PurpleAir Can Warn of Hazardous Air
I Live in California. How Do I Know It’s Safe to Go Outside?
A high-tech sensor network brought me closer to the natural cycles of my environment.
NY Times, Sept. 4, 2020.
By
Contributing Opinion Writer
DEP issues a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for ozone for Monday, August 10, 2020
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has issued a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for ozone for Monday, August 10, 2020, for the counties of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia in southeastern Pennsylvania, the counties of Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, and York in southcentral Pennsylvania, and the counties of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, […]
CAB installs PM2.5 monitor
The Clean Air Board announced that it has installed a new air quality monitor in downtown Carlisle near the Square. The PM2.5 sensor will report its readings 24 hours a day. The real-time data can be viewed on the PurpleAir network. The PurpleAir™ sensor is a device that uses two laser particle counters to capture and record data about microscopic particulate matter (PM2.5) suspended in the air. The sensor uses WiFi connectivity to display real-time air quality readings on the PurpleAir™ Map, which is a world-wide map of monitors where data can be shared with the public.
More than a dozen states unite to boost electric trucks
Washington Post, July 14, 2020. By Dino Grandino. More than a dozen states are teaming up to boost sales of pickup trucks, school buses and big rigs that run entirely on electricity and do not pump climate-warming pollution into the air. Leaders from Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and 10 other states, […]
CAB files comments on DEP’s proposed methane rules
June 24, 2020 – The Clean Air Board testified at an Environmental Quality Board hearing on DEP’s proposed rules to reduce hydrocarbons and methane leaks from existing oil and gas operations. CAB asked that certain exemptions be removed from the proposed rules. Read CAB’s methane rule comments
DEP Issues a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day Forecast for June 9, 2020
Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and its regional air quality partnerships have forecast a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for ozone on June 9, 2020, for southeastern and southcentral Pennsylvania (encompassing the counties of Bucks, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Lancaster, Lebanon, Montgomery, