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air pollution project school

Teaching Activities About Pollution

This collection highlights teaching activities, hands-on lessons, and online simulations we found on the web that can help students learn about pollution . They are created by science educators and partner education organizations. Just as all our original content is free, we only recommend external resources that are free for teachers.

1. Air Particulate Activity

air pollution project school

This activity set is offered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It was created in partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Kohala Center via an EPA STAR Grant. Students build an air particulate sensor similar to that used to monitor emissions from a Hawaiian volcano, including downloading and testing pre-built code .

Image from US EPA

  • Activities : web page , activities set , lesson plan ( PDF )
  • Topic : air pollution, air quality, public health, technology, engineering
  • Level : high school

2. Air Pollution Lessons

air pollution project school

This activity set is offered by the University of Colorado, Boulder’s Engineering Department through a program called Teach Engineering (TE). TE was launched in 2001 with the support of National Science Foundation and offers standards-matched STEM curricula focused on “engineering design and design thinking” from over 60 institutions. This lesson – with two activities – was published in 2005; it is the seventh in a unit on Environmental Engineering . Students are introduced to air pollution with extension activities of building particulate matter collectors and filters .

Image from Owen Byrne via UC Boulder

  • Activities : lesson page , collector activity , filter activity
  • Topic : air pollution, environmental engineering, particulate matter
  • Level : middle school

3. Environmental Justice Activity

air pollution project school

This activity is offered by ArcGIS , a geographic information mapping software and analytics tool owned by the California-based software company Esri founded in 1969. This “story” on city planning was created in 2020 in collaboration with the Digital Scholarship Lab (DSL) of the University of Richmond and the Science Museum of Richmond . Students explore an interactive history of Richmond, Virginia, with comparative data presented about some other major U.S. cities. It discusses several factors contributing to environmental inequality including various forms of pollution .

Image from ArcGIS/DSL

  • Activity : web page
  • Topic : environmental justice, discrimination, urban planning, pollution, topography, heat islands

4. Air Pollution Game

air pollution project school

BrainPOP was founded in 1999 by Dr. Avraham Kadar – a trained pediatrician and immunologist – as a creative way to explain difficult concepts to his young patients. The company hosts a huge portfolio of play-based learning about science, health, and other topics. This web-based game walks students through learning about the history of air pollution and legislation to help curb air pollution. A lesson plan complements the game.

Image from BrainPOP

  • Topic : air pollution, environmental planning
  • Level : middle school, high school

5. Air Pollution Activity

air pollution project school

Interactive learning modules in English and Spanish

This activity is offered by the Concord Consortium , a non-profit education research and development organization focused on STEM teaching. The activity was developed in 2020 in partnership with the National Geographic Society and the University of California, Santa Cruz, as part of the Consortium’s High-Adventure Science initiative. Students progress through a series of six online learning modules . It addresses concepts like the air quality index , how pollutants move through the environment, and how to curb air pollution .

Images from Concord Consortium

  • Activity : module web page , activity web page ( English , Spanish )
  • Topic : air pollution, air quality

6. Plastic Pollution Lessons

air pollution project school

This collection is offered by the Pennsylvania Sea Grant , hosted by Penn State University, Erie. It was developed circa 2018 as part of a broader set of activity-based curricula related to the Grant’s focus areas of coastal and watershed sustainability. This 78-page PDF collection offers 14 different activities on plastic pollution : five for lower elementary school, three for late elementary or middle school, and six for middle school and high school. They range from age-adapted waste audits (data collection), word-find extensions, and hands-on experiments.

Image from Penn State University

  • Collection : PDF
  • Topic : plastic pollution, waste management, watershed, ecology
  • Level : elementary, middle, or high school (varies)

7. Waste Audit Activity

air pollution project school

This activity is offered by Clean San Diego , an anti-litter nonprofit founded in the city in 1954. Though a small part of what it does, the organization features several focused classroom activities about waste management and reducing waste. In this activity, students collect data on and analyze their own waste habits .

Image from Clean San Diego

  • Activity : PDF
  • Topic : waste management, recycling

8. Recycling Game

air pollution project school

This activity is offered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This interactive online game has existed for 25 years and is accompanied by additional activities and resources as well as two related games on recycling and energy. In this activity, students travel around a city figuring out all the different ways materials can be recycled .

9. Microplastics Lessons

air pollution project school

This collection is offered by the Oregon Sea Grant hosted by Oregon State University. It was published in 2016 by Marie Kowalski. A 70-page PDF, this set offers three lesson plans for middle schoolers to learn about microplastics and the impact they can have on animals and the environment.

Image from OSU

  • Topic : microplastics, environmental literacy

10. Marine Debris Lessons

air pollution project school

This collection is also offered by the Oregon Sea Grant. It was developed in 2014 in partnership with the Oregon Coast Aquarium and Lincoln County School District, with subsequent modifications in 2015 and 2016. As of April 2020, this project-based learning collection includes (with some overlap): 15 resources for elementary school, 21 for middle school, and 18 for high school. Across these activities students will investigate marine debris and the impacts of marine debris.

  • Collection : web page
  • Topic : marine environment, water pollution, engineering, technology

11. Microplastics Lessons

air pollution project school

This collection is offered by the Florida Sea Grant hosted by the University of Florida Extension Program. The site recommends to start with a 7-page overview ( PDF ) organized by Dr. Maia McGuire before exploring seven Sea Grant-funded resources and twelve other vetted sources, some of which are also highlighted in our list! Students of all ages will learn about microplastics using these resources.

Image from UF

  • Topic : microplastics, marine debris, pollution

That’s Not All!

Check out our full collection of adapted research articles on Pollution . Each article comes with tailored teaching resources, lessons, labs, and other activities for your students.

air pollution project school

Title image by Andrew Hill for the Geograph Project

  • August 3, 2023

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5 Student Projects To Protect The Environment From Air Pollution

Pollution is a ubiquitous problem in the present-day world, and it is rising continuously all around the globe. Amongst all other kinds of pollution, such as water, land, and sound, air pollution has a profound impact on every living organism present on the earth. We inhale many toxins and pollutants along with oxygen while breathing, which can cause severe health problems and can even lead to an untimely death. Developing countries face more pollution-related health problems as compared to developed countries. However, students alongside scientists are working hard to protect our home planet from air contamination and its hazardous effects.

Fortunately, more and more people are working for environmental protection and conservation. Government and private organizations are working to reduce the factors that are damaging the nature we live in. Today’s students are also more concerned about the harmful effects of the contaminated environment and seek to help in their own way. During school and college if you are wondering how to rewrite my paper , you should know the importance of a sound environment. They are also asked to work on projects and proceedings on environmental protection methods.

climate-change-public-health

Students may significantly benefit from essay samples https://eduzaurus.com/free-essay-samples/environment/ to work on their paper and learn more about protecting the earth. Reading such pieces helps in their course to develop useful projects that aid to solve the existing pollution related problems.

Cities around the world are choked with smog and dangerous emissions. Addressing the harm caused by rapidly increasing air pollution, many university students worldwide have developed useful environmental projects . Some of them are as follows:

1. Pollution vacuum cleaner

The idea of a pollution vacuum cleaner is to suck up the contaminants from the air. Developed by an Indian mechanical engineer, it takes all the pollutants along with the air and releases clean air after filtration. As the air passes through various layers inside the filter, the contaminants stick in the filter, and clean air is released. Such vacuums can be used near chimneys and generators to reduce the presence of smoke in the air.

2. Hydrogen fuel from pollutants

Extracting hydrogen gas from the air is challenging, but not for enthusiasts. As part of their project, students have developed a device to purify the air from organic adulteration. This device is powered by solar energy, which houses a thin membrane that attracts the contaminants and exhales purified air. The extracted hydrogen can be stored and used later as fuel in hydrogen-powered vehicles.

3. Air pollution AI framework

Predicting the level of smog in a place can help the locals take a precautionary approach in case of an increment in contamination. A high school student from New-York made a device as project work that predicts air pollution levels using neural networks. The AI-equipped tool can predict contamination with up to 92% accuracy.

artificial-intelligence-environment-protection

Artificial Intelligence can provide invaluable assistance in environment protection and resource conservation

4. Anti-smog gun

The anti-smog gun is an effective method of clearing the air pollutants in smog-afflicted areas. During the high level of pollution, the gun sprays vapor into the air, absorbing the toxins. It is a short-term solution to minimize the harms of hazardously polluted air.

Air-Ink is a creative and interesting device that can convert air carbon to ink. People can connect the KAALINK device to their car exhaust pipe to get the ink from the fuel fumes. The tool can extract 30 ml of ink within 45 minutes of driving. However, the collected ink requires to be purified in the lab before its use.

Bottom Line

Students may find that working on air pollution control projects is one of the best ways in which they can learn about environmental hazards during their educational course. Such insights inspire them to search for a solution and develop various solutions to counter the threats.

Getting involved in innovative air pollution projects will help us to understand the importance of the atmosphere and environment and our responsibility towards keeping the earth safe for the future generation. We can all contribute to fighting air pollution and saving all beings for generations to come through our collective effort.

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A companion activity to the drip drop music video.

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Catching snowflakes, climate & water teaching box, climate impacts graph matching, climate postcards, climate variability card shuffle, cloud trivia activity, cloud viewer, clouds in the air: why are they there, clouds teaching box, clouds, weather, and climate teaching box, co2: how much do you spew, comparing planetary gases.

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Connections in the Earth System

Considering flood risk, create a portable cloud, creating a twister in a jar, dark skies: volcanic contribution to climate change, demonstrating the thickness of atmospheric layers, detecting ultraviolet light using tonic water, digital teaching boxes, drawing clouds inside the lines, el niño teaching box, explore how cars lose control on ice, safely, exploring paleoclimate data.

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Transform Our World

A community of educators empowering students to take climate action

Clean Air for Schools Logo

The Clean Air for Schools Framework is a free, online tool to help every school create a tailored clean air action plan to tackle air pollution in and around the school.

The framework is designed to help your school to:

  • Reduce air pollution from your own operations
  • Tackle air pollution at the school gate, including the school run
  • Educate the next generation to help them and their families make cleaner air choices.
  • Become a local leader on air pollution, working with local partners to improve air quality in the local area.

