook provide more details about the roles each of these partners played in
the AirBeat project.
Current Status and Sustainability of the AirBeat Project
Since the end of the EMPACT grant period, in 2001, AirBeat has continued to provide real-time data
on air pollution to the Roxbury community. The Dudley Square monitoring station (and all of its instru-
mentation) is maintained by MA DEP, which operates the station as part of its statewide monitoring
network with state and federal funding. AirBeat's Data Management Center runs on an automated basis
from the offices of NESCAUM, with little human oversight needed. The ongoing operation of this equip-
ment means that, for the foreseeable future, air pollution data will continue to be downloaded from the
Dudley Square monitoring station and posted to the AirBeat Web site for public access.
AirBeat outreach activities will also continue, but at a scaled-back level. Air quality is still a major
concern in Roxbury, and AirBeat information has become woven into the fabric of many of ACE's com-
munity education and empowerment initiatives in the neighborhood. So as ACE continues its work, the
AirBeat message will continue to go out to Roxbury residents.
1 -4
CHAPTER 1
-------
1.3 ABOUT THIS HANDBOOK
A number of communities throughout the United States have expressed interest in beginning projects
similar to AirBeat. The purpose of this handbook is to help interested communities and organizations learn
more about AirBeat and to provide them with the technical information they need to develop their own
programs. The Technology Transfer and Support Division of the EPA Office of Research and Development's
(ORD's) National Risk Management Research Laboratory initiated the development of this handbook in col-
laboration with EPA's Office of Environmental Information. ORD, working with AirBeat's project partners,
produced the handbook to leverage EMPACT's investment in the project and minimize the resources needed
to implement similar projects in new areas.
Both print and CD-ROM versions of the handbook are available for direct online ordering from ORD's
Technology Transfer Web site at http://www.epa.gov/ttbnrmrl. A PDF version of the handbook can also be
downloaded from that site. In addition, you can order a copy of the handbook (print or CD-ROM version)
by contacting ORD Publications by telephone or mail at:
EPA ORD Publications
26 W. Martin Luther King Dr.
Cincinnati, OH 45268-0001
EPA NSCEP Toll free: 1-800-490-9198
EPA NSCEP Local: 513-489-8190
Please make sure that you include the title of the handbook and the EPA document number in your
request. We hope that you find the handbook worthwhile, informative, and easy to use.
1.4 FOR MORE INFORMATION
Try the following resources for more on the issues and programs this handbook discusses:
The EMPACT Program
http:I Iwww. epa.gov/empact/
The AirBeat Web site
http://www. air beat, org
Alternatives for Community & Environment
http://www. ace-ej. org/
Massachusetts Department of Environmental
Protection
http://www.state. ma. us/dep/dephome. htm
NESCAUM
http:I I www. nescaum. org/
EPA's Office of Children's Health Protection
http://www. epa.gov/children/
American Lung Association
http://www. lungusa. org/asthma/
National Asthma Education and Prevention
Program, National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute
http://www. nhlbisupport. com/asthma/index, html
AirBeat Contacts:
George Allen
NESCAUM
Phone: 617-367-8540 x235
Email: gallen@nescaum.org
Jodi Sugerman-Brozan
Alternatives for Community & Environment
Phone: 617-442-3343 x23
Email: jodi@ace-ej. org
Jerry Sheehan
Massachusetts Department of Environmental
Protection
Phone: 617-292-5500
Email: jerry.sheehan@state. ma. us
INTRODUCTION
1-5
-------
2
HOW TO USE THIS HANDBOOK
This handbook presents a case study of the AirBeat project. The handbook also provides information,
recommendations, suggestions, and tips to assist other groups in developing or refining a real-time
air pollution monitoring and public outreach project for their own community. The handbook
covers the following key steps in developing an AirBeat-type project:
Identifying target
communities and
selecting program
partners
Developing a mon-
itoring system for
making continuous
measurements of
air pollutants
Using state-of-the-
art technology for
managing data
and delivering it
to community
residents in
real time
Creating an out-
reach program to
educate residents
about air pollution
and health effects
The handbook provides simple "how to" instructions on each facet of planning and implementing an
AirBeat-type program, along with important background information on air pollution and health effects:
• Chapter 3 provides information about ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter, the two major
air pollutants that are the focus of AirBeat s monitoring efforts. The chapter covers pollutant sources
and health effects and gives an overview of existing monitoring programs that are in place nationwide
for measuring ambient concentrations of ozone and particulate matter.
• Chapter 4 describes the steps in beginning an AirBeat-type program: identifying potential target
communities, getting to know the community, selecting partners for the program, and estimating
program costs.
• Chapter 5 discusses the key steps in developing a monitoring system: preparing a quality assurance
plan; siting a monitoring station; selecting monitoring instrumentation and equipment; and installing,
operating, and maintaining the equipment.
• Chapter ^provides detailed information about data management and delivery, focusing on the
equipment and software needed to establish a data management center and such data-delivery tools
as a Web site and telephone hotline system.
• Chapter /provides guidance on education and outreach to community residents about air pollution,
health effects, and the benefits of using real-time air quality data to reduce exposures to harmful
pollutant levels. The chapter includes detailed information on outreach tools and approaches used
by the AirBeat project, along with sample outreach materials.
Haw TO USE THIS HANDBOOK
2-1
-------
Interspersed throughout the handbook are stories about the lessons learned in the course of the AirBeat
project. The handbook also refers you to supplementary sources of information, such as Web sites, guidance
documents, and other written materials. In addition, the handbook includes appendices that present alter-
natives to the approaches used by the AirBeat project:
• Appendix A presents a case study of the Paso del Norte Environmental Monitoring Project, an interna-
tional effort to provide the public with real-time data on air quality, traffic, and weather for a region
along the U.S.-Mexican border that is home to a rapidly growing and bilingual population.
• Appendix B gives an overview of the St. Louis Community Air Project (CAP), a multi-year commit-
ment to better understand the presence of air pollutants in St. Louis and take the necessary steps to
improve the air quality. CAP provides an excellent model for involving the local community in all
aspects of planning and implementing an air quality monitoring and outreach program.
• Appendix C describes another Missouri-based effort: the St. Louis Regional Clean Air Partnership,
a public-private partnership formed to raise awareness of regional air quality issues and to encourage
activities to reduce emissions of air pollutants. The Partnership demonstrates how a program can cost-
effectively leverage monitoring data from existing state-run monitoring networks and deliver it to the
public in the context of an innovative education and outreach effort.
The handbook is designed for managers and decision-makers who may be considering whether to imple-
ment an AirBeat-type monitoring and outreach program in their community, as well as for organizers who
are interested in improving or refining their existing programs.
2-2
CHAPTER 2
-------
3
GROUND-LEVEL OZONE AND
FINE PARTICULATE MATTER
This chapter provides background information about ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter
(PM2 5), the two major air pollutants that are the focus of AirBeat's monitoring efforts. Sections 3.1
and 3.2 describe the sources and health effects of these two pollutants and identify those people
most at risk from unhealthy exposures. Section 3.3 presents information about the sources and health
effects of black carbon, a component of PM2 5 that is monitored by the AirBeat project. Section 3.4 sum-
marizes the National Ambient Air Quality Standards that EPA has established for ozone and particulate
matter to protect people and the environment from adverse effects. Section 3.5 provides an overview of the
existing monitoring programs that are in place nationwide for measuring ambient concentrations of ozone,
particulate matter, and other major air pollutants. Finally, Section 3.6 introduces readers to the Air Quality
Index, a tool developed by EPA to provide people with timely and easy-to-understand information on local
air quality and whether it poses a health concern.
The information in this chapter should be useful to any person interested in air pollution and the national
strategies for monitoring pollutant levels in ambient air, whether that person be a community organizer
responsible for implementing a monitoring program or a member of the public concerned about elevated
pollutant levels in his or her community.
3.1 ABOUT OZONE
Ozone is an odorless, colorless gas composed of three atoms of oxygen. It occurs both in the Earth's upper
atmosphere and at ground level. Ozone can be good or bad, depending on where it is found:
• Good ozone (upper level). Ozone occurs naturally in the Earth's upper atmosphere—10 to 30 miles
above the Earth's surface, where it forms a protective barrier that shields people from the sun's harmful
ultraviolet rays. This barrier is sometimes called the "ozone layer."
• Bad ozone (ground level). Because of pollution, ozone can also be found in the Earth's lower atmos-
phere, at ground level. Ground-level ozone is a major ingredient of smog, and it can harm people's
health by damaging their lungs. It can also damage crops and many common man-made materials,
such as rubber, plastic, and paint.
3.1.1 SOURCES DF GROUND-LEVEL DZDNE
Ground-level ozone is not emitted directly into the air but forms when two kinds of pollutants—volatile
organic compounds and nitrogen oxides—mix in the air and react chemically in the presence of sunlight.
Common sources of volatile organic compounds (often referred to as VOCs) include motor vehicles, gas
stations, chemical plants, and other industrial facilities. Solvents such as dry-cleaning fluid and chemicals
used to clean industrial equipment are also sources of VOCs. Common sources of nitrogen oxides include
motor vehicles, power plants, and other fuel-burning sources.
3.1.2 DZDNE HEALTH EFFECTS
Ozone can affect people's health in many ways:
• Ozone can irritate the respiratory system. When this happens, you might start coughing, feel an irrita-
tion in your throat, and/or experience an uncomfortable sensation in your chest. These symptoms can
last for a few hours after ozone exposure and may even become painful.
ABOUT GROUND-LEVEL OZONE AND FINE PARTICULATE MATTER
3-1
-------
• Ozone can reduce lung function. When scientists refer to "lung function," they mean the volume of air
that you draw in when you take a full breath and the speed at which you are able to blow out the air.
Ozone can make it more difficult for you to breathe as deeply and vigorously as you normally would.
• Ozone can aggravate asthma. When ozone levels are high, more asthmatics have asthma attacks that
require a doctor's attention or the use of additional asthma medication.
• Ozone can aggravate chronic lung diseases, such as emphysema and bronchitis.
• Ozone can inflame and temporarily damage the lining of the lung. Ozone damages the cells that line
the air spaces in the lung. Within a few days, the damaged cells are replaced and the old cells are shed.
If this kind of damage occurs repeatedly, the lung may change permanently in a way that could cause
long-term health effects.
3.1 .3 PDPULATIDNS MOST AT RISK FROM DZDNE
In most parts of the United States, ozone pollution is likely to be a concern during the summer months,
when the weather conditions needed to form ground-level ozone—lots of sun, hot temperatures—normally
occur. Ozone pollution is usually at its worst during summer heat waves when air masses are stagnant.
Ozone levels also vary during the day, and are typically highest during late afternoon and decrease rapidly at
sunset.
Most people only have to worry about ozone exposure when concentrations reach high or very high levels.
However, some groups of people are particularly sensitive to ozone, and members of these groups are likely
to experience health effects before ozone concentrations reach high levels. People most sensitive to ozone
include:
• Children. Active children are the group at highest risk from ozone exposure. Such children often spend
a large part of their summer vacation outdoors, engaged in vigorous activities either in their neighbor-
hood or at summer camp. Children are also more likely to have asthma or other respiratory illnesses.
Asthma is the most common chronic disease for children and may be aggravated by ozone exposure.
• Adults who are active outdoors. Healthy adults who exercise or work outdoors are considered a
"sensitive group" because they have a higher level of exposure to ozone than people who are less active
outdoors.
• People with respiratory diseases, such as asthma. There is no evidence that ozone causes asthma or
other chronic respiratory disease, but these diseases do make the lungs more vulnerable to the effects
of ozone. Thus, individuals with these conditions will generally experience the effects of ozone earlier
and at lower levels than less sensitive individuals.
• People with unusual susceptibility to ozone. Scientists don't yet know why, but some healthy people are
simply more sensitive to ozone than others. These individuals may experience more health effects from
ozone exposure than the average person.
Scientists have found little evidence to suggest that either the elderly or people with heart disease have
heightened sensitivity to ozone. However, like other adults, elderly people will be at higher risk from ozone
exposure if they suffer from respiratory disease, are active outdoors, or are unusually susceptible to ozone.
3.2 ABOUT FINE PARTICULATE MATTER
Particulate matter (PM) is the general term used for a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in
the air. These particles and droplets come in a wide range of sizes. Some are large or dark enough to be seen
as soot or smoke. Others are so small they can be detected only with an electron microscope.
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PM can harm people's health when it is inhaled into the lungs. PM is also the major cause of reduced visibil-
ity (haze) in many parts of the United States. Deposition of PM from the atmosphere can damage
environmental ecosystems and man-made objects such as monuments and statues.
The environmental and health effects of PM can vary, depending on the size of the particles. Because they
are less heavy, smaller particles stay in the air longer and travel farther when emitted to the atmosphere, con-
tributing to haze. Smaller particles also can be inhaled more deeply into human lungs, increasing the
potential for severe health effects. In addition, smaller particles generally include more toxic substances than
do larger particles.
Because of these differences, EPA maintains two separate ambient air quality standards for particulate matter.
One standard addresses levels of "fine" particulate matter (known as PM25), which contains particles less
than 2.5 micrometers in diameter. The other standard addresses PM10, containing particles that are less than
10 micrometers in diameter.
3.2.1 SOURCES DF FINE PARTICULATE MATTER
Particulate matter originates from many different stationary and mobile sources as well as from natural
sources. Particles larger than 2.5 micrometers in diameter (often referred to as coarse particles) are generally
emitted from sources such as vehicles traveling on unpaved roads, materials handling, and crushing and
grinding operations, as well as windblown dust. Fine particles (less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter), which
are the focus of the AirBeat project, result from fuel combustion from motor vehicles, power generation, and
industrial facilities, as well as from residential fireplaces and wood stoves. The particles originating from
these sources often include certain heavy metals and organic compounds that have been associated with
excess cancer risk.
Some fine particles are emitted directly from their sources, such as smokestacks and cars. In other cases,
gases such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds interact with other compounds
in the air to form fine particles. Their chemical and physical compositions vary depending on location, time
of year, and weather.
3.2.2 PMZ 5 HEALTH EFFECTS
When people inhale, they breathe in air along with any particles that are in the air. The air and the particles
travel into their respiratory system (the lungs and airway). Along the way, the particles can stick to the sides
of the airway or travel deeper into the lungs. If particles are small and get very far into the lungs, special cells
in the lung trap the particles and then they can't get out.
Scientific studies have linked fine particles (alone or in combination with other air pollutants), with a series
of significant health problems, including:
• Premature death.
• Respiratory related hospital admissions and emergency room visits.
• Aggravated asthma.
• Acute respiratory symptoms, including aggravated coughing and difficult or painful breathing.
• Chronic bronchitis.
• Decreased lung function that can be experienced as shortness of breath.
• Work and school absences.
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To fully understand the potential health effects of fine particles, scientists must have information about
the chemical composition of PM2 5, which is known to vary from location to location and from season to
season. To help characterize trends in chemical composition, EPA is currently establishing a network of
PM2 5 speciation monitors across the United States. The information from this network will allow scientists
to better understand the emission sources contributing to PM2 5 and the potential for long-term health
effects (including cancer) from human exposures. For more information on EPA's PM2 5 speciation
program, go to http://www.epa.gov/ttn/amtic/speciepg.html.
3.2.3 PDPULATIDNS MOST AT RISK FROM FINE PARTICULATE
MATTER
The following people are most at risk from exposures to PM2 5:
• The elderly. Studies estimate that tens of thousands of elderly people die prematurely each year from
exposure to ambient levels of fine particles. Studies also indicate that exposure to fine particles is asso-
ciated with thousands of hospital admissions each year. Many of these hospital admissions are elderly
people suffering from lung or heart disease.
• Individuals with preexisting heart or lung disease. Breathing fine particles can also adversely affect
individuals with heart disease, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis by causing additional medical treat-
ment. Inhaling fine particulate matter has been attributed to increased hospital admissions, emergency
room visits, and premature death among sensitive populations.
• Children. Because children's respiratory systems are still developing, they are more susceptible to envi-
ronmental threats than healthy adults. Exposure to fine particles is associated with increased frequency
of childhood illnesses, which are of concern both in the short run, and for the future development of
healthy lungs in the affected children. Fine particles are also associated with increased respiratory
symptoms and reduced lung function in children, including symptoms such as aggravated coughing
and difficulty or pain in breathing. These can result in school absences and limitations in normal
childhood activities.
• Asthmatics and asthmatic children. More and more people are being diagnosed with asthma every
year. Fourteen Americans die every day from asthma, a rate three times greater than just 20 years ago.
Children make up 25 percent of the population, but comprise 40 percent of all asthma cases.
Breathing fine particles, alone or in combination with other pollutants, can aggravate asthma, causing
greater use of medication and resulting in more medical treatment and hospital visits.
3.3 ABOUT BLACK CARBON
Black carbon (BC), an air pollutant that is monitored by the AirBeat project, is a component of PM2 5
(typically about 10 percent by mass in urban areas). BC is similar to soot and is emitted directly into the air
from virtually all combustion activities. It is especially prevalent in exhaust from diesel-burning trucks and
buses, which tend to be the primary source of BC in urban areas. Other sources of BC include coal-burning
power plants, jet fuel, forest fires, and wood-burning stoves and fireplaces.
EPA has not established a national health standard specifically for BC. The reasons are two-fold. First,
because black carbon is a component of PM2 5, BC levels in ambient air are regulated under the National
Ambient Air Quality Standard for PM2 5 (see Section 3.4). Second, not enough is known about the specific
health effects of black carbon to set a national standard. However, a large number of human epidemiology
studies have shown that diesel exhaust as a whole (which contains black carbon) is associated with increases
in lung cancer and may aggravate asthma. More information on the health effects associated with diesel
exhaust can be found in EPA's Health Assessment Document for Diesel Exhaust, located online at
http://www. epa.gov/ncea/dieslexh. htm.
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AirBeat measures BC concentrations as a surrogate for diesel exhaust. In other words, the data on BC
concentrations help the AirBeat team evaluate the degree to which diesel trucks and buses are contributing
to overall PM2 5 levels.
3.4 NATIONAL AMBIENT AIR QUALITY STANDARDS
FDR DZDNE AND PARTICULATE MATTER
Ground-level ozone and particulate matter are regulated under the Clean Air Act, which is the comprehen-
sive federal law that regulates air emissions in the United States. The Clean Air Act requires EPA to set
standards for six "criteria" air pollutants that are commonly occurring, including ozone and particulate
matter.3 These standards are known as the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). EPA is
required to re-evaluate each NAAQS every 5 years and either affirm the current standard or promulgate
a new standard based on the currently available scientific research.
Under the Clean Air Act, EPA develops two standards for each pollutant of concern:
• A primary standard to protect public health. The primary NAAQS can be defined as the levels of air
quality that EPA has determined to be generally protective of people's health.
• A secondary standard to protect public welfare. Public welfare includes effects on soils, water, crops,
vegetation, buildings, property, animals, wildlife, weather, visibility, transportation, and other
economic values, as well as personal comfort and well-being.
For ozone, the primary and secondary standards are identical. The same is true for particulate matter.
You can find out more about the Clean Air Act and the NAAQS in EPA's Plain English Guide to the Clean
Air Act, found online at http://www. epa.govloarloaqpslpeg_caalpegcaain. html.
3.4.1 ABOUT THE NAAQS FDR DZDNE
In 1997, EPA adopted new, more stringent standards for ozone, based on research that found that the
original NAAQS for ozone, known as the 1-hour standard, was not adequately protective of human health.
The 1-hour standard limited ozone levels to 0.12 parts per million averaged over a 1-hour period. The new
standard, known as the 8-hour standard, requires that a community's ozone levels be no higher than 0.08
parts per million when averaged over an 8-hour period.
3.4.2 ABDUT THE NAAQS FDR PARTIDULATE MATTER
EPA also revised the NAAQS for particulate matter in 1997. Up to that point, federal PM standards had
applied only to particles up to 10 microns in diameter (PM10). A review of the scientific data indicated,
however, that it is the smaller (or fine) particles—less than 2.5 microns in diameter—that are largely
responsible for the health effects of greatest concern and for visibility impairment.
Based on this information, EPA issued revisions to strengthen the particulate matter standards by keeping
the existing PM10 standards and adding new standards that provide more stringent goals for fine particles
in air. The revised standards are shown in the following table.
3 The other criteria pollutants are carbon monoxide (CO), lead (Pb), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and sulfur dioxide (SO2).
GROUND-LEVEL OZONE AND FINE PARTICULATE MATTER
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TABLE 3-1. NAAQS FOR PM
Pollutant 24-hour Standard
i a
AN D P M
2.5
PM10
150 micrograms per cubic meter
To attain this standard, the 99th percentile of the
distribution of the 24-hour concentrations for a
period of 1 year, averaged over 3 years, must not
exceed 150 micrograms per cubic meter at each
monitor within an area.
Annual Standard
50 micrograms per cubic meter
To attain this standard, the arithmetic
mean of the 24-hour samples for a
period of 1 year, averaged over
3 consecutive years, must not exceed
50 micrograms per cubic meter.
PM2.5
65 micrograms per cubic meter
To attain this standard, the 98th percentile of the
distribution of the 24-hour concentrations for a
period of 1 year, averaged over 3 years, must not
exceed 65 micrograms per cubic meter at each
monitor within an area.
15 micrograms per cubic meter
To attain this standard, the 3-year average of
the annual arithmetic mean of the 24-hour
concentrations from single or multiple population
oriented monitors must not exceed
15 micrograms per cubic meter.
3.5 EXISTING MONITORING PROGRAMS FOR OZONE
AND PARTI CU LATE MATTER
Under the Clean Air Act, states are required to establish air monitoring networks—air quality surveillance
systems that consist of a series of carefully placed monitoring stations. Each station measures the ambient
concentrations of important air pollutants, including ground-level ozone and PM, in the immediate vicinity
of the station. States are required to report the data gathered from the monitoring stations to EPA.
Information provided by the state air monitoring networks is used for a number of purposes. Two key
objectives are:
• Determining what areas of the United States are in compliance with the NAAQS. A geographic area
that meets the primary health-based NAAQS is called an attainment area. Areas that do not meet the
primary standard are called non-attainment areas. The Clean Air Act requires each state to develop
State Implementation Plans (SIPs) describing the programs a state will use to maintain good air
quality in attainment areas and meet the NAAQS in non-attainment areas.
• Provide information to the public about local air quality. Each year, EPA issues a National Air Quality
and Emissions Trends Report, which examines trends among the six criteria pollutants. In addition,
efforts are increasingly being made to deliver timely air quality information directly to the public for
use in daily decision making. EPA's AirNow Web site (http://www.epa.gov/airnow) provides the public
with daily air quality forecasts as well as real-time air quality data for over 165 cities across the United
States. A number of local and regional programs have also been launched to deliver real-time informa-
tion to the public. The AirBeat project is just one example. See the appendices of this handbook for
summaries of other, similar programs.
Other objectives of air quality surveillance include: 1) determining source impacts, 2) determining general
background levels, 3) measuring regional transport, 4) evaluating effects such as visibility impairments and
ecosystem impacts, and 5) developing and evaluating strategies for controlling pollution levels.
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3.5.1 TYPES DF MDNITDRS
Four different types of monitoring systems are used to carry out ambient air monitoring for criteria pollu-
tants under the Clean Air Act:4
• State and Local Air Monitoring Stations (SLAMS). The AirBeat monitoring station in Roxbury is
part of the SLAMS network operated by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
SLAMS stations are used to demonstrate if an area is meeting the NAAQS. A SLAMS system consists
of a carefully planned network of fixed monitoring stations, with the network size and station distribu-
tion largely determined by the needs of state and local air pollution control agencies to meet their
SIP requirements. EPA gives states and localities flexibility in determining the size of their SLAMS net-
work based on their data needs and available resources. Nationwide, the SLAMS network consists of
around 4,000 monitoring stations (see map).
STATE AND LOCAL AIR MONITORING STATIONS (SLAMS)
• National Air Monitoring Stations (NAMS). NAMS are used to supply data for national policy and
trend analyses and to provide the public with information about air quality in major metropolitan
areas. NAMS are required in urban areas with populations greater than 200,000. NAMS monitoring
stations are selected from a subset of the SLAMS network, and EPA requires a minimum of two
NAMS monitors in each of these metropolitan areas. There are two categories of NAMS monitoring
stations: stations located in areas of expected maximum ozone concentration, and stations located in
areas where poor air quality is combined with high population density.
• Special Purpose Monitoring Stations (SPMS). SPMS provide data for special studies needed by state
and local agencies to support SIPs and other air program activities. The SPMS are not permanently
established and can be adjusted easily to accommodate changing needs and priorities. The SPMS
are used to supplement the fixed monitoring network as circumstances require and resources permit.
For information on existing monitoring efforts targeted at air toxics, visit the Web site of the National Air Toxics Assessment at
http://www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/nata/. Because the AirBeat project does not focus on air toxics, this class of pollutants is not discussed in this handbook.
GROUND-LEVEL OZONE AND FINE PARTICULATE MATTER
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• Photochemical Assessment Monitoring Stations (PAMS). PAMS are required to obtain more compre-
hensive and representative data about ozone air pollution in ozone non-attainment areas designated as
serious, severe, or extreme. PAMS networks are used to monitor surface and upper-air meteorological
conditions and ozone precursors (these are the various pollutants, such as volatile organic compounds
and nitrogen oxides, that mix in the air and react chemically in the presence of sunlight to create
ground-level ozone).
EPA's standards for monitoring networks are found in the Code of Federal Regulations (40 CFR Part 58,
National Primary and Secondary Ambient Air Quality Standards). You can access and review these CFR
sections from the Ambient Monitoring Technology Information Center (AMTIC) Web site at
http:llwww. epa.gov/ttn/amtic/40cjr58. html.
EPA is currently revising its national air monitoring strategy. In starting new AirBeat-type programs in the
future, organizations should gather information on the latest air monitoring network designs that are in use.
3.6 THE AIR QUALITY INDEX—A TDDL FDR REPORTING
AIR QUALITY INFORMATION
The Air Quality Index (AQI) is a tool developed by EPA to provide people with timely and easy-to-under-
stand information on local air quality and whether it poses a health concern. It provides a simple, uniform
system that can be used throughout the country for reporting levels of major pollutants regulated under the
Clean Air Act, including ground-level ozone and participate matter.
The AQI converts a measured pollutant concentration to a number on a scale of 0 to 500. The higher the
index value, the greater the health concern. For most of the criteria pollutants, the AQI value of 100 corre-
sponds to the National Ambient Air Quality Standard established for the pollutant under the Clean Air Act.
This is the level that EPA has determined to be generally protective of human health. For PM2 5, the AQI
value of 150 corresponds to the 24-hour NAAQS of 65 micrograms per cubic meter.
As shown below, the Air Quality Index scale has been divided into six categories, each corresponding to a
different level of health concern. Each category is also associated with a color.
Color
Green
Yellow
Orange
Red
Air Quality Index Value Health Descriptor
OtoSO
51 to 100
101 to 150
151 to 200
Good
Moderate
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups
Unhealthy
The level of health concern associated with each AQI category is summarized by a descriptor:
• Good (green). When the AQI value for your community is between 0 and 50, air quality is considered
satisfactory in your area.
• Moderate (yellow). When the index value for your community is between 51 and 100, air quality is
acceptable in your area. (However, people who are extremely sensitive to ozone may experience respira-
tory symptoms.)
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• Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (orange). Some people are particularly sensitive to the harmful effects
of certain air pollutants. For example, people with asthma may be sensitive to sulfur dioxide and
ozone, while people with heart disease may be sensitive to carbon monoxide. Some groups of people
may be sensitive to more than one pollutant. When AQI values are between 101 and 150, members of
sensitive groups may experience health effects. Members of the general public are not likely to be
affected when the AQI is in this range.
• Unhealthy (red). When AQI values are between 151 and 200, everyone may begin to experience
health effects. Members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects.
• Very Unhealthy (purple). AQI values between 201 and 300 trigger a health alert for everyone.
• Hazardous (maroon). AQI values over 300 trigger health warnings of emergency conditions.
AQI values over 300 rarely occur in the U.S.
For more information about the AQI, check out the EPA brochure entitled Air Quality Index—A Guide to
Air Quality and Your Health (EPA-454/R-00-005), found online at http://www.epa.gov/airnow/aqi_cl.pdf
3.6.1 HDW \S THE AIR QUALITY INDEX CALCULATED?
SLAM networks take measurements of levels of ozone, particulate matter (both PM2 5 and PM10), and
other criteria pollutants several times a day. These are then converted into corresponding AQI values using
standard conversion scales developed by EPA. For example, an ozone measurement of 0.08 parts per mil-
lion, which happens to be National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ozone, would translate to an AQI
value of 100.
Once the AQI values for the individual pollutants have been calculated, they are then used to calculate an
overall single index value for the local area. The single AQI value is determined simply by taking the highest
index value that was calculated for the individual air pollutants. This value becomes the AQI value reported
in a community on a given day. For example, say that on July 12, your community has an AQI rating of
115 for ozone and 72 for carbon monoxide. The AQI value that will be reported that day for your commu-
nity is 115. On days when the AQI for two or more pollutants is greater than 100, the pollutant with the
highest index level is reported, but information on any other pollutant above 100 may also be reported.
Guidelines for reporting air quality using the AQI can be found online at
http://www. epa.gov/ttn/oarpg/tl/memoranda/rg701 .pdf.
3.7 FDR MORE INFORMATION
3.7.1 EPA PUBLICATIONS DN GROUND-LEVEL DZDNE AND
PARTICULATE MATTER
Ozone and Your Health (EPA-452/F-99-003)
http://www.epa.gov/airnow/ozone-c.pdf
This short, colorful pamphlet tells who is at risk from exposure to ozone, what health effects are caused by
ozone, and simple measures that can be taken to reduce health risk.
Smog— Who Does It Hurt? (EPA-452/K-99-001)
http://www.epa.gov/airnow/health/smog.pdf
This 8-page booklet provides more detailed information than "Ozone and Your Health" about ozone health
effects and how to avoid them.
Haze—How Air Pollution Affects the View (EPA-456/F-99-001)
http://www.epa.gov/ttn/oarpg/tl/fr_notices/haze.pdf
This two-page pamphlet gives a general description of what regional haze is, where it comes from, and what
is being done to reduce it.
GROUND-LEVEL OZONE AND FINE PARTICULATE MATTER 3-9
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PM—How Paniculate Matter Affects the Way We Live 6- Breathe
http-.llwww. epa.govlairlurbanairlpmlindex. html
This short pamphlet describes the sources and health effects of particulate matter and summarizes EPA's
strategies for reducing PM.
3.7.2 ONLINE RESOURCES ABOUT THE NATIONAL AMBIENT
AIR QUALITY STANDARDS
EPA Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards Web site
http-.llwww. epa.gov/oar/oaqps/
EPA's Plain English Guide to the Clean Air Act (EPA-400/K-93-001)
http-.llwww. epa.gov/oar/oaqps/peg_caa/pegcaain. html
EPA's Updated Air Quality Standards for Smog (Ozone) and Particulate Matter
http://www.epa.gov/ttn/oarpg/naaqsfin/
EPA's Revised Ozone Standard (1997 fact sheet)
http-.llwww. epa.gov/ttn/oarpg/naaqsfin/o3fact. html
EPA's Revised Particulate Matter Standards (1997 fact sheet)
http-.llwww. epa.gov/ttn/oarpg/naaqsfin/pmfact. html
3.7.3 ONLINE RESOURCES ABOUT AM Bl E NT Al R MONITORING
EPA's Ambient Monitoring Technology Information Center (AMTIC) Web site
http-.llwww. epa.gov/ttn/amtic/
EPA's AirNow Web site
http-.llwww. epa.gov/airnow/
EPA's Monitoring Requirements for Particulate Matter (1997 fact sheet)
http-.llwww. epa.gov/ttn/oarpg/naaqsfin/pmonfact. html
Ozone Monitoring, Mapping, and Public Outreach: Delivering Real- Time Ozone Information to Your
Community (EPA-625/R-99-007)
http-.llwww. epa.gov/airnow/empact/start. htm
3.7.4 EPA PUBLICATIONS ABOUT THE AIR QUALITY INDEX
Air Quality Index—A Guide to Air Quality and Your Health (EPA-454/R-00-005)
http:llwww.epa.govlairnowlaqi_cl.pdf
This booklet explains EPA's Air Quality Index (AQI) and the health effects of major air pollutants.
Guideline for Reporting of Daily Air Quality—Air Quality Index (EPA-454/R-99-010)
http-.llwww. epa.gov/ttn/oarpg/tl/memoranda/rg701 .pdf
This guidance is designed to aid local agencies in reporting air quality using the AQI.
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4
BEGINNING THE PROGRAM
This chapter provides information and recommendations,
based on the experience of the AirBeat project, on important
first steps that you will need to take as you start your com-
munity-based air pollution monitoring and outreach program.
Section 4.1 presents a brief overview of the structure of an AirBeat-
type program and outlines the roles and responsibilities of program
partners. Section 4.2 discusses the critical process of selecting pro-
gram partners who can best help you meet your program's objectives
within your target community. Section 4.3 presents guidance on
identifying potentially impacted communities that you may want to
target with your program. Section 4.4 provides tips on getting to
know your target community in terms of the cultures and languages
of residents, their awareness of air quality issues, and other factors.
Finally, Section 4.5 offers suggestions on estimating program costs
and leveraging resources available to you.
The information in this chapter is designed primarily for managers
and decision-makers who may be considering whether to implement
AirBeat-type programs in their communities, as well as for organizers
who are interested in improving or refining existing programs.
Get to know your target community,
including the cultures and languages
of the people who live there.
4.1 PROGRAM STRUCTURE: OVERVIEW OF A COMMUNITY-
BASED AIR POLLUTION MONITORING AND
OUTREACH PROGRAM
AirBeat is a multifaceted project that engages in a variety of activities—everything from writing and distrib-
uting flyers to developing Web sites and calibrating monitoring equipment. These activities can be grouped
into four main categories, which make up the main components of the project: monitoring, data manage-
ment and delivery, education and outreach, and project management.
The following paragraphs summarize these activities to provide an overview of how the AirBeat project
works. These activities are described in much greater detail in Chapters 5 through 7.
Monitoring
During the planning stages for monitoring, a quality assurance plan is developed
by senior technical experts familiar with the monitoring technologies to be applied.5
Based on the plan, the monitoring site is then selected and the specific monitoring
equipment to be used is identified and procured. On-site installation of the monitor-
ing shelter and equipment is typically performed by a skilled field technician who
will be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the equipment during the
program. After equipment installation and checkout are completed, method-specific
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), reflecting all technologies being applied,
must be developed. Monitoring activities are conducted by field technicians in
accordance with the SOPs and the monitoring schedule previously developed.
In the case of AirBeat, the two partner organizations responsible for monitoring (MA DEP and the Harvard School of Public Health) already had
well-established quality assurance (QA) programs in place. These programs included QA protocols for many of the measurement methods run at
the Dudley Square monitoring station. AirBeat s senior technical experts developed a separate QA narrative to cover the operation of measurement
methods run specifically for the AirBeat project. See Chapter 5 for more information about this narrative.
BEGINNING THE PROGRAM
4-1
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Data Management
Outreach
AirBeat's data management and delivery activities are performed by an automated
Data Management Center (DMC), which is comprised of several hardware and
software components. The DMC was developed during the EMPACT grant period
(1999 to 2001) by AirBeat's information technology experts, and continues to oper-
ate today with minimal human oversight. The DMC executes numerous functions:
downloading data files from the monitoring station via a modem-to-modem connec-
tion; storing the raw data to a database; validating data completeness and integrity;
translating data into Air Quality Index values for reporting pollutant levels; generat-
ing graphics; and delivering data to the public via the AirBeat Web site and
telephone hotline.
AirBeat's outreach efforts include two types of activities: 1) disseminating air quality
data, and 2) educating Roxbury residents about the connections between air pollu-
tion and respiratory illnesses and about the steps that people can take to reduce
harmful exposures. AirBeat has two automated systems for data dissemination—the
AirBeat Web site and telephone hotline—which are still in operation today. During
the EMPACT grant period, the AirBeat team conducted an extensive education
campaign that relied on multiple approaches and outreach tools, including fact
sheets and flyers, contextual materials posted on the Web site, press releases,
curriculum modules, workshops and presentations, and events and tours. AirBeat
also conducted direct outreach to nurses and other health care providers.
Some education and outreach efforts are still ongoing (see Section 1.2 for the
current status of the AirBeat project).
Project management under AirBeat was handled during the EMPACT grant period
by the Suffolk County Conservation District (SCCD), a body of five elected individ-
uals who volunteer their time to the agency, and Charles Consulting, a small,
independent firm that was hired to manage the day-to-day operations of the project
during the start-up phase. Management duties included project coordination, sched-
uling and facilitating meetings of the AirBeat team, and partnership building. The
management team also helped select subcontractors, wrote reports, and managed the
budget. The need for a defined project management team ended in 2001 with the
conclusion of the grant period.
The flow chart on the following page summarizes the basic structure of the AirBeat project. The chart
identifies the main activities of the project, the team members responsible for these activities, and the flow
of work and communication between team members. It also shows the flow of data.
4.2 SELECTING PROGRAM PARTNERS
As described in Chapter 1, AirBeat grew out of a partnership between several public, private, and non-profit
organizations. These included a university, a state environmental agency, a county conservation agency, an
interstate air quality association, and a community-based environmental justice organization.
Why were so many partners needed for what is essentially a small-scale program? The activities conducted
by AirBeat during the EMPACT grant period (1999 to 2001) demanded a number of specialized skills,
from communication and language skills to air monitoring training, from Internet design experience to
project management skills. Each partner played a different role in the project, based on the specific skills
and qualifications that partner had to offer.
Management
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STRUCTURE OF THE AIRBEAT PROJECT
Project Management
• planning & coordination
• manage budget
• build partnerships
• select subcontractors
• develop reports
I
Senior Monitoring Experts
• site selection
• QA planning
• instrumentation selection
• develop SOPs
• quality control
IT Experts
• select hardware/software
• build data management center
• develop AirBeat Website
• develop telephone hotline
Field Technicians
• instrumentation
installation,
operation, and
maintenance
Monitoring Site
measurements of:
• PM2.5
• 03
• BC
• weather
I
Outreach Team
• develop outreach materials
• press releases
• workshops & presentations
• internship program
• outreach to schools and
health care providers
Data Management Center
• download data from monitors
• validate data
• translate data into formats for
delivery to public
• generate graphics
Website & Hotline
• disseminate data to public
• maps and graphs
• provide contextual
educational material
• links to other information
=D>
Other Data
• hazecam images
• weather
• ozone maps
> = Flow of work and
communication between
project team
>= Flow of data through
automated systems
For example, the Harvard School of Public Health, a founding AirBeat partner, offered the technical skills
needed for developing innovative instrumentation set-ups for the Roxbury monitoring station. Harvard's
staff also had the expertise to develop quality assurance plans for validating monitoring data. Alternatives for
Community & Environment (ACE), the project's community partner, did not offer these kinds of technical
skills, but contributed something just as important: familiarity with the Dudley Square neighborhood and
the communication skills necessary to work closely with its residents.
In starting your own air pollution monitoring and outreach program, you'll need to assemble a team of
individuals or organizations who offer a similar range of skills and qualifications. To select partners or team
members, you should think about how each will fit into the overall program structure, and how different
partners can work together to create a successful program. You will also need to consider their relationship
to the target community. For example:
• An organization or agency that already has strong ties to the community can be ideal for conducting
outreach and education for your program. Community action programs or neighborhood health
centers can be a good choice.
BEGINNING THE PROGRAM
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• Partnering with a state or local air pollution control agency can allow you to tap into the existing
monitoring infrastructure in your area and can ease the financial burden of setting up a monitoring
station and procuring the necessary equipment and instrumentation. Agency staff can also offer your
program a wealth of monitoring expertise. Depending upon which state you live in, air pollution
monitoring may be carried out at the state level, or at the local, county, regional, tribal, or territorial
level. EPA Regional Offices also can be valuable partners in your monitoring efforts.
To find the agency (or agencies) responsible for air monitoring in your area, check out the Clean Air
World Web site (http://www.cleanairworld.org/). The Web site allows you to search by state for air
pollution control agencies, and provides contact names and information.
• A nearby college or university can help with any research components of your program, or may be able
to provide assistance and equipment for the monitoring activities.
4.3 IDENTIFYING POTENTIALLY IMPACTED
COMMUNITIES
The first step in beginning an air quality monitoring and outreach program is to identify target communi-
ties in your area that may be impacted by air pollution. There are two main approaches to doing this: using
existing air quality data, or using air pollution predictors.
4.3.1 USING EXISTING AIR QUALITY DATA
In attempting to identify potentially impacted communities, you should start by doing some research to
find out what types of air quality monitoring or testing is being (or has been) conducted in your area. Your
state or local air pollution control agency should be able to provide you with information about its own
monitoring programs and will likely know about any other local monitoring efforts (for example, air quality
testing done by nearby universities or community organizations). See Section 4.2 for tips on contacting
state and local agencies. EPA Regional Offices can also serve as a source of information.
Agency staff should also be able to point you to state publications and online resources that present any
monitoring results that are publicly available. Most states, for example, publish an annual air quality report
that summarizes monitoring results and identifies long-term air quality trends. Increasingly, states are also
posting monitoring results directly to the Internet.
On a national level, EPA's Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS) publishes an annual
National Air Quality and Emissions Trends Report, which gives a detailed analysis of changes in air pollution
levels over the last 10 years, plus a summary of the current air pollution status. Among other things, the
report identifies those cities and regions of the country that have been designated non-attainment areas—
areas where air pollution levels persistently exceed the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for criteria
pollutants. Information on non-attainment areas can also be found in EPA's "Green Book"
(http://www.epa.gov/oar/oaqps/greenbk/index.html), an online resource published by OAQPS.
Another valuable source of information is EPA's AlRData Web site, found at
http://www.epa.gov/air/data/index.html. The AlRData site gives you access to air pollution data for the entire
United States. It presents annual summaries of air pollution data from three EPA databases:
• The AIRS (Aerometric Information Retrieval System) database, which provides data on ambient
concentrations of criteria air pollutants at monitoring sites, primarily in cities and towns.
• The NET (National Emission Trends) database, which provides estimates of annual emissions of
criteria air pollutants from point, area, and mobile sources.
• The NTI (National Toxics Inventory) database, which provides estimates of annual emissions of
hazardous air pollutants from point, area, and mobile sources.
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4.3.2 USING PREDICTORS DF AIR PDLLUTIDN
Another approach to identifying potentially impacted communities involves looking for geographic areas
where the important predictors of air pollution are present. These predictors include (but are not limited to):
• Heavy traffic flows (especially diesel traffic). Motor vehicles produce a variety of air pollutants, includ-
ing particulate matter and other pollutants that combine to form ground-level ozone. Diesel trucks
and buses, in particular, are a significant pollutant source. Most state departments of transportation
(DOTs) conduct ongoing studies to evaluate traffic flows and the types of vehicles using the roads.
Contact your state DOT to ask whether they can provide study results for your area. Communities
located near major transit corridors have a high potential for impacts from vehicle emissions.
• Industrial emissions. The presence of nearby industrial facilities (such as oil refineries, chemical plants,
power plants, and asphalt plants) can be a predictor of air pollution. You can find out where such
industries are located by contacting your state environmental agency or EPA Regional Office.
For information on emissions of toxic pollutants, try searching EPA's Toxic Release Inventory (TRI)
database to identify facilities in your area that have reported releases of toxics to the environment.
The TRI is found at: http://www.epa.gov/tri/
• High density of smaller businesses that release air pollution. Many small businesses (such as gas
stations, autobody shops, and dry cleaners) produce air pollution. Though emissions from these
individual sources may be relatively small, collectively their emissions can be of concern—particularly
when large numbers are located in heavily populated areas.
• Construction activity, materials handling, and crushing and grinding operations. All of these activities
can act as a source of air pollution (coarse particulate matter, especially).
As part of the process of identifying potentially impacted communities, you might also want to gather
information on local asthma hospitalization rates and the prevalence of other respiratory illnesses. By them-
selves, high asthma hospitalization rates are not considered an indicator of outdoor air pollution. (After all,
there are other types of exposures, such as exposure to cigarette smoke and indoor air pollutants, that can
trigger asthma attacks requiring hospitalization.) However, statistics on asthma incidence can help you iden-
tify communities that are vulnerable and potentially in-need of the type of data that your program will be
generating. If these statistics show that local asthma rates are elevated, you can do additional research to
determine if the community might be impacted by outdoor air pollution.
Community concern about elevated asthma rates in Roxbury was a driving motivation in the launch of the
AirBeat project. Yet the project might never have come to fruition without the work done by Roxbury com-
munity organizations to quantify the number and types of local air pollution sources. For example, youth
associated with ACE's Roxbury Environmental Empowerment Project undertook an effort to map air pollu-
tion sources in Roxbury neighborhoods. This research revealed that there were more than 15 truck and bus
depots within a one-mile radius of Roxbury, garaging more than 1,150 diesel vehicles. With this informa-
tion in hand, community leaders were able to capture the attention of state environmental officials with
their request that a monitoring station be sited in Roxbury.
4.4 BETTING TD KNOW THE COMMUNITY
Once you have identified your target community, your task is to learn more about it. Make sure you have
your target area clearly mapped and marked so that you can begin planning. Next, find out the key "statis-
tics" about the community. Some of the questions you will want to answer about the community include:
• What are the cultures and languages of the people who live there?
• What are the residents' income and education levels?
• What organizations and agencies are active in the community?
BEGINNING THE PROGRAM 4-5
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• What health care facilities are located there?
• How many children in the community suffer from asthma and other respiratory illnesses?
