Creating clean air to protect the health of our children, ourselves, and our neighbors.
View our real-time PM2.5 monitor feed
for south-central PA from PurpleAir.
Air Quality Index (AQI) numbers may vary due to the different locations of monitoring devices.
We are people who live in your community who care about the air you breathe.
We educate you about air and your health; we reduce pollution in the air that you breathe.
Because the air you breathe affects your health and the health of your family and neighbors.
Join us for a live CAB online meeting via Zoom, usually the 3rd Thursday every month. Please RSVP to cleanirboard@gmail.com to obtain the Zoom meeting ID.
Second Presbyterian Church
528 Garland Drive
Carlisle, PA 17013
CAB’s hosted a community forum on May 21, 2026, at 7 pm at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Carlisle on the topic “What local citizens should ask of data centers.” A recorded video of this session will be posted soon. In the meantime, please look at the handout materials.
Diesel Generators and Data Processing Centers
Data Center Forum 5_21_26 Infographic notes
PF Clean Air Board data center handout (1)
CAB discusses new warehouses and data centers. View the Powerpoint presentation from our community meeting on Sept. 18, 2025.
CAB relays notices of Air Quality alerts as we receive them from DEP. Hot summer days are conducive to high ozone levels. Residents are encouraged to check www.airnow.gov for current conditions in their area. Check our news section for the latest information.
The Clean Air Board contracted with the Center for Land Use and Sustainability at Shippensburg University to conduct an analysis of the data collected by PurpleAir monitors located in south-central Pennsylvania. Read the complete report. Prof. Tim Hawkins spoke to the Board on Nov. 17, 2022. See the recorded CAB meeting. Check out the PurpleAir historic data at http://webspace.ship.edu/weather/
CAB discussion of the Inflation Reduction Act – CAB loorks at the povisions aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Thomas Y. Au, CAB President presents. Zoom presentation. Oct. 20, 2022.
CAB discussion on Clean Construction. Zoom presentation, Dr. Frank Castrina discusses the health effects of diesel and other emissions from construction projects. We can reduce these emission and protect community health. Recorded Sept. 15, 2022.
Solar United Neighbors. Zoom presentation. Monica Carey from Solar United Neighbors presents information on installing solar panels on houses and how to participate in a solar cooperative. Recorded June 16, 2022.
Little People, but Big Effects. Zoom presentation. Members of the Clean Air Board discuss how low doses of air pollution can affect a child health and steps that can be taken to reduce exposure. Recorded May 19, 2022.
Vox news site explains the EPA Air Quality Index. “It’s not enough to trust the senses to know when it’s a bad air day. Well before you can see or smell smoke, it can start wreaking havoc on the lungs. That haze you can see and smell on a particularly polluted day is made of ozone and fine particulate matter.” Read more . . .
Air Toxics at School — The University of Massachusetts Amherst recently published an updated Air Toxics at School database. The database estimates comparative individual chronic human health risks from toxic air pollutants from local industrial sources at each K-12 and higher education institution in the United States using the EPA’s Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) for 2022. Users can look up any school in the country and receive a report on the industrial facilities and the toxic chemicals that generate health risks at the school location. The information is available at: https://peri.umass.edu/air-toxics-at-school
Lung Cancer in women: Why we continue to be concerned about PM2.5 (fine particulate matter of 2.5 microns or less in diameter) in central Pennsylvania.
PM2.5 is the most dangerous pollutant because it can penetrate the lung barrier and enter the blood system, causing cardiovascular, respiratory disease, cancer and increased risk of neurologic disorders and low birth weight pregnancies. Cancer of the lung is the most common cancer associated with PM2.5 exposure from diesel exhaust adding to the importance of central PA residents to continue to advocate for better air quality (1). Among women, deaths from lung cancer exceed those of breast cancer.
The number of deaths from lung cancer has been decreasing due to the reduction in cigarette smoking, however still remains the leading cause of cancer deaths in men and women. Women who never smoked are more likely to develop lung cancer than their male counterparts (2). The American Cancer Society estimates for 2024 were over 100,000 new cases of lung cancers and over 50,000 lung cancer deaths in women (3). Genetic predisposition and exposure to second-hand smoke, radon and pollutants are considered to be reasons for increasing lung cancer in women (4).
People living in communities located next to large warehouses are exposed to 20% more of a traffic-related air pollutant that can lead to asthma and other life-threatening health conditions. A new study conducted by George Washington University researchers using satellite instruments is the first of its kind. The study is titled “Air pollution impacts from warehousing in the United States uncovered with satellite data.”
Climate change is amplifying wildfires, and more smoke means higher risk of heart and lung disease from inhaling tiny particles that can drift far and wide, researchers said. Read more.
Children, pregnant women, the elderly and those with pre-existing heart or lung disease are the most vulnerable. Read more.
Dickinson College Clarke Forum: Air Pollution in Pennsylvania
Air pollution levels in some parts of Pennsylvania are among the nation’s highest. In addition to other health implications, new research links increased levels of air pollution to higher COVID-19 death rates. To orient these concerns, this panel will include a review of key air pollution sources across Pennsylvania. Community members will reflect on localized air pollution considerations and potential opportunities for engagement. To view the recorded presentation, go to: http://clarke.dickinson.edu/
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Thomas Au2026-04-30 20:08:062026-05-07 21:16:06CAB will host community forum on data centers on May 21
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Thomas Au2026-02-16 19:00:082026-02-16 19:00:13PA DEP has declared an Air Quality Action Day for Susquehanna Valley Area, PA on Feb 17
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Thomas Au2026-02-09 22:36:392026-02-09 22:36:46PA DEP declares Code Orange alert for Tuesday, Feb. 10
