Citizen Science: Air Quality Near Schools
Can journalists be citizen scientists? That was the heart of the piece we did about the emission of toxins close to schools. USA Today reporter Blake Morrison compiled existing information from the US Environmental Protection Agency and made correlations between school proximities and the sources of pollution. The story resonated with many people in the Bay Area because Morrison ranked a number of schools in the top percentile for pollution exposure, specifically schools in west Berkeley. (Youth Radio, our partner for this story, covered pollution in west Berkeley in April 2006). The news struck a chord for me because my best friend teaches at one of those schools– in fact, she brought the story to my attention.
While there are definite personal connections to the story, I appreciate the fact that a non-professional “citizen scientist” was the person who helped synthesize this picture of schools in danger from air pollution. While Morrison did his own testing in conjunction with university researchers, he made the correlations himself, and he worked with fellow reporters to spot-check toxin levels.
A subsequent story in the San Francisco Chronicle questioned the validity of Morrison’s research. Elisabeth Jewel, spokesperson for Pacific Steel Castings, “dismissed outright any findings reached through community testing efforts as amateurish. ‘It’s frustrating from our perspective because there is no basis in science whatsoever,’ she said.” It comes as no surprise that a potentially culpable company’s spokesperson would call into question charges of being a polluter, but to attempt to nullify any work a “citizen scientist” does to understand and investigate the world around them (and in this case, one based on a science agency’s findings!) strikes me as dangerous.
Science is not an exclusive discipline that few can participate in, and the “Science in Action” team thought this story captured the idea that anyone can be a part of and inform the processes of science.
-Eric
Citizen Science works! Check out this update from the EPA:
(Washington, D.C. – March 2, 2009) Lisa Jackson, administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, announced today a new initiative to further measure levels of toxic air pollution near many schools across the country for better protection. EPA and its state partners will prioritize and monitor schools for more extensive air quality analysis, looking closely at schools located near large industries and in urban areas.
“I’m a mother first, and like all parents, I want to be sure my children are breathing healthy air at school,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “Questions have been raised about air quality around some U.S. schools, and those questions merit investigation. EPA will work quickly to make assessments and take swift action where necessary. Our job is to protect the American public where they live, work and play – and that certainly includes protecting schoolchildren where they learn.”
Administrator Jackson has outlined an aggressive timeline for prioritizing and monitoring schools to determine any which are exposed to high levels of toxic air pollution. EPA anticipates monitoring at some schools will begin within the next 30 days. Directed by EPA, the monitoring will be conducted primarily by state and local governments. Some states have already begun monitoring.
Recent media reports have raised critical questions about air quality outside schools near large industrial facilities. At Administrator Jackson’s confirmation hearings, she was asked about this issue by Congress and pledged to take swift action to investigate and remediate if necessary any potential high-risk exposure for our nation’s school children.
EPA will work with states, tribes, and local communities to ensure that monitors are deployed quickly to get high-quality data and to share results with American families. This partnership will help EPA maximize its monitoring and analytical capabilities to develop a clearer picture of any potential risks to children from toxic air pollution. This action is particularly critical in some low-income areas, which are sometimes disproportionately impacted by environmental degradation.
From 1990 to 2005, emissions of air toxics in the United States declined 41 percent. Levels of air toxics, however, can vary widely from place to place depending upon a number of factors including the amount and types of industry nearby, proximity to heavily traveled or congested roadways, and weather patterns.
Comment by Molly — March 17, 2009 @ 7:47 am