Access the clean air schools framework here

letter to headteacher       letter to mp

The World Health Organisation and the UK Government recognise that air pollution is the largest environmental health risk we face today.

Exposure to air pollution can cause a range of health issues in children including effects on lung function development, worsening of asthma and it also plays a part in causing asthma in some children.  Research is also beginning to point towards effects of air pollution on the developing brain, such as reduced memory function.

Over 2,000 schools, nurseries and further education centres in the UK are in air pollution hotspots. Air pollution in and around schools comes from pollution sources outside the school, most notably road transport and household burning, such as wood burning stoves.  Air pollution is also generated by activities inside the school, such as heating systems and the type of cleaning and crafting products used.  Children can also be exposed to significant air pollution on the school run.

A recent analysis conducted by Global Action Plan and Queen Mary University of London found that a 50% reduction in air pollution around schools across the UK and Ireland could halve the number of children who have lung function so poor as to affect their everyday lives. 

Air pollution isn’t just a health issue, it may be affecting children’s ability to learn too.  

The Framework asks simple questions to tailor a choice of actions across four key areas:

Campaign for change using student/school voices, such as working with your local authority to reduce traffic passing the school through, for example, a school street.

Raise awareness of air pollution (sources, impacts & solutions) with pupils, the local community and beyond, such as assemblies for students or providing air pollution info in the school newsletter.

Cut the air pollution that the school generates and reduce pollution levels in the classroom through, for example, good ventilation and consolidating deliveries.

The School Gates

Tackle the air pollution generated at the school gates by providing scooter and bicycle parking or by trialling a school street.

There are essential actions that every school should look at to tackle air pollution:

  • Reduce the volume of traffic outside the school by, for example, implementing a school street.
  • Improve air quality inside the school by, for example, improving ventilation.
  • Create low pollution habits with the future generation by engaging students and their families with advice on tackling air pollution.
  • Use the children’s and school’s voice to encourage local and national decision makers to make air quality improvements across your local area.

Create your bespoke clean air action plan in three simple steps:

1) First, answer a few questions about your school.

This helps the tool tailor the suggested actions to best suit your school’s situation. A basic understanding of your school’s operations is all you need, for example, are you next to a main road or does the school receive deliveries more than once a week?

2) Next, choose from the recommended actions.

You will be presented with a selection of air pollution actions based on their relevance and potential impact, alongside symbols that indicate their relative cost and effort to implement. We suggest you choose up to six actions for your plan to start with. 

3) Over to you!

You will be presented with a clean air action plan that also links to helpful advice, resources and case studies to help you to implement your chosen actions. When you have completed your first set of actions, return to the framework and add some more to your action plan to continue on your path to become a clean air school.

Feeling inspired? Read more about action being taken by our innovative teams on our case studies page.

Do you have any questions about the Clean Air for Schools Framework? Browse our FAQs page.

Complete your action plan now

Through the support of the Philips Foundation , Global Action Plan and Philips have created the Clean Air for Schools Framework consolidating and building on the wide range of air pollution resources available to schools.

Choose from over 35 actions based on existing research, best practice, academic insights and in-school air quality testing by the University of Manchester .  And be guided by the advice and resources developed by the range of organisations committed to improving air quality in and around schools, including Living Streets , Mums for Lungs , Sustrans , Modeshift STARS , Unicef and many more.

The framework has been tested by teachers, headteachers, local authorities and academics and is endorsed by the Philips Foundation , Living Streets , Modeshift STARS and Mums for Lungs , with the support of Philips and NAHT .

If you have any questions, please get in contact at [email protected] .

“ Information and action to prevent damage to children's health through exposure to air pollution is of paramount importance .” 

Margot Cooijmans, Director of the Philips Foundation

If you would like to know more about Transform Our World, or any of our programmes, please get in touch.

Thank you for submitting your enquiry! We are currently receiving a large number of enquiries and are trying our best to get back to people as soon as possible. In the meantime, you might find one of the following links helpful: 

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Follow the links below and check out the timestamp guide to navigate the content.

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Brought to you by CU Engineering (University of Colorado Boulder)

FREE K-12 standards-aligned STEM

curriculum for educators everywhere!

Find more at TeachEngineering.org .

  • TeachEngineering
  • Particulate Matter: For Your Eyes Only

Hands-on Activity Particulate Matter: For Your Eyes Only

Grade Level: 5 (4-6)

Time Required: 45 minutes

Less if students bring in jars from home.

Group Size: 2

Activity Dependency: None

NGSS Performance Expectations:

NGSS Three Dimensional Triangle

Curriculum in this Unit Units serve as guides to a particular content or subject area. Nested under units are lessons (in purple) and hands-on activities (in blue). Note that not all lessons and activities will exist under a unit, and instead may exist as "standalone" curriculum.

  • What Color is Your Air Today?
  • Cleaning Air with Balloons
  • Washing Air: Wet Scrubber Pollutant Recovery Method
  • The Search for Secret Agents
  • Smoke and Mirrors
  • Sensing Air Pollution
  • What's Hiding in the Air?
  • Visual Literacy: Tears in Acid Rain
  • Gumdrop Ozone Depletion Model: Battling for Oxygen
  • Metamorphosis — Stories of Change
  • Global Environment: Dangerous Air

TE Newsletter

Engineering connection, learning objectives, materials list, more curriculum like this, introduction/motivation, troubleshooting tips, activity extensions, activity scaling, user comments & tips.

Engineering… Turning your ideas into reality

Engineers use a variety of technologies to measure the concentrations and identify types of particulate matter. Before they can clean up pollutants, engineers first learn everything they can about a pollution site (source). They use this scientific information to design new technologies, such as new fuel types, more efficient engines, and industrial process and emissions treatments. These designs help to protect the Earth's environment and resources from human impacts.

Two photographs depict the difference in air visibility due to high levels of smog. On the hazy day, the city skyline is barely visible.

After this activity, students should be able to:

  • Identify the two major types of visible pollutants, smog and particulate matter.
  • Explain why air pollutants are harmful to human health and the environment.
  • Build a simple particulate matter collector.
  • Explain how air pollutants are generated during incomplete combustion.
  • Make and analyze a pollutant location map.

Educational Standards Each TeachEngineering lesson or activity is correlated to one or more K-12 science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) educational standards. All 100,000+ K-12 STEM standards covered in TeachEngineering are collected, maintained and packaged by the Achievement Standards Network (ASN) , a project of D2L (www.achievementstandards.org). In the ASN, standards are hierarchically structured: first by source; e.g. , by state; within source by type; e.g. , science or mathematics; within type by subtype, then by grade, etc .

Ngss: next generation science standards - science, common core state standards - math.

View aligned curriculum

Do you agree with this alignment? Thanks for your feedback!

International Technology and Engineering Educators Association - Technology

State standards, colorado - math.

Demo 1 – Incomplete Combustion Demonstration

  • 1 utility candle
  • 1 tin can (soup can)
  • paper towel or rag

Demo 2 – Smog Demonstration

  • 1 large glass jar
  • aluminum foil
  • 2-3 ice cubes
  • 1 cup of water

Student Activity – Building Particulate Matter Collectors

Each group needs:

  • 1 small glass jar (spice jar or baby food jar)
  • 1 large glass jar (pickle, mayo or mason-type jar)
  • petroleum jelly
  • masking tape
  • magnifying glass
  • 1 index card

For the entire class to share:

  • chart paper (large, bulletin-board sized)
  • colored construction paper
  • transparent tape

Air pollution is commonly a result of human activities, but in turn can be harmful to human health and also the environment. Although we might not always think of it, the Earth's air is one of our precious resources, just like water and soils. Therefore, we need to protect it! Air pollution can make it more difficult to breathe, particularly for people who have asthma and for the elderly, but anyone who spends time outside can be affected by poor air quality. Exposure to air pollution can cause respiratory infections, heart disease, and lung cancer. Particulate matter is one of the main types of air pollution, and the amount of particulate matter can be reduced by controlling what is emitted by the combustion of fossil fuels. Therefore, it is important to learn more about particulate matter in order to help solve these problems.

Particulate matter is often invisible to the naked eye unless it is very concentrated. To study the particulates more easily, it is possible to "catch" and identify some of them by concentrating them on a collector. Engineers use a variety of technologies to measure concentrations of and identify types of particulate matter. Engineers must first learn this information about a pollution site before working towards cleaning up the pollutants. Engineers also use this information to help design new technologies (new fuel types, more efficient engines, process treatments in industrial applications, etc.) that more effectively prevent and reduce air pollution.

One of the greatest sources of air pollution is the incomplete combustion of gasoline in car engines. The engines are only about 30% efficient; this means that for every 10 gallons of gasoline in the tank, only three gallons are actually used to move the vehicle! Some of the remaining gas heats the engine and some is pushed out of the engine unburned. This inefficiency is one of the largest contributors to photochemical smog . If gasoline were completely burned, the only by-products would be water vapor and carbon dioxide. Engineer-designed devices that reduce pollution emissions include catalytic converters , modified fuels and more efficient engines.

Ask students what air pollution looks like? What are some of the different sources of air pollution? Do they think that an increase in human population leads to an increase in pollution? Why or why not? Do they think air pollution is a problem? Have they ever seen air pollution in their city? Tell them they will learn more about what air pollution looks like in this activity.

Before the Activity

Consider conducting these activities simultaneously with those in this lesson , as the same collection sites can be used to test for visible and invisible air pollutants.

  • Demo 1: Incomplete Combustion Demonstration — Practice the process a few times before demonstrating it to the class.
  • Demo 2: Smog Demonstration — Practice the process a few times before demonstrating it to the class. The critical step has to be done quite quickly.
  • Student Activity: Building Particulate Matter Collectors — Consider testing possible collection sites for the particulate matter collectors before the experiment. Some sites may not result in a lot of visible particulates and this can frustrate the students.

