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Re: [MVCAC] WV-PSC ORDER: ord20171030163339 (Longview Power LLC)
by Duane Nichols via MVCAC 08 Nov '17

08 Nov '17

URGENT: Please know that Longview Power is proposing to change its coal source and coal delivery approach. This is creating a number of issues of public concern. Let me propose a meeting of the MVCAC for Monday, November 13th, at 6 pm to be held at the Eat N Park on Patterson Drive. Please let me know your availability ASAP and whether you have comments or questions. Mon Power has already applied to intervene, as shown in my next email. See the original Order here: Sent from my iPad

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Air Quality Monitoring Recommended by GASP
by Duane Nichols via MVCAC 13 Oct '17

13 Oct '17

Improvements Needed for Southwestern PA Air Monitoring RSS Feed In Southwestern Pennsylvania, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) each operate a network of air quality monitoring stations. Federal regulations provide a number of technical requirements covering the monitors themselves and require that the monitoring networks meet three basic objectives: 1. provide air pollution data to the general public in a timely manner; 2. support compliance with ambient air quality standards; and 3. support air pollution research studies. GASP believes that monitoring air quality is one of these agencies’ most important tasks, because it informs and protects the public. The box on the right side of our homepage, showing current air quality conditions for Pittsburgh, is informed by data from ACHD’s and DEP’s monitoring efforts. To further the goal of public education in this area, GASP has recently added a feature to our permit clearinghouse map: showing all of the air monitoring stations in Southwestern Pennsylvania. It’s not by chance that there is a great deal of monitoring sites near concentrations of industrial activity. As noted above, compliance is also an important part of DEP’s and ACHD’s monitoring activities. The Clean Air Act requires each state and local authority to submit an annual report to the EPA describing how it monitors ambient air quality. Although both agencies appear to operate the minimum number of monitoring sites required, GASP’s comments on the ACHD and DEP plans noted several areas where we believe the agencies should be doing more to protect public health: 1. Monitoring near oil and gas operations The task of monitoring, researching, and analyzing air quality around oil and gas operations should be one of DEP’s most fundamental roles as the industry expands in Pennsylvania. For years, citizens have raised air quality concerns and the DEP has admitted that it needs additional monitoring data to properly characterize the risks associated with emissions from these sites. Yet, DEP has failed to implement additional monitoring and must now do so as soon as possible. 2. Monitoring fine particulates (PM2.5) Part of DEP’s oil and gas monitoring plan that it has yet to implement includes monitoring for fine particulate matter near oil and gas operations. Although PM2.5 is only one of several emissions from these sites, this data would help them characterize a host of risks associated with the facilities themselves. In Allegheny County, monitoring for fine particulate matter is essential because the County struggles to meet national ambient air quality standards for this pollutant. Of special concern are emissions from diesel engines and how those contaminants increase in the downtown Pittsburgh area during the morning and evening rush hours. In the coming months, ACHD will be issuing new guidelines aimed at lowering particulate matter concentrations for the entire region. Expansion of monitoring efforts will be critical to ensure that the entire county comes into compliance with the national standard. 3. Sulfur Dioxide Largely due to our region’s continued reliance on coal for power plants and industrial processes, several areas in Southwestern Pennsylvania have elevated levels of sulfur dioxide. Specifically, the Liberty-Clairton area in Allegheny County, a portion of Beaver County along the Ohio River, and all of Indiana County suffer from this issue. Sulfur dioxide causes wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath. Although the law allows the use of mathematical models to show how sources will comply with emissions limitations, GASP has urged ACHD and DEP to increase the use of air quality monitors to ensure that sulfur dioxide levels in towns and neighborhoods near these sources are within safe levels. –Ned Mulcahy, Staff Attorney

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Report on H2S by the Group Against Smog & Pollution (GASP)
by Duane Nichols via MVCAC 13 Oct '17

