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PICEH RESEARCH OVERVIEW

AIR POLLUTION AND CHILDREN’S HEALTH

Why study air pollution and children's health?

Why study air quality in Berks County, Pennsylvania?

1. Air pollution and children's health (e.g., asthma, respiratory symptoms and even cardiovascular disease) have been increasingly linked in recent federal health studies

2. Children’s asthma incidence in Berks County is second highest in state of Pennsylvania - 14.69% (2003/2004 average) compared to state-average of about 10%

3. Berks County is currently classified as nonattainment with both the federal ozone and PM2.5 ambient air quality standards. Berks County is projected to violate the new, more stringent, federal ambient air PM2.5 24-hour standard as well as the existing annual PM2.5 standard

4. Berks County is projected to be one of only two counties in the northeast U.S. in the year 2015 that is still classified as PM2.5 nonattainment

5. U.S. EPA has identified Berks County as having very high air toxics concentrations and health risks associated with air toxics in the EPA National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA) studies

6. Berks County has a growing population (estimated to be 400,000 by 2010) and has relatively high low-income, minority and child populations located in urban areas in close proximity to large industrial sources and/or to elevated traffic locations

7. Berks County’s industrial and electric utility legacy and presence of more Superfund sites and landfills than most counties presents research challenges and opportunities for assessing causes of air pollution and other environmental impacts on children and for identifying mitigating measures to reduce children's’ exposure to pollutants


PICEH AIR MONITORING STATION

“MONITORING THE AIR OUR CHILDREN BREATHE”

PICEH began operation of an air quality monitoring station on the campus of Kutztown University in Berks County, PA in October 2007. The station collects realtime weather data and air pollution monitoring data, which we display on our air monitoring website, www.PICEHAIR.org. The monitoring station was made possible by a partnership between the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Kutztown University with funding provided by the County of Berks. PICEH operates the monitoring station and created the website, which we unveiled to the public in April 2008.

The PICEH air monitoring station

Temperature, barometric pressure, relative humidity, precipitation and solar radiation sensors

Wind speed, wind direction sensors

Fine particle (PM2.5) real-time beta attenuation monitor (BAM)

Ozone continuous monitor (operated by PA DEP)

Toxic organic gas summa canister sampler:

Toxic metal Hi-Vol sampler

PICEHAIR.ORG WEBSITE

PICEHAIR.org provides realtime air pollution monitoring data for the entire southeastern Pennsylvania from Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley in the southeast, to the Lehigh Valley in the north, to Harrisburg, York and Lancaster in the Susquehanna Valley to the west. Our website provides air pollution monitoring data from 16 different DEP air monitoring stations as well as from our monitoring station in Kutztown. The website uses maps to show realtime ozone and particle pollution for Berks County (Reading and Kutztown sites), for southeastern Pennsylvania (all 17 sites) and for the U.S. showing the national air pollution forecast from the U.S. EPA AirNow website.

We depict the air pollution conditions using the national Air Quality Index (AQI) color-coded system, where Green means Good air quality, Yellow means Moderate, Orange means Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (including children), and Red and Purple mean Unhealthy and Very Unhealthy. Our website uses a unique graphic which shows both ozone pollution and fine particle pollution on a single map using a circle and ring graphic. The inner circle color represents the ozone AQI and the outer ring represents the fine particle (also called PM2.5) AQI. The website has a 24-hour looping option that lets you see air pollution episodes and their effects on the different sites as the pollution travels through the region.

Underlying our website and its depiction of realtime pollution data and air pollution alerts is a powerful database. We created a database to capture all the weather and pollution data we collect at our Kutztown site and all the hourly data collected by the DEP at their 16 monitoring sites. A typical site collects realtime data for the pollutants ozone, PM10, PM2.5, NO2, NOx, SO2, and CO as well as the weather parameters temperature, wind speed and wind direction (10 parameters every hour) so you can see our database has to store a lot of data every hour. Our database is used to archive the DEP data and our Kutztown data for use by researchers and students. The historical data is available for comparison on a daily or monthly basis and tools have been provided to allow comparison with graphs or in tabular format.