With the Students

Demo 1: Incomplete Combustion Demonstration

  • Light the candle.
  • Place the bottom of the can directly over the flame for a few seconds (see Figure 2). The top of the flame should be almost touching the can.
  • Look at the bottom of the can. Ask students what they see. (Answer: Black, sooty area.) Have the students record their observations in their journals. Do you think this is evidence of pollution? (Answer: Yes)
  • Clean off the bottom of the can with a paper towel (see Figure 2). Have students also observe the pollution on the towel.

Two photographs show a candle burning below a soup can, and a person wiping away the black, carbon buildup from the bottom of the can.

  • Repeat the procedure, but use the straw to gently blow air on the bottom of the can (see Figure 3). Be careful not to blow the flame out.

A photograph shows a candle burning below a soup can while someone uses a straw to gently blow the flame away from the bottom of the can, preventing the buildup of carbon.

  • Look at the bottom of the can and ask students what they see. (Answer: Nothing or perhaps some water vapor condensing on the bottom of the can.) Do you see any pollutants? (Answer: No) Have students record their observations and responses in their journals.
  • Ask students how the additional air affected the combustion of the candle. (Answer: Complete combustion takes place, producing only carbon dioxide and water vapor. Other types of pollutants are avoided.) Have students record their responses.

Demo 2: Smog Demonstration (see Figure 4)

  • Cut a strip of paper about 15 cm x 1 cm. Fold the strip in half lengthwise and twist it.
  • Use a piece of aluminum foil to make a "lid" for the jar. Mold it to the shape of the jar opening and then remove it and set it aside.
  • Put some water in the jar and swirl it around until the inside walls of the jar are wet.
  • Put the ice cubes on top of the foil to make it cold.
  • Attention: All the parts of this next step must be done very quickly. Light the strip of paper and drop it and the match into the jar. Place the foil lid on the jar and seal it as tightly as possible. Place the ice cubes back on the middle of the foil lid.
  • Ask students to describe what they see in the jar. How is it like real smog? How is it different? Ask students to write their responses in their journals.

Safety note: Do not breathe the "smog." Be sure to release it outdoors when you are finished with the demonstration.

Two photographs. One shows the demo materials: a glass jar, a piece of twisted paper, matches and foil. The second shows a smoke-filled jar with a foil "lid" topped with ice cubes.

Student Activity: Building Particulate Matter Collectors

  • Divide the class into student pairs. Distribute supplies to each group (1 small jar, 1 large jar, petroleum jelly, masking tape).
  • Demonstrate the collector set up. (You can place the lid on this collector and keep it in the classroom as a control.)
  • Smear petroleum jelly on the outside of the small jar.
  • Carefully place the small jar inside large jar.

Two photographs. In one, a child spreads petroleum jelly on the outside of a small glass jar. The second photograph shows the small glass jar placed inside a large glass jar.

  • Use the masking tape to make a label for the large jar; include name, date and test site location.
  • Decide on several locations around the school — inside and outside — at which students think visible pollutants may be found. Assign each group to a different collection site. (Possible locations: Near a road or parking lot, a garage with car exhaust, a sandy/dusty playground, teachers' lounge, a place where people take smoking breaks, a stove, the classroom air filter/vent or the school's air intake/vent, etc.) Keep in mind that the collectors may have to stay at each site, undisturbed, for a few days.
  • Ask students to make predictions about which area will have more visible pollutants and why. Have students record their predictions in their journals.
  • Place jars in the test sites for several days. Have the groups check the jars daily and record observations in their journals.
  • On the final day of observations, bring the jars back to the classroom for comparison.
  • Have students observe the amount of pollutants on their collectors.
  • Have students rank the jars from the one with the fewest visible pollutants to the one with the most, lining them up across a counter or table. Remember to include the control jar. Ask students to record this information in their journals.
  • Discuss why certain areas have more visible pollutants than others.
  • Remind students that these particles are in the air they breathe. Ask them to write about how they feel about this in their journals.
  • Make a school map on large chart paper. For each test site, cut a jar shape from colored construction paper and write on it the ranking, location and number of particles collected (if possible to count). Adhere each cut-out jar to the correct location on the map. What conclusions can you draw from the map? Write a few of these conclusions neatly on index cards. Display the map and index card conclusions in a school hallway for others to see.
  • Consider holding a classroom discussion and/or making a writing assignment about possible sources of the particles. How can we make the air more desirable to breathe? (Learn more about this in the lessons  I've Gotta Get Some Air and Pollution Solutions .)

Alternate Collector Designs

  • Cut rectangular strips from plastic milk jugs or index cards and hole-punch one end to make a hole for a string hanger. Smear petroleum jelly on one side. Leave hanging for a week or more. Be sure to apply a thick coat of petroleum jelly to prevent the jelly from drying out over the course of the experiment.
  • Use index cards with a hole cut in the middle (about size of a silver dollar). Cover the hole in transparent tape so the sticky side is exposed. Hole-punch one end to make a hole for a string hanger. Make three cards for each site (one for 24 hours, one for three days, and one for one week). Be sure to apply a thick coat of petroleum jelly to prevent the jelly from drying out over the course of the experiment. Note: The index cards are not wet weather resistant, so be sure they are placed in protected areas.
  • Experiment with using clear vegetable oil instead of petroleum jelly in the collectors.

Pre-Activity Assessment

Discussion Question : Ask the students and discuss as a class:

  • What does air pollution look like? What are causes of air pollution? What are the effects? Why would we want to reduce air pollution? Tell students they will learn more about what air pollution looks like in this activity.

Activity Embedded Assessment

Student Observations : During the activity, ask students for their observations, as directed in the Procedure section.

Post-Activity Assessment

Informing Others / Map Making : Make a school map on large chart paper. For each test site, cut a shape from colored construction paper and write on it the ranking and location. Adhere each shape to the correct location on the map. What conclusions can you draw from the map? Write a few of these conclusions neatly on index cards. Display the map and index card conclusions in a school hallway for others to see.

Local Awareness: Ask students what they think they could do to help reduce the amount of air pollution in their community. What forms of transportation and energy use does not emit air pollutants? (Answer: bicycles, walking, solar energy, wind energy)

Safety Issues

  • Make sure you place collectors in low-traffic areas as to avoid having unaware students and school visitors tripping or breaking the glass.
  • Demos 1 and 2 use matches and fire; they should not be conducted by students without adult supervision.

This activity is not a rapid or neat experiment. To obtain significant results, the jars need to be placed in very dirty areas.

Set the collectors on white paper while observing them; it makes the particulates easier to see.

Compare the different types and amounts of pollution created from burning different brands and types of candles. For example, paraffin wax vs. beeswax.

Post a chart listing the causes of visible pollutants and what can be done to prevent them. Leave the chart up so students can add to it whenever they have an idea.

Try all the different types of collectors in the same place. Does one type do a better job (collect more pollutants)? Do they each attract a different type of pollutant?

Have students make a bar graph showing the quantity of pollutants (vertical) vs. the jar locations (horizontal). What conclusions can you draw from the graph?

  • For younger students, have them draw pictures of their observations, and make a graph as a hands-on experience for the entire class.

air pollution project school

Students are introduced to the concepts of air pollution and technologies that engineers have developed to reduce air pollution. They develop an understanding of visible air pollutants with an incomplete combustion demonstration, a "smog in a jar" demonstration, construction of simple particulate ma...

preview of 'Got Dirty Air?' Lesson

Students develop an understanding of visible air pollutants with an incomplete combustion demonstration, a "smog in a jar" demonstration, building simple particulate matter collectors, and exploration of engineering roles related to air pollution. In an associated literacy activity, students learn b...

preview of 'Visible Air Pollution: You've Got to See It to Believe It!' Lesson

Looking at transportation and the environment, students learn that some human-made creations, such as vehicles, can harm the natural environment. They also learn about alternative fuels and vehicles designed by engineers to minimize pollution. The associated hands-on activity gives students a chance...

preview of 'Transportation and the Environment: Energy, Fuels and Emissions' Lesson

Students are introduced to the concepts of air pollution, air quality, and climate change. The three lesson parts (including the associated activities) focus on the prerequisites for understanding air pollution. First, students use M&M® candies to create pie graphs that express their understanding o...

preview of 'What's Air Got to Do with It? Properties & Quality' Lesson

Bosak, Susan V. Science is...: A Source Book of Fascinating Facts, Projects and Activities . Markham, Ontario: Scholastic Canada, Ltd., 1991. (Smog demo adapted from "Smog Alert," pg. 361.)

JJones, Maclyn. Air Pollution: Visible and Invisible. Updated August 2, 2004. Lesson Plans for Teachers, TCEQ, Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission. Accessed September 18, 2006. Available at: https://www.greeneducationfoundation.org/institute/lesson-clearinghouse/download/file.html?fid=19.302 

Maton, Anthea. Prentice Hall Science – Ecology Earth's Natural Resources . Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1993. (Incomplete combustion demo adapted from activity book, pg. 53.)

Contributors

Supporting program, acknowledgements.

The contents of this digital library curriculum were developed under a grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education and National Science Foundation GK-12 grant no. 0338326. However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policies of the Department of Education or National Science Foundation, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

Last modified: December 11, 2020

Air Pollution: Everything You Need to Know

How smog, soot, greenhouse gases, and other top air pollutants are affecting the planet—and your health.

Smoke blows out of two tall industrial stacks

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What Is Air Pollution?

What causes air pollution, effects of air pollution, air pollution in the united states, air pollution and environmental justice, controlling air pollution, how to help reduce air pollution, how to protect your health.

Air pollution  refers to the release of pollutants into the air—pollutants that are detrimental to human health and the planet as a whole. According to the  World Health Organization (WHO) , each year, indoor and outdoor air pollution is responsible for nearly seven million deaths around the globe. Ninety-nine percent of human beings currently breathe air that exceeds the WHO’s guideline limits for pollutants, with those living in low- and middle-income countries suffering the most. In the United States, the  Clean Air Act , established in 1970, authorizes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to safeguard public health by regulating the emissions of these harmful air pollutants.

“Most air pollution comes from energy use and production,” says  John Walke , director of the Clean Air team at NRDC. Driving a car on gasoline, heating a home with oil, running a power plant on  fracked gas : In each case, a fossil fuel is burned and harmful chemicals and gases are released into the air.