13 Oct '17

Hydrogen Sulfide Limits Repeatedly Violated in Mon Valley RSS Feed Comments made to the Allegheny County Board of Health by Sue Seppi, September 13, 2017 Waking up in the morning or the middle of the night to “rotten egg odors” is not an uncommon event in Allegheny County, especially in or downwind of the Monongahela Valley. That smell very likely comes from hydrogen sulfide (H2S), whose odor is perceptible by most at a very low concentration. Of course there are other disagreeable outdoor odors, but the H2S odor is so unpleasant and common that Pennsylvania has required H2S in the ambient air to be below .005 parts per million (ppm), averaged over 24 hours. This standard has been adopted and is enforceable by the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) Air Program. The World Health Organization states, “in order to avoid substantial complaints about odor annoyance among the exposed population, hydrogen sulfide concentrations should not be allowed to exceed 7 µg/m3 (0.005 ppm), with a 30-minute averaging period.” Pennsylvania’s more lenient averaging time of 24 hours allows for considerably higher hourly H2S levels. High hourly concentrations usually occur at night or early morning during our region’s frequent atmospheric inversions, when pollutants get trapped in chilled ground level air. H2S is also heavier than air, so it may stick close to the ground at breathing level. Recently, the public received a new option— to not just hold their noses but to report these window-slamming odors to the ACHD Air Program with the Smell PGH app, developed by the CREATE Lab at Carnegie Mellon University. The Smell PGH app recorded 396 specific “rotten egg” odor complaints between September 29, 2016 and September 5, 2017. Additional “rotten egg” malodor complaints likely were made directly to the ACHD Air Program or to Smell PGH, but with the smell description on the app left blank. Most of the time there are consequences which force improvements when air quality standards are breached, but for the 24 hour H2S standard in the Mon Valley, not so much. This standard, even with the generous 24 hour averaging period, has been significantly violated at the air pollution monitor in Liberty: Year Violations of .005 ppm standard 2017 through 9/5 35 2016 41 2015 87 2014 49 2013 28 2012 65 Is the Allegheny County Air Program paying enough attention to excessive hydrogen sulfide or other odor issues? Some citizens in the Mon Valley area have resorted to litigation, recently suing U.S. Steel in part because of “noxious odors” alleged to be caused by U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Plant air emissions. Recently the Pennsylvania Supreme Court affirmed a broad interpretation of Article 1 Section 27 of the Pennsylvania State Constitution. Section 27 affirms a Pennsylvania citizen’s right to clean air and the preservation of the esthetic values of the environment. GASP urges the Board of Health to require the County Air Program to do better—to develop and implement a plan to eliminate violations of the H2S standard and to be held accountable for improvement. Odor is the most recognizable part of air quality. We’ll never really be worthy of our high rankings on the “Most Livable Cities” or other lists until we must achieve healthy, agreeable air quality.

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Petrochemical America comes to SW Penna.
by Duane Nichols via MVCAC 25 Sep '17

25 Sep '17

To: MonValley Clean Air Coalition, Join the growing regional conversation around the proposed expansion of the petrochemical industry in southwest Pennsylvania at an art exhibition about the petrochemical’s impact on the environment and people’s health. This exhibition was inspired by the book Petrochemical America by Richard Misrach and Kate Orff, which tells the story of the environmental degradation of the Louisiana landscape and the people who live there. This exhibit will feature work designed to relate to the growing web of fossil-fuel infrastructure in southwest Pennsylvania, including drawings from Petrochemical America, photography from the Marcellus Shale Documentary Project, audio recorded by Public Herald, and a selection of documentary films. This show is curated by Sophie Riedel in collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University’s CREATE Lab, Clean Air Council, Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community, PennFuture and the Air Quality Collaborative. Schedule of events: Opening Reception with Wilma Subra: September 27 – 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Regional Visioning Session: Elected officials and the public are invited to a conversation to envision a healthier economic future for our region. October 4 – 3:30 to 6:00 p.m. Closing Reception with Gena Wirth of SCAPE Studio: October 7 – 5:30 - 8:00 p.m. Location: SPACE, downtown Pittsburgh, 812 Liberty Ave RSVP: Reservations for the evening speakers are required through Eventbrite. Admission is free. Click Here! Documentary Film Screenings: Documentary films will be screened on a rotation throughout the event, with the exception of a Special Screening for each film noted in the list below. The films tell the stories of citizens and communities across the U.S. and Canada impacted by the petrochemical industry. TRIPLE DIVIDE (REDACTED) Pittsburgh Premiere Directors: Joshua Pribanic and Melissa Troutman Distributor: Bullfrog Films (2017) Length: 52 minutes Special Screening: Thursday, September 28, 5 p.m. FENCELINE: A COMPANY TOWN DIVIDED Directors: Slawomir Grünberg Distributor: Filmmakers Library (2002) Length: 53 minutes Special Screening: Saturday, September 30, 5 p.m. LIVING DOWNSTREAM Directed by: Chanda Chevannes Distributed by: First Run Features (2010) Length: 55 minutes Special Screening: Sunday, October 1, 4 p.m. CANADA’S TOXIC CHEMICAL VALLEY Director: Patrick McGuire Distributor: Vice (2013) Length: 31 minutes Special Screening: Thursday, October 5, 5 p.m. ADDICTED TO PLASTIC Director: Ian Connacher Distributor: Bullfrog Films (2008) Length: 53 minutes Special Screening: Friday, October 6, 5 p.m. Photo credit: From Pipe to Plastic Bag, Petrochemical America by Richard Misrach and Kate Orff. More details on Facebook @PetrochemicalAmerica Clean Air Council, CREATE Lab, Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community, PennFuture and Air Quality Collaborative gratefully acknowledge Aperture Foundation books and exhibitions departments and SCAPE for the rights to reprint the work.

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New study shows air pollution may be causing kidney disease in the US
by Duane Nichols via MVCAC 24 Sep '17

24 Sep '17

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/21/new-study-shows-air-pollution-may-be-causin… New study shows air pollution may be causing kidney disease in the US Robert Ferris, CNBC, September 21, 2017 Add kidney disease to the list of health problems associated with air pollution. A team of scientists from Washington University in St. Louis and the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System found an association between tiny particulate matter and kidney disease in two different data sets. The scientists compared Veteran Affairs data on kidney disease with data on air pollution from two separate sets: satellite data from NASA and information from the Environmental Protection Agency. Their study consistently found that risk of kidney disease rose along with air pollution levels across the continental United States. As might be expected, many of the areas of the U.S. at greatest risk tend to be more heavily populated. The part of the country with the lowest risk overall is a section that runs roughly from Montana through West Texas. There are pockets of lower-risk areas in other places, but much of California and the Eastern half of the United States are more vulnerable. The scientists published their results Thursday in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. It is important to note that this only found an association with air pollution — the study did not conclusively determine pollution to be the cause of kidney disease. But the fact that the study found the association in both the EPA data set and the NASA data set is compelling, said Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, a senior author on the study and an assistant professor of medicine at Washington University, in a statement. "The beauty of using both EPA and NASA data is that the agencies used two distinct techniques for collecting data, yet the results were similar," he said. "This constellation of findings suggests that chronic exposure to air pollution is a significant risk factor for the development and progression of kidney disease." The study focused on a type of pollution called PM 2.5, which is particulate matter up to 2.5 microns in size. This particular form of pollution can come from myriad sources, including vehicle emissions, fossil fuel power plants, wildfires or even campfires. Scientists say the particles can enter the bloodstream once they are breathed into the lungs. Air pollution has been linked to health problems as varied as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and weight gain. The study's authors say that one of those conditions could be responsible for kidney damage, rather than the pollution itself. They also noted that the population they studied was mostly older white male military veterans, so the results might not apply to other populations. The scientists tried to account for confounding factors, but there could still be additional variables, such as diet or genetics, or even other environmental factors such as exposure to heavy metals. But the data show a clear association. "In our analyses, the risk of chronic kidney disease and its progression was most pronounced at the highest levels of fine particulate matter concentration," Al-Aly said in the release. "This suggests further study is needed for a broader assessment of the global burden of kidney disease attributable to air pollution." Air quality has improved in the United States in recent decades, but Al-Aly pointed out that there is no safe level of exposure to PM 2.5; even low levels can increase risk. Other parts of the world have serious problems with hazes of pollution. China has even had to essentially shut down entire cities for days at a time. Just breathing Beijing's air might be as bad as smoking 40 cigarettes a day.