• What is the level of awareness among community members about air pollution issues and health
effects? What concerns do community members have about local air quality?
Information such as income and education levels can be obtained from census data; other information
about the community can be provided by your community partners (see Section 4.2) and by your local
or state department of health. All of this information will help you form a clear picture of your target
community and the best ways to reach them.
Lessons Learned: Gathering Community Input Through Public Meetings
One effective way of getting to know your target community is to hold public meetings. You can use
these meetings to present your plans for developing an air pollution monitoring and outreach program
and to gather input from community members about their air quality concerns. Once your program is
underway, public meetings provide an opportunity for alerting the community about the availability of
your real-time data and educating residents about connections between air pollution and respiratory
illnesses. AirBeat's outreach partner, Alternatives for Community & Environment, incorporated AirBeat
information into dozens of workshops for youth peer groups from community health centers and housing
developments. ACE staff also made presentations at large community events such as the Youth
Summit, which attracts roughly 200 youth participants.
One Missouri-based program, the St. Louis Community Air Project (CAP), holds monthly community
partnership meetings. These meetings give community representatives an opportunity to help direct the
CAP project, communicate to the project coordinators what resources the community would find most
useful, and learn about the most recent findings of the ongoing program research. Community input
gathered during these meetings is a driving force in the ongoing evolution of CAP. See Appendix B for
more information on the St. Louis Community Air Project.
4.5 ESTIMATING PROGRAM COSTS
Another important step for your organization to take when it is considering setting up an air pollution
monitoring and outreach program is to estimate how much your planned activities will cost. Although your
program need not be as large or ambitious as AirBeat's, you may find it helpful to know how much money
AirBeat spent.
Over its first two and a half years, AirBeat received roughly $500,000 in funding from EPA's EMPACT
Program. These funds were allocated to the five partner organizations, each of which was responsible for
specific activities involved in the startup and implementation of the project:
• Project management was handled by the Suffolk County Conservation District (SCCD). This cost
roughly $100,000, or 20 percent of the overall EMPACT budget for AirBeat. Specific management
responsibilities included coordinating and facilitating meetings, writing reports, managing the AirBeat
budget, building partnerships, and helping select subcontractors. SCCD hired an independent con-
tractor, Charles Consulting, to oversee the day-to-day operations of the project during the EMPACT
grant period.
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1 Air pollution monitoring was conducted during the grant period by two organizations: the Harvard
School of Public Health and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. HSPH staff
were responsible for selecting the innovative measurement methods used at the Dudley Square station,
developing quality assurance procedures for these methods, installing instrumentation, and operating
and maintaining the monitoring equipment during the early project phases. This cost roughly
$60,000. MA DEP held overall responsibility for the station (which is part of the state's monitoring
network) and operated and maintained the station during the later phases of the grant period. MA
DEP also purchased much of the instrumentation for the station. MA DEP's contributions to the
AirBeat monitoring effort were generally paid for out of the agency's budget, although MA DEP did
receive about $10,000 from AirBeat for the purchase of instrumentation.
Overall, roughly $70,000, or 14 percent, of the AirBeat budget went toward the monitoring efforts.
However, it should be noted that these figures don't represent the actual costs of the monitoring effort,
since many costs were paid by MA DEP.
1 Data management and delivery efforts were conducted by NESCAUM (Northeast States for
Coordinated Air Use Management). These efforts cost roughly $250,000, or 50 percent of the AirBeat
budget. Most of these funds went toward the development of an automated Data Management
Center, which downloads data files from the monitoring station, validates the data, and prepares the
data for delivery to the public. NESCAUM's other responsibilities included development of the
AirBeat Web site and telephone hotline system. Since the end of the grant period, the Data
Management Center, Web site, and telephone hotline have continued to operate in automated fashion.
1 Education and outreach efforts were conducted during the grant period by Alternatives for Community
& Environment. These cost roughly $80,000, or 16 percent of the AirBeat budget. ACE's activities
included developing fact sheets and flyers, issuing press releases, creating and teaching curriculum mod-
ules on air quality issues, delivering workshops and presentations, and staging events and tours. ACE
also conducted direct outreach to nurses and other health care providers and ran an internship program
for Roxbury youths. Some of these activities have continued since the end of the grant period.
AIRBEAT COST BREAKDOWN, 1999-2001
BEGINNING THE PROGRAM
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This breakdown represents the startup and implementation costs of a cutting-edge program over roughly
two and a half years. These costs should not be taken as completely representative of the ongoing costs of
other air pollution monitoring and outreach programs. Since the end of the EMPACT grant period, in
2001, AirBeat has continued to provide real-time data on air pollution to the Roxbury community, with
MA DEP financing the operation of the Dudley Square monitoring station as part of its statewide monitor-
ing network. AirBeat's Data Management Center, Web site, and telephone hotline operate on an automated
basis, with NESCAUM providing the little human oversight that is needed.
It is certainly possible for new programs to avoid some
of the major costs absorbed by the AirBeat project.
Here's just one example: Today, many state and local
air control agencies have the capability of providing
the public with real-time data from their monitoring
networks. In other words, these agencies have devel-
oped data management systems that can validate
continuous monitoring data, process it, and deliver it
via Web sites in real time. In 1998, at the start of the
AirBeat project, MA DEP did not have this capability.
Therefore, as described in Chapter 6, AirBeat needed
to create a Data Management Center of its own that
could perform the real-time validation and processing
functions—and this was an extremely costly task.
A new AirBeat-type program getting underway today
might be able to avoid this cost altogether if it could
download pre-processed data (rather than raw data)
from a partner agency's network. A model for this
type of cost-efficient program is the St. Louis Regional
Clean Air Partnership, described in Appendix C.
In the end, the actual costs of your program will
depend on the decisions you make in response to numerous
questions, both small and large, that will arise during the planning and implementation stages of your
program. Examples include: How many pollutants will your program monitor? Can you partner with a state
or local air control agency that is already monitoring those pollutants in your target community? Will you
need to purchase monitoring instrumentation? What other organizations will you partner with, and what
resources and areas of expertise do they bring to the table? Will your team include a qualified Internet
Technology specialist who can oversee the data management operation on a daily basis, or will you need to
subcontract this work?
During the planning of an AirBeat-type pro-
gram, one principle to keep in mind is to
always leverage existing resources. Do some
research and networking and find out what
activities are going on in your area related to
air pollution. Is there a Web site out there
already that reports ambient pollutant levels
to the public? Then think carefully if there's a
need for another one. Is there a local commu-
nity group that is educating the public on air
pollution issues? That group might make an
excellent outreach partner. Is there a profes-
sor at the local university who is mapping
pollutant sources in your area? Perhaps he or
she would be interested in contributing to
your project.
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5
MONITORING
This chapter provides general information on how to develop a monitoring system for making contin-
uous measurements of ozone, fine particulate matter (PM2 5), and black carbon soot in ambient air.
Section 5.1 gives an overview of AirBeat's monitoring efforts. Section 5.2 details the key steps in
designing and implementing a monitoring system and provides illustrative examples from the AirBeat proj-
ect. These key steps include:
• Quality assurance planning (Section 5.2.1).
• Siting a monitoring station (Section 5.2.2).
• Selecting monitoring instrumentation and equipment (Section 5.2.3).
• Installation, maintenance, and operation of monitoring equipment (Sections 5.2.4 and 5.2.5).
The information in this chapter is designed primarily for program managers and others who are interested
in the monitoring process. The chapter is meant to provide an overview of the work and considerations that
go into designing a monitoring system. The chapter is not meant to provide step-by-step instructions. Any
organization that is interested in developing an ambient air monitoring program is advised to consult with
senior technical experts before launching the process.
5.1 OVERVIEW OF AIRBEAT'S MONITORING EFFORTS
AirBeat's real-time pollution data come from a single monitoring station located in Dudley Square, a major
commercial hub in the center of Roxbury. This monitoring station is part of a statewide network of 42 moni-
toring sites operated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to gather data on ambient concentrations of
criteria pollutants. Under the Clean Air Act, every state is required to operate a similar network of monitors
(called State and Local Air Monitoring Stations, or SLAMS) to ensure that air quality meets federal standards.
See Chapter 3 of this handbook for more information on SLAMS and federal air monitoring requirements.
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MA DEP), an AirBeat partner, is the agency in
charge of siting and operating the monitoring stations in the commonwealth's SLAMS network. In 1997, MA
DEP began investigating the possibility of siting a PM2 5 monitor in Roxbury to comply with new PM2 5
monitoring requirements set by EPA earlier that year (go to http://www.epa.gov/ttn/oarpg/naaqsjin/pmonfact.html
for a summary of the requirements). These requirements call for states to operate at least one PM2 5 monitor
in every metropolitan area with at least 500,000 people. The requirements also direct the states to site PM2 5
monitors in areas where there is both a likelihood of observing high PM2 5 concentrations and also a poten-
tially large affected population. Based on preliminary PM2 5 monitoring that had been carried out by various
groups, Roxbury seemed to meet the requirements for a Boston-based monitoring location.
In siting the monitor, MA DEP invited the input of several local community organizations, including
Alternatives for Community & Environment (ACE), an environmental justice organization that had advocated
the need for air quality monitoring in Roxbury. Together, they settled on the Dudley Square location. Out of
this cooperative effort, the AirBeat project was born. The driving motivation behind the project was a desire to
leverage the air quality information from the new monitoring site by making the data accessible to Roxbury
residents in real time. The final AirBeat team included MA DEP, ACE, the Suffolk County Conservation
District, and two locally based organizations with proven expertise in ambient air monitoring: the Harvard
School of Public Health and Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM).
MONITORING
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MA DEP's original intention had been to outfit the Dudley Square monitoring station with the same
instrumentation being used at the time (circa 1998) at other PM2 5 monitoring sites around the
commonwealth. This meant that the station would produce measurements of PM2 5 and two other criteria
pollutants: sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen. The PM2 5 measurements would not be continuous.
Once the other AirBeat partners became involved, the decision was made to augment the monitoring
capabilities of the Dudley Square station to address concerns that are specific to the Roxbury community.
Chief among these concerns was the suspicion that elevated concentrations of certain air pollutants, such as
ozone and particulate matter, might be contributing to Roxbury's high asthma hospitalization rate and the
incidence of other respiratory illnesses. Community members had also raised specific questions about
potential health effects associated with diesel emissions from trucks and buses (research by ACE interns
had revealed that more than 1,150 trucks and buses are garaged within 1.5 miles of Dudley Square).
To address these questions, the AirBeat team arranged to include the following monitoring capabilities at
the Dudley Square site:
• Continuous monitoring for PM2 5.
• Continuous monitoring for black carbon soot, which is a strong indicator of local diesel emissions.
Although BC is a component of PM2 5 (typically about 10 percent by mass), its temporal variation
can be very different, often peaking during morning rush hour. The Dudley Square station is the only
monitoring site in the commonwealth that measures BC.
• Continuous monitoring for ozone.6
• Meteorological monitoring to track weather conditions.
The AirBeat team also made arrangements with MA DEP to download the raw monitoring data directly
from the Dudley Square station via a modem-to-modem connection, so that AirBeat could process the data
and deliver it to the public in real time. The Dudley Square station became the first monitoring site in
Massachusetts producing real-time data that are accessible to the public online (http://www.airbeat.org)
or through a telephone hotline (617-427-9500).
In addition, the AirBeat team arranged to download images of the Boston skyline from a HazeCam located
12 miles northeast of the city. The images from the camera, posted hourly to the AirBeat Web site, are
meant to demonstrate the effects of urban air pollution on visibility, in addition to public health. See
Chapter 6 for more information on the use of HazeCam images.
In selecting the instrumentation for the Dudley Square station, the AirBeat team chose to test two innova-
tive methods for air quality monitoring. The first of these, the Continuous Ambient Mass Monitor
(CAMM), is a new tool for measuring PM2 5 concentrations in ambient air. The CAMM was tested side by
side with another, more-established PM monitor (the TEOM) and proved reliable. The AirBeat team also
tested an innovative method for monitoring BC concentrations: the Aethalometer, which provides a surro-
gate measurement of diesel emissions. Like the CAMM, the Aethalometer proved reliable, and it is the first
BC monitor capable of taking continuous measurements at unattended monitoring stations. Section
5.2.3.2, below, provides additional details about both of these innovative instruments.
Three AirBeat partners shared the work of planning, setting up and operating the project's monitoring system:
• The Harvard School of Public Health, which was responsible for selecting and setting up the innova-
tive monitors for PM2 5 and BC, developing standard operating procedures, and conducting routine
reviews.
° Along with ozone and PM2 5, the station also monitors other criteria pollutants, including carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and oxides of nitrogen,
although these data are not reported to the public by AirBeat.
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• MA DEP, which was responsible for selecting and setting up much of the station's instrumentation
consistent with other MA DEP monitoring sites, developing standard operating procedures, and man-
aging day-to-day operation and maintenance of the monitoring equipment.
• NESCAUM, which established and operated data management systems for downloading air quality
data from the Dudley Square station, validating the data, and delivering it to the public in multiple
formats.
The efforts of these three organizations are described in more detail in the following sections and in
Chapter 6.
5.2 KEY STEPS IN DESIGNING AND IMPLEMENTING
A MONITORING SYSTEM
Organizations interested in launching an AirBeat-type project should begin by contacting the agency in
their state or region that is responsible for air quality monitoring. As described in Chapter 3 of this hand-
book, every state in the United States is required to operate a network of stations for measuring
concentrations of common pollutants in ambient air. Monitoring for these pollutants is conducted in every
large city and in numerous other locations. No matter where your organization is located, your best option
for developing reliable ozone and particulate data within a reasonable budget is to tap into the existing
monitoring infrastructure(s) in your area. Using the AirBeat model, you should try to develop a partnership
with the air quality agency in your region or state. Such agencies have the resources and expertise needed to
develop and operate reliable monitoring systems, as well as insight into the availability of other environmen-
tal monitoring resources.
The following subsections provide an overview of the key steps in designing and implementing an ambient
air monitoring system for ozone and fine particulate matter. The information presented here is geared
toward the development of monitoring systems that are consistent with EPA's standards for ozone and
PM2 5 monitoring networks. The information is meant to help program managers and others understand
the monitoring process; it is not meant to be a substitute for the knowledge and expertise offered by senior
technical experts.
5.2.1 QUALITY ASSURANCE PLANNING
Planning for quality assurance activities and preparation of a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP)
are central to the success of any environmental data collection operation. The QAPP details how quality
assurance (QA)7 and quality control (QC)8 will be implemented for the complete duration of the project.
All projects involving the generation or acquisition and use of environmental measurements data must be
planned and documented prior to the start of data collection.
In a single document, the QAPP provides an overview of the entire project, describes the need for the
measurements, and defines QA/QC activities to be applied to the project, with enough detail to provide
a clear description of every aspect of the project.
The critical functions to be addressed in the QAPP are:
• Project Background and Management. This section of the QAPP should provide background
information and define the problem to be addressed and the general goals of the project. It should also
describe project organization (e.g., staffing responsibilities), quality objectives and acceptance criteria
for measurement data, special training and/or certification requirements, and plans for documentation
and record keeping.
' Quality assurance is defined as an integrated system of management activities involving planning, implementation, documentation, assessment,
reporting, and quality improvement to ensure that a process, item, or service is of the type and quality needed and expected by the client.
° Quality control is defined as the overall system of technical activities that measures the attributes and performance of a process, item, or service
against defined standards to verify that they meet the stated requirements established by the customer; operational techniques and activities that
are used to fulfill requirements for quality.
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• Technical Approach. This section of the QAPP should address the design and implementation of the
project's measurement systems. The point is to ensure that appropriate approaches/methods are
employed for performing measurements, data handling, and QC, and that these approaches/methods
are thoroughly documented. The section should also detail what measurements are expected, what the
applicable technical quality standards and/or criteria are, what the project schedule is, and what the
reporting requirements are.
• Assessment/Oversight. This section of the QAPP should describe what QA/QC steps will be taken
to ensure the effectiveness of the project and that all project facets are conducted according to plan.
Facets to cover include: (1) experimental design, (2) representativeness of the data, (3) instrument
operation and data acquisition, (4) calibration check procedures, (5) data quality indicators,
(6) systems and performance audits, and (7) peer review.
• Data Validation and Usability. The QAPP should also describe what steps will be taken to ensure that
the individual data elements conform to the criteria specified in the project's Data Quality Objectives.
Identifying Data Quality Objectives (DQOs) is one of the first steps in preparing a QAPP. DQOs are
qualitative and quantitative statements, developed using the EPA DQO Process, that clarify study objectives
and specify tolerable levels of potential errors. DQOs establish the quality and quantity of data needed to
support program decisions. An example of a DQO used by the AirBeat project for its real-time data set is:
"Precision and accuracy of better than 10% for ozone and continuous PM2 5". The project's QA plan
included detailed procedures for determining whether or not this DQO was being met.
For more information on QAPPs, see the document EPA Requirements for Quality Assurance Project Plans,
available online at http://www.epa.gov/quality/qs-docs/r5-final.pdf. EPA's Guidance for the Data Quality
Objectives Process can be found at http://www.epa.gov/quality/qs-docs/g4-final.pdf
Quality Assurance Project Plans
A QAPP should demonstrate that:
• Technical and quality objectives for the project have been identified and addressed.
• Intended measurement approaches are appropriate for achieving project objectives.
• Assessment procedures are sufficient to confirm that the project's Data Quality Objectives will be met.
Any limitations on the use of the data have been identified and documented.
5.2.1.1 AIRBEAT'S GJ UALITY ASS U RANG E PLANNING
At the outset of AirBeat, two of the project's partner organizations—MA DEP and the Harvard School of
Public Health—already had well-established QA programs in place. As the operator of a statewide ambient
air monitoring network, MA DEP is required to have an EPA-approved QA program. Likewise, Harvard
had developed a QA program that was evaluated by EPA for earlier monitoring efforts.
Rather than create a new QAPP to encompass the entire AirBeat project, MA DEP and Harvard were able
to draw upon their existing QA plans. These plans included QA procedures for many of the measurement
methods run at the Dudley Square monitoring station. AirBeat's senior technical experts developed a separate
QA narrative to cover the operation of measurement methods run specifically for the AirBeat project.
These included the continuous monitoring for PM2 5, black carbon soot, and ozone.
The QA narrative, which is presented at the end of this chapter, provides background information about the
monitoring effort, defines DQOs and the procedures for determining whether or not DQOs are being met,
describes guidelines for assessing data completeness, and identifies procedures for detecting equipment failures.
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5.2.2 SITING A MONITORING STATION
To ensure that measurement data collected during any monitoring effort are appropriate for their intended
use, monitoring stations must be located to provide, to the extent practical, the most unbiased and accurate
representation of the area being characterized. The selection of an appropriate location for a given ambient
air monitoring application is dependent on:
• Project-specific DQOs.
• Method-specific specifications and recommendations.
• Monitoring site type (i.e., criteria pollutants, ozone precursors, air toxics, special application) and scale
issues (i.e., macro, micro).
• Practical limitations.
Let's look at each of these considerations in turn.
5.2.2.1 PROJECT-SPECIFIC DATA QUALITY OBJECTIVES
The first step in appropriately siting a monitoring station is understanding the project-specific DQOs
associated with the monitoring effort being planned. The DQO process is described in Section 5.2.1.
5.2.2.2 METHOD-SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS
Most monitoring methods contain specifications and recommendations for siting the associated monitoring
instrumentation and any ancillary equipment. The siting specifications and recommendations can be quite
different from one monitoring method to another. If multiple monitoring methods are proposed for one
site location, the siting specifications of each proposed method must be compared to determine compatibil-
ity. If conflicts exist in the siting specifications for different monitoring methods, prioritization of the
targeted pollutants must be conducted. After the pollutants of interest have been prioritized, the siting spec-
ifications corresponding to the highest priority pollutant should be applied to the site location identification
process, with the potential effect on lower priority targeted pollutants documented.
5.2.2.3 MONITORING SITE TYPE AND SCALE ISSUES
As with the specific monitoring method requirements, the monitoring site types have individual specifications
and recommendations for locating a site. Examples of four primary site types are:
• Criteria pollutants—monitoring performed at locations of highest impact in areas where adherence to
National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) must be documented.
• Ozone precursors—monitoring performed around areas where the NAAQS for ozone have been
exceeded.
• Air toxics—monitoring performed at locations determined to represent a snap-shot of an area or the
potential for health risk.
• Special application—monitoring performed at a location potentially impacted by a specific source(s)
for either regulatory or non-regulatory purposes.
Macro- and micro-scale siting issues must also be considered. Macro-scale issues include:
• Will the site typically be downwind of the sources of air pollution?
• Will the local air parcel represent the monitoring goals?
• Is cross contamination from other emission sources an issue?
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Micro-scale issues include:
• Can all method-specific siting criteria be met, and if not, what will be the effect on the quality of the
data generated?
• Are power and/or other required utilities accessible?
• Is there adequate space for the platform/shelter?
• Is the site free of air flow obstructions?
• Is security an issue and if so, can it be managed?
• Is the safety of field staff at an acceptable level?
5.2.2.4 PRACTICAL LIMITATIONS
Even after detailed and careful determination of where a site should ideally be located, practical limitations
may impact the ability to meet the ideal. Practical limitations include:
• Availability of, and access to, property.
• Access to power and/or telephone service.
• Security and/or liability issues.
In cases where practical limitations prevent positioning a monitoring site at the location considered ideal,
there are two alternatives: 1) the site may be positioned as close to the ideal location as possible if serious
impacts to the data will not result; or 2) another appropriate location will have to be identified.
5.2.2.5 SITING THE AIRBEAT MONITORING STATION
Prior to the initiation of the AirBeat project, the environmental group Alternatives for Community &
Environment had lobbied MA DEP to set up a monitoring site in what ACE considered to be an air pollu-
tion "Hot Spot" in Roxbury. Roxbury is a heavily urbanized neighborhood in the heart of Boston that is
impacted by local bus and truck sources, and ACE relayed to MA DEP the community concern about
exposure to diesel exhaust.
In response to these community concerns, MA DEP closed down a monitoring site located in the nearby
town of Chelsea in order to initiate monitoring in Roxbury. In the process of developing DQOs for the
planned Roxbury monitoring station, MA DEP determined that respirable particulate, or PM2 5, was the
highest priority targeted pollutant. Consequently, selection of an appropriate location for a Roxbury moni-
toring site was made based on siting considerations consistent with a top priority of performing
representative PM2 5 measurements in an inner city neighborhood environment. Roxbury presented itself
as an ideal monitoring site location because:
• Historically, Roxbury has documented high rates of asthma and other respiratory illnesses that raised
widespread concern about the local air quality.
• Diesel-powered vehicles have been shown to be major contributors to PM2 5 emissions, and there are
more than 15 bus and truck depots housing more than 1,150 diesel-powered vehicles within the
Dudley Square area of Roxbury.
