Clearing the Air – The Importance of Air Monitoring for Addressing Environmental Injustice

Air quality is a matter of paramount concern for communities around the globe, as the World Health Organization reports that 99 percent of the global population breathes air that exceeds its quality limits.¹ Air pollution has been shown to disproportionally impact ethnic minorities and lower-income groups more than any other population in the USA, putting them at greater risk of death from exposure to fine particles.^2,3 Communities living in close proximity to major sources of air pollution – including roadways, ports, rail yards and industrial facilities – are also at greater risk of health complications from increased exposure.

Action for communities

The perception of disadvantaged populations being treated unfairly due to poor air quality has ignited global interest in rectifying these injustices. Community groups have played a pivotal role in raising awareness, by sharing human interest stories to highlight the adverse impacts of poor air quality. However, communities seeking to enact positive changes rely heavily on data from air monitoring systems, which serves as the foundation for informed decisions and policies aimed at mitigating environmental disparities.

This has sparked several attempts – both big and small – to more widely deploy air monitoring systems to identify the issues centered around air pollution, with varying degrees of success. The EPA announced that 132 air monitoring projects in 37 states would receive $54.4 million from the Inflation Reduction Act and American Rescue Plan.⁴ On a more local level, government funding has helped to procure air pollution monitoring equipment in the US, such as the $600,000 promised by Administrator Regan in 2021 to the most affected areas of Louisiana, often referred to as ‘Cancer Alley’.^5,6 Bloomberg Philanthropies and other large corporations have also been influential in the global push for cleaner air, working closely with decision-makers in London, Paris and Brussels to install low cost monitoring systems.^7,8 The organization famously supported the city of Denver’s ‘Love My Air’ program in 2018, deploying air quality sensors to track and display hyper-local data in schools, driving responses to local air pollution.⁹

Breathing life into air sensor data

The advent of low cost air sensors has enabled this expansion of monitoring programs, especially at the community level. This is where low cost sensors come into their own, providing adequate information for informal community monitoring, which can be shared with local agencies. While these actions are laudable, there is still much debate as to their accuracy and reliability. In fact, findings from low cost sensors cannot be used for policy making and regulatory decisions, as they do not comply with National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).¹⁰ Policymakers should therefore refer to the Enhanced Air Sensor Guidebook,¹¹ and rely on vendors with verified monitoring solutions to deliver robust and trustworthy data, instilling confidence in the efficacy of monitoring and mitigation strategies. (Also read Breathe Easy – The Importance of Data Quality in Air Monitoring)

The path to environmental justice

It is widely acknowledged that air quality monitoring is essential in the pursuit of equitable environmental conditions, as governments and philanthropic organizations seek to establish strategies to combat pollution. However, priority must be given to investing in high quality sensors that ensure the data collected can not only stand up in court, but also serve as a reliable foundation for positive change. Only through this approach can we hope to address the pressing need for environmental justice.

References

1. World Health Organization. Ambient (outdoor) air pollution. (2022). https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ambient-(outdoor)-air-quality-and-health. Accessed September 26, 2023.
2. United States Environmental Protection Agency. Study finds exposure to air pollution higher for people of color regardless of region or income. (2021). https://www.epa.gov/sciencematters/study-finds-exposure-air-pollution-higher-people-color-regardless-region-or-income. Accessed September 26, 2023.
3. Jbaily, A., Zhou, X., Liu, J. et al.Air pollution exposure disparities across US population and income groups. Nature, 601, 228–233 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-04190-y 
4. United States Environmental Protection Agency. Biden-Harris administration announces $53 million for 132 community air pollution monitoring projects across the nation. (2022). https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/biden-harris-administration-announces-53-million-132-community-air-pollution. Accessed September 26, 2023.
5. United States Environmental Protection Agency. EPA administrator Regan announces bold actions to protect communities following the Journey to Justice tour. (2022). https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-administrator-regan-announces-bold-actions-protect-communities-following-journey. Accessed September 26, 2023.
6. We ACT for Environmental Justice. We ACT for Environmental Justice provides testimony at U.S. Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on the Proposed Air Quality Monitoring Legislations. (2022). https://www.weact.org/2022/07/we-act-for-environmental-justice-provides-testimony-at-u-s-senates-environment-and-public-works-committee-hearing-on-proposed-air-quality-monitoring-legislation/. Accessed September 26, 2023.
7. Bloomberg Philanthropies. Michael R. Bloomberg and Sadiq Khan launch $30M Breathe Cities Initiative to take clean air global. (2023). https://www.bloomberg.org/press/michael-r-bloomberg-and-sadiq-khan-launch-30m-breathe-cities-initiative-to-take-clean-air-global/. Accessed September 26, 2023.
8. Bloomberg Philanthropies. Air Pollution. https://www.bloomberg.org/environment/stopping-coal-and-air-pollution-globally/air-pollution/. Accessed September 26, 2023.
9. Bloomberg Cities Network. Replicating Denver’s successful air-quality monitoring program. (2022). https://bloombergcities.jhu.edu/news/replicating-denvers-successful-air-quality-monitoring-program. Accessed September 26, 2023.
10. United States Environmental Protection Agency. Air sensors memo. (2020). https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2020-07/documents/air_sensors_memo_june_22.2020.pdf. Accessed September 19, 2023.
11. Clements, A., R. Duvall, et al. The Enhanced Air Sensor Guidebook. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC (2022). Accessed 29^th November 2023. https://cfpub.epa.gov/si/si_public_record_report.cfm?Lab=CEMM&dirEntryId=356426