“We’ve made progress over the last 50 years in improving air quality in the United States, thanks to the Clean Air Act. But climate change will make it harder in the future to meet pollution standards, which are designed to  protect health ,” says Walke.

Air pollution is now the world’s fourth-largest risk factor for early death. According to the 2020  State of Global Air  report —which summarizes the latest scientific understanding of air pollution around the world—4.5 million deaths were linked to outdoor air pollution exposures in 2019, and another 2.2 million deaths were caused by indoor air pollution. The world’s most populous countries, China and India, continue to bear the highest burdens of disease.

“Despite improvements in reducing global average mortality rates from air pollution, this report also serves as a sobering reminder that the climate crisis threatens to worsen air pollution problems significantly,” explains  Vijay Limaye , senior scientist in NRDC’s Science Office. Smog, for instance, is intensified by increased heat, forming when the weather is warmer and there’s more ultraviolet radiation. In addition, climate change increases the production of allergenic air pollutants, including mold (thanks to damp conditions caused by extreme weather and increased flooding) and pollen (due to a longer pollen season). “Climate change–fueled droughts and dry conditions are also setting the stage for dangerous wildfires,” adds Limaye. “ Wildfire smoke can linger for days and pollute the air with particulate matter hundreds of miles downwind.”

The effects of air pollution on the human body vary, depending on the type of pollutant, the length and level of exposure, and other factors, including a person’s individual health risks and the cumulative impacts of multiple pollutants or stressors.

Smog and soot

These are the two most prevalent types of air pollution. Smog (sometimes referred to as ground-level ozone) occurs when emissions from combusting fossil fuels react with sunlight. Soot—a type of  particulate matter —is made up of tiny particles of chemicals, soil, smoke, dust, or allergens that are carried in the air. The sources of smog and soot are similar. “Both come from cars and trucks, factories, power plants, incinerators, engines, generally anything that combusts fossil fuels such as coal, gasoline, or natural gas,” Walke says.

Smog can irritate the eyes and throat and also damage the lungs, especially those of children, senior citizens, and people who work or exercise outdoors. It’s even worse for people who have asthma or allergies; these extra pollutants can intensify their symptoms and trigger asthma attacks. The tiniest airborne particles in soot are especially dangerous because they can penetrate the lungs and bloodstream and worsen bronchitis, lead to heart attacks, and even hasten death. In  2020, a report from Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health showed that COVID-19 mortality rates were higher in areas with more particulate matter pollution than in areas with even slightly less, showing a correlation between the virus’s deadliness and long-term exposure to air pollution. 

These findings also illuminate an important  environmental justice issue . Because highways and polluting facilities have historically been sited in or next to low-income neighborhoods and communities of color, the negative effects of this pollution have been  disproportionately experienced by the people who live in these communities.

Hazardous air pollutants

A number of air pollutants pose severe health risks and can sometimes be fatal, even in small amounts. Almost 200 of them are regulated by law; some of the most common are mercury,  lead , dioxins, and benzene. “These are also most often emitted during gas or coal combustion, incineration, or—in the case of benzene—found in gasoline,” Walke says. Benzene, classified as a carcinogen by the EPA, can cause eye, skin, and lung irritation in the short term and blood disorders in the long term. Dioxins, more typically found in food but also present in small amounts in the air, is another carcinogen that can affect the liver in the short term and harm the immune, nervous, and endocrine systems, as well as reproductive functions.  Mercury  attacks the central nervous system. In large amounts, lead can damage children’s brains and kidneys, and even minimal exposure can affect children’s IQ and ability to learn.

Another category of toxic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), are by-products of traffic exhaust and wildfire smoke. In large amounts, they have been linked to eye and lung irritation, blood and liver issues, and even cancer.  In one study , the children of mothers exposed to PAHs during pregnancy showed slower brain-processing speeds and more pronounced symptoms of ADHD.

Greenhouse gases

While these climate pollutants don’t have the direct or immediate impacts on the human body associated with other air pollutants, like smog or hazardous chemicals, they are still harmful to our health. By trapping the earth’s heat in the atmosphere, greenhouse gases lead to warmer temperatures, which in turn lead to the hallmarks of climate change: rising sea levels, more extreme weather, heat-related deaths, and the increased transmission of infectious diseases. In 2021, carbon dioxide accounted for roughly 79 percent of the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions, and methane made up more than 11 percent. “Carbon dioxide comes from combusting fossil fuels, and methane comes from natural and industrial sources, including large amounts that are released during oil and gas drilling,” Walke says. “We emit far larger amounts of carbon dioxide, but methane is significantly more potent, so it’s also very destructive.” 

Another class of greenhouse gases,  hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) , are thousands of times more powerful than carbon dioxide in their ability to trap heat. In October 2016, more than 140 countries signed the Kigali Agreement to reduce the use of these chemicals—which are found in air conditioners and refrigerators—and develop greener alternatives over time. (The United States officially signed onto the  Kigali Agreement in 2022.)

Pollen and mold

Mold and allergens from trees, weeds, and grass are also carried in the air, are exacerbated by climate change, and can be hazardous to health. Though they aren’t regulated, they can be considered a form of air pollution. “When homes, schools, or businesses get water damage, mold can grow and produce allergenic airborne pollutants,” says Kim Knowlton, professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University and a former NRDC scientist. “ Mold exposure can precipitate asthma attacks  or an allergic response, and some molds can even produce toxins that would be dangerous for anyone to inhale.”

Pollen allergies are worsening  because of climate change . “Lab and field studies are showing that pollen-producing plants—especially ragweed—grow larger and produce more pollen when you increase the amount of carbon dioxide that they grow in,” Knowlton says. “Climate change also extends the pollen production season, and some studies are beginning to suggest that ragweed pollen itself might be becoming a more potent allergen.” If so, more people will suffer runny noses, fevers, itchy eyes, and other symptoms. “And for people with allergies and asthma, pollen peaks can precipitate asthma attacks, which are far more serious and can be life-threatening.”

air pollution project school

More than one in three U.S. residents—120 million people—live in counties with unhealthy levels of air pollution, according to the  2023  State of the Air  report by the American Lung Association (ALA). Since the annual report was first published, in 2000, its findings have shown how the Clean Air Act has been able to reduce harmful emissions from transportation, power plants, and manufacturing.

Recent findings, however, reflect how climate change–fueled wildfires and extreme heat are adding to the challenges of protecting public health. The latest report—which focuses on ozone, year-round particle pollution, and short-term particle pollution—also finds that people of color are 61 percent more likely than white people to live in a county with a failing grade in at least one of those categories, and three times more likely to live in a county that fails in all three.

In rankings for each of the three pollution categories covered by the ALA report, California cities occupy the top three slots (i.e., were highest in pollution), despite progress that the Golden State has made in reducing air pollution emissions in the past half century. At the other end of the spectrum, these cities consistently rank among the country’s best for air quality: Burlington, Vermont; Honolulu; and Wilmington, North Carolina. 

No one wants to live next door to an incinerator, oil refinery, port, toxic waste dump, or other polluting site. Yet millions of people around the world do, and this puts them at a much higher risk for respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, neurological damage, cancer, and death. In the United States, people of color are 1.5 times more likely than whites to live in areas with poor air quality, according to the ALA.

Historically, racist zoning policies and discriminatory lending practices known as  redlining  have combined to keep polluting industries and car-choked highways away from white neighborhoods and have turned communities of color—especially low-income and working-class communities of color—into sacrifice zones, where residents are forced to breathe dirty air and suffer the many health problems associated with it. In addition to the increased health risks that come from living in such places, the polluted air can economically harm residents in the form of missed workdays and higher medical costs.

Environmental racism isn't limited to cities and industrial areas. Outdoor laborers, including the estimated three million migrant and seasonal farmworkers in the United States, are among the most vulnerable to air pollution—and they’re also among the least equipped, politically, to pressure employers and lawmakers to affirm their right to breathe clean air.

Recently,  cumulative impact mapping , which uses data on environmental conditions and demographics, has been able to show how some communities are overburdened with layers of issues, like high levels of poverty, unemployment, and pollution. Tools like the  Environmental Justice Screening Method  and the EPA’s  EJScreen  provide evidence of what many environmental justice communities have been explaining for decades: that we need land use and public health reforms to ensure that vulnerable areas are not overburdened and that the people who need resources the most are receiving them.

In the United States, the  Clean Air Act  has been a crucial tool for reducing air pollution since its passage in 1970, although fossil fuel interests aided by industry-friendly lawmakers have frequently attempted to  weaken its many protections. Ensuring that this bedrock environmental law remains intact and properly enforced will always be key to maintaining and improving our air quality.

But the best, most effective way to control air pollution is to speed up our transition to cleaner fuels and industrial processes. By switching over to renewable energy sources (such as wind and solar power), maximizing fuel efficiency in our vehicles, and replacing more and more of our gasoline-powered cars and trucks with electric versions, we'll be limiting air pollution at its source while also curbing the global warming that heightens so many of its worst health impacts.

And what about the economic costs of controlling air pollution? According to a report on the Clean Air Act commissioned by NRDC, the annual  benefits of cleaner air  are up to 32 times greater than the cost of clean air regulations. Those benefits include up to 370,000 avoided premature deaths, 189,000 fewer hospital admissions for cardiac and respiratory illnesses, and net economic benefits of up to $3.8 trillion for the U.S. economy every year.

“The less gasoline we burn, the better we’re doing to reduce air pollution and the harmful effects of climate change,” Walke explains. “Make good choices about transportation. When you can, ride a bike, walk, or take public transportation. For driving, choose a car that gets better miles per gallon of gas or  buy an electric car .” You can also investigate your power provider options—you may be able to request that your electricity be supplied by wind or solar. Buying your food locally cuts down on the fossil fuels burned in trucking or flying food in from across the world. And most important: “Support leaders who push for clean air and water and responsible steps on climate change,” Walke says.