After evaluating adherence to the project DQOs and all of the siting specifications and recommendations
associated with the proposed monitoring methods, a suitable site location was identified in the Dudley
Square area of Roxbury, in an unused portion of a Boston Edison Electrical Substation yard. MA DEP
secured permission from the Boston Edison Company to use the substation yard and locate a monitoring
shelter, instrumentation, and ancillary equipment on their property. To ensure safety and security, MA DEP
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The Dudley Square monitoring station.
contracted to have a chain link fence installed to segregate the monitoring area from the area where active
electrical transformers were located, and to provide security for the monitoring equipment and personnel
during the study. After the fencing was installed, the monitoring shelter was erected at the site. Applicable
location/siting specifications for each of the monitoring methods were documented in the method-specific
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) prepared by MA DEP and HSPH prior to the onset of monitoring
(see Section 5.2.5).
The final siting of the Dudley Square station meets
EPA's guidance for PM2 5 monitoring, which calls
for measurements to be conducted in locations where
there is both a likelihood of observing high PM2 5
concentrations and also a potentially large affected
population. For ground-level ozone, the Dudley Square
station is considered a "neighborhood-scale site,"
producing measurements that are representative of
"conditions throughout some reasonably homogenous
urban subregion, with dimensions of a few kilometers."
(This definition is from EPA's standards for monitoring
networks as published in the Code of Federal
Regulations: 40 CFR Part 58, National Primary and
Secondary Ambient Air Quality Standards, accessible
online at http://www.epa.gov/ttn/amtic/40cfr58.html.}
While the ozone data from the Dudley Square
station accurately represent the concentrations that
Roxbury residents are exposed to, the data are not
representative of the ozone exposures of people who live outside of Boston's urban center—particularly those
people who live downwind from the city, with its many pollution sources. To counteract this, the AirBeat
Web site also includes regional ozone maps, which provide site visitors with information on ozone levels in
the greater Boston area (the maps are downloaded from EPA's AirNow Website at http://www.epa.gov/airnow).
5.2.3 SELECTING MONITORING INSTRUMENTATION AND/OR
EQUIPMENT
Many air pollutants can be measured using multiple, but unique, types of instrumentation and/or
equipment. It is important that the correct approach most suited to the specific needs of an individual
monitoring effort be selected. The selection process is keyed to the monitoring methods determined to be
appropriate during development of the project DQOs. Specific selection issues that should be considered are:
• Measurement of the correct parameters.
• Required quantity and quality of the data.
• Ability to measure on the correct time scale.
• Compatibility with the site design (outdoor or indoor environment).
• Compatibility with other equipment (for example, interfacing continuous emissions monitors and
meteorological instrumentation with a data acquisition system).
• Any regulatory-driven requirements.
In the case of criteria pollutants, including ozone and particulate matter, EPA has designated a number
of "reference methods" or "equivalent methods" for measuring ambient pollutant concentrations. EPA has
approved each of these methods for use in state or local air quality surveillance systems. Where determina-
tion of compliance with primary and secondary air quality standards is required, instrumentation must be
MONITORING
5-7
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certified by EPA to be a reference method or equivalent method. The equivalency designation provides that
each separate instrumental approach may be directly substituted for the corresponding reference method,
and the data obtained are acceptable for any use allowed by the reference method.
The following is an overview of the basic types of equipment needed to perform continuous air monitoring:
• Extraction equipment—used to extract a sample of a pollutant from the atmosphere for analysis.
• Analyzers—measure the pollution concentration in a sample of ambient air. Where possible, analyzers
should meet the reference method or equivalent method requirements specified by EPA to help ensure
that air quality measurements are accurate.
• Calibration units—determine the relationship between the observed and the true values of a measured
parameter. Accuracy is the extent to which measurements represent their corresponding actual values,
and precision is a measurement of the variability observed over repeated analyses. The accuracy and
precision of data derived from air monitoring instruments depend on sound instrument calibration
procedures.
• Data loggers—computerized systems that can control and record data generated from several instru-
ments at a monitoring site. With a data logger, you can interact with software using either a keyboard
or an interactive, command-oriented interface. Data loggers perform numerous functions: reviewing
collected data, producing printed reports, controlling the analyzer and other instruments, setting up
instrument operating parameters, performing diagnostic checks, setting up external events and alarms,
and defining external storage.
Data can be downloaded from the data loggers to an off-site computer through a modem connection. In
addition to the off-site computer and modem, data acquisition and processing software and a data storage
module are needed to make the data available for further processing. See Chapter 6 for more information
on data management, processing, and delivery.
5.2.3.1 INSTRUMENTATION SELECTED FDR THE DUDLEY SQUARE
MONITORING STATION
Table 5-1 provides a list of the specific instruments and equipment used at the Dudley Square monitoring
station. With a few notable exceptions, most of the instrumentation installed at the station was selected by
MA DEP. Because the Dudley Square station is part of a statewide SLAMS network and generates data that
are used for determining compliance with federal air quality standards, MA DEP relied on instruments that
have been designated by EPA as reference or equivalent methods. These include instruments for making
continuous measurements of ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and carbon monoxide. Because EPA
regulations currently do not allow for continuous PM2 5 monitors to be used for compliance monitoring,
MA DEP installed a Thermo Andersen RAAS2.5-300 Sequential Sampler at the site to measure 24-hour
PM2 5 concentrations. These 24-hour measurements are used for determining compliance with the 24-hour
National Ambient Air Quality Standard for PM2 5 (see Section 3.4.2).
Of the compliance monitors listed in the first section of Table 5-1, AirBeat uses only data from the continu-
ous ozone monitor. These ozone data are reported in real time on the AirBeat Web site. The second section
of the table lists the instruments used for gathering the real-time PM2 5 and black carbon data reported on
the site. See Section 5.2.3.2 for more information about these instruments.
When looking through the table, keep in mind that air monitoring technology is a rapidly evolving field.
Because much of the instrumentation for the Dudley Square site was selected in the period between 1998
and 1999, it does not necessarily represent the best or most up-to-date instrumentation currently available.
If you are interested in launching an AirBeat-type monitoring program and have questions about appropri-
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ate instrumentation, contact your state or local air control agency, which will have up-to-date information
on the latest EPA-certified measurement methods. Indeed, you should make every effort to engage your
state or local air control agency as a partner in your monitoring effort. If you are interested in gathering
further information on reference or equivalent methods for measuring criteria pollutants, you can also visit
the following Web page, operated by EPA's Ambient Monitoring Technology Information Center:
http://www.epa.gov/ttn/amtic/criteria.html. The Web page provides lists of EPA-approved instrumentation.
TABLE B-1 . MONITORING INSTRUMENTATION AND EQUIPMENT USED
AT DUDLEY SQUARE SITE
Ozone (03)
Fine Particulate
Matter (PM2 5)
Nitrogen Dioxide (N02)
Sulfur Dioxide (S02)
Carbon Monoxide (CO)
Calibration System
Calibration System
Advanced Pollution Instrumentation (API) 400 03 Analyzer (EPA Reference Method Number EQOA-0992-087)
Thermo Andersen RAAS2. 5-300 Sequential Sampler (EPA Reference Method Number RFPS-0598-0120)
TECO 42C N02 Analyzer (EPA Reference Method Number RFNA-1 289-074)
TECO 43C S02 Analyzer (EPA Equivalent Method Number EQSA-0486-060)
API 300 CO Analyzer (EPA Reference Method Number RFCA-1 093-093)
Dasibi Model 5008 Multipoint Gas Phase Titration Calibration System with a Dasibi Model 5011 Zero Air Unit
(Meets EPA monitoring requirements as defined in 40 CFR Part 53) with Protocol 1 Certified Gas Cylinders
TECO Model 146 Multipoint Gas Phase Titration Calibration System with a TECO Model 111 Zero
(Meets EPA monitoring requirements as defined in 40 CFR Part 53) with Protocol 1 Certified Gas
Air Unit
Cylinders
Instruments Used for AirBeat-Specific Measurements
Black Carbon Soot
PM2.5
PM2.5
PM2.5
Haze
AE-21 Dual Channel Aethalometer, Magee Scientific, Inc.
Met One Instrumentation 1020 Beta Attenuation Mass Monitor
Tapered Element Oscillating Microbalance (TEOM), Rupprecht & PatashnickCo., Inc.
Andersen Continuous Ambient Mass Monitor (CAMM)
Hazecam Automatic Camera Visibility Monitoring System, Air Resources, Inc.
Meteorological Monitors
Meteorological
Parameters
Met One Instrumentation Meteorological Station for Wind Speed, Wind Direction, Temperature, Barometric
Pressure, Relative Humidity and Solar Radiation (Meets EPA monitoring requirements as defined in
40 CFR Part 53)
Data Acquisition System
Datalogger
Computer
Modems
Data Software
Environmental Systems Corporation (ESC) Model 8816 DSM Data Acquisition Unit
HP Brio Desktop
Zoom Telephonies Models 14.4K and V34 plus
ESC E-DAS Digi-trend Software for Windows
MONITORING
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5.2.3.2 RESEARCH INSTRUMENTATION APPLIED AT THE AIRBEAT
MONITORING SITE
As mentioned in Section 5.1, the AirBeat team chose to test two innovative methods for air quality
monitoring at the Dudley Square site: the Continuous Ambient Mass Monitor (CAMM), a new tool for
measuring PM2 5 concentrations in ambient air, and the Aethalometer, which measures concentrations of
black carbon as a surrogate for diesel emissions.
The CAMM is a new technology that was made commercially available by Andersen Instruments in the
summer of 2000. The AirBeat team tested the CAMM side by side with another, more-established PM
monitor: the Tapered Element Oscillating Microbalance (TEOM). (The TEOM is usually used for PM10
measurements, but can be adapted for PM2 5 monitoring by placing an impactor inlet upstream to remove
particles larger than 2.5 micrometers.) These comparative tests showed that the CAMM produced represen-
tative data. In March 2001, the TEOM was turned off, and for the following year the CAMM was used to
generate the PM2 5 data that were posted to the AirBeat Web site and updated on an hourly basis. In spring
of 2002, problems emerged with the CAMM unit and it could not be repaired by the manufacturer in a
timely manner. The CAMM was replaced by a Met One Instrumentation Beta Attenuation Mass Monitor,
which is still in use.
To supplement the core air pollution measurements
of ozone and PM2 5, AirBeat also measures aerosol
black carbon and UV-absorbing carbon using the
Aethalometer, a real-time optical absorption monitor-
ing instrument. Measurements of black carbon are
of interest because black carbon is a surrogate for
elemental carbon; mass of black carbon as reported
by the Aethalometer agrees well with integrated
elemental carbon mass samples. Hourly data from
the Aethalometer are available on the AirBeat Web
site. In urban areas, the predominant source of black
carbon is from diesel fuel used in buses, trucks, and
construction equipment. Although black carbon is a
component of PM2 5 (around 10 percent by mass,
typically), its temporal variation can be quite different, usually peaking during morning rush hour.
Real-time measurements of black carbon are thus required to evaluate the temporal variation and provide
useful information on potential health effects to residents of the area.
5.2.4 INSTALLING AND MAINTAINING MONITORING EQUIPMENT
The key to effective installation of instrumentation and equipment at a site is to plan ahead of time a layout
allowing the best use of the interior and exterior space available so that field personnel can operate the site
in an efficient and safe manner. When planning the site layout, particular consideration must be given to
adherence to any/all siting requirements (i.e., specified distances around and between collections systems,
height from ground level of sample collection intakes, acceptable instrumentation temperature ranges, etc.).
Equipment must be situated so that field technicians have the space to conveniently conduct operation and
repair activities, without disturbing the function of other instrumentation and equipment. It is essential to
plan for adequate electrical power with outlets located in close proximity to the equipment.
Safety must also be a primary consideration when planning a site layout. Placement of instrumentation and
equipment must minimize the potential for personal injury. Injury can be the result of physical, electrical,
chemical, or environmental hazards. All applicable occupational health and safety standards must be met.
The technology used to continuously monitor
fine particles is constantly evolving and being
improved. The experience of the AirBeat proj-
ect—which used three different technologies
within a two-and-a-half-year period—demon-
strates this point. Any organization planning a
new AirBeat-type project should do its home-
work before deciding upon a particular type of
monitor.
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After the instrumentation is installed and operating, a maintenance
plan should be developed to ensure continued operation. The mainte-
nance plan may be a separate document, or planning for instrument
maintenance may be a part of the Standard Operating Procedures
(SOPs) written for the monitoring program (see Section 5.2.5 for
information on SOPs). Procedures and schedules must be established
for activities intended to reduce the potential for missing data due to
monitoring instrumentation, equipment, or station malfunctions or
problems.
There are two approaches to maintenance that must be addressed—
preventive and corrective. Preventive maintenance involves
conducting planned service activities prior to, and in an effort to
avoid, failures. Based on manufacturers' recommendations, historical
information on previous application of the equipment, and sound
knowledge, the following determinations must be made:
• What are the components that must be replaced at specific
intervals and what are the intervals?
• What are the components that can receive servicing to extend their
lifetime, and what is the service and interval for service?
Computers and monitoring equipment
inside the secure shelter at the
Dudley Square station.
A schedule reflecting required service activities must be developed, and service must be conducted accord-
ingly. When developing the schedule, make sure to consider the timing of service activities so that data
collection won't be disrupted (affecting data capture completeness).
Because of their complexity, electro-mechanical devices occasionally fail. Given this fact, the primary pur-
pose of corrective maintenance planning is to establish procedures that ensure that unscheduled repairs are
completed as rapidly as possible. An integral facet of efficient corrective maintenance is possessing a store of
appropriate replacement parts. Based on input from the manufacturer, a list of replacement parts for each
monitoring or critical ancillary device should be developed. The list should be detailed and present items by
part description, vendor, part number, cost, and approximate delivery time required. Parts determined to
have the highest potential for failure, or that have a long delivery time, should be obtained and stored until
required.
A maintenance checklist presenting the date of service, equipment identification information, service
performed, person performing the service, and any associated notes should be prepared at the time of each
servicing activity, for both preventive and corrective maintenance actions.
5.2.4.1 AIRBEAT'S MAINTENANCE ACTIVITIES
AirBeat defined the specific procedures for maintaining monitoring instrumentation—and the appropriate
frequency of maintenance—in the SOPs that were developed for each instrument. During the EMPACT
grant period (1999 to 2001), quality checks for AirBeat included twice-a-week station visits, with routine
inspection of all systems at each visit. Monitors were calibrated quarterly, with flow or precision checks
performed bi-weekly. At least one internal performance audit was conducted on all monitors during the
grant period. Since 2001, all instruments at the Dudley Square station have been maintained by MA DEP.
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5.2.5 OPERATING THE MONITORING EQUIPMENT
To ensure that representative data and a high data capture rate are achieved, each piece of monitoring
equipment must be operated in strict accordance with an in-depth operating protocol. Although general
operating instructions are typically provided by the manufacturer, and general operational guidelines and
performance specifications are available for EPA-approved methods, these instructions and guidelines do not
provide the level of detail needed to facilitate standardized operation of monitoring equipment. To achieve
the appropriate level of detail and standardization, and to consequently ensure that the monitoring equip-
ment provides high quality data, Standard Operating Procedures must be prepared for each specific
measurement method/approach conducted.
EPA has published a document that provides guidance for preparing SOPs, available at
http://www.epa.gov/qualityl/qs-docs/g6-final.pdf. Where monitoring data will be used for determining compli-
ance with federal air quality standards, SOPs should be prepared according to this guidance and should
address specific topics as follows:
• Introduction and background information.
• Location and siting criteria applied.
• Calibration procedures, standards, acceptance criteria, and schedule.
• Quality control procedures, standards and checks, acceptance criteria, and schedule.
• Data reduction, validation procedures, reporting, and schedule.
5.2.5.1 DPERATIDN D F TH E Al RBEAT MD N ITDRI NB EQUIPMENT
The monitoring conducted at the Dudley Square monitoring station during the EMPACT grant period was
performed in accordance with well-prepared SOPs as presented in Table 5-2.
As the table shows, most of the SOPs were documents prepared by MA DEP for operating instrumentation
in the agency's SLAMS network. These SOPs were prepared according to EPA guidance. Each document is
very long and highly detailed.
The Harvard School of Public Health developed the SOPs for the Aethalometer, TEOM, and CAMM.
These are shorter, less formal documents. Given that the data from these instruments were not used by
MA DEP for determining the commonwealth's compliance with federal air quality standards, it was not
necessary for Harvard to follow the official EPA guidance for developing SOPs. The SOP for the
Aethalometer is presented as a sample at the end of this chapter.
TABLE S-2. SDPs FOR THE DUDLEY SQUARE MONITORING EQUIPMENT
Instrument Type
Aethalometer
Tapered Element Oscillating Balance Monitor
Continuous Ambient Mass Monitor
Continuous Emission Monitor
Equivalent Continuous Emission Monitor
Continuous Emission Monitor
Semi-continuous Beta Attenuation Mass Monitor
Meteorological Monitoring System
Black Carbon Soot
PM2.5
PM25
Carbon Monoxide
Ozone
Oxides of Nitrogen
PM2.5
Wind Speed, Wind Direction, Relative Humidity,
Temperature, Solar Radiation, Barometric Pressure
HSPH
HSPH
MA DEP
MA DEP
MA DEP
MA DEP
MA DEP
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5.3 FDR MORE INFORMATION
EPA Requirements for Quality Assurance Project Plans (EPA QA/R-5, EPA/240/B-01/003)
http://www.epa.gov/quality/qs-docs/r5-final.pdf
Guidance for the Data Quality Objectives Process (EPA QA/G-4, EPA/600/R-96/055)
http://www.epa.gov/quality/qs-docs/g4-final.pdf
EPA Guidance on Technical Audits and Related Assessments for Environmental Data Operations
(EPA QA/G-7, EPA/600R-99/080)
http://www.epa.gov/quality/qs-docs/g7-final.pdf
Network Design for State and Local Monitoring Stations (SLAMS), National Air Monitoring Stations
(NAMS), and Photochemical Assessment Monitoring Stations (PAMS). Code of Federal Regulations.
Title 40, Part 58, Subpart E, Appendix D.
Quality Assurance Handbook for Air Pollution Measurement Systems, Volume II, Part 1 (EPA-454/R-98-004)
http://www.epa.gov/ttn/amtic/files/ambient/qaqc/redbook.pdf
Technical Assistance Document for Sampling and Analysis of Ozone Precursors (EPA/600-R-98/161)
http://www. epa.gov/ttn/amtic/pams. html
Compendium of Methods for the Determination of Toxic Organic Compounds in Ambient Air
(EPA/625/R-96/01 Ob) http:llwww.epa.gov/ttn/amtic/airtox.html
Designated EPA Reference and Equivalent Methods for Criteria Pollutants
http://www. epa.gov/ttn/amtic/criteria. html
Equivalent Reference Method Designation Procedures and Program. Code of Federal Regulations.
Title 40, Part 53.
Guidance for Preparing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) (EPA QA/G-6, EPA/240/B-01/004)
http://www.epa.gov/qualityl/qs-docs/g6-final.pdf
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Roxbury Air Monitoring
AIRBEAT QUALITY ASSURANCE NARRATIVE STATEMENT
MA DEP and HSPH, the two organizations responsible for making the environmental measurements, both have been
collecting air pollution data for over 25 years and have established QA programs in place. MA DEP's QA program is
required by the U.S. EPA for their SLAMS program, and the HSPH QA program has been required and evaluated by
the U.S. EPA as part of recent cooperative agreements with that agency. This QA narrative covers the operation of
measurement methods run specifically for this EMPACT project (hourly means for real-time PM2 5, black carbon soot,
and ozone) and the real-time data processing and validation for those methods that is done specifically for use in this
EMPACT project. It does not cover the non-EMPACT integrated methods being run at the same site or the data pro-
cessing and validation of "official" MA DEP data streams for real-time PM2 5, black carbon soot, and ozone, since the
MA DEP has existing QA programs in place for those efforts, and those data will not be directly used by this project.
Although continuous PM2 5 and BC are relatively new methods and not yet commonly used for routine ambient moni-
toring, HSPH has been running both of these methods in several studies since 1990, including a 3-year study in Boston.
The experience gained from this previous work with these methods will be applied to both the operational and data vali-
dation aspects of EMPACT, and will insure generation of complete and high quality data for this project.
Data Quality Objectives for the real-time (hourly) data set will include precision (coefficient of variation) and accuracy
of better than 10% for ozone and continuous PM2 5. For ozone, this is determined by repeated calibrations and internal
audits; for continuous PM2 5 by external flow checks, mass transducer calibrations, and comparison to integrated 24-
hour samples (TEOM). For the Aethalometer assessment of precision and accuracy is limited to flow checks, since there
are no other practical techniques for precision and accuracy for this method. Traditional techniques of replicate sam-
pling used for integrated PM sampling methods can not be readily used for any of these continuous methods, since that
would require multiple samplers.
Station visits will occur at least twice a week; routine inspection of all systems will be performed at each visit. Monitors
will be calibrated quarterly, with flow or precision checks performed bi-weekly. The TEOM PM2 5 impactor will be
cleaned twice a week, per EPA requirements. TEOM and Aethalometer leak checks will be performed at least quarterly.
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all of these methods have been developed for previous studies and will be
adapted for use in this project. All ozone, flow, and mass calibration standards used are NIST traceable. At least one
internal and if possible, one external performance audit will be conducted on all monitors during the EMPACT moni-
toring period.
Completeness will be assessed on an hourly basis; a valid hour requires 75% of the interval (45 minutes) to be valid; a
valid day requires 18 valid hours (75%). Since this is a short-term pilot program, seasonal or yearly completeness criteria
are not used; however we expect to achieve an overall daily data capture and public reporting rate of 95% or higher after
the system is fully functional. There is no sample custody for these continuous methods other than data management,
which is discussed elsewhere in this proposal. The sampling and analytical methods are discussed in the proposal's
Approach section.
Although as noted in the proposal the data for this project will not be the final validated data set that will be submitted
to AIRS by the MA DEP, it is still important that the preliminary real-time data distributed to the public via EMPACT
be of known quality. Therefore it is important for this project that instrument failures are detected automatically to pre-
vent grossly invalid data from being publically presented. This will be accomplished by utilizing built-in status flags on
the instruments and by real-time data screening for outliers, impossible values, 'stuck values', rates of change, excessive
short-term (1 minute interval) noise, etc. All instruments will be configured to allow observation of negative values for
screening purposes. These data processing issues, along with other real-time data handling QA processes, are addressed
in the attached Information Management Plan. As a final independent check of the EMPACT data management
process, a subset of the "official" MA DEP hourly data set will be compared with archived EMPACT data on an ongo-
ing basis as the MA DEP validated data becomes available on a quarterly basis, approximately 1 to 3 months after
collection. Any significant discrepancies will be investigated. The validated MA DEP data for these monitors will be
made available via the EMPACT Web site on a quarterly basis when it is submitted to the U.S. EPA AIRS database.