The “Compare Data” button on the website lets you graph realtime pollution levels at up to six different sites and to compare pollution and weather data for 4 different parameters at a single site. These graphing tools allow you to make sense of all the data we collect and to see trends without having to apply powerful software and statistics. For example, we have seen that fine particle pollution levels are generally higher in the Lancaster and Reading areas than in the Lehigh Valley or in the Philadelphia area during winter pollution episodes. As another example, we have noticed an apparent correlation between elevated nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollution concentrations and fine particle levels during winter pollution episodes. These observations can be seen easily with our graphing tools but would otherwise be difficult to discern.

 

Our website also has links to the weather forecast, weather radar, and to the DEP statewide realtime pollution data website. We also show the detailed weather and air pollution data we are collecting at Kutztown at the “Air Quality Details” button. You can see 48-hour graphs showing wind conditions, rainfall amounts, solar radiation, barometric pressure and humidity data from our Kutztown monitor. We are collecting state-of-the-art weather data at the Kutztown site that includes much more data for use by researchers than is collected at the DEP monitoring sites. We believe that collecting more data will enable us to better understand correlations between pollution levels, weather conditions, pollution transport into our region and local air pollution sources like traffic, industry, and trash burning activities.

In addition to the realtime pollution and weather data, PICEH is also collecting air toxics data at the Kutztown site. The air toxics data is collected once every 6 days on filters and in canisters which are analyzed at the DEP air quality laboratory. This data is not collected realtime because it takes time for the sample collection and laboratory analysis. We plan to show this data on our website and to compare it with data DEP is collecting at several air toxic monitoring sites in Pennsylvania including a new site located at the Reading Airport in Berks County.

We encourage everyone to visit our website at www.PICEHAIR.org and to bookmark the site to check on air pollution levels routinely. When air pollution levels are high (Moderate or Unhealthy), then you should minimize outdoor activities for children and for other sensitive groups like asthmatics. During these air pollution episodes you can also help air quality by minimizing automobile travel, by avoiding burning activities, and avoiding other polluting activities like lawn mowing.

AIR MONITORING RESEARCH PLANS

PICEH’s initial research focus has been on air pollution due to high levels of fine particle pollution (PM2.5) and air toxics in Berks County, PA where our organization is located. Some of our research findings and plans are as follows:

• We have been analyzing the composition of PM2.5 pollution in Berks County and in other parts of southeastern PA by comparing data from eight DEP “speciated PM2.5” monitors. This analysis has shown a steep gradient in ammonium nitrate levels with the highest levels seen in Lancaster, PA and the lowest levels in the Lehigh Valley.

• We have conducted a PM2.5 “source apportionment” analysis to determine the relative contributions to pollution levels from mobile sources (automobiles and trucks), burning sources (brush/trash burning, forest fires), dust, industrial sources, and secondary sulfate and nitrate sources. We are finding that more than half of the annual average PM2.5 concentrations in southeastern PA are due to transported sulfate and nitrate pollution from outside our area.

• We are conducting an inhalation human health risk assessment for the air toxic concentrations that are being measured at the Kutztown and Reading monitoring sites. The risk assessment will help us understand the risks presented by air toxics to children and will help us compare air pollution risks with the well understood risks from other toxic exposures including radon, toxics in drinking water, and lead paint exposure.

• We plan installation of additional PM2.5 monitors in Berks County and adjacent counties to better understand PM2.5 variability and gradients in southeastern Pennsylvania.