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WV MetroNews – Former mining CEO indicted on campaign fraud charges
by Duane Nichols via MVCAC 20 Sep '17

20 Sep '17

http://wvmetronews.com/2017/09/19/former-mining-ceo-indicted-on-campaign-fr… Former mining CEO indicted on campaign fraud charges WHEELING, W.Va. — A Morgantown man was indicted Tuesday on campaign fraud charges after allegedly using employees of his company to make contributions to several federal campaigns. James Laurita Jr. was indicted on multiple counts, including scheming to cause false statements to the Federal Election Commission; causing contributions in the name of another; causing excessive contributions; and causing false statement to the Federal Election Commission. Laurita, the former president and CEO of mining and processing corporation Mepco, is also accused of creating a scheme to use employees and their spouses to make campaign contributions with company funds. The donations are believed to have occurred from March 2010 to July 2013. The FBI has launched an investigation. MORE: Read the indictment.

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Air board refuses to hear concerns over Institute methanol plant
by Duane Nichols via MVCAC 20 Sep '17

20 Sep '17

http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news-politics/20170918/air-board-refuses-to-he… Air board refuses to hear concerns over Institute methanol plant From an Article by Ken Ward, Jr., Charleston Gazette-Mail, September 18, 2017 Photo: Air Quality Board Chairman Michael Koon (left) and board lawyer Mark Weiler announce the board’s ruling Monday on an appeal of a permit for a US Methanol plant that is under construction in Institute, WV. Members of a state board on Monday refused to hear a permit appeal from a citizen group that is concerned that potential fires, explosions or other accidents at the US Methanol plant under construction in Institute could pose health and safety risks for area residents. The West Virginia Air Quality Board granted the Department of Environmental Protection’s motion to dismiss an appeal that the group People Concerned About Chemical Safety filed, agreeing with the DEP that the issues raised were beyond the scope of the state agency’s job. The decision means the board won’t hold a full hearing with testimony about the citizen group concerns. In arguing against the appeal being dismissed, Bill DePaulo, attorney for the People Concerned organization, urged the board members to make clear what ruling for the DEP’s motion would be saying to the public. “Win or lose, I’d just like a clear ruling,” DePaulo told board members. “Do it in big, bold letters: ‘We do not consider the human health and safety in issuing this permit.’ ” US Methanol hopes to start production in mid-2018 at the plant that would convert natural gas to methanol, a common industrial feedstock. The facility, located at the Institute property now operated by Dow Chemical, would use parts from a deconstructed plant in Brazil. A variety of political leaders, including Gov. Jim Justice and Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper praised the project, which promises 60 permanent jobs, during a groundbreaking ceremony two weeks ago. Construction had already begun, despite the pending challenge to the project’s air pollution permit. In the permit appeal filed in April, People Concerned argued that the DEP’s Division of Air Quality did not examine the potential consequences for the surrounding community of a spill, leak, fire or explosion at the US Methanol facility. The citizen group had planned to present an expert to testify to the board about what could happen if one of the facility’s largest tanks — holding up to 1.2 million gallons of methanol — explodes. The expert, James Rogers of West Texas A&M University, said in an affidavit that the risks associated with the facility include “catastrophic explosions” and that “critical safety features” to prevent such incidents were not included in the DEP-approved permit for US Methanol. The appeal also expressed concern about the potential effects on the health of nearby residents from routine emissions from the facility. It also urged the DEP to collect baseline public health data in the area before allowing US Methanol to begin operations. DEP attorney Jason Wandling told the board that such issues are beyond the limits of what his agency regulates under the state Air Pollution Control Act. Wandling said the People Concerned group was pushing for a broad reading of the state’s air pollution law, while the DEP focuses on specific statutory duties that spell out specific actions the agency is empowered to take. Wandling compared what the citizen group was asking the DEP to do to the agency deciding to ban smoking because it is harmful to human health. “If we tried to incorporate any of the provisions appellants ask for, [US Methanol] would be challenging those requirements, and [the] DEP would almost certainly lose that appeal,” Wandling said. Dave Yaussy, a lawyer for US Methanol, read a long list of local, state and federal agencies that he said are charged with dealing with the safety of plants like US Methanol. “There is no need for DAQ to duplicate those efforts,” Yaussy said. “If the board agrees to hear this appeal, it is rewriting the state’s Air Pollution Control Act.” DePaulo reminded the board that the Institute plant is located adjacent to a historically black university, and that other parts of the property were home for many decades to a huge stockpile of methyl isocyanate, or MIC, the chemical that killed thousands of people in a December 1984 leak at a Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India. And the Institute plant itself, DePaulo reminded the board, has had plenty of serious leaks, fires and explosions over the years. “It doesn’t take someone who is paranoid or delusional to imagine the circumstances under which this particular facility could cause a very significant threat to health and safety,” DePaulo said. The board heard about 20 minutes of arguments on the DEP’s motion to dismiss, and then went behind closed doors for more than 45 minutes to deliberate on the motion. When board members returned to the public session, Chairman Michael Koon said the board was “very sympathetic” to the citizen concerns but that the issues “are not in the purview” of the DEP. Koon said the board had reached a “consensus,” but that the decision was not unanimous. He did not provide a vote count or specify which board members voted which way. Other board members taking part in the meeting were Grant Bishop, Stanley Mills, Tom Hansen and Jon Hunter.