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r
Roxbury Air Monitoring
OPERATING PROTOCOL FOR BC WITH
TM
MAGEE SCIENTIFIC AE-21 AETHALDMETER
G. Allen, HSPH, Rev. 1, September 20, 1999
This protocol is for Black Carbon (BC) soot measurements using the Magee Scientific AE-21 dual channel
Aethalometer™ with a 4-lpm Harvard Impactor (HI) PM2.5 inlet at the Roxbury MA DEP site. The instrument is run
with tape-saver mode off and flow reported at 20E C.
Any times that data are not valid while the system is "on-line" should be noted in the site computer log, along with
any comments or notes. If at all possible, avoid doing any procedure that causes loss of data during periods with
BC concentrations higher than about 5 ug/m3.
Once Each Week:
1. Check the system date and time on the Aethalometer display and on the data logger PC. The Aethalometer time
should be within 5 minutes of the PC's time. Times should always be EST (subtract 1 hour from daylight time). If
the time is reset, record the time error before changing the time, and the date and time you changed the time. The
Aethalometer must be "stopped" to change the time, but does not need to be taken "off-line" from the data acquisi-
tion system, since the -5 volt output in this state automatically flags the data as void in the data logger. A security
code must be entered to stop the Aethalometer and perform certain other system operating tasks; the default code is
111 and should not be changed. If there is a clear trend in the system time error (for example, a system typically
gains 2 minutes each week), set the time somewhat off in the opposite direction of the trend to reduce the need for
frequent system time changes. For the fast clock example given above, set it 4 or 5 minutes slow each clock reset.
2. Check the sample flow on the Aethalometer display and record it in the log. It should be 4.0 ±0.3 1pm. Adjust with
the valve on the pump if necessary, and record the after adjustment value in the log sheet.
3. Check the Aethalometer display for normal operation (reasonable readings, no error messages, etc).
4. Change both impactor plates on the roof inlet. Plates can be reused at least 5 times by field cleaning before being
throughly cleaned in the lab. Wipe the deposit off the plates with a Kimwipe, apply one drop of mineral oil on each
plate, and blot dry after 30 seconds to remove any excess oil.
5. Check the filter tape supply. Change it if the thickness of the roll is less than 1/8" thick. Re-tension the tape roll
take-up spool if needed. Inspect the used filter tape spots that are visible for distinct and uniform borders between
the exposed and unexposed areas. If obvious poor seals are noted, contact HSPH.
Once Each Month:
1. While the Aethalometer is in its normal run mode, perform an external flow check. Do not stop data collection on
the Aethalometer to do this test, since that can change the flows. The "tape-saver" function must be off to perform
this flow check procedure.
la. Measure the sample flow at the inlet of the fine mass impactor using a BIOS flow meter, dry test meter, rotameter,
or other calibrated volumetric (e.g, not STP) flow measurement device with a range of 3 to 5 1pm. Wet flow devices
are not recommended since they can not be used below freezing, and have a RH dependent error due to water
vapor. The external flow meter must be at ambient temperature for readings to be valid. A STP flow device can be
used if the temperature is 20E C; in this case skip the next step.
— more —
MONITORING
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Roxbury Air Monitoring
Ib. Record the flow from the Aethalometer display (a Sierra MFM with STP at 70E F). Correct the external volumet-
ric flow measurement to a standard condition of 20E C and 29.92" He as follows:
STP flow = actual flow *
293
273 + ambient T in degrees C
Station BP (in inches)
29.92
For this site (Roxbury), station pressure can be the pressure reported from Logan Airport, since the site elevation is less
than 30 meters above sea level.
Ic. Calculate the % error of the Aethalometer flow compared to the external flow standard. % error = 100 x
(Aethalometer display - external STP flow) / external STP flow If the flow difference is more than 10%, contact
HSPH.
2. Leak check the Aethalometer by disconnecting the inlet hose at the rear of the instrument and blocking the inlet on
the back. Record the flow on the flowmeter display after 30 seconds; it should be less than 1.5 1pm. Reconnect the
sample line.
3. Change the Aethalometer data disk. The Aethalometer does not need to be interrupted to do this as long as the
change is done during the first three minutes of any five minute measurement cycle [based on the Aethalometer's
internal clock]. Before changing the disk, start by labeling a new disk with the site and start date/time (local standard
time). Remove the old data disk and insert the new disk. Immediately put the write protect tab on the old disk, and
record the end date/time (EST) on the disk label. Return the disk to HSPH.
Once Each 6 Months:
Perform an optical strip check according to the manual. Also verify that the concentration reported by the data logger
agrees with the Aethalometer display within 200 ng while the optical strip is in place. Record the results of both these
in the comment section of the instrument log.
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6
DATA MANAGEMENT
This chapter presents general information about managing, processing, and delivering data generated
from an air pollution monitoring effort. Section 6.1 provides an introduction to data management
and suggests ways of reducing the costs and technical challenges involved. Section 6.2 offers an
overview of AirBeat's data management efforts, focusing on the functions of the project's Data Management
Center, where all project data are collected, managed, and archived. Sections 6.3 and 6.4 discuss the hard-
ware and software components used to operate the Data Management Center. Finally, Sections 6.5 and 6.6
describe the creation of AirBeat's Web site and telephone hotline.
Sections 6.1 and 6.2 are meant to provide a plain English overview of data management for programs man-
agers and others who may have limited experience with information technology (IT). The other sections are
more technical in nature, and are designed for IT specialists who may be charged with creating a data man-
agement system for an air pollution monitoring and outreach program.
6.1 INTRODUCTION TO DATA MANAGEMENT
In an environmental monitoring project such as AirBeat, data management is the process of collecting data
generated by monitoring instruments, validating and standardizing the data, storing the data in a database,
and then translating the data into formats that can be communicated to the public. Today, most data man-
agement systems are automated systems operated by complex configurations of computer hardware and
software. Building such systems requires the expertise of experienced information technology specialists.
The scale of your project's data management needs, and the resources required for this project phase, will
depend on a number of factors. Will your project be providing real-time data? How many types of data will
you be reporting? Will your project be responsible for assuring the quality of the data, or will QA proce-
dures be conducted by the agency or organization that owns and operates the monitoring sites?
As indicated in Section 4.5 of this handbook
("Estimating Program Costs"), data management
turned out to be one of the most costly and techni-
cally challenging components of the AirBeat project.
This was true for several reasons. One key factor was
AirBeat's decision to build a data management system
that could collect, process, validate, and deliver data
in real time. The Massachusetts Department of
Environmental Protection (MA DEP), the agency
that owns and operates the AirBeat monitoring sta-
tion as well as 41 others in the commonwealth, has its
own program for collecting, processing, and validating
air quality data. However, at the inception of AirBeat
in 1998, MA DEP did not have the capabilities for man-
aging and delivering data in real time. This meant that the AirBeat project was required to build its own
real-time data management system from scratch—a costly proposition.
It's worth noting that there are ways of structuring an air pollution monitoring and outreach program that
can reduce the costs and challenges involved with data management. Today, many state and local air control
agencies have the data management capabilities to provide the public with real-time data from their
monitoring networks (MA DEP intends to develop this capability in the coming years).
Find out if your state or local air control
agency has the data management capabilities
to provide the public with real-time data from
its monitoring network. If so, you might be
able to arrange with the agency to download
pre-processed data (rather than raw data)
from the agency's network, thereby avoiding
the costs of building a separate data manage-
ment system.
DATA MANAGEMENT
6-1
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An AirBeat-type program getting underway today might be able to arrange with its state or local air control
agency to download pre-processed data (rather than raw data) from the agency's network, thereby avoiding
the costs of building a separate data management system. A model for this type of cost-efficient program is
the St. Louis Regional Clean Air Partnership, described in Appendix C.
In reality, no two projects will have precisely the same data management needs or systems. This chapter
describes the AirBeat project's data management system as a case study, meant to illustrate some of the
considerations that go into building a real-time system for managing and processing environmental infor-
mation. The chapter also describes the work that went into creating the AirBeat Web site and telephone
hotline, two key tools for delivering air pollution data to the public.
DESIGN DIAGRAM FOR AIRBEAT DATA MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Monitoring Site
Polled by modem ,
CD
O
O
CO
www.hazecam.net
H-
Digital Camera
Web Server Live View of Boston
Ozone Maps
Primary Computer
NESCAUM Office
• Quality Assurance
• Graphics generation
• Hosting hotline
• Web site
Windows (Pentium III) Server
Web Site
Internet Access
~
www.airbeat.org
Telephone Access
I
C
0
W
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O
O
O
3
3
c
v (617)427-9500 ,
6.2 OVERVIEW OF AIRBEAT'S DATA MANAGEMENT
EFFORTS
All data for the AirBeat project were and are being collected, managed, and archived at a single Data
Management Center, which puts the data into a standard electronic format and performs quality checks
prior to making the data available to the public.
The AirBeat Data Management Center (DMC) is shown schematically in the diagram above. As the
diagram shows, the DMC collects data from multiple sources. Types of data include monitoring data
downloaded from the data logger at the AirBeat monitoring site, hazecam images downloaded from a digital
camera Web server, and ozone maps downloaded from EPA's AirNow Web site (http://www.epa.gov/airnow).
In addition, some data on weather parameters originate from the National Weather Service and the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
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Once the data are processed and validated, they are communicated to the public via various venues. AirBeat
had planned to implement multiple communication venues to optimize communication with the public,
including a toll-free telephone hotline, an e-mail and fax listserver, an AirBeat Web site, and an information
kiosk to be located in the Roxbury community. Due to budget constraints, only the hotline and the AirBeat
Web site were implemented during the period of the EMPACT grant (1999 to 2001). (Roxbury high
school students also developed an innovative flag system for communicating air quality data to the
public—this is described in Chapter 7.)
Though the DMC handles a variety of data streams from different sources, its key function is processing
the data from the AirBeat monitoring site in Dudley Square. This involves collecting the data, assuring its
quality, storing the data in a standardized format, and translating the data into other formats for communi-
cation to the public. A further breakdown of the steps in this process is as follows:
• Download an ASCII text file from the Dudley Square air monitoring station. Each file contains the
measured levels of each air pollutant for the previous hour, along with weather parameters. The files
are available over a standard telephone line (modem-to-modem) and must be automatically retrieved
every hour.
• Validate data file completeness and integrity.
• Transfer file contents to a database.
• Flag data that do not meet pre-defined quality control limits (as defined by MA DEP and the Harvard
School of Public Health).
• Calculate Air Quality Index values for quality-assured data (see Chapter 3 for information on the AQJ).
• Copy quality-assured data and indices into database tables for use by graphics, Web, and voice-response
software programs.
• Generate and record logs to monitor system operation.
• Alert system administrator when certain errors occur.
All of the specifications cited above are achieved by some combination of hardware, commercially available
software packages, information available from the Internet, and code written in Visual Basic®. These are
described in more detail in the following section. An overall picture of the Data Management Center data
flow is shown in the flow chart below.
AIRBEAT DATA FLOW
AirBeat Server
1 Web Server L
^1 Database [^^
( Hotline |»
^^^^^^^^^~ / ^
1 Archive [^^
1 Air Monitor U-^j
/" "\
Application
Data Management
Data Collection
Datalogger r
4—\ Mot
^^^^
/
^
-^•l Mo
Jem
J
\
^ j
dem
DATA MANAGEMENT
6-3
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Lessons Learned: Including an IT Specialist on the Project Team
At the outset of the AirBeat project, none of the partner organizations had an information technology specialist
on staff who could take on the technically challenging task of creating and operating the project's Data
Management Center. As a result, the AirBeat project team decided to hire a contractor to lead this effort. In
selecting the contractor, the team hoped to give preference to a local (preferably Roxbury-based) contractor
who would be able to meet and interact with the AirBeat team regularly.
In the execution of the project, the selected contractor (a small local business) was unable to complete the
work in a satisfactory manner. The initial version of the data management software created by the contractor
was full of bugs. Because of a lack of responsiveness in addressing these problems, the contractor was
removed from the project after approximately one year, leaving the AirBeat project in a difficult position: with
the data management hardware installed and operational but with only part of the software in place and opera-
tional. Also, documentation to support the operation of the Data Management Center was minimal. (The
contractor had been asked to document all data formats, scripts, parameter definitions, and directory struc-
tures to maximize transferability and sustainability of the project.)
NESCAUM hired an Information Technology specialist, who discarded most of the computer programs written
by the original contractor. New source code was written to link commercial software packages and to manage
data input. The resulting Data Management Center operated smoothly, but the AirBeat team had learned a
lesson in the process: For any project requiring collection of environmental monitoring data, it is helpful to
include a qualified and experienced IT specialist on the project team who can oversee the data management
operation on a daily basis and ensure that the work is being performed correctly and documented thoroughly.
Incorporating this IT specialist on the project management team is highly desirable.
If a contractor is going to be used, consider the pros and cons of using a small local business versus a larger,
more established company. Reasons to select a small local business include offering positive support to the
community and benefitting from a small business's personal connections to the community. However,
considerable difficulties can arise if the business moves or closes before the completion of the work. Larger
businesses, on the other hand, offer stability and perhaps a larger skill set (or more areas of expertise), but
typically don't have the same types of community connections.
The bottom line is: include an IT specialist on your project team if at all possible.
6.3 HARDWARE COMPONENTS USED TO OPERATE THE
DATA MANAGEMENT CENTER
To operate its Data Management Center, AirBeat uses a Dell Dimension 450 MHZ computer with a
13.6 GB hard drive and a US Robotics 28.8K external modem. These hardware components were selected
and purchased in the 1998/1999 time frame. The components have served AirBeat well, and continue to
be used today. However, the components are not listed in this handbook as recommendations for the use
of other AirBeat-type programs. Because of the rapid evolution of hardware in the field of information
technology, most computer systems that could be purchased today would outperform the system described
above. For example, a search of the US Robotics Web site or a general search for modems will show that
the 28.8K external modem is no longer readily available: most equipment manufacturers now feature
56K modems of various types. AirBeat originally intended to use an internal modem to download data
from the Dudley Square monitoring site. However, AirBeat's original contractors reported problems using
the internal modem that was supplied as part of the computer system and therefore went to an external
modem. Since the external modem was performing acceptably when responsibility for the Data
Management Center shifted to the NESCAUM IT specialist, no changes were made.
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When selecting hardware for your data man-
agement system, carefully consider how your
memory needs might evolve over the lifetime
of your project.
The computer system purchased for AirBeat was
originally obtained with 128 MB of memory,
but the computer memory was upgraded for
performance reasons to 384 MB. At the present
time, the system could be upgraded further if
required. The hard drive purchased for this
computer system has a capacity of 13.6 GB.
After 2 to 3 years of utilization of this hard drive
in the operation of AirBeat, less than half of this capacity (around 6 GB) is being used, and not entirely
for material related to AirBeat. The hard drive is still more than sufficient, and could be upgraded if required.
6.4 SOFTWARE CDMPDNENTS USED TD OPERATE THE
DATA MANAGEMENT CENTER
The software tools used to perform the functions required of the Data Management Center are summarized
in the table below. Some of these components are discussed in detail following the table.
TABLE 6-1. SOFTWARE CDMPDNENTS OF THE DMC
Package
Microsoft SQL Server
Microsoft Access 97
Visual Basic® 6.0
SaxComm Objects
Microsoft IIS 3
(Windows NT 4.0 Operating System)
Graphics Server
Dialogic Software
(with accompanying Dialogic IVR Board)
Stores data and metadata
Database to support the telephone hotline
Application programming language
Terminal emulation: connects to the data logger at the monitoring site and
captures monitoring data
Used to create and operate the AirBeat Web site
Creates graphs on the Web site
Presents air quality information via telephone hotline
DATA MANAGEMENT
6-5
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Visual Basic® 6.0
The single software package selection that determined most of the subsequent choices of other available
packages was the choice of Visual Basic® 6.0 (VB) as the application programming language. VB is
Microsoft Windows-specific, so there were no other options for the hardware system selected. The original
contractors selected VB because they were most familiar with it, not necessarily because VB was the best
technical choice. VB is used for three things: 1) to import ASCII data from the data logger at the monitor-
ing site to a text-based data file residing on the production server, 2) to import data from the data file to the
MS Access® data model, and 3) to verify the quality and integrity of the information by processing the data
through a rules algorithm defined by the AirBeat project team. VB performs the following functions:
• Reading a text file
• Listing a directory
• Creating a log file
• Reading and writing large files
• Reading and writing binary data
• Watching file system changes
NESCAUM considered switching the AirBeat Data Management Center from the Windows-based Visual
Basic® to freely available software. Cost-effective alternatives to VB that NESCAUM considered include
Tel, a freely available scripting language available for multiple operating systems, including Windows and
Linux. Tel is a language that provides the building blocks for custom applications. NESCAUM also consid-
ered Perl (possibly in combination with Tel), since Perl is a language especially suited for manipulating
strings, and a major portion of the programming effort required string manipulation. Perl could also
produce Web server scripts as well as ASP, the Windows-specific program. Numerous books and manuals
describing Tel and Perl are available online through O'Reilly Bookstores: http://www. OREILLY.com.
To make the switch away from Visual Basic®, AirBeat would have incurred a significant cost in re-program-
ming. Ultimately, it was not deemed practical for AirBeat to change after the original choices had been
made. For organizations interested in starting an AirBeat-type program, the bottom line is: carefully evalu-
ate the capabilities and associated costs of any software package before committing to a purchase. Consider
freely available alternatives, and remember that software is a rapidly evolving field.
SaxComm Objects
Another commercial software package, SaxComm Objects, was used by the AirBeat project for terminal
emulation—that is, connecting to the data logger at the monitoring site and capturing the monitoring data.
This software performs a screen capture of the text screens containing the data generated by the data logger.
SaxComm Objects is used to dial up to a text-based service, with the specific benefit of being able to embed
in another application.
To utilize the commercial software for data transfer, the IT specialist on the AirBeat project team wrote
Visual Basic® code to run a timer that invokes SaxComm Objects every hour, sending the software the
phone number to dial and the commands to send to the site data loggers, as well as telling the software how
to handle the screen capture file. The returned file that is transferred is a text file containing a table with all
of the monitoring data; a representative file is found at ftp://airbeat.org/upload/roxbury/bookmarkl.txt.
6-6
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Lessons Learned: Use of a Digital Camera—Hazecam
CAMNET is an organization initiated by NESCAUM to raise public awareness about the effects of air pollution
on visibility. This function is accomplished, in part, through a network of real-time visibility cameras located at
scenic urban and rural locations. CAMNET pictures are updated every 15 minutes. In addition, real-time air
pollution and meteorological data are provided to help distinguish natural from man-made causes of poor
visibility and to provide health-relevant data to the public on current air pollution levels. Air pollution and
meteorological data are updated every hour.
AirBeat's Data Management Center downloads hazecam images from a digital camera sited by NESCAUM, MA
DEP, and the EPA Regional office to provide real-time images of the Boston skyline. The digital camera is part
of a turn-key system supplied at a cost of $6,000 to $7,000 by Air Resource Specialists, Inc.
(http://www.air-resource.com). The system includes the following components:
• A high resolution digital camera with zoom lens and integrated scripting.
• A custom-designed controller.
• A Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) palm computer interface.
- A battery-backed power system (AC or solar power).
A lockable environmental enclosure.
Air Resource Specialists hosts and operates a digital camera network over most of the northeast United States,
and digital images from the Boston area are supplied to the network (http://www.hazecam.net) as well as the
AirBeat Web site. The camera is positioned appropriately to take timed pictures of the Boston skyline, showing
haze, fog, or a clear day. In operation, the computer is programmed to tell the digital camera to take a picture
at the specified time intervals. The digital image is downloaded from the camera to the hard drive of the com-
puter and sent by modem to Air Resource. Air Resource edits the digital image, as required, and then sends
the edited image to subscribing Web sites.
The digital camera image is central to the AirBeat Web site and provides a prime illustration of the guiding
principle for a project such as AirBeat: make full use of all available resources. A major investment of time
and capital resources would be required to purchase a digital camera system and program the system to send
images at regular time intervals to the AirBeat Web site. Accepting a digital image sent from Air Resource and
putting this image on the AirBeat Web site is a relatively small cost.
A hazecam image of the Boston skyline, taken on a relatively clear day, with low pollutant levels.
DATA MANAGEMENT
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6.5 CREATING THE AIRBEAT WEB SITE
The work of creating a Web site for disseminating air quality data is best done by a qualified and experi-
enced IT specialist. As mentioned earlier in this chapter, it is helpful to include an IT specialist on your
project team. If a contractor must be used for your Web-development efforts, look for a contractor with
extensive experience in HTML coding, basic scripting skills, and some experience working with
Web-enabled databases. The contractor should also have familiarity with Web accessibility guidelines
and demonstrated experience at creating attractive and user-friendly Web pages.
The AirBeat Web site (http://www.airbeat.org) was created by several contractors, who worked on the site
in succession. The Web site has two primary functions: to provide public access to AirBeat's real-time air
pollution data and other air quality information, and to promote AirBeat's outreach goals by presenting an
array of online educational materials and providing links to other sources of information. Section 7.2.1 of
this handbook discusses these functions in more detail and provides visual examples of the ways that air
quality information is presented on the Web site.
To create the Web site, AirBeat's contractors paired the existing hardware with Microsoft Internet
Information Server (IIS) 3, available as a part of Windows NT 4.0 Server. IIS is a standard Web and File
Transfer Protocol (FTP) server, with built-in Web page generation scripting. For information on a more
recent version of this software, see http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/technologies/web/default.asp.
Adobe Photoshop was used for designing and creating graphics for the Web site. The html pages were writ-
ten using a text editor, rather than a specific software package. The scripted (dynamic) parts of the Web site
were done using Active Server Page (ASP) scripts, a part of the Web server software (Microsoft IIS 3).
Programming was done in the Microsoft Visual Studio Environment, a software package that includes
Visual Basic®.
The graphs on the Web site, which continue to be updated hourly, are created with Graphics Server
(http://www.graphicsserver.com). Graphics Server is a very powerful graphics production program that has its
interface in Visual Basic®. Graphics Server adds interactive graphs to the numerical data that are being put
into the Web site, using multiple platforms, multiple hosts, multiple interfaces, and an extensive range of
graphs, charts, and statistical functions. The data features of Graphics Server allow charting of up to
128,000 dynamic data points in a single graph and can even plot incoming data in real time. See Section
7.2 for examples of the types of graphs generated on the Web site.
The AirBeat Web site is operational and available to the public. Maintenance and improvements to the sys-
tem have continued since the end of the EMPACT grant period (1999 to 2001), and the Web site
continues to operate at the NESCAUM office. The Data Management Center can integrate data into the
Web site from Internet resources (for example, ozone maps are integrated from EPA's AirNow Web site:
http://www.epa.gov/airnow). The Web site also provides links to other organizations' Web pages.
6.6 CREATING THE TELEPHONE HOTLINE
AirBeat's telephone hotline (617-427-9500) was created so that Roxbury residents without Internet access
can still obtain timely information about air quality. The hotline reports current pollutant concentrations
and also reports the highest concentrations for the current day and the peak concentrations from the previ-
ous day. In addition, the hotline message interprets these data from a public health standpoint and
recommends actions that sensitive individuals can take to reduce exposures.