  • “When you see in the news or hear on the weather report that pollution levels are high, it may be useful to limit the time when children go outside or you go for a jog,” Walke says. Generally, ozone levels tend to be lower in the morning.
  • If you exercise outside, stay as far as you can from heavily trafficked roads. Then shower and wash your clothes to remove fine particles.
  • The air may look clear, but that doesn’t mean it’s pollution free. Utilize tools like the EPA’s air pollution monitor,  AirNow , to get the latest conditions. If the air quality is bad, stay inside with the windows closed.
  • If you live or work in an area that’s prone to wildfires,  stay away from the harmful smoke  as much as you’re able. Consider keeping a small stock of masks to wear when conditions are poor. The most ideal masks for smoke particles will be labelled “NIOSH” (which stands for National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) and have either “N95” or “P100” printed on it.
  • If you’re using an air conditioner while outdoor pollution conditions are bad, use the recirculating setting to limit the amount of polluted air that gets inside. 

This story was originally published on November 1, 2016, and has been updated with new information and links.

This NRDC.org story is available for online republication by news media outlets or nonprofits under these conditions: The writer(s) must be credited with a byline; you must note prominently that the story was originally published by NRDC.org and link to the original; the story cannot be edited (beyond simple things such as grammar); you can’t resell the story in any form or grant republishing rights to other outlets; you can’t republish our material wholesale or automatically—you need to select stories individually; you can’t republish the photos or graphics on our site without specific permission; you should drop us a note to let us know when you’ve used one of our stories.

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Air pollution in schools – how air quality monitoring can be used to protect and educate

Air pollution in schools – how air quality monitoring can be used to protect and educate

Article Details

Last Updated

22 June 2023

15 December 2017

Air pollution in schools has been in the news a lot lately. The news is both good and bad.

Let’s start with the bad news, just to get it out of the way.

Air pollution in schools – the bad news

Reports from the WHO and UNICEF site studies that show air pollution hits children harder than adults. The following excerpt from the WHO report makes the case clear:

The evidence also shows a relationship between exposure to ambient air pollutants and adverse effects on the development of lung function. Reversible lung function deficits, chronically reduced lung growth rates and lower lung function levels are associated with exposure to air pollution. Moreover, the evidence shows clearer relationships for particulate matter and traffic-related air pollution (indicated by nitrogen dioxide) than for other pollutants. Based on current knowledge, air pollutants seem to interact with other environmental factors, such as allergens, viruses and diet, that influence the overall impact of air pollutants on children’s health.

Children spend up to 40 hours a week in school or in childcare facilities. Put another way, that’s almost 50% of the time they spend awake. So it’s little wonder that parents are eager to understand what steps teachers and administrators are taking to 1) quantify the problem, and 2) manage the effects.

Part of the problem is the location of most schools. Urban schools at least are often located near major roads – so they are easy for a majority of the school population to access. According to one study 17,000 schools in rural and urban areas across the U.S. are located within 250 meters (~820 feet) of a heavily traveled road.

Perhaps unsurprisingly the United States Environmental Protection Agency has issued guidelines for siting schools. California Air Resources Board (CARB) says that no school should be built within 500 feet of a major roadway.

This is great for schools that are yet to be built. But most schools were built long ago and the city has intensified around them, resulting in an increase in traffic and traffic-related pollution.

As awareness of air pollution and its effects particularly on children grows, so too does the pressure on schools to come up with an effective and co-ordinated response. The first and most logical place to start is measurement through effective community air quality monitoring projects.

You can’t manage what you don’t measure

Schools and childcare centers come in different shapes and sizes – big or small, some more urban than others, some are on hillsides, some in valleys, near or far from freeways (a.k.a. motorways), some maybe close to industrial pollution sources like power stations. As a result there is no way to know what the air quality is like without measuring it.

Some schools rely on air quality information supplied by government-operated air quality monitoring stations. But this is problematic for a number of reasons:

Some cities don’t have any!

Those that do often don’t have enough – LA has one station for every 800,000 people, for example

The stations are often far away and not representative

They don’t pick up local pollution sources

They don’t account for micro climate effects e.g. strong winds carrying dust from a nearby pollution source

They provide one hour averaged data which can miss shorter events e.g. elevated pollution during school drop-offs

The stations are huge and hugely expensive so building more is the last thing the government wants to do (until recently the UK government was actively considering reducing their number).

Therefore relying on government-produced air quality information may result in one of two things: A) it understates the problem for the school, or B) it overstates the problem for the school.

Either way the sensible thing to do is to carry out your own checks. This can be done cost effectively thanks to monitors like those made by Aeroqual. These monitors are designed to be easy to use yet are built on solid science and trusted by experts like the US EPA, even NASA.

Air pollution in schools – good news?

The good news is that air pollution can be turned into an education opportunity. Check out this video to see what we mean.

Understanding air pollution combines a couple of things most schools want to see more of in their curriculum: STEMs subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), and environmental stewardship.

Understanding air pollution in the first place requires some basic understanding of chemistry and atmospheric science. It raises questions such as:

Where does air pollution come from?

What effect does it have on our bodies?

What are the main pollutants in the air?

What effect does the wind have?

What are some place with really good air, and (everybody’s favorite)

Where is air the worst?

Kids can then take this knowledge home to their parents who often don’t have this knowledge themselves. This helps to raise awareness in the community and encourage small actions which added together can have a big impact.

The equipment used to measure air quality is by nature scientific, designed to measure tiny amounts of pollutant particles in the air. Some monitors can measure down to part per billion levels. Using such equipment is a great opportunity to get children (OK maybe not the really little ones) hands on with scientific tools. Taking equipment into the field provides an opportunity to get children out into the fresh air.

Looking at the numbers on the screen gets children thinking about maths. Numbers above a certain level are bad; numbers below a certain level are good. What is a part per million? How much is a microgram per cubic metre?

Once the measurements have been taken, students can take the monitors back to the classroom to download the numbers. This brings into play computer skills. Data can then be charted and interpreted – important skills to have in our increasingly data-driven society.

Teaching children about air pollution helps them to realise that the environment is central to life on earth. The air is a resource that we share and must be taken care off. What we do here can affect the lives of people over there. These concepts encourage a sense of shared responsibility and hopefully empower children to accept that responsibility.

More good news

There is plenty that can be done. The National Education Union and British Lung Foundation have teamed up to provide schools with guidance . The US EPA has issued guidance for schools as mentioned in this post.

We’ll follow up with soon with another blog post on the practical steps schools can take to manage air quality.

Our key point is that schools: 1) have a responsibility to protect the health and safety of their children, and 2) can turn it into an opportunity to educate children, teachers, and parents alike.

If you’re interested, please check out some of the tools ( portable and fixed monitors ) we provide that enable schools to monitor the quality of the air. Cost effective, scientifically robust, and available everywhere.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to share.

Related products

School Air Quality Testing Kit

School Air Quality Testing Kit

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School air monitoring made easy.

Protect community health and educate students with a real-time air quality monitoring solution.

New tougher U.S. air pollution standards shaped by Harvard Chan School research

Pollution pours from factory smokestacks at sunset

February 14, 2024 – Stricter new federal regulations on deadly fine particulate air pollution in the U.S. were announced on February 7—and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health research played a key role in the decision.

Many studies published in recent years by Harvard Chan researchers have provided strong evidence showing the link between fine particulate pollution, disease, and premature death. These studies provided important evidence in the EPA’s decision to strengthen the new regulations, according to Marc Weisskopf , Cecil K. and Philip Drinker Professor of Environmental Epidemiology and Physiology. Weisskopf served from 2021 to 2022 on a panel advising the EPA on fine particulate matter.

Francesca Dominici , Clarence James Gamble Professor of Biostatistics, Population, and Data Science, who has co-authored numerous studies on the health impacts of PM2.5, called the new regulations “extremely important, and a huge victory in public health.” She added, “The School should be really proud because this is a huge public health victory, and we don’t get these very often.”

Fine particulate pollution (PM2.5) is made up of tiny particles that are 30 times smaller than the width of a human hair. These particles can penetrate deep into the lungs. In addition to being linked to early death, PM2.5 exposure has also been shown to lead to worsened asthma , heart attacks , stroke, and other diseases. Major sources of PM2.5 include the burning of fossil fuels, agriculture, and industry. Wildfire smoke and dust also contribute to the problem.

Under the new regulations, annual exposure to fine particulate pollution must be limited to 9 μg/m 3  (micrograms per cubic meter of air), down from the current limit of 12. According to the EPA, the new limit, when fully implemented, could prevent up to 4,500 premature deaths and 290,000 lost workdays per year.

Douglas Dockery , John L. Loeb and Frances Lehman Loeb Professor of Environmental Epidemiology, Emeritus, credited a number of Harvard Chan School Department of Environmental Health experts, including Dominici, Joel Schwartz , professor of environmental epidemiology, and Antonella Zanobetti , principal research scientist, for their pivotal air pollution research. He noted that they’ve been able to look at air pollution’s impact across the U.S. by using large Medicare datasets assembled by Dominici and added that Schwartz provided the data on being able to estimate air pollution levels for individual people across the U.S., taking into account both location and time. “That has really revolutionized our knowledge about the health effects of air pollution and has provided great context for setting the new standards,” said Dockery.

Dockery himself played a key role in influencing national air quality standards, as lead author of the groundbreaking Six Cities study , published three decades ago. In that study, researchers followed more than 8,000 adults from six U.S. cities that had different air pollution levels, finding that there was a 26% difference in survival between residents of the least-polluted cities and the most-polluted. The study also found that PM2.5 was the most dangerous kind of air pollution.

“We’ve seen big improvements in air quality since then,” Dockery noted. “Industry has always complained that curbing air pollution was going to be too expensive and would hurt the economy—and it is continuing to say that now—but we’ve achieved progress even as the population has gone up, GDP has increased dramatically, and the number of cars on the road has spiked. It’s a testament to our ability to clean up the air. It’s pretty extraordinary to think about it.”