PICEH RESEARCH BACKGROUND

2001-2004: Children’s asthma incidence is high in Berks County compared to rest of PA (PA Dept of Health school reported data)

Apr. 2004: Berks County is classified as “nonattainment ” by U.S. EPA for fine particulate (PM2.5) air pollution as well as nonattainment for ground-level ozone pollution

Jun. 2004: Berks County Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) is created and advises that nonattainment status is both a public health concern and an economic development concern for attracting new manufacturing or expanding existing county industry

Dec. 2005: U.S. EPA identifies air toxics concerns in Berks in their NATA study, but the study is not based on actual air monitoring data

Jan. 2006: Berks County Commissioners fund an air pollution study

Apr. 2006: County meetings with PA DEP to request improved air monitoring in Berks

Aug. 2006: Pennsylvania Institute for Children’s Environmental Health (PICEH) is founded at Kutztown University and proposes partnership with PA DEP to better monitor and research Berks air quality; PICEH research goals and projects are developed for analyzing DEP monitoring data and for other environmental research projects in Berks County

Oct. 2006: PA DEP provides formal commitment to Berks County for improved air monitoring equipment, to a second air monitoring location at KU campus, and to PICEH partnership and DEP training for operation of additional air quality monitors

Aug. 2007: County of Berks signs agreement for 15-year funding for PICEH research through landfill environmental legal settlement monies

Oct. 2007: PICEH air monitoring station begins operation at Kutztown University including ozone, PM2.5 and air toxics monitors

Apr. 2008: PICEH unveils www.PICEHAir.org website to display real-time ozone and PM2.5 pollution data from 17 southeastern PA monitoring sites

WHY OUR STAKEHOLDERS SUPPORT PICEH RESEARCH?

• Partnership with County, PA DEP and Kutztown University to study county air pollution and children’s health

• Create a center of excellence in the county for environmental health studies and research, education, and outreach

• Participation in a partnership to understand causes of air pollution and to contribute to development of PA DEP nonattainment plans to ensure both protection of county air quality resources and to promote responsible industrial and economic growth

• Obtain objective information for informed government decisions about local pollution control measures for activities like vehicle idling, open burning, traffic congestion, etc.

• Transform Berks County image from one based on industrial legacy and past pollution problems to a healthy place to live with a proactive county government and academic and high-tech centers of excellence

• Achieve a better understanding of the risks of air pollution by analyzing speciated PM2.5 and air toxics data collected over next years in Berks County and other locations in PA and compare with U.S. EPA estimates of air pollution risk

• Deploy additional air monitoring and meteorological equipment (with PA DEP training and support) to better understand pollution transport into southeastern PA and local air pollution concerns

• Protect the area’s air quality, ensure responsible progress towards air pollution attainment status, and support children’s environmental health education and research

RESEARCH GOALS

1. Promote cooperative partnership with university and county, state and federal government agencies to research children's environmental health issues. Utilize government environmental monitoring and release data to assess correlation between air pollution and children's’ health.

2. Collect and analyze environmental data in an impartial, objective manner without advocacy. Gather and analyze data to allow informed policy decision making. Ensure that human health risks from environmental factors are appropriately characterized to allow policy makers to compare risks knowledgeably.

3. Review children’s asthma incidence data in Pennsylvania (from PA school reporting data and hospital admittance data) and relate to air pollution levels and assess relative risks from indoor air quality and allergen factors.

4. Evaluate other children's health morbidity incidence that may relate environmental factors, including respiratory conditions, cardiovascular disease, blood toxin levels, and neurological conditions.

5. Identify appropriate epidemiological studies to better evaluate extent of air pollution and children's health impacts.

6. Analyze ambient air PM2.5 monitoring data for speciated composition and for spatial variation in Berks County and elucidate which species of air pollutants correlate with high PM2.5 episodes and children's health episodes.

7. Examine the causes of elevated air pollution and children's health episodes by source apportionment analyses.

8. Analyze air toxics monitoring data and compare with EPA NATA studies and with health-based screening levels.

 

Pennsylvania Institute for Children's Environmental Health

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