The hotline is supported by a Dialogic IVR Board with accompanying software. (Information about
Dialogic equipment can be found at http://www.voiceinternational.com/.} The AirBeat team used Insight
IVR®, developed by Micro Delta Corporation, as the application generator to build an Interactive Voice
s-s CHAPTER 6
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r
Response application. The Insight IVR® Package software was used in conjunction with the Dialogic
voice processing board to create and maintain the AirBeat hotline. To foster community involvement in
the hotline, high school students in the Roxbury area pre-recorded air quality messages so that the hotline-
supporting hardware and software could select the appropriate pre-recorded segments to describe air quality
on an hourly basis.
Microsoft Access 97 (http://www.microsoft.com/ojfice/access) is used as the database to support the hotline.
The only purpose of the Access database is to replicate some of the data in the SQL database for the hotline
to use. The Access database is required to solve a deficiency in the hotline software; replacement of the
hotline software would result in a cost savings by making use of the Access database unnecessary.
AirBeat has had some problems with the hotline system (for example, there were problems in getting the
system to use two telephone lines when it should be capable of using four). However, the system was
operational for much of the EMPACT grant period, and continues to operate in automated fashion.
Lessons Learned: Tracking Usage of the Hotline
The AirBeat team considers the hotline a key venue for communicating air quality data to the public. It is espe-
cially important given that few Roxbury residents have the ability to connect to the Internet and thus access the
AirBeat Web site.
A point of frustration for the AirBeat team has been their inability to track usage of the hotline. The creation of
the hotline was a fairly costly and challenging process, and the team would like to be able to monitor its use in
order to assess the return on their investment.
Hotline systems can be purchased that include usage tracking features. New AirBeat-type programs should
consider investing the extra resources from the start to buy a system that has these features.
DATA MANAGEMENT
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•7
EDUCATION AND OUTREACH
This chapter provides information on setting up and running an education and outreach component
of an air pollution monitoring program. Section 7.1 provides tips on developing an outreach plan
for your program, with a focus on defining goals, key messages, and target audiences. Section 7.2
describes a variety of outreach tools that can be used, and provides examples of outreach materials devel-
oped by the AirBeat project. Finally, Section 7.3 describes the challenge of evaluating the success of your
education and outreach program.
The information in this chapter is designed primarily for managers who are implementing air quality
monitoring programs, as well as for education and outreach workers who are responsible for communicating
about these programs.
7.1 DEVELOPING AN OUTREACH PLAN
AirBeat represents a step forward for air quality monitoring, a field that has evolved gradually for over
50 years. Scientists in the United States started developing air pollution monitoring devices in the 1940s,
and by the mid 1950s Los Angeles had created the first monitoring network capable of providing continu-
ous air quality data, along with an alert system to warn the public in the event of an air pollution
emergency. AirBeat, and other programs like it, are the descendants of that early system. The goals of
today's programs are essentially the same as 50 years ago: to gather accurate, timely data on air pollution
and to communicate these data to the public in ways that can reduce harmful human exposures. The differ-
ence is that today's technologies allow air monitoring programs to collect more nuanced data and to
communicate with the public in much more sophisticated ways. In the case of AirBeat, the goal is to deliver
data directly to residents in a way that can affect their daily decision-making.
Communication is at the heart of AirBeat s mission, so an effective education and outreach program is key
to the project's success. During the EMPACT grant period (1999 to 2001), AirBeat's education and out-
reach program was run primarily by Alternatives for Community & Environment (ACE), a non-profit
organization that has worked closely with the Roxbury community on environmental justice issues since
1993. ACE has strong ties with other community and activist organizations in Roxbury, and has significant
experience working to educate the public about environmental and health issues. ACE also has a flourishing
internship and leadership development program for 14- to 18-year-olds, and the organization's interns
played a key role in AirBeat's education and outreach efforts, as described in the box on the next page.
Other AirBeat partners contributed outreach work as well, especially Northeast States for Coordinated Air
Use Management (NESCAUM), which coordinated the development of two of the project's key outreach
tools—the AirBeat Web site and the telephone hotline system.
The first step to creating an effective education and outreach program of your own is to develop an out-
reach plan. This plan will provide a blueprint for action. It does not have to be lengthy or complicated, but
it should define four things: What are your outreach goals? Who are the target audiences? What are the key
messages and types of information that you want to deliver? And what outreach tools will you use to reach
these audiences? Let's look at each of these questions in turn.
EDUCATION AND DUTREACH
y-i
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Lessons Learned: Involving Youth Interns in Community Outreach Efforts
ACE, the Roxbury-based organization that spearheads AirBeat's outreach efforts, runs a youth program called
the Roxbury Environmental Empowerment Project (REEP). REEP has trained more than 300 Roxbury youth
on environmental justice and leadership issues through an in-class curriculum, an after-school internship
program, and community workshops.
ACE interns played an integral part in AirBeat's community outreach efforts. Their accomplishments included:
Designing a community survey on air pollution that they administered to approximately 80 Roxbury
residents in 1999. The survey assessed residents' understanding of air pollution issues and helped
AirBeat determine the best methods for delivering air quality information to the target community.
- Developing and distributing a "Roxbury Air Quality Fact Sheet," which describes pollution sources and
health effects and summarizes what the AirBeat monitoring has indicated about pollutant levels in Dudley
Square.
~ Delivering a presentation at a Boston city hearing on the connection between traffic congestion and
air pollution.
- Helping to create and operate an innovative air quality flag warning system for communicating
AirBeat data to the local community. See Section 7.2.3 for more information about the system.
Involvement in the AirBeat effort provided a valuable learning experience for the ACE interns. The interns were
treated as part of the AirBeat team and attended the project's monthly organizational meetings. The interns
contributed to the meetings and presented information about their accomplishments. Through their participa-
tion, the youths understand how to use and interpret air quality data and take action on pollution issues.
The youths' participation has also benefitted the project itself. For the technical members of the AirBeat team,
the interns provided a human face for the target population. In addition, the interns were among the best
ambassadors for the program. Acting as "youth experts" on air pollution issues, they were able to share their
knowledge with the community, educating their peers and neighbors about how to use real-time air quality
data to improve their lives.
Two former interns recently co-authored (along with ACE staff members) an article about AirBeat that was
published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives (volume 110, supplement 2, April 2002).
7.1.1 WHAT ARE YDUR OUTREACH GOALS?
Defining your outreach goals is the first step in developing an education and outreach plan. Outreach goals
should be clear, simple, action-oriented statements about what you hope to accomplish through outreach.
Here are six goal statements for outreach that the AirBeat team included in their original project proposal:
1. Develop multiple communication venues to ensure widespread access to environmental information
and to appeal to the various communication preferences among end users.
2. Promote access to, awareness of, and use of the real-time air pollution data through an active
outreach and education campaign.
3. Develop contextual material to assist understanding and interpretation of the real-time data,
including its limitations.
4. Affect and improve daily decisions to reduce the harmful effects of air pollutants.
5. Bolster the community's effectiveness in shaping local policies for transportation, development,
and construction projects that affect air pollution.
6. Evaluate, document, and disseminate results for further benefits in other EMPACT cities.
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Where possible, outreach goals should be measurable. This will help you when it comes time to evaluate the
success of your program (see Section 7.3). In fact, for each goal, you might want to identify some specific
measures that you can use to define success. For example, some measures that could be used for goal #2
above are:
• Attract 10,000 visitors per year to your Web site.
• Deliver a presentation or class on air pollution and health effects at each school in your target
community.
• Conduct direct outreach (e.g., via face-to-face visit or phone call) to the managers of all health care
facilities in your target community.
7.1 .2 WHD ARE YDUR TARGET AUDIENCES?
The second step in developing an outreach plan is to clearly identify the target audience or audiences for
your outreach effort. As illustrated in the examples in Section 7.1.1, specific outreach goals and measures
often have defined target audiences. You might want to refine and add to your goals and measures after you
have specifically considered which audiences you want to reach.
The AirBeat team included the following statement about their target audience in their project proposal:
The target audience for this project is the residents ofRoxbury and those students and workers who spend a
significant portion of their day outdoors in the neighborhood. Within this group, we will target those who
suffer from asthma and other respiratory diseases, and those who are in a position to improve their care,
such as school nurses and day care and health care providers.
As the statement illustrates, it is typical to have a number of sub-audiences within a target audience.
(AirBeat's sub-audiences include adult residents, adult residents who suffer from asthma, children who suffer
from asthma, nurses and other health care providers, and day care providers.) Each audience will have its
own specialized interests, and before you can begin tailoring messages for your different audiences, you will
need to develop a profile of their situations, interests, and concerns. This profile will help you identify the
most effective ways of reaching the audience. For each target audience, consider:
• What is their current level of knowledge about air pollution and health effects (particularly asthma)?
• What do you want them to know about air pollution and health effects? What actions would you like
them to take?
• What information is likely to be of greatest interest to the audience? What information will they likely
want to know once they develop some awareness of air pollution issues?
• How much time are they likely to give to receiving and assimilating the information?
• How does this group generally receive information?
• What professional, recreational, and domestic activities does this group typically engage in that
might provide avenues for distributing outreach products? Are there any organizations or centers that
represent or serve the audience and might be avenues for disseminating your outreach products?
• What are the language needs of each target audience? Do all audiences speak English, or will you need
to conduct outreach in other languages as well? Often the community residents most in need of air
quality information do not speak or read English.
Profiling an audience essentially involves putting yourself "in your audience's shoes." Ways to do this
include consulting with individuals or organizations who represent or are members of the audience,
consulting with colleagues who have successfully developed other outreach products for the audience,
and using your imagination.
EDUCATION AND DUTREACH v-3
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The AirBeat team profiled its audience by means of a survey developed by three of ACE's youth interns.
The survey, which was distributed to Roxbury residents, evaluated the respondents' knowledge of air pollu-
tion issues and health effects and asked residents how they preferred to receive information on these issues.
The interns collected 80 survey forms in all and then created a report presenting the results. A copy of the
survey questions and results is available on the AirBeat Web site: http://www.airbeat.org (click on "Student
Projects" in the main menu).
The survey revealed some interesting trends:
• Roughly one-quarter of the respondents had asthma, and half lived with someone who has asthma.
• Two-thirds of the respondents did not know what particulate matter is, and over half could not name
other types of air pollutants.
• Only 10 percent of the respondents knew that AirBeat had set up an air monitoring station in
Roxbury.
• Television and newspapers were far and away the most popular media for receiving information on air
pollution issues.
7. 1 .3 WHAT ARE THE KEY MESSAGES AND TYPES DF
INFORMATION THAT YOU WANT TO DELIVER?
The next step in planning is to think about what you want to communicate. In particular at this stage,
think about the key points, or "messages," you want to communicate. Messages are the "bottom line"
information you want your audience to walk away with, even if they forget the details.
A message is usually phrased as a brief (often one-sentence) statement. For example:
• Air pollutants such as ground-level ozone, fine particulate matter, and black carbon soot can
exacerbate asthma symptoms and trigger asthma attacks.
• The AirBeat Web site and telephone hotline system can provide you with easy access to real-time
information about air pollution levels in Roxbury.
• Reducing your exposures to air pollution and other asthma triggers can help you manage your asthma
symptoms.
• Cars, trucks, buses, factories, power plants, and construction activities are some of the primary sources
of air pollutants such as particulate matter.
Outreach products often will have multiple related messages. Consider what messages you want to deliver to
each target audience group, and in what level of detail. As stated above, you will want to tailor different
messages for different audiences.
Let's look at how this can be done. For instance, let's say that you are writing a press release for distribution
to local newspapers, announcing the launch of your program. Your audience, the average reader of these
publications, has relatively little knowledge about air pollution and its health effects. What should be the
focus of your press release? Probably you will want to concentrate on a few simple messages: that the United
States is experiencing an epidemic of asthma that is most severe among lower income and minority chil-
dren; that air pollutants such as ground-level ozone and particulate matter have been linked to asthma and
other respiratory illnesses; that your program has begun an effort to monitor levels of these pollutants
locally and deliver real-time data to community residents; and that people with asthma can use this infor-
mation to avoid harmful exposures. An example of a similar press release, distributed by the AirBeat team in
November 1999, is included at the end of this chapter.
v-4 CHAPTER 7
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On the other hand, if you were conducting outreach to nurses and other health care providers, you would
spend less time describing the asthma epidemic that is affecting children in the United States (after all, no
one is more aware of this epidemic than health care professionals). Instead, you would probably focus on
communicating in detail about the connections between outdoor air pollution and asthma and other respi-
ratory illnesses. Health care professionals receive a great deal of information and training regarding the role
that allergens and irritants in indoor air can play in triggering asthma attacks. Most professionals are also
aware that pollutants in the outdoor environment can trigger attacks. Your goal is to reinforce this aware-
ness and to describe how real-time air quality data can help people reduce their exposures to air pollution.
You could do this indirectly (for example, by sending fact sheets or other educational information to health
care centers), but a more effective method would be to conduct direct, face-to-face outreach to health care
providers. If possible, you want to establish an ongoing relationship with the health centers in your target
community, making the health care providers aware of your monitoring program and of the availability of
your real-time data. (See Section 7.2.9 to read about the AirBeat project's approach to direct outreach.)
Your hope is that the health care providers will act as a conduit, passing on this information to their
patients who suffer from asthma. After all, these patients are the people who most badly need the
information your program is gathering.
7.1 .4 WHAT OUTREACH TDDLS WILL YDU USE?
As the above examples illustrate, one of the key challenges of conducting outreach and education,
besides tailoring your message for the intended audience, is choosing the best outreach tool or approach for
delivering your message. There are many different types of outreach: print, audiovisual, electronic, events,
and novelty items. The table below provides some examples.
Print
Advertisements
Brochures
Editorials
Educational curricula
Fact sheets
Newsletters
Newspaper and magazine articles
Posters
Press releases
Question-and-answer sheets
Audiovisual
Electronic
Events
Cable television programs
Exhibits and kiosks
Videos
Public service announcements (radio)
E-mail messages
Fax services
Subscriber list servers
Web pages
Novelty Items
-
Briefings
Community days
Fairs and festivals
Media interviews
One-on-one meetings
Press conferences
Public meetings
Speeches
Banners
Bumper stickers
Buttons
Coloring books
Frisbee discs
Magnets
Mouse pads
It's up to you to select the most appropriate products to meet your goals within your resource and time
constraints. Questions to consider when selecting products include:
• How much information does your audience really need to have? How much does your audience
need to know now? The simplest, most straightforward product generally is most effective.
EDUCATION AND DUTREACH
7-5
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• Is the product likely to appeal to the target audience? How much time will it take to interact with the
product? Is the audience likely to make that time?
• How easy and cost-effective will the product be to distribute or, in the case of an event, organize?
• How many people is this product likely to reach? For an event, how many people are likely to attend?
• What time frame is needed to develop and distribute the product?
• How much will it cost to develop the product? Do you have access to the talent and resources needed
for development?
• What other related products are already available? Can you build on existing products?
• When will the material be out of date? (You probably will want to spend fewer resources on products
with shorter lifetimes.)
• Would it be effective to have distinct phases of products over time? For example, a first phase of prod-
ucts designed to raise awareness, followed at a later date by a second phase of products to encourage
changes in behavior.
• How newsworthy is the information? Information with inherent news value may be rapidly and widely
disseminated by the media.
The key here is to make good use of the resources available to you. In the best of all worlds, you would have
the time and budget to personally visit every health center, day-care center, and school in your target com-
munity and to craft customized press releases for every type of publication and every audience. But it is
unlikely that you will have the resources to do everything you'd like to do. The goal, then, is to pick your
spots wisely. Reach as many people as you can, but also focus on those audiences that are most receptive
to—and most in need of—your information.
7.2 EDUCATION AND OUTREACH TOOLS
This section describes a variety of outreach tools used by the AirBeat project. Examples of specific outreach
materials developed by AirBeat can be found at the end of the chapter.
7.2.1 AIRBEAT WEB SITE
The technology of the Internet is nearly ideal for the purposes of an AirBeat-type project. It allows the
project to present air quality data in multiple formats and to regularly update the data through automated
delivery systems that require only a minimal level of human oversight. In addition, Web sites can be highly
effective educational tools.
The AirBeat Web site (http://www.airbeat.org) is a key tool used by the project for delivering air quality data
to Roxbury residents. Visitors to the site can access a variety of information on air quality conditions,
including:
• Summary information on current air quality conditions, people at risk, and recommended actions,
presented on the AirBeat homepage in an easy-to-read chart.
• Detailed data on current and recent pollution levels, presented in bar and line graphs (see examples on
pages 7-8 and 7-9).
• Animated ozone movies, showing the progression of regional ozone levels over the course of a day.
• Static maps showing region-wide ozone forecasts for the upcoming day.
• Digital photographs of the Boston skyline, taken by a hazecam located 12 miles northeast of the city
(see page 6-7 for more information on hazecam images).
y-s CHAPTER 7
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r
Why present air quality data in so many different formats? The AirBeat team designed the Web site to be
interactive. The goal was (and is) to engage visitors, encourage their interest in air pollution issues, and then
provide them with educational materials that put the air quality data in an understandable context. The
AirBeat team wanted Web site visitors to come away with a better understanding of air pollution sources
and health effects, along with an improved awareness about actions they can take to protect their health,
reduce air pollution, and get involved with local efforts to improve air quality.
To promote these goals, the AirBeat team placed an array of outreach and educational materials on the Web
site, which has continued to operate since the end of the EMPACT grant period. There are also numerous
links, so that visitors can quickly move back and forth between the monitoring data and the contextual
information, answering questions as they arise. Two of these educational pieces are provided as hard copy
inserts at the end of this chapter. Others can be found online (go to http://www.airbeat.org). If you are
developing an AirBeat-type program of your own, you can use these pieces as a model to stimulate ideas for
your own outreach language. If you are a member of the public interested in air pollution and health
effects, you can read these materials to learn about steps that you can take to reduce pollutant levels and to
protect yourself from unhealthy exposures.
Information on the technical aspects of delivering monitoring data via a Web site is provided in Chapter 6.
EDUCATION AND DUTREACH
7-7
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PRESENTING MONITORING DATA ON THE AIRBEAT WEB SITE
Visitors to the AirBeat Web site can view air pollution data in multiple formats. The two graphs below
show air pollution data for a 24-hour period in late July, 2002. The top graph shows changes in the overall
Air Quality Index (see Chapter 3 for more information on the AQI). The bottom graph shows changes in
specific pollutant levels over roughly the same 24-hour period. Note that data are missing for several hours
during the 24-hour period. Technical difficulties that can lead to missing data are a real-world problem that
can occur several times per year in AirBeat.
200'
150'
Air
Quality
Index 100.
50'
Unhealthy
Moderate
Good
Yesterday Today
200'
Ozone
Air Quality Index 100'
50'
PM2.5
Air Quality Index
100'
50.
9-
Black Carbon
Cone. (ug/m3) 6
3
o.
^ ^N ^"N J\
co e-e
n n n n n n n
Unhealthy
Moderate
Good
Unhealthy
Moderate
Good
•7-B
Yesterday Today
CHAPTER 7
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PRESENTING
MONITORING DATA DN THE AIRBEAT WEB SITE
(CONTINUED)
The two graphs below show air pollution data for a 1-month period from late June to late July, 2002.
The top graph shows day-to-day changes in the overall Air Quality Index. The bottom graph shows changes
in specific pollutant levels over the same period. As the graphs illustrate, the AQI value for the Roxbury area
is generally driven by PM2 5 concentrations. An exception to this trend occurred around the middle of July,
when PM2 5 levels fell and ozone drove the AQI. Note that color-coded health descriptors (good, moderate,
unhealthy) are not used for reporting black carbon concentrations because EPA has not established a
National Ambient Air Quality Standard for BC.
200
150
Air
Quality
Index 100
Unhealthy
Moderate
Good
200
150
Ozone
Air Quality Index 100
PM25
Air Quality Index
Black Carbon
Cone. (ug/m3) 6'
Unhealthy
Moderate
Good
Unhealthy
Moderate
Good
EDUCATION AND DUTREACH
V-9
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Other Ideas for Disseminating Real-Time Air Quality Data
One drawback to using Web sites as a tool for disseminating air quality information is that community
residents will need Internet access to view the information. In many low-income communities, the percentage
of residents with Internet access is quite low. However, public libraries generally provide Internet access, and
public schools are increasingly offering it as well. If you are starting an AirBeat-type program, you might want
to target librarians and teachers with your educational campaign, so that these professionals can show
children and other community residents how to access your program's air quality information online.
AirBeat explored some additional ways of delivering real-time data to the public. The project hopes to
implement these ideas in the future:
Listserv—using an automated system to distribute air quality alerts via e-mail, fax, or beeper notification to
names on a mailing list.
l-kiosk—building a kiosk in Dudley Square or another public location, offering round-the-clock access to the
AirBeat Web site for people without an Internet connection.
Television and radio reports—working with local stations to integrate air quality information into regular
weather, traffic, or news reports.
Appendix C describes another air quality project—the St. Louis Regional Clean Air Partnership—which has
implemented some of these communication venues in its work.
7.2.2 TELEPHONE HOTLINE
The AirBeat project supplemented its Web site with a telephone hotline (617-427-9500) so that Roxbury resi-
dents without Internet access can still obtain timely information about air quality. The hodine, which continues
to operate today, reports current pollutant concentrations and also reports the highest concentrations for the cur-
rent day and the peak concentrations from the previous day. In addition, the hotline message interprets these data
from a public health standpoint and recommends actions that sensitive individuals can take to reduce exposures.
The hodine system is fully automated. (See Chapter 6 for information on the technical aspects of setting up and
running a telephone hotline.) The voice on the hodine is that of a high school intern from ACE—a voice that is
meant to sound friendly and familiar to the local community.
7.2.3 FLAB SYSTEM
On Flag Day, June 14, 2000, students at Greater Egleston
Community High School in Roxbury launched a flag system
to provide the community with visual notification of air qual-
ity. The system uses colored flags that correspond with the
colors of the Air Quality Index (AQI) used to report pollutant
levels on the AirBeat Web site. A green flag is flown to indi-
cate good air quality; a yellow flag indicates moderate air
quality; and a red flag indicates unhealthy pollutant levels.
The flags have been flown at two locations. One set of flags is
displayed at the high school and is operated by the students;
another set was located at the ACE offices in Dudley Square,
two blocks from the AirBeat monitoring station, and was
operated by ACE interns and staff (This location has not
been used recendy, due to landlord concerns.) Those people who
operate the system determine which flag should be displayed by
checking the AirBeat Web site for the most recent air quality data.
A yellow flag, hung from the balcony of the ACE
offices, indicates moderate air quality.
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Lessons Learned: Operating an Air Quality Flag Warning System
The innovative flag system developed by the students of Greater Egleston Community High School is a point of
pride for the AirBeat project. The system was one of the first air quality flag warning systems in the nation, and
it demonstrated the leadership and commitment shown by Roxbury youth in working on environmental health
issues.