Recent Harvard Chan School studies that have shed light on the dangers of PM2.5 and that factored into the new standards include a July 2020 study that showed that strengthening U.S. limits on PM2.5 concentrations could save thousands of lives. Harvard Chan co-authors included then-doctoral student and lead author Xiao Wu, as well as Dominici, Schwartz, and Danielle Braun , principal research scientist. An October 2021 study, led by postdoctoral fellow Mahdieh Danesh Yazdi , found that even small increases in long-term exposure to both particle and gaseous air pollutants increased the risk of premature death, even within existing standards. Dominici, Schwartz, and nine other Harvard Chan researchers were co-authors.

A low-enough limit?

Schwartz called the new standards “good but not great.” That’s because he and other experts, along with some public health groups such as the American Lung Association, had hoped that the EPA would lower the PM2.5 limit even further, to 8 μg/m 3 . “I sent very detailed comments to the EPA on this proposal, pointing out that many studies had shown that PM2.5 impacts on serious illness and hospitalizations come from concentrations even below 9,” he said. “They chose to ignore that.”

Schwartz added that, taking into account how long it’s likely to take for the new standards to truly take effect—six or seven years—they don’t have nearly as much teeth as they could have. Already, average PM2.5 concentrations across the U.S. are just over 9 μg/m 3 , he said, explaining that after the EPA sets new pollution standards, it can take a couple of years for the agency to assess which counties across the U.S. aren’t meeting them. States then have two years to develop an implementation plan. And once a state implementation plan is approved, industry has another two years to install new pollution controls. In the meantime, said Schwartz, air pollution in the U.S. is likely to decrease further because of ongoing changes including the decommissioning of coal plants, new solar and wind energy options, and increasing use of electric vehicles—meaning that most counties across the U.S. are likely to be under the 9 μg/m 3 limit anyway. “If the EPA had set the limit at 8 μg/m 3 , it would cost more, but there would be a lot more [health] benefits,” he said.

Dominici agreed. “We had an important paper in the New England Journal of Medicine that showed that a limit of 8 μg/m 3 would have been better—especially for Black Americans—but the fact that the limit is being lowered to 9 μg/m 3 is still important. We will all be breathing cleaner air.”

Dockery also acknowledged that a lower PM2.5 limit could have gone further to prevent health harms. “As researchers and scientists, we’re trying to provide the best information possible on the science,” he said. “But ultimately this is a political decision that has to be made. It is always a compromise.”

Looking ahead

Dominici noted that she and colleagues plan to increasingly focus their research on vulnerable communities—communities of color and those with low socioeconomic status—which are more likely to be located near heavier pollution sources such as highways and industrial sites, and where it may be more difficult to reduce pollution levels.

Dominici also has questions about how the nation will address PM2.5 pollution produced by wildfires. She noted that many counties in California, for example, are not in compliance with air quality standards because of the many wildfires that occur there, but that it’s not clear if the EPA will approach that non-compliance differently than non-compliance from industry.

“I think that the scientific community really needs to focus on these two issues—vulnerable communities and pollution from wildfires—now more than ever,” she said.

– Karen Feldscher

Photo: iStock/eric1513

Environmental advocates highlight air pollution's impact on children's health

Moms Clean Air Force, touting 1.5 million members, held a summit in Washington.

A day after the Environmental Protection Agency announced new air quality standards, the advocacy group Moms Clean Air Force held its inaugural "Climate Disruption, Air Pollution, and Young People's Health" summit this week in Washington.

The EPA says the new air quality standards will better protect Americans from particulate matter, or soot, and save lives.

"Air pollution is real. Soot pollution is some of the most dangerous pollution and tightening this standard is not only going to protect our children, and most vulnerable populations -- but also healthy people equal a healthy economy," EPA Administrator Michael Regan told ABC News.

MORE:EPA announces new air quality standards for particulate matter, citing health risks

"We did this summit so that we could bring together parents and press -- people to understand how children need to be put to the center of the climate conversation. We're talking about toxic chemicals and air pollution and climate disruption," Dominique Browning, director and co-founder of Moms Clean Air Force told ABC News. "And children are uniquely vulnerable to these dangerous, dangerous impacts of these things. So, we need to be creating policy and laws that take into account children's special needs."

Regan also noted the disproportionate impact air pollution has on communities of color. African Americans contract respiratory illness, including asthma, lung disease and lung cancer, at a higher rate than their white counterparts, according to the National Library of Medicine . The likelihood of getting these diseases, and their severity, increases with exposure to air pollution. It's an issue Regan says the EPA is addressing.

"President Biden has made environmental justice a central pillar to this Administration. He is the first president to talk about environmental justice during the State of the Union," Regan said.

"And so with that charge, I have created the first national environmental justice and external civil rights program. Over 200 employees at EPA solely focused on ensuring that everything we do on air quality, water quality, cleaning up our lands, is done in a way where we are protecting our most vulnerable, our ej (environment justice) communities, our Black and Brown and tribal communities. So, I'm really excited about the work of this administration. And through the Inflation Reduction Act, over $3 billion ... is solely focused on environmental justice and climate equity," he said.

PHOTO: In this Feb. 28, 2018, file photo, members of Moms Clean Air Force stand on the top of the steps outside City Hall with others during a rally protesting the proposed repeal  of the Clean Power Plan, in San Francisco, Calif.

The event, held at the National Press Club, drew doctors, government officials, mental health experts and environmental advocates for discussions on the intersection between climate change, air pollution and public health.

Regan noted how his agency has partnered with organizations, including Moms Clean Air Force, to create new environmental standards such as the updated particulate matter pollution benchmark announced Wednesday.

MORE: EPA announces new air quality standards for particulate matter, citing health risks

"It's a very proud announcement that we've made, and the partnership with organizations like Clean Moms Air Force, and others, just reinforce the fact that we are trying to protect our children," Regan told ABC News.

Clinton Foundation Vice Chair Chelsea Clinton, whose work includes the "Too Small to Fail" initiative for early childhood development, spoke at the summit. She told ABC News that there are many different ways parents can keep their kids safe.

PHOTO: In this July 20, 2021, file photo, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez greets Elizabeth Brandt, of Moms Clean Air Force, and her children, after Ocasio-Cortez spoke at a press conference outside of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

She noted protections against infectious diseases, injuries and school safety drills, adding, "But now we have to think about helping keep our kids safe from climate change."

Clinton highlighted what parents can do about heat and air pollution.

"Our kids don't have the same lung capacity that we do to help kind of take in air, clean air, and so they're really vulnerable to air pollution," Clinton said. "And so what are we doing to help clean the air with the ventilation in the space and places that we spend time -- and what are we doing to help support, hopefully. there being less pollution in the air in the future?"

MORE: Senate approves Biden pick to lead EPA air office as final rules near on power plants, vehicles

Liz Hurtado, national field manager for Moms Clean Air Force, attended the event with one of her children, Lena, a child spokesperson for the organization.

Hurtado said they were attending the summit to help "seek solutions and seek stronger protections" on air pollution.

Several members of Moms Clean Air Force stressed to ABC News what they called the organization's nonpartisan standing.

"This doesn't have to be a political issue. It really does impact everyone, regardless of parties, regardless of any of your differences that we may see out there," Hurtado said. "It is an issue that impacts us all, whether we realize it or not, and that's why we really take pride in the education component, really laying that foundation of education on the various ways that it may impact your community or the state that you're in."

PHOTO: In this Sept. 27, 2017, file photo, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Rep. Nanette Barragan, and Rep. Barbara Lee participate in a rally organized by Mom's Mobilize, Green For All and Moms Clean Air Force, on Capitol Hill  in Washington, D.C.

"There's no such thing as blue or red when we're talking about children's health," she added.

Patrice Tomcik, national field director for Moms Clean Air Force, said climate change is personal for her, noting the impact she says she's experienced at her home in southwestern Pennsylvania.

"There's a lot of air pollution, and we're already seeing a lot of the effects of climate change with stronger storms, more flooding -- a lot more flooding," Tomcik said, claiming oil and gas operations in her community are creating a health concern for residents.

"This is happening in my community. And the nearest [oil] well pads are about a half a mile away from my children's schools," she said. "When they're actually doing this drilling for fossil fuels, what is also coming up is climate warming methane, and also other health harming pollutants. And so children who are exposed to these pollutants, such as my son who goes to school near it, it's really a concern for their health."

According to its website, the organization currently has 1.5 million members, both moms and dads, working to combat air pollution.

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  • EPA's new air pollution rules

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Q&A with Stuart Batterman

Professor of environmental health sciences and global public health.

February 12, 2024

The Environmental Protection Agency's new rules for restricting the amount of fine particulate matter released into the air moves the current annually allowed amount from 12 micrograms per cubic meter of air to 9 micrograms per cubic meter of air.

The EPA says the change—viewed by many as the agency's most significant move to improve air quality in a decade—means preventing 4,500 premature deaths annually, saving 290,000 lost work days, and saving as much as $46 billion in net health benefits.

University of Michigan researcher Stuart Batterman , professor of Environmental Health Sciences and Global Public Health at the School of Public Health, and professor of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering at the College of Engineering, studies the impacts of the environment on health, including air pollution control engineering, air quality monitoring, indoor air quality, exposure assessment, and environmental epidemiology.

What are your thoughts on the EPA's decision?

This is good news. Achieving the new standard will save thousands of lives each year. The EPA has been regulating levels of airborne particulate matter since 1971 and we've seen some striking changes over this time. First, the scientific evidence shows that health impacts occur at lower and lower levels, and thus the EPA has changed the level and form of the standards some half-dozen times. This trend will continue, but it's still a catch-up game and standards lag the science. For example, the World Health Organization has a guideline level for fine particulate matter of only 5 micrograms per cubic meter, almost twice as stringent as the EPA's new standard. 

A second and related trend is the very significant advances in understanding the diverse impacts caused by exposure. Particulate matter not only causes cardiovascular and respiratory illness, but it also increases the risk of adverse birth outcomes, psychiatric disorders, and Alzheimer's disease, to name a few. A third trend is even newer. As old so-called legacy pollution sources like coal-fired power plants are phased out and as forest fire smoke increases, the chemical composition of contributing sources and even the toxicity of this pollutant is shifting. The new standard is helpful, but it's not going to be the final word.

Any details on how long before this change might improve overall air quality? 