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Fwd: Eat Air Pollution "Dessert" at our Air Fair Exhibit
by Duane Nichols via MVCAC 28 Jul '17

28 Jul '17

> From: Group Against Smog and Pollution <jamin(a)gasp-pgh.org> > Date: July 28, 2017 > Subject: Eat Air Pollution "Dessert" at our Air Fair Exhibit > Reply-To: Group Against Smog and Pollution <jamin(a)gasp-pgh.org> > > > > > Group Against Smog and Pollution improves air quality to ensure human, environmental, and economic health for our region. > Join GASP > > Facebook > > Twitter > > Website > > Email > Share > Tweet > Forward > Clean Air Lovers: Assemble! > > "GASP for Clean Air! Sources, Symptoms, and Solutions" is an art exhibit put on by GASP and hosted at Assemble throughout August 2017. This family-friendly exhibit focuses on air quality issues impacting Southwestern PA and what they mean for the people who live here. Through a variety of interactive installations, the exhibit addresses how air quality interacts with environmental justice, human health, and life in an increasingly industrialized world. > > Join us at the Air Fair on August 10th from 6-8 p.m.! Explore our art exhibit while snacking on free "air pollution desserts," courtesy of Shelby Brewster, from the University of Pittsburgh. Meet representatives from organizations invested in our region’s air quality, and learn what these groups are doing to better the air we breathe and how you can play a role. > > Along with the Air Fair, the exhibit will be open to the public on the following days: > August 4th from 6-10 p.m.: This day coincides with Unblurred: First Fridays. We will have pig lungs (!), a slime-making station, and our exhibit will be ready to explore. > August 14th from 6-8 p.m.: Exhibit is open to the public. There will also be an opportunity for kids to get crafty! > August 21st from 6-8 p.m.: Exhibit is open to the public. We will also be showing a short film about Clairton's air pollution entitled “Toxic Air in Steam Valley.” > Ready to attend? RSVP for the Air Fair now or contact Chelsea at chelsea(a)gasp-pgh.org to learn more. See you there! > CMU Looking for Volunteers to Host Air Monitors: Special Need for Mon Valley Residents > > From our friends at CMU: > Have you ever wondered about the quality of air you breathe at home, at work, and in between? > Do you bicycle to work for the exercise benefits (or want to!), but worry that it increases your exposure to air pollution? > Are you a teacher interested in exposing your students to real-world data? > The CMU RAMP network can help you answer these questions, and more! The Real-time, Affordable, Multi-Pollutant (RAMP) air quality monitor measures carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, ozone, and fine particulates. Volunteers are especially needed to host the RAMP sensors in locations in the Mon Valley from Braddock to Clairton to improve our knowledge of air quality in our neighborhoods. If you know someone in this region, please share this information with them, > > CMU will provide the monitors, mounting equipment, extension cords, etc., and access to the data as well through a web site. Read here a recent Allegheny Front article about the program. > > Learn more and register here. > CommentAiry > > "'The [DEP] permits were massively deficient, the construction is designed wrong and pipe is being laid in the wrong places." A Pennsylvania judge halts Mariner East 2 pipeline construction under waterways for two weeks after a number of spills and leaks. > Together, we can make a difference in our region's environment. We won't trade or sell your email address with other organizations or inundate you with messages. Visit our website at gasp-pgh.org or call us at (412) 924-0604 for more information or to become a member today. We can't do this without you! > Copyright © 2017 Group Against Smog and Pollution, All rights reserved. > Thanks for receiving our air news and for being engaged! > > Our mailing address is: > Group Against Smog and Pollution > 1133 South Braddock Avenue > Suite 1A > Edgewood, PA 15218 > > Add us to your address book > > > unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences > >

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AIR POLLUTION: 'Sue and settle' critic Pruitt abides by NOx consent decree -- July 17, 2017 -- www.eenews.net
by Duane Nichols via MVCAC 19 Jul '17

19 Jul '17

https://www.eenews.net/stories/1060057465 AIR POLLUTION: 'Sue and settle' critic Pruitt abides by NOx consent decree From an Article by Sean Reilly, E&E News, Greenwire: July 17, 2017 After a five-year review, U.S. EPA has proposed leaving unchanged its two primary air quality standards for nitrogen oxides. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, acting under a court-ordered deadline, signed a rulemaking notice Friday, and then it was quietly posted on an agency website. "This proposed decision has been informed by a careful consideration of the full body of scientific evidence and information available in this review," the draft rule says, citing the recommendations of EPA's Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee and an agency assessment of recent research into the health effects of nitrogen oxides. The proposal will have a 60-day comment period upon publication in the Federal Register, accompanied by a public hearing if requested. Under a settlement clinched earlier this year in response to a lawsuit by two environmental groups, EPA must have the final rule in place by next April (Greenwire, May 1). NOx — with nitrogen dioxide serving as a regulatory stand-in for the broader class of gases — is a key ingredient in smog. Major sources are cars, trucks and coal-fired power plants. Exposure to low levels can irritate the eyes, nose and throat, while inhalation over a day or two can lead to fluid buildup in the lungs, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Under the Clean Air Act, primary air quality standards are intended to protect public health. For nitrogen oxides, EPA's annual standard of 53 parts per billion dates back to 1971, supplemented by a one-hour 100 ppb limit added in 2010. The decision to leave the current thresholds in place represents a victory for carmakers and other industry groups. Dissenting was the American Lung Association, which had argued in a filing in November that the one-hour standard should be tightened to allow for a "margin of safety" for asthma sufferers. NOx is among a half-dozen "criteria pollutants" named in the act. EPA is supposed to review and — if warranted — revise the thresholds for those pollutants every five years in light of available scientific research. In practice, the agency is chronically late. Under the law, for example, the NOx review should have concluded two years ago. It took the lawsuit brought last year by the Center for Biological Diversity and the Center for Environmental Health to prod the agency into agreeing to hard deadlines. While Pruitt, like other Republicans, has derided what he calls "sue-and-settle" deals, he made no attempt to undo the consent decree that had been tentatively reached under the Obama administration and was made final in April. The same consent decree also applies to a new review of the standards for sulfur oxides, with a proposed rulemaking due by next May. The NOx review, launched in 2012, was a relatively sleepy affair in comparison with the tumult that surrounded the agency's decision two years ago to reset the ozone standard. By EPA's estimate, total NOx releases have fallen more than 60 percent since 1980, with the decline expected to continue as stricter vehicle emissions limits take effect. There are no areas in the United States now in nonattainment for either the annual or hourly benchmarks. Agency officials had signaled their intent to stick with the status quo last fall with the release of a draft policy assessment that found current evidence "does not call into question any of the elements of the current standards" (Greenwire, Sept. 28, 2016). In a March report, the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee, a group of outside experts, seconded that conclusion. The policy assessment was made final soon afterward. The secondary NOx standard, designed to protect ecosystems, was not part of the review. It remains at 53 ppb on an average annual basis.