While a flag system has great potential as a tool for raising awareness about air quality, the system must be
operated in a consistent manner if the community is going to rely on it as a source of accurate, real-time air
quality information. Here are two key points to consider when planning and implementing an air quality flag
warning system:
1. Standard operating procedures should be developed to dictate how frequently the air quality should be
checked and how frequently the flag should be changed.
2. If the flag system is to be operated at a community center or high school, figure out who will operate the
system on weekends or when school is not in session. If community members are going to rely on the
system for information, they must be able to depend on it.
7.2.4 PRESS RELEASES
Press releases can be a valuable tool in efforts to get the word out about a community-based air monitoring
program. Writing a press release and distributing it to local newspapers, television stations, and other news
outlets is a cost-effective way of reaching a large and varied audience. In fact, the survey conducted by ACE
interns in the fall of 1999 showed that, among Roxbury residents, television and newspapers were the two
most popular media for receiving information on air pollution issues.
ACE led AirBeat's efforts to conduct outreach through the media. ACE staff have contacts and working
relationships with individual newspapers and television stations, developed though years of working to
generate publicity about environmental justice issues. In addition, ACE staff have the writing, editing,
and outreach skills needed for developing stories that will appeal to various news outlets.
ACE issued several AirBeat press releases to the Boston media during the EMPACT grant period, each
timed to coincide with a newsworthy event, such as the unveiling of the AirBeat monitoring station or
the launch of the flag warning system by Roxbury high school students. These press releases produced
excellent results. Media coverage of AirBeat included articles in the Boston Globe, People's Choice, and the
Dorchester Community News, and television coverage by a major Boston station and a local cable channel.
Examples of AirBeat's press releases are included at the end of this chapter. These can serve as a model for
any AirBeat-type project that is launching its own outreach efforts. In addition, here are a few basic tips to
follow for people who have little or no experience with distributing press releases:
• When issuing a press release, send it to as many news outlets as possible. Doing so increases your
odds of getting good results and also leverages the work you've already done in writing the release.
• Try to target specific editors, reporters, and newscasters, especially any individuals whom you've
contacted in the past. Making personal contact with members of the press can be crucial. The odds
of placing a story fall drastically if you just send a press release to a news desk or editorial department,
since most news outlets are inundated with dozens (if not hundreds) of press releases daily.
• When sending a press release to a reporter or editor, try preceding it with a phone call or e-mail,
meant to kindle interest in the story. Or you could send the press release first, then follow up with an
e-mail or phone call. Remember that it pays to be persistent!
EDUCATION AND DUTREACH
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What if you don't have a contact at a particular publication? One thing you can do is to read some back
issues of the publication, looking for a reporter who has demonstrated some interest in topics related to
your project. If the publication is a daily newspaper, it will likely have a beat reporter who focuses primarily
on science and/or the environment. Health writers might also be interested in writing about an air quality
monitoring program.
7.2.5 FACT SHEETS AND FLYERS
AirBeat developed a number of fact sheets and flyers as part of its public education efforts. Samples are
included at the end of this chapter. These materials were handed out to Roxbury residents at community
events and workshops, and were also distributed at health centers, public gathering areas, and local
businesses. The Internet address of the AirBeat Web site (www.airbeat.org) was included in all of the
publications as a source of additional information and real-time air quality data.
With the help of program staff, ACE's youth interns developed their own eight-page publication called
the "Roxbury Air Quality Fact Sheet," which described the sources and health effects of air pollution and
summarized what the AirBeat monitoring has indicated about pollutant levels in the Dudley Square
neighborhood of Roxbury.
All of AirBeat s flyers and fact sheets were written in English. ACE considered translating the materials into
other languages spoken by Roxbury residents (e.g., Spanish, Creole) but didn't have the budget to do this. If
you are developing your own community-based monitoring program, you can assess the need for presenting
outreach materials in multiple languages by getting to know the cultures of community residents. Chapter 4
of this handbook provides tips on getting to know your target community.
Communicating About Uncertainty
From the outset of AirBeat, the project team recognized the importance of communicating with users about the
limitations of the real-time monitoring data. The team felt that users should be provided with information on
data completeness and uncertainty so that the reliability and availability of the data could be trusted.
The team decided to place the following statement about data quality on the AirBeat Web site:
"Real-time data on the AirBeat Web site (and hotline) are nearly always accurate. A computer program
automatically screens the data for values that are likely to be erroneous. However, before the data can be
considered fully 'validated1 it must be reviewed by a trained professional for quality assurance purposes.
For this reason, AirBeat's real-time data should be considered provisional or preliminary. Nonetheless, these
real-time data are generally of good quality and are being shared with the public through this pilot project
because of the value it holds for the community."
7.2.6 CURRICULUM MODULE
ACE has developed and teaches an environmental justice curriculum as part of its Roxbury Environmental
Empowerment Project. This curriculum is taught to elementary and high school students at several Roxbury
schools. After the launch of the Dudley Square monitoring station, ACE began using information from the
AirBeat project to enhance its module on air pollution. Lessons were developed on air pollution sources,
how the monitoring station works, and how the Air Quality Index is calculated.
Teachers who have used these lessons say that the AirBeat data have helped students understand air pollu-
tion in their neighborhood. Students have learned how to graph and manipulate data to compare local air
pollution levels with national air quality standards and to understand pollution trends. Students who com-
plete the lessons understand that their neighborhood is a "hot spot" for air pollution and are better prepared
to communicate about the problem and work for change.
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7.2.7 EVENTS AND TDURS
The AirBeat team organized several events to raise
awareness about the AirBeat project and to introduce
community members to the air monitoring station
that is operating in their neighborhood. For example,
ACE organized an event to unveil the station to the
public in November 1999. Approximately 75 people
attended the event, including several high-profile
government officials (such as the regional EPA admin-
istrator, the Boston transportation commissioner, and
two city councilors). Their presence at the event
helped establish immediate credibility for the AirBeat
project.
ACE interns present their work at an AirBeat
event in Dudley Square.
ACE also routinely gives tours of the monitoring
station to student groups, other Roxbury residents,
and visitors. The station has become a regular stop on the
"Toxics Tour" of Roxbury that ACE conducts. A monitoring technician with the Massachusetts Department
of Environmental Protection has trained an ACE intern to lead the tours.
As a result of these tours and events, the monitoring station has become a familiar and accepted component
of the neighborhood. Most community members know where the station is, what it does, and why it is
important.
7.2.B WORKSHOPS AND PRESENTATIONS
ACE has incorporated information about the AirBeat project into many of its pre-existing environmental
justice programs in Roxbury. For example, ACE has incorporated AirBeat information into its workshops
for youth peer groups from community health centers and housing developments. ACE staff have also made
presentations at large community events such as the Youth Summit, which attracts roughly 200 youth
participants.
All of these pre-existing programs have credibility and well-established constituencies among Roxbury
residents. By delivering AirBeat information in the context of these programs, ACE has been able to speed up
the process by which community members have become aware of the project and willing to rely on its data.
7.2.9 DIRECT OUTREACH TO NURSES AND OTHER HEALTH
CARE PROVIDERS
Nurses and other health care providers are a key target for AirBeat's outreach efforts. These individuals come
into regular contact with asthmatic children and others who are susceptible to air pollution. Because of this,
and because of their credibility as highly trained professionals, health care providers have a unique opportu-
nity to educate their patients about the connections between air pollution and respiratory illnesses and
about the steps that people can take to reduce harmful exposures.
During the EMPACT grant period, AirBeat relied on direct communication when conducting outreach to
health care providers. This typically involved visiting health centers and hospitals to talk to providers about
the AirBeat project and about the role that outdoor air pollutants can play in exacerbating asthma
symptoms and triggering asthma attacks. In addition, ACE interns delivered presentations at several health
centers in the Roxbury area. The point of these visits and presentations was to make health care providers
aware that their patients can use AirBeat's air quality forecasts and real-time data to reduce their exposures
when pollutant levels are high. The AirBeat team tried to establish ongoing relationships with some health
centers. In the future, AirBeat hopes to develop a system for delivering air quality data or pollution alerts
directly to health centers via fax.
EDUCATION AND DUTREACH
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7.3 EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS DF OUTREACH
EFFORTS
AirBeat has found no easy or cost-effective way of measuring the success of its education and outreach pro-
gram. The ultimate goal of the program is to encourage behavior changes by improving residents' ability to
make informed decisions to safeguard their health. However, documenting behavior changes on a large scale
is beyond the scope and means of the AirBeat project.
The AirBeat team has gathered anecdotal information indicating that some Roxbury residents have used the
AirBeat data to improve their daily decisions and reduce their exposures to harmful pollutant levels. For
example, an independent consultant who interviewed several Roxbury students as part of an evaluation of
the AirBeat project found that the students regularly checked the air quality information on the AirBeat
Web site and often reduced their outdoor activities on "bad air days." These students, however, were among
those Roxbury youths who were most involved with the project, and were not necessarily representative of
the public at large.
Due to the limitations of this type of anecdotal information, the AirBeat team relies on other indicators as a
measure of the effectiveness of their outreach efforts. For example:
• The AirBeat team estimates that the project's Web site was online and available about 99 percent of
the time during the EMPACT grant period. The air quality data were current (not more than one
hour old) roughly 95 percent of the time. The Web site is still operational today.
• In the spring of 2001, the Web site received an average of 42 hits per day.
• Over 300 Roxbury students have visited the Dudley Square monitoring station and received a tour of
the station's instrumentation.
• ACE staff incorporated AirBeat information into over 30 public workshops conducted between 1999
and 2001.
If nothing else, these numbers indicate that hundreds (if not thousands) of Roxbury residents have been
introduced to the AirBeat project and made aware of the connection between air pollution and health
problems.
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r
Roxbury Air Monitoring
HEALTH EFFECTS
(FROM AIRBEAT WEB SITE)
AirBeat provides realtime information on the most widespread and harmful air pollutants in the Boston area. These
include ground-level ozone (sometimes known as smog) and fine particulate matter (sometimes known as soot). Ozone
is a colorless, odorless gas that affects the lungs much like sunburn affects the skin. Fine particulate matter is a mixture
of microscopic acids, metals, petroleum byproducts, and diesel soot.
Ground-Level Ozone
(03)
/
/
/
/
/
Coughing, irritation of the airways, discomfort
in the chest or when breathing.
Premature aging of the lungs.
Faster or more shallow breathing.
Aggravation of asthma, emphysema,
and other respiratory diseases.
Increased risk of respiratory infections.
Premature death (primarily among the elderly and
those with existing heart and lung disease).
/
/
/
/
Ozone (abbreviated as O^) and fine particulate matter (abbreviated as PM2 5) affect different people in different ways.
Moreover, as their concentrations increase, more and more people experience health effects and the effects can become
more serious. To simplify matters, the U.S. EPA has developed an Air Quality Index (AQI) that rates the overall quality
of the air and the people at greatest risk.
Much of the PM2 5 outside is capable of penetrating indoors, especially if windows are open and no air conditioner is
used. Ozone is also capable of penetrating indoors, but not as effectively as PM2 5. Regardless of their penetration, it is
important to know that the indoor environment presents a whole other set of air pollution issues. Pollutants commonly
found indoors include tobacco smoke, insecticides, radon, lead paint, mold, dust, and animal hair. Oftentimes, pollu-
tion indoors can be worse than pollution outdoors. This is a serious issue for families coping with asthma. For more
information on asthma and its causes, visit our links page.
AirBeat also provides realtime information on a pollutant called black carbon. In urban areas, black carbon is emitted
mostly from diesel engines found in trucks, busses, generators, and construction equipment. Black carbon is one of the
many components of PM2 5, but has the unique ability to absorb toxic gasses and deliver them to the lungs. The spe-
cific health effects of black carbon can not be stated with much certainty. However, diesel exhaust as a whole (which
contains blackcarbon) is associated with increases in lung cancer and may lead to inflammation of the airways that can
cause or worsen asthma.
Ozone, fine particulate matter, and black carbon provide good indicators of the overall air quality in Roxbury and
account for much of the risk that residents face from air pollution. However, there is another category of air pollutants
commonly known as air toxics. Air toxics are comprised of dozens of different compounds that typically occur in low
concentrations. However, as a whole, and over the span of many years, their effects can be significant if concentrations
are high enough. These include cancer, damage to the nervous system, and birth defects. Currently, technology is not
readily available to report air toxics in realtime. However, monitoring of air toxics is underway in Roxbury, and results
will be posted on this Web site when available. In the meantime, you can find out more about air toxics by visiting
EPA's air toxics Web site.
Finally, everyone should be careful to avoid too much exposure to the sun, especially children and especially during the
summer. Ultraviolet rays (uv) from the sun not only cause sunburn and permanent damage to the skin, but they can
lead to cataracts and suppression of the skin's immunity system. To learn more about ultraviolet rays and to get realtime
information and uv forecasts, visit EPA's SunWise Web site.
EDUCATION AND DUTREACH
y-i 5
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Roxbury Air Monitoring
ACTI O N 5
(FROM AIRBEAT WEB SITE)
Protect your health and the health of your friends and family. This is particularly important if you or your friends and
family are considered sensitive individuals.
• Avoid exercise or heavy exertion during hours of high pollution. In the summer, this tends to be during the after-
noon of high-pollution days. In the winter, this tends to be in the morning of high-pollution days.
• Try to spend more time in a cool environment, preferable air conditioned, when pollution levels are high.
• Check with the elderly and the other sensitive individuals on a regular basis to make sure they're OK.
• Monitor pollution levels using the AirBeat Web site or the AirBeat hotline (617-427-9500) to determine when
the pollution is at its worst and when it returns to healthy conditions.
• Tell a friend, family member, or neighbor about the current levels of air pollution and what they should do.
• Bring any lung disease symptom to a doctor's attention early. Then follow the doctor's advice.
• Make sure medications are readily available (e.g., asthma inhalers, heart medication, etc.).
Help reduce air pollution:
• Avoid smoking indoors or in the presence of children and other non-smokers.
• Avoid driving and filling your gas tank on high pollution days.
• Keep your car well-tuned and the tires properly inflated.
• Try to save energy on high pollution days, but don't shut off your air conditioner or heater to do so.
Get involved with local efforts to improve Boston's air quality:
• Join the Environmental Justice Network or simply register with its email news service.
• Attend local meetings on transportation, air quality, and land use development.
• Contact us to request a tour of the Roxbury air monitoring station.
7-1 &
CHAPTER 7
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Roxbury Air Monitoring
Media Release
For Immediate Release:
Jura 14, 2000
For Mo« Information:
Jodi Sugerman-Brozan,
617-442-3343x23
Roxbury Youth Launch New Air Quality Flag Warning System:
Redefine Flag Day
y. MA] Roxbufy youth will launch Che ration's First air quality flag warning system today at a
press conference in Dudley Staiion at 5'QO pm The flag warning system will giwe residents in Dudley
and Egieston Squares, in Hoxfiury Information about the air quality in thatr neighborhood's at a glance.
Students ftwn Greater Egfeston Community High School have been working toward this event far 1hnee
years with the Roxbury Environmental Empowermenl Project (RE£P) at Alternatives for Community &
Environrnerrt (ACE) and AirBeai (coalition members listed below).
"It is about lime," sa»d Candy Batista, a student at GECHS. * We've been Anting to breathe easier far
for &0 lOnO,, and now •Vftryorva will finally know now healthy (tie air is every day.'
"These new air quality flags In Roxbury are just the latest examples of youth leadership to promote
health and environmental justice in their community," said Jodi Sugerman-Brozan, REEP co-director.
"Neighborhoods like Roxbury have been hardest hit by diseases related to air pollution lik& asthma."
The warning system reies on the data from a new air quality monitoring! system wtiich was Installed last
y*ai. AirBaat continuously measures and reports levels of three critical air pollutants that affect the
health of local residents. AirlBeat measures o±one and fine particulate matter,, otherwise known as
smog and SOOt. ft also measures black carbon soot thai is an indicator of how much of the fine
panicjlate matter is coming From dieseJ vehides Hundreds of diesel buses, and trucks pass through
botfi Dudley and Egleston Square every day.
Last month, the data From she air monilor became availaWe in real-time on-line at www.airpeatorg A
24-hour telephone hotline is a(so pla-nned. GECHS students haw designed a system to nang
appropriate flags In Dudley and Egleston Squares (ired=poor, yellaw=moderate, green= good) to warn
residents. Today, students will be giving Flag Day new significance by hanging the first warning ftag in
Dudley Square and explaining the systern to community leaders and reskianli.
more-
EDUCATION AND DUTREACH
y-i 7
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Roxbury Air Monitoring
'I have aslhma. and this flag system will let me know whether or not the air is good to breathe,' said
Mirru Mercado a student at GECHS "if I had asthma this flag system would be so important tq me '
added Roche Burgos, another student at GECHS 'it is a tool that wll allow people with asthma and
other respiratory disease knew when tfi« air quality could b« dangerous for them.' ah* continued.
Jn addition to the students, Mindy S Lubber. Regional Administrator for the US. Environmental
Protection Agency's (EPA) New Englar&d office will make comments. The AirBeat monitoring project
was funded in large part with a S527.0CO granl from EPA's Environmental Monitoring far Public Access
and Community Tracking program.
'Today's flag raising is a huge Step forward in boosting public awareness about (tie high number of bad
s>f days in Roxbury," said Lubber. "For kids, the elderly and people who like to walk, run or take bike
rides, having up-to-date information about air quality - both good and bad - is a huge ptua. Even mare
importantly, we need to do all that we can to improve' Roxbury" s air quality so that red flag days are
eliminated! all-together 'Soot leveJs are a particular concern In this area due to high levels of asthma"
"As a future fattier, I am going to do all mat I cart to prevent my child from getting aslfirna.' said Andre
Rivera, a GECHS student. 'The air monitor and the flags are a first step. They give us the information
wie need to take action," he continued.
have done great work so far," added Frederick George, a GECHS student and REEP intern. "But
not it is time to take it to the next level. Now it is time to really reduce the sources or" pollution in our
neighborhood and lower the aslhma rates in Rcwbury once and for all "
AirBeat is supported by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental
Monitoring for Public fleets* and Community Tracking Program. Part net;, I:T_ u:Jt:: Suffol k County
Conservation District (lead! agency). Alternatives for Community & Environment, MA uept. of
Environmental Protection, Harvard School of Public Health, and Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use
Management
7-1 B
CHAPTER 7
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Roxbury Air Monitoring
For Immediate Release:
November 16.1SS9
For More Information:
Persn Lohf €17-442-3343 x24
Roxbury Launches State's First Real-Time Air Monitoring System
[Raxbufy, MA] Rcwbury resicfents now have a new tool in their fight for cleaner air. The AIRSEAT
monitoring system was unveiled today by a cammuniry-Lifirversity-goverr.ment partnership. This
system, the first of its krrwl in Massachusetts, continuously measures and reports levels of critical
air pollutants that affect the health or" residents. Just as easily as checking the weather, residents
can check pollution levels vta me AJRSEAT telephone hotline and web site.
AIRBEAT addresses the concerns of many Rcx&ury res*2ents who believe that aw pollution may be
responsible for high rates of astnrna and other illnesses Roxbury still has The highest rates of
astfisna hcspitalization in Massachusetts - mofs than 5 tomes th& state average.
•Cammurtities of colcr like Roxbury nave for too long Seen denieo the means to solve critical
en Yi:or mental and healtti probfems. AIRBEAT puts the technofogy and information in tfie hands of
the pecpte who need it most," sakS MaflJiew Gocde of the SufJolk County Ckanservatior District, the
lead agency in this project. AIR SEAT ^s a two-year project supported by a $527,000 grant from the
US Environmental Protection Agency's {EPA) Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and
Comrmjnity Tracking program.
AIRSEAT measures two air pcJIutants, ozone and fine paniculate matter (PM2.5), otherwise known
as smog and soc-t The sources of these polfutanls include the emissions, spewed by motor
vehicles, power plants, aryj factories. Ozone and PM2.5 have been Gnfced to breathing problems.
lung damage, asthma, and even premature cfeath,
One community resident Mary White, who has three boys with asthma, said '! need to know how
bad the air is before ) let my kids go outside This monitor will give me 'hat information, so we can
avoid activities fiat may causa asthma attacks ' Students at Greater EgEeston Community High
School's Environmental Justice dass have already been using the monitoring data. But one student,
Fred George, declared 'what I really want to see now is what's going to happen to clean up the air
and how Jong it's going to lake.
Pf ior to ASRBEAT, the closest state air monitoring site to Roxbury was located in Kenmore Square.
AJRBEAT is not only located in the neighborhood, but also uses new continuous monitoring
-more-
EDUCATION AND DUTREACH
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Roxbury Air Monitoring
fcr FM2.5. The traditional method of measuring PM2.5 requifed a laboratory analysis,
meaning that neauJts were delayed anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. AIR8EATs reai-
time monttors will allow people lo relate their own tfaJly experience to |ctual pollution levels This
information will help residents, researchers, and regulators to better understand Che health effects
of air pollution
EPA Regional Aonintstnatcc John DeVillars stated that 'AiRSEAT is an excellent example of giving
citizens tie informator they need to make wi$e environmental cJecisjons. We need more people
making informed choices not jusi to protect their health from day to day but also lo build sustainable
and livable communities for the future."
AIRBEAT was created after ttie Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), in
collaboration with several community groups, chose Dudley Square to place one of Jive PM2.5
monitors for the Boston area in early 1999. According to Edward Kunce, D£f* Deputy Commissioner,
Trus is a precedent-setting projeci. Not only is the technology cuttirvg edge, but so was the process
of collaboration with the community We hope to use Roxbury as a model for future monitoring
efforts.'
Penn Loh, Director of RoxEury-based Aftematives for Community & Environment and AIRBEAT
partner, stated that "This project is a victory for those of us who have been fighting ervirgnrrerta
injustices such as asJhma. Thanks to the state, EPA and our other partners, we wilt now find out
what actual pollution levels are in the neighborhood and how they mtgm be made better or worse
by new developments and the traffic Itiey mighi bnng.1
'The City recognizes tfia need to address air quality and hearth impacts. Trie monitoring aficn
complements she r>ew Citywide transportation plan, ACCESS BOSTON 2000-2010, which will
address the impacts of transportation on the o.ualrty of life in our neighborhoods,* said Andrea
D'Amato, Boston Transportation Cammesgigner and Chief of Environmental Services.
More Chan sixty community leaders, youth, and government gfficials attended the launch event.
Other speakers included City Councilor Mickey Roache, Councilor-elect Chuck Turner, John
Auefbach (Director cf the Boslon Public Health Commission), and Roxbury resident Sylvia Hamilton.
The AfRBEATpartners include: Suffolk County Conservation District (lead agt>fscy)f Alternatives
for Community & Environment, MA Dspt. of £nvtronm$rtf$f Protection, Harvard School of Public
?, and Northeast Slates tor Cacvcffnatecf Air Use Mar\ag»rneni. Supported by me US
Protection Agency fEMPACT Program)
•7-ZD
CHAPTER 7
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r
Roxbury Air Monitoring
::::::;:::::::;:::.|;:.yi::::3:^^
WHAT is it? The only air monitoring station in MA that constantly meas-
ures and reports levels of three key air pollutants that affect our health
and breathing. This station measures the levels of fine particulate matter
(also known as PM2.5 or soot), ozone, (a component of smog), and black
carbon. These pollutants are produced by cars, diesel buses and trucks
power plants, and other combustion processes.