The EPA lays out a schedule giving about eight years to reach the standard—assuming that legal challenges don't upset the plan. While each area is different, the gradual phase-out of dirty fuels like coal, the introduction of electric vehicles, and the continuing replacement of older technologies with cleaner ones bode well for improved air quality. Also, emissions and new air permits in these areas will get more scrutiny and may be strengthened. However, a big wild card is how frequently and intensively wildfire smoke affects air quality. Last year had two dramatic episodes in July that can offset progress.

Could you describe how and why fine particulate matter is harmful to humans? 

Particulate matter is anything solid or liquid that is airborne. The term fine is a bit of a misnomer. It means small, specifically less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, referring to what's called equivalent aerodynamic diameter. These are tiny particles, irregularly shaped and diverse in chemical composition. If the particle was a sphere, it would be about 25 times smaller than the diameter of human hair, and most airborne particles are much, much smaller. This size allows these particles to reach the deepest portion of the lung, get absorbed into the blood, and even cross the blood-brain barrier. These particles can cause many harmful effects that cause or worsen disease. 

Do the detrimental health effects extend to plants, animals, and water?

In ways, yes, but really there's no simple answer. Mammals including pets could be similarly affected as humans. Plants and water bodies certainly do experience effects from air pollution, including acidification and accumulation of toxins like PCBs and mercury, and most people are surprised to learn that levels of these chemicals in Great Lakes fish don't arise from industrial outfalls and rivers feeding into the lakes, but actually from air pollutants. However, the new standard was revised specifically to protect human health. 

How do industries limit the amount of fine particulate matter they release into the air?

It's not just industry. We have shown major emissions from diesel engines that are used in heavy-duty vehicles, including trucks and construction equipment. Both industrial and mobile sources can reduce their emissions by going electric, if we have a clean grid, and by using cleaner fuels, improved emission controls, increased efficiency, and sometimes by changing manufacturing processes.  

Does a change such as this potentially mean the air won't be as quickly affected by wildfires or other natural or man-made disasters that create air pollution, such as in 2023 when wildfires led to dangerously unhealthy air quality in the U.S. and Canada?

That's a key question and a key loophole in the regulatory system. All of the air quality planning, rules, and permits in Michigan and elsewhere won't stop a wildfire. Forest management practices can help, but the EPA and the state haven't had much impact yet and there are obstacles. In Michigan, for example, about half the forest land is privately owned and most landowners do not participate in programs designed to lower fire risk, despite some incentives from the state. 

Another issue affecting the clean air program is that the EPA allows states to discount forest fire plumes and smoke events, thus, they may not feed into the long-term average concentration that determines attainment with the air quality standard. This is a little technical, but what happens, for example, is that people in Detroit will be breathing air that's polluted by both industry and forest fires, but legally the area could still meet the clean air standard because the smoky days are considered "exceptional events" that do not feed into the regulatory determination. This has not happened yet for particulate matter but it has happened for other pollutants, specifically ozone last year. I believe that we need a more comprehensive approach to protect public health. 

Anything individuals can do to improve air quality?

There's a lot people can do to minimize their own exposure to particulate matter. Advocating for designated trucking routes, promoting stricter emission controls, and even monitoring your own quality using low-cost sensors are positive actions. Lastly, I'll note that while the EPA standards apply outdoors, you can remove particulate matter quite effectively in your home, business, or school using filters rated MERV 13 and up. Often, the default furnace filters are just sieves that don't remove the small particles. This is important since most of us are indoors most of the time.

Contact Kim North Shine Senior Public Relations Representative, Health Sciences Michigan News [email protected] 313-549-4995

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EPA tightens rules on some air pollution for the first time in over a decade

Alejandra Borunda

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Air pollution has fallen across the U.S. since the Clean Air Act of 1970. But some areas, like Los Angeles, still suffer heavy pollution from soot and smog. New rules on soot pollution from EPA aim to lower that pollution burden further. Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption

Air pollution has fallen across the U.S. since the Clean Air Act of 1970. But some areas, like Los Angeles, still suffer heavy pollution from soot and smog. New rules on soot pollution from EPA aim to lower that pollution burden further.

When Cynthia Pinto-Cabrera developed asthma at 12, it didn't seem that unusual to her. Lots of her classmates in California's San Joaquin Valley carried inhalers to school. Her little brother needed a nebulizer every morning just to start his day breathing right.

But when she left the valley for college in Santa Barbara, Pinto-Cabrera encountered a world with far less air pollution than she had lived with. She found it shocking that other parts of the country simply lived with cleaner air— and their health benefited.

"A lot of people here in the valley don't really know asthma is not the normal," she says. "We've really normalized chronic illnesses."

Pinto-Cabrera is one of many people nationwide celebrating an announcement Wednesday from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which unveiled new, stricter limits for one of the deadliest types of air pollution: tiny particles about 30 times smaller than a human hair. These particles are called PM2.5 (shorthand for particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter) and are commonly referred to as soot.

The agency lowered the allowable limit for annual PM2.5 levels from 12 micrograms per cubic meter to 9. That's a "significant reduction," says Regan Patterson, an air pollution expert at the University of California, Los Angeles.

"The science is clear," says EPA Administrator Michal Regan. "Soot pollution is one of the most dangerous forms of air pollution and is linked to a range of serious and potentially deadly illnesses, including asthma and heart attacks."

The new standard represents the first tightening of the rules since 2012, but states will have several years to reach the new limits.

The EPA left the daily limits on PM2.5 pollution unchanged, at 35 micrograms per cubic meter, saying the same efforts that will reduce pollution under the revised annual standard will drive down short-term pollution exposures as well.

Decades of research have demonstrated that tiny particles are dangerous to people's health at nearly any concentration. The sources vary: fossil fuel combustion, agriculture, and industrial processes all add to the load, as does wildfire smoke and dust.

In aggregate, the tiny particles drive millions of premature deaths worldwide each year. The EPA estimates that the new, tighter standards will prevent about 4,500 premature deaths a year by 2032 in the U.S. and prevent about 800,000 asthma-related emergency visits. It estimates the lower pollution exposures could reduce healthcare costs by about $46 billion by that time.

If achieved, the standards would have major impacts on communities currently breathing in the dirtiest air—like Pinto-Cabrera's San Joaquin Valley in California or industrial counties in central Pennsylvania. "What we see in study after study, people of color are consistently breathing in the dirtiest air," says Patterson.

A 2022 study, for example, found that communities of color were consistently exposed to more air pollution than white communities. Another analysis shows they are exposed to more pollution than the national average from every single source , from industrial production to agricultural pollution.

The new standards won't erase those differences. But the EPA's analysis suggests the new rules should make them smaller. "It's important to step back and recognize that, by lowering the standards—when you improve air quality with these standards, you have reductions that improve air quality for everyone," says Patterson. But cleaner air will have the biggest health impacts in communities that are now experiencing the worst pollution. "Those are the communities for whom the standard will contribute to the most," says Patterson.

The new standards are still well above the World Health Organization's recommended limit of 5 micrograms per cubic meter averaged over the year.

The inequality of clean air progress

The air in the U.S. has improved significantly since the 1970 Clean Air Act first began to reduce outdoor air pollution.

"There was a time in major cities in this country when you couldn't see across the street, the air was so thick," says Paul Billings, president of the American Lung Association. "Thanks to the Clean Air Act and more than 50 years of progress, we have as a nation cleaned up our air drastically."

The EPA is supposed to review new science and update the standards every five years to protect public health. The annual PM2.5 limit was first implemented in 1997, and was tightened in 2012 from 15 to 12 micrograms per cubic meter of air.

In 2020 under the Trump administration, the EPA decided to keep current standards rather than tightening them. That decision was controversial: longtime EPA scientists recommended stricter standards, while an advisory panel that included several representatives from industry opposed them. In 2021, under the Biden administration, the EPA decided to re-evaluate that decision. The new standards are the outcome of that review.

Public health experts say the updates are necessary because fine particle pollution and its deadly effects are far from gone. Researchers estimate PM2.5 pollution kills up to 100,000 people across the country each year making it, by some measures, the most profound public health hazard in the U.S. today.

The dangers of soot

Tiny particles are dangerous because they can penetrate deep into people's lungs and can pass into the bloodstream, driving inflammation and other chronic problems. Long-term exposure leads to increased risks including heart attacks, strokes, dementia, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease . The health risks occur at annual exposure levels below even the new standard of 9 micrograms per cubic meter per year.

"These small particles, when they penetrate into lungs and bloodstream, they have a devastating impact on the health of humans" in just about every possible way, says Doris Browne, the former president of the National Medical Association.

Fifteen counties out of the country's more than 3,000 counties fail to meet the EPA's current standards . The current violators are concentrated in California, Ohio, and Pennsylvania—places with lots of industrial activity, fossil fuel burning, and agriculture.

Chris Chavez leads policy efforts for California's Coalition for Clean Air and grew up with asthma in one of the counties with air that doesn't meet the EPA's current standards. "While it's great to have new standards, the challenge is still to meet the old ones," he says.

Many of the places with the dirtiest air are home to communities of color. The divide is not accidental: racist zoning and planning practices which persisted for decades and in some cases continue today, often concentrated sources of pollution near Black, brown, and poor communities. Today, middle class and wealthy Black Americans breathe in more heavily polluted air than white Americans in all income brackets .

"We know this impact is greater on African Americans and other underserved people of color," says Browne. Cleaner air, she says, would also benefit those communities the most.

The EPA estimates PM2.5 levels in 119 counties are currently at levels that would not meet the new standards.

Several major industry groups object to the new standards. The American Forest and Paper Association suggests that tighter limits will restrict business activity, limiting development of new facilities and even efficiency upgrades to current ones. The new standards, they say, are too close to the current average background levels of pollution nationwide.

"This rule threatens modernization projects in manufacturing sectors across our country," says Paul Noe, vice president of the American Forest and Paper Association.

Analyses have consistently found negligible impact s of air pollution restrictions on local economic growth .

The tighter annual standards "will deliver real and true public health benefits," says Julie McNamara, a policy expert at the Union of Concerned Scientists. They also fall short in some ways, she says.