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CMU Scientists Help Clairton Residents Find Out What’s In Their Air – The Allegheny Front
by Duane Nichols via MVCAC 03 Jun '17

03 Jun '17

http://www.alleghenyfront.org/cmu-scientists-help-clairton-residents-learn-… CMU Scientists Help Clairton Residents Find Out What’s In Their Air Kara HolsoppleJune 2, 2017 R. Subramanian has been working on air quality issues for about 15 years. He started with a background in mechanical engineering, then added chemistry and atmospheric science while working on a Ph.D. at Carnegie Mellon University. “There are problems to be solved. And I’m an engineer. And I will learn what I need to solve them.” Like many scientists, Subramanian –who goes by the name Subu–finds problem solving appealing. And he says air quality research is even more satisfying because it helps people. There are problems to be solved. And I’m an engineer. And I will learn what I need to solve them. Subu and his team at Carnegie Mellon are one year into a three-year project to help people in the Pittsburgh region learn more about pollutants they’re exposed to through the air. It’s funded through the EPA’s Air Pollution Monitoring for Communities program, and it was one of only six projects funded throughout the country. LISTEN: CMU Scientists Help Clairton Residents Find Out What’s In Their Air I met up with Subu in the driveway of a house on the outskirts of the Mon Valley town of Clairton, south of Pittsburgh. It’s just a few miles from the largest coke plant in the country, US Steel’s Clairton Coke Works. Residents have complained for years about the smell, and some have even filed a class action lawsuit against the company because they say they’re being exposed to toxic chemicals through the coke work’s emissions, and that it erodes their property values. Subu and his research assistant Srini Kumar are visiting this small house, with a creek running behind it, because just a few weeks ago an air quality sensor was strapped to its front porch. And right now the sensor’s not working. It stopped reporting data, so Subu and Kumar are here to troubleshoot. The homeowner got in touch with researchers through a Clairton community Facebook page, and offered to host the sensor as part of the project. It’s one of about 30 that’s been deployed in the Pittsburgh area since last August. Twenty more will be placed in Clairton and nearby Braddock this summer. Braddock is home to US Steel’s Edgar Thomson works. “In these communities, housing is cheaper than in other areas. People who are lower income may prefer to live there, but they end up being exposed to potentially higher pollution from certain sources,” Subu says. “They end up bearing the environmental cost of these economic activities, disproportionately,” Subu says. The sensor is just above the researchers heads, so Kumar has to hop up onto the porch to see what’s going on. It’s essentially a box–it looks a little like a fuse box–and it’s called a RAMP–Real-time Affordable Multi-pollutant sensor. It’s powered by a lap-top style charger, and it looks like the RAMP isn’t working because the charger cable just came loose. “Stupid stuff happens,” Subu says. The RAMP picks up five gases in the air through holes on its bottom: carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, and ozone. They’re recorded four times a minute. And the data is averaged every 15 minutes. The Allegheny County Health Department’s air monitor in the area averages data about once an hour, so these RAMP monitors might be able to pick up pollution spikes that aren’t currently being detected. On the side of the device is a little telescope-like tube that’s pointed up to the sky. It’s called a nephelometer and detects PM 2.5–airborne particulate matter. This is a way for people to realize that science is something that is useful, and actually makes a difference in their lives. PM 10 is particulate matter that’s smaller than 10 microns, and Subu says that’s the stuff that gets into your nose. Anything larger than PM 2.5 tends to remain in your respiratory tract, causing throat infections and asthma. “And then anything smaller than 2.5 microns can actually make it all the way to your lungs, and that is more likely to cause cardiac disease or lung cancer,” Subu says. As they wait 10 minutes for the RAMP to charge, Subu tells me the next phase of the project is some kind of public interface so residents can see the data being collected. “At the end of the day, it’s about empowering people with more information,” Subu says. “Empowering them to make choices that would lower their exposure to air pollution.” Subu hopes Mon Valley residents can start using the data this summer, in whatever way makes sense to them. He stresses as researchers, he and his team aren’t advocating for specific outcomes. But rather, giving people another tool to make their own decisions about how to act. That could mean having more specific examples to make a complaint about industrial pollution to the health department, or to decide if it’s safe enough for kids to play outdoors. The next phase of the project is working with community members and environmental groups, like the Group Against Smog and Pollution, to put together an advisory board. They’ll recruit volunteers to participate in surveys about interacting with the air quality data. “This is a way for people to realize that science is something that is useful, and actually makes a difference in their lives.” Sent from my iPad

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