WHERE is
it? Harrison
Ave. at
Zeigler St.
(next to auto
junkyard and
Boston Edison
transformers)
WHO brought it here? You did. Because you have voiced your
concerns about air pollution and your health at community events,
State and Federal environmental agencies began to listen. Alternatives
for Community and Environment (ACE) and other organizations repre-
sented you and put what you wanted for your community out there.
Roxbury Air Monitoring
Look for more to come
in Fall 1999. We are
developing a telephone
hotline and a computer
internet web site so that
anyone can find out what
the air pollution levels are
at any time.
For more
information
go to
www.airbeat.org
or call 442-3343
x24
EDUCATION AND DUTREACH
y-zi
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Roxbury Air Monitoring
Questions Commonly Asked about
AirBeat Roxbury Air Monitoring
How Does it Work? Data From pollution monitors in Roxbury is sent la a computer at the
monitoring station each second. Once each hour, the data is automatically transferred by
telephone fine to the -veto site computer at another location and formatted for presentation on
the web page. The data are also stored for later use The haze camera picture is form a
network of visibility cameras across New England; the picture is taken even/ 15 minutes 3rd
sent over the Internet to ihe hazecam web page server in Colorado where it is resized for the
web page. It is transferred to the Roxbury web site using the Internet.
Why do Some Days have High Pollution Levels and Others Low Pollution Levels? Some
days in Boston car* have 20 cr 30 times more pollution than others, but ttie poHudon sources do
not vary that much. Differences in ihe weather cause most of the day-to-day and seasonal
variation in panicle and ozone pollution in ihe northeastern U.S. When wind speeds are high,
locafly generated pollution (primarily from tars and trucks) does, not build up in ihe city. Low
wind speeds can let pollution build up, especially in ttie morning during rush hour. In ihe
summer, ozone is higher because rhe chemacal reactions that generate ozone form car and
truck exhaust need sunlight and warm temperatures ?o occur Ozone is also higher in the mid-
day than at night for similar reasons. Weather systems ('especially high pressure) "stair more
frequently during the summer. This stagnation tets pollution buiW up on a regions* scste
covering several hundred miles. The 'Bermuda High" weather systems common in the summer
pump air from the heavily industrialized Ohio River valley into the northeast U.S., causing some
or the worst air pollution we experience in Boston.
Why Should I Care about the Levels of Pollution in the Air? People with respiratory
conditions Ijke asthma should limit their activity on days when ozone or paniculate matter are
high. Data from the new monitors will ariow people to know when air quality might cause or
exacerbate health problems
How Can Communities Use the Data from the Air Monitors? Individuals by themselves can
only react to air quality, together we can Improve it. Data from the air monitors can help
teachers, scientists and community leaders understand and publ -cizs the impact of pollution on
Roxtwry. The moniloring capacity of this project provides real laboratory data to enhance
scientific and environmental education. This project will hetp to empower residents to be
informed participants In political and environmental management (Decisions.
How Can I Get Information from the Monitors? Any resident, healthcare provider, teacher or
student can access data using 1he AinBeat website (www.airbeat.org) or by callir»g the Suffolk
County Conservation District at 617-451-9141 or A,lernalJve& for Community £ Environment at
617.442-3343 x24.
7-22
CHAPTER 7
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r
GLOSSARY
Air Quality Index
Black carbon
Clean Air Act
Criteria pollutants
Data Quality Objectives
NAAQS
Ozone
A tool developed by EPA to provide people with timely and easy-to-under-
stand information on local air quality and whether it poses a health concern.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) provides a simple, uniform system that can be
used throughout the country for reporting levels of major pollutants regu-
lated under the Clean Air Act, including ground-level ozone and particulate
matter. The AQI converts a measured pollutant concentration to a number
on a scale of 0 to 500. The AQI scale is divided into six categories, each
corresponding to a different level of health concern. Each category is also
associated with a color.
One of the many components of fine particulate matter. Black carbon (BC)
is similar to soot and is emitted directly into the air from virtually all
combustion activities. It is especially prevalent in diesel exhaust, which tends
to be the primary source of black carbon in urban areas.
The comprehensive federal law that regulates emissions of air pollutants in
the United States. The original Clean Air Act was passed in 1963, but our
national air pollution control program is actually based on the 1970 version
of the law. The 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments are the most far-reaching
revisions of the 1970 law.
A group of very common air pollutants regulated by EPA on the basis of
criteria (information on health and/or environmental effects of pollution).
Criteria air pollutants are widely distributed all over the country. They
include ozone (O3), particulate matter (PM10), fine particulate matter
(PM25), carbon monoxide (CO), lead (Pb), nitrogen dioxide (NO2),
and sulfur dioxide (SO2).
Qualitative and quantitative statements, developed using the EPA Dative
Quality Objective (DQO) Process, that clarify the objectives of an environ-
mental data collection effort and specify tolerable levels of potential errors.
DQOs establish the quality and quantity of data needed to support program
decisions.
NAAQS stands for "National Ambient Air Quality Standards." The Clean
Air Act requires EPA to set a primary and secondary NAAQS for each crite-
ria pollutant. Primary standards set limits to protect public health, including
the health of "sensitive" populations such as asthmatics, children, and the
elderly. Secondary standards set limits to protect public welfare, including pro-
tection against decreased visibility and damage to animals, crops, vegetation,
and buildings.
A odorless, colorless gas composed of three atoms of oxygen. Ozone occurs
both in the Earth's upper atmosphere, where it forms a protective barrier that
shields people from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays, and at ground level.
Ground-level ozone is a major ingredient of smog, and it can harm people's
health by damaging their lungs.
GLOSSARY
G-l
-------
Particulate matter
Quality assurance
Quality control
Real time
SLAMS
SOPs
A type of air pollution made up of a mixture of solid particles and liquid
droplets found in the air. Particulate matter includes dust, soot, and other
tiny particles that are released into and move around in the air. Particulates
are produced by many sources, including fuel combustion, power plants,
industrial processes, construction, operation of fireplaces and wood stoves,
and forest fires. The term "fine particulate matter" (known as PM2 5) refers
to particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter. PM10 contains particles
that are less than 10 micrometers in diameter.
An integrated system of management activities involving planning, imple-
mentation, documentation, assessment, reporting, and quality improvement
to ensure that a process, item, or service is of the type and quality needed
and expected by the client.
The overall system of technical activities that measures the attributes and
performance of a process, item, or service against defined standards to verify
that they meet the stated requirements established by the customer; opera-
tional techniques and activities that are used to fulfill requirements for
quality.
In this handbook, the term "real time" is used to indicate that data are
presented to the public almost as soon as they are collected, with only a
slight delay for data processing and quality assurance. AirBeat reports pollu-
tant concentrations as hourly averages, with results generally made available
to the public within 15 minutes of the end of the averaging period.
SLAMS stands for "State and Local Air Monitoring Stations." A SLAMS
system consists of a carefully planned network of fixed monitoring stations
which carry out ambient air monitoring for criteria pollutants under the
Clean Air Act. EPA uses SLAMS data to determine if an area is meeting the
National Ambient Air Quality Standards for criteria pollutants.
SOP stands for "Standard Operating Procedure." An SOP is a set of written
instructions that document a routine or repetitive activity followed by an
organization. In an environmental data collection effort, the development
and use of SOPs are an integral part of a successful quality system as it
provides individuals with the information to perform a job properly, and
facilitates consistency in the quality and integrity of the product or end
result.
B-2
GLOSSARY
-------
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Research a
Development
National Risk Management
Research L
ase make all necessary changes on the
ach or copy, and return to the addressjl
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ou do not wish to receive these reports CHECK HERE C
detach, or copy this cover, and return to the address in the
upper left-hand corner.
PRESORTED STAND;
POSTAGE & FEES PAID
EPA
PERMIT No. G-35
Official Business
I'*
i
\
Recycled/Recyclable
Printed with vegetable-based ink on
paper that contains a minimum of
50% post-consumer fiber content
processed chlorine free.
-------
APPENDIX A: THE PASO DEL NDRTE ENVIRONMENTAL
MONITORING PROJECT
ABOUT THE PROJECT
The Paso del Norte Environmental Monitoring Project addresses the critical issue of data processing and
dissemination for a border area between the United States and Mexico known as "El Paso del Norte".
This project provides the public with timely air quality, traffic, and weather information for the Paso del Norte
region. Because the region spans the U.S.- Mexico border and is home to a rapidly growing and bilingual popu-
lation, the project was presented with unique challenges and serves as a prototype for international involvement
and cooperation.
Three types of environmental data are collected in the Paso del Norte region: air quality, traffic, and weather.
Air quality data for ground-level ozone, carbon monoxide (CO), and participate matter are used to inform the
public about increased air pollution and associated health risks. Traffic information obtained through roadway
monitoring is used to inform the public about volume delays, road construction delays, accidents, and other
impedances. In addition, traffic data are incorporated into air quality analyses. This synthesis is critical because
vehicles, particularly idling vehicles at border crossings, are a major contributor to air quality problems in the
region. Weather information is practical both as helpful day-to-day information and as an air pollution indicator.
The Paso del Norte Environmental Monitoring Project aims to improve the dissemination of information
through:
• Coordination among various agencies, institutions, organizations, and broadcasters within the Paso del
Norte region.
• Development of standards for sharing information and displaying it to the public and decision-makers in
the region.
• Establishment of a communications infrastructure for timely environmental information.
• Public outreach programs that improve local understanding of individual actions that can be done to
improve the quality of the environment.
• Education of future generations by developing opportunities for students to conduct research and become
involved in the improvement of the environment.
PROJECT PARTNERS
The City of El Paso is the lead agency for the Paso del Norte Environmental Monitoring Project. Project part-
ners include the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission,
the El Paso City County Health Management District, the New Mexico Environment Department, and
Departamento de Ecologia en Cuidad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico.
The support of these agencies and institutions arose from the official support of the Joint Advisory Committee
(JAC), a bi-national organization that meets quarterly to review and make recommendations related to projects
to improve air quality in the Paso del Norte region. Because the JAC includes representatives from federal, state,
and local governments, educational institutions, industry, and others, its endorsement helps ensure cooperation
and on-going support from the many entities needed to implement the Paso del Norte project.
MONITORING
Air Quality
Twenty-five existing continuous air monitoring stations (CAMS) are used to collect air quality data: 14 in
Texas, six in New Mexico, and five in Mexico. Data are collected every 5 minutes at the monitoring stations.
CAMS in the Paso del Norte region are operated by four separate government agencies, serving three states in
two countries. Monitoring station calibration occurs every 28 days during the colder months, and span checks
are performed once a week.
APPENDIX A A-I
-------
Traffic
In the El Paso Metropolitan area, 600 existing traffic sensors collect speed and volume data and 34 existing
cameras provide video images. Traffic volume information and traffic video images are collected at 5-minute
intervals at fixed locations in El Paso and at fixed locations on some of the highways in the area. Volume
and speed measurements are summarized on an hourly basis, and data sets and displays are refreshed on the
project's Web site every 60 minutes. The project team updates the traffic video images on the Web site every
15 minutes using an automated modem system.
Weather
Wind speed, wind direction, and temperature data are collected at the CAMS in the region and are then
transferred and processed with the air quality data. Other weather data from the National Weather Service
(NWS) in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, are retrieved at a server at UTEP by means of an ftp connection.
Visibility images from NWS satellite links and the UV index forecast from EPA's Sun Wise Program Web
site also are transferred to UTEP. These data are processed through a series of algorithms and redisplayed.
Current temperature, UV intensity, relative humidity, wind speed, and heat index readings appear in digital
form on the Paso del Norte project Web site. Graphs showing changes in various weather parameters also
are on the Web site.
DATA MANAGEMENT
Air quality data, traffic volume data, traffic video images, weather data, and static and live images from a
Webcam are transferred from monitoring locations, hubs, and Web sites run by multiple agencies. As with
other aspects of the Paso del Norte project, communications between agencies is vital to processing the timely
environmental data. UTEP collects and processes the data from the different agencies to upload onto the
project Web site. Data storage for the Paso del Norte project includes an ftp server and access via interactive
searches and select features provided on the project's Internet server. Queries can be performed in the air and
traffic databases to identify data sets of interest and download them using anonymous ftp file transfer.
DUTREACH AND EDUCATION
There are five major elements of the Paso del Norte project's outreach program: the project's Web site,
Ozone Action Days, the Community Scholars Program, television outreach, and digital information read-
outs. The project's Web site (http://www.ozonemap.org), which contains all of the collected data and is
presented in both English and Spanish, is the primary vehicle for communicating timely information. This
Web site also includes a link to Ozone Action Days, a Webpage that describes an ozone action day, provides
information on how to protect yourself on such days, and provides recommendations on what not to do
(e.g., avoid driving at lunchtime) on an ozone action day. The Community Scholars Program is a grant-
funded, non-profit summer internship program designed to foster leadership skills in local high school
students by involving them in research on environmental issues. The regional broadcast affiliate, KFOX,
broadcasts air quality information and announces ozone action days during their evening broadcasts, and a
local television station (Channel 56) and Universidad Autonoma de Cd. Juarez provide daily visualizations
of carbon monoxide and ozone levels in Cd. Juarez during the evening news. In addition, digital readouts
located in strategic areas are used to provide information on environmental and traffic conditions.
In order to make the data provided in these outreach activities as accessible as possible, the Paso del Norte
project uses data visualization tools to graphically depict information. Examples include 3D maps, color-
coding, tables and charts, CIS, and live and static images. Graphic representations of environmental data
are used on Web sites, in reports and educational materials, and in other outreach and communication ini-
tiatives. All of these materials can be viewed in English or in Spanish, and certain formats are downloadable
by the public or by local television stations for rebroadcast.
A-2
APPENDIX A
-------
APPENDIX B: THE ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY AIR
PROJECT
ABOUT THE PROJECT
The St. Louis Community Air Project (CAP) is a multi-year commitment to better understand the presence
of air pollutants in St. Louis and take the necessary steps to improve the air quality. CAP seeks to achieve
this goal by involving the community in the development and implementation of the project from start to
finish. Through risk education, CAP will enable the public to understand: 1) what pollutants are being
monitored, 2) the concept of risk, and 3) how to compare ambient monitoring data to health benchmarks.
As a result of CAP, the community will be able to identify pollutants of concern and their sources, as well as
develop and implement community-based risk-reduction projects. By identifying the pollutants that repre-
sent the greatest health risk, continually monitoring them, and communicating monitoring results directly
to the community, CAP seeks to effectively address the air quality issues that are most vital to the public.
There are two key elements of the CAP program: flexible research and community outreach. Unlike many
other programs, CAP did not set out to monitor a predetermined set of pollutants. Instead, it began by
monitoring a range of 93 different pollutants in order to identify the set of pollutants that posed the most
health risk to the local community. It then tailored an ongoing monitoring and research program to address
those key pollutants. This flexibility has allowed the program to evolve over time to fit the needs of the
community. In addition, the local community has been involved in developing and implementing the CAP
program through monthly community partnership meetings. These meetings give community representa-
tives an opportunity to help direct the CAP project, communicate to the project coordinators what
resources the community would find most useful, and learn about the most recent findings of the ongoing
program research.
Although several project monitoring stations will continue operating indefinitely, the final St. Louis CAP
report is expected in October 2003.
PROJECT PARTNERS
CAP is a partnership of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Missouri Department of Natural
Resources (DNR), and the City of Saint Louis, which includes the Saint Louis Association of Community
Organizations (SLACO), Washington University in St. Louis, and St. Louis University's School of Public
Health, as well as various industry representatives, and health and environmental organizations.
MONITORING
CAP began monitoring air pollutants including carbonyls, VOCs (volatile organic compounds), metals, and
semi-volatiles in May 2001. The project utilizes three monitoring stations—one core station and two satel-
lite VOC stations. Multiple monitoring locations allow CAP to monitor VOC pollutants both spatially and
temporally to better characterize mobile, industrial, and area source influences. When choosing locations for
the project monitoring stations, researchers used the following criteria: vertical placement at either ground
level or on the roof of a 1- or 2-story building; enough distance from obstructions to have adequate airflow
(using the rule that the distance from an obstruction must be twice the distance between their heights); and
a distance of at least 45 feet from smaller residential streets, 100 feet from major roads, and a quarter mile
from any freeways.
The data collected at the core monitor indicate that formaldehyde, an EPA-identified health risk, is present
in amounts that exceed long-term health benchmarks for both cancer and non-cancer risks. A review of the
data also indicates a possibility that peak ambient levels may periodically exceed short-term health bench-
marks. Other pollutants of concern include benzene and arsenic.
APPENDIX B B-I
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As a result of the high formaldehyde levels identified by the core monitor, CAP plans to operate two
additional formaldehyde stations in the St. Louis area during the summers of 2002 and 2003 to assess both
spatial and temporal variations. At a one-time cost of $148,000, Missouri DNR and EPA purchased an
optical absorption spectrometer that is capable of monitoring 10 different pollutants, including formal-
dehyde and benzene in real time (5-minute intervals, rather than the standard 24-hour intervals).
This enhanced monitor will be installed and operated by Washington University, and will allow CAP to
better characterize short-term exposure risks of formaldehyde. In addition, CAP is sponsoring supplemental
formaldehyde research at an existing Missouri DNR station in the rural area outside of St. Louis to
determine if the elevated formaldehyde levels are due in part to isoprene emissions given off by oak trees.
DATA MANAGEMENT
CAP does not have a complex data management system because it does not currently provide real-time
data and therefore does not have the same volume of data to handle as other research projects. Currently,
24-hour samples from all of the monitoring sites are analyzed, approved by the Missouri DNR, and
eventually posted on a public Web page. Data management needs are likely to increase when the new
CAP program Web site and real-time monitoring station come online.
DUTREACH AND EDUCATION
From its inception, CAP has involved the local community in the project planning and development
process, and has informed the public of air quality measurement results through outreach and education.
CAP's outreach and education plan is defined in an official CAP document called the Community
Involvement Plan (CIP), which consists of four elements: outreach and education, engagement, results,
and resources.
As part of the outreach portion of the CIP, CAP holds monthly partnership meetings with stakeholder
organizations, community members, and other interested parties. These meetings, begun in late 2000, have
been very successful and draw 30 to 40 participants each month. The meetings provide a forum for partici-
pants to help establish air quality health benchmarks, set the CAP agenda, and learn about the latest project
findings. Community input gathered during these meetings is a driving force in the ongoing evolution of
CAP.
CAP also developed a project Web site to provide the community with access to information and the
opportunity to become engaged in local efforts to improve air quality. In 2002, CAP planned to update
the Web site to provide sample results from the ambient air (24-hour) monitoring, as well as other relevant
health and air quality information. To learn more about the CAP project, please refer to their current
Web site at http://stlouis. missouri. orghtlcaplindex. htm.
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APPENDIX B
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APPENDIX C: THE ST. LOUIS REGIONAL CLEAN AIR
PARTNERSHIP
ABOUT THE PROJECT
The St. Louis Regional Clean Air Partnership is a public-private partnership formed to raise awareness of
regional air quality issues and to encourage activities to reduce emissions of air pollutants. The Partnership
promotes a variety of programs to:
• Increase public awareness of air quality issues.
• Increase public participation in emission reduction activities.
• Increase participation of regional institutions in emissions reduction activities.
• Increase responsible decision-making that incorporates air quality considerations.
The Partnership is particularly noteworthy because of its innovative outreach and education campaign.
Unlike the other programs described in this document, the Partnership does not perform any pollutant
monitoring or data analysis. It simply gathers data published by outside sources and disseminates it to the
local community using a program Web site (www.cleanair-stlouis.com), e-mails and broadcast faxes, the local
television news, and other outlets.
PROJECT PARTNERS
The St. Louis Regional Clean Air Partnership was created in 1995 by the American Lung Association, the
St. Louis Regional Commerce and Growth Association, Washington University, and other partners. The
Partnership has since grown and now includes the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the Illinois
Environmental Protection Agency, East-West Gateway Coordinating Council, RideFinders, the Missouri
and Illinois Departments of Transportation, the Bi-State Development Agency, KMOV-TV, several cultural
organizations, and a variety of other local stakeholders.
MONITORING
The Partnership does not independently monitor air quality. It uses ozone data from 16 monitors operated
by the City of St. Louis, St. Louis County, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, and the Illinois
Environmental Protection Agency.
DATA MANAGEMENT
The Partnership has practically no data management needs because it does not operate monitoring stations
or process its own data. Ozone data gathered at the city, county, and state monitors are posted on the
Internet by the individual agencies, and the Partnership simply downloads this publicly available data.
OUTREACH AND EDUCATION
There are four main components of the Partnership's outreach and education campaign: the program Web
site, televised ozone forecasts, an ozone warning listserv, and the Clean Air Pass.
The Partnership Web site (www.cleanair-stlouis.com) provides an air quality forecast, links to information on
Partnership initiatives, FAQs, archived ozone data, and links to relevant articles and press releases. Through
the Web site, air quality information is available to the public 24 hours a day.
The Partnership works with KMOV-TV, the local CBS affiliate, to produce and publicize a daily air quality
forecast. During its initial stages, the Partnership used grant money to purchase a computer model that
produces an air quality forecast using data drawn from the local monitoring stations. The Partnership gave
the software to KMOV on the condition that it publicize the daily air quality forecast during its local news
broadcast. The Partnership trained the station's staff to use the software and input the necessary data, and
APPENDIX C c-i
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worked closely with meteorologists at the station to perfect the model. KMOV now produces the daily
forecast with no aid from the Partnership at an estimated annual cost of about $350,000 and broadcasts the
forecast on all of its local news shows. The Partnership in turn features the forecast in a central location on
its Web site.
The daily air quality forecast is designed to be as easy to understand as possible. Air quality is reported using
the colors of EPA's Air Quality Index—red for unhealthy, orange for unhealthy for sensitive groups, yellow
for moderate, and green for good. Interested persons can sign up for an e-mail alert if the forecast is red or
orange. The e-mail alerts are distributed via a listserv, which the Partnership contracts out to a local consult-
ant for a minor fee. Free listserv services are also available through companies such as Topica
(www.topica.com). The "e-alert" program has received positive feedback from the community, and is an
extremely cost-efficient program for the Partnership to run.
The Partnership also works with the Bi-State Development Agency, KMOV-TV, and Schnucks Markets to
provide the "Clean Air Pass" program. In order to help control air pollution, the Clean Air Pass allows resi-
dents to ride public transportation at a discounted rate during summer months when ground-level ozone
levels are at their highest. The 3-month pass (June through August) is available on the Partnership's Web
site, at the MetroRide Store, and at most Schnucks Markets.
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APPENDIX C
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