While the annual allowable exposure level was lowered, the daily allowable standard was not—and many sources of pollution emit inconsistently, or for short periods. So "there's also room to keep on growing," McNamara says. The EPA said the tighter annual standards are expected to push down short-term soot pollution as well.

Any progress helps, says Pinto-Cabrera. She's 26 now, living back in the San Joaquin Valley near where she grew up. "So many children, this ends up shaping their life, their relationship with physical activity," she says. "I was born here, raised here. I want to see my health improved, and I want my children to grow up here healthy."

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New Book Compares Steps to Combat Air Pollutions in Two Major Cities

Dean Emeritus Ottinger and Professor Wang Xi

Dean Emeritus Richard Ottinger, of the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, and Professor Wang Xi, of Kunming University of Science and Technology in China, have published a book that compares efforts to curb air pollution in two of the world’s largest urban areas, Los Angeles and Beijing. Their book, A Tale of Two Cities: A Comparison of Air Pollution Governance in the Los Angeles Area of the USA and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Area of China, was more than 8 years in the making and the product of a joint study with Renewables 100 Policy Institute.

According to the book’s publisher, Wolters Kluwer, “A Tale of Two Cities is an exceptional book focusing on two of the world’s most prominent cases and exploring how people in the areas of Los Angeles and Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) established remarkably similar governance processes to combat air pollution and how the major actors in each area worked to make their region a better place to live. Employing the expertise of teams of knowledgeable environmental law experts from both China and the United States, the authors identify and analyze similarities and differences in the respective legal and policy experiences as actors succeeded in greatly improving the air quality of their areas.”

“We decided to produce a joint study to show what steps Los Angeles took to reduce its air pollution, which is quite a remarkable story, because decades ago, the pollution there was so thick that you could hardly see across the street,” said Dean Emeritus Ottinger.

“We also show what steps Beijing is taking to mitigate its serious air pollution problems. Not long ago, they had to close down their local economy and tell people to stay home because the health risks were so serious. Hopefully, our study will be useful to any state, city or local government that is grappling with solutions to the problem of air pollution,” he said.

 “Our joint study develops a useful model of environmental governance that encompasses the relationship between regulatory agencies and the entities they regulate, government entities and regulators, and polluting entities and society at large,” added Professor Wang Xi. “In spite of great differences in the politics and cultures of these two cities, there are clear similarities in the way they worked to improve air quality.”

Dean Emeritus Ottinger is co-director of the Pace Global Center for Environmental Legal Studies. He founded the Pace Energy and Climate Center at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, which advocates for climate change mitigation and promotion of clean energy resources. In his 16 years as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, he authored a substantial body of energy and environmental laws. He was one of the earliest environmentalists in Congress in 1965.

Professor Wang Xi, a leading China environmental law scholar advocating with Kunming University of Science and Technology, was previously a professor of Wuhan University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and served as visiting professor at the Elizabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University in 2014. Professor Xi was named a recipient of the 2020-2021 Elisabeth Haub Award for Environmental Law and Diplomacy, one of the world’s most prestigious environmental awards. He was instrumental in the development of Chinese environmental law, a new area of growing importance. He has since been a key influencer in a major revision to China’s framework environmental protection law, which was accepted and adopted by the Chinese National Congress in 2014.

Learn more about the book here .

  • Dean Emeritus Richard Ottinger
  • Professor Wang Xi
  • Environmental Law
  • Air Pollution
  • Los Angeles

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Environmental Pollution in the Moscow Region According to Long-term Roshydromet Monitoring Data

  • Published: 02 November 2020
  • Volume 45 , pages 523–532, ( 2020 )

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  • G. M. Chernogaeva 1 , 2 ,
  • L. R. Zhuravleva 1 ,
  • Yu. A. Malevanov 1 ,
  • N. A. Fursov 3 ,
  • G. V. Pleshakova 3 &
  • T. B. Trifilenkova 3  

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Long-term Roshydromet monitoring data (2009–2018) on the pollution of the atmosphere, soil, and surface water are considered for the Moscow region (Moscow city within its new boundaries and the Moscow oblast). The air quality in the megacity (Moscow) and in background conditions (Prioksko-Terrasny Reserve) is compared.

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Izrael Institute of Global Climate and Ecology, 107258, Moscow, Russia

G. M. Chernogaeva, L. R. Zhuravleva & Yu. A. Malevanov

Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119017, Moscow, Russia

G. M. Chernogaeva

Central Administration for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring, 127055, Moscow, Russia

N. A. Fursov, G. V. Pleshakova & T. B. Trifilenkova

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Correspondence to G. M. Chernogaeva .

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Russian Text ©The Author(s), 2020, published in Meteorologiya i Gidrologiya, 2020, No. 8, pp. 9-21.

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Chernogaeva, G.M., Zhuravleva, L.R., Malevanov, Y.A. et al. Environmental Pollution in the Moscow Region According to Long-term Roshydromet Monitoring Data . Russ. Meteorol. Hydrol. 45 , 523–532 (2020). https://doi.org/10.3103/S1068373920080014

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Received : 06 February 2020

Revised : 06 February 2020

Accepted : 06 February 2020

Published : 02 November 2020

Issue Date : August 2020

DOI : https://doi.org/10.3103/S1068373920080014

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EPA's new air pollution limits could mean more no-burn days across Phoenix

air pollution project school

New and stricter federal air quality rules to limit soot pollution will likely require more no-burn days in metro Phoenix, local environmental officials say, and it could complicate economic development efforts.

The Biden administration’s Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday announced that it had finalized a major clampdown on fine particle pollution , also known as PM 2.5, or particulate matter that is less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter. These tiny specks of pollution — generated by fire, vehicular travel and industry — lodge in human airways and are especially harmful to people experiencing or susceptible to heart and lung conditions.

The new maximum for compliance by local communities will be 9 micrograms per cubic meter of air, down from 12. It’s a standard that Arizona’s largest county, Maricopa, currently can’t meet but will have time to try.

It will likely mean more winter days in coming years when the Maricopa County Air Quality Department bans burning in residential fireplaces or backyard burn pits, with the potential for tickets that start at $50 and escalate with each infraction. Wood burning is the biggest contributor to bad PM 2.5 days in the Phoenix area, said Ari Halpert, the department’s communications director.

“This is going to have to be a public, community effort,” she said. “We’re all in this together.”

When air readings call for it, the county enforces no-burn days through both patrols and investigations of neighborhood smoke reports, Halpert said. Ideally, she said, officials rely more on education and public support for health considerations.

New standards could affect highway projects, development

The county reports average readings from seven monitoring stations to the EPA, and compliance — “attainment” in federal lingo — is judged every three years. The averages of the last two years have met the old standard, but not the new one, Halpert said.

If 2024 readings don’t pull the average into attainment in a given county, the state will have to develop a plan for reducing pollution. Such a plan could involve more burn bans, higher fines, troubles getting highway projects approved and funded, or imposition of new industrial pollution controls, Halpert said. The latter could influence cost-benefit analyses of companies looking to open shop in Arizona.

The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality would not make a state official available for an interview on Wednesday and did not answer an email about what challenges the new standard might create. A department spokeswoman emailed a statement saying that PM 2.5 levels are trending downward in Arizona and that the new standard “triggers requirements for Arizona to determine whether there are any areas in the state that are not meeting this new standard, attainment of which must be demonstrated by 2032.”

EPA’s announcement included a list of counties both in and out of compliance with the new standard of 9 micrograms per cubic meter, based on 2020-2022 data. In Arizona, only Pinal (12.4 micrograms), Maricopa (10.5) and Santa Cruz (10.2) were out of compliance.

The federal agency said tightening the restriction is expected to prevent up to 4,500 premature deaths and 290,000 lost work days, with $46 billion in net health benefits in 2032. Every dollar spent to meet the standard could bring as much as $77 in health benefits by then, the EPA said.

“This final air quality standard will save lives and make all people healthier, especially within America’s most vulnerable and overburdened communities,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a written statement.

Getting the word out: Hoping to save lives, experts work on new air quality messaging strategies in Phoenix

Should power plants draw more scrutiny?

In Maricopa County, some of the worst air quality readings are in poorer areas of southern and western Phoenix, Halpert said.

Although fires and fireworks contribute to pollution in the Phoenix area, as they did around New Year’s Day this year, on rare occasions such spikes are considered “exceptional events” and don’t count in the county’s average readings, Halpert said. Natural events such as weather-induced dust storms also get stripped out. However, if extended periods of burning or fireworks elevate pollution they are included in the annual averages.

The new standards will save lives but won’t do enough to account for daily spikes in pollution, said Sandy Bahr, the Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon Chapter director. Fossil fuel-powered electric plants should get more scrutiny for their role in harming Arizonans’ health, she said.

“Soot pollution causes harmful impacts to our health, whether generated by diesel engines or burning coal or gas, and is especially harmful to those most vulnerable — young children, the elderly, and those with other underlying health issues,” Bahr said in an emailed statement. “EPA’s updated National Ambient Air Quality Standards for particulate matter are a long-overdue step that will protect communities, including mine, by curbing the most dangerous and deadly effects of toxic soot pollution like cancer, asthma, and heart disease.”

Sign up for AZ Climate: The Republic's weekly environment and climate newsletter delivers stories like this every Tuesday.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, by contrast, has issued a report saying that the new standard will put nearly 30% of U.S. counties in “permitting gridlock,” in large part because of smoke from wildfires. Its analysis of last year’s pollution nationwide suggested that 43% of PM 2.5 pollution came from wildfires. The wildfires on their own would have tipped half of all counties into noncompliance, according to the Chamber.

For online information about Maricopa County's air quality program and rules, or to report a violation on a designated no-burn day, visit Maricopa.gov/aq .

Brandon Loomis covers environmental and climate issues for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Reach him at  [email protected] .

Environmental coverage on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.  Sign up for AZ Climate , our weekly environment newsletter, and follow The Republic environmental reporting team at  environment.azcentral.com  and @azcenvironment on  Facebook  and  Instagram .

You can support environmental journalism in Arizona by   subscribing to azcentral.com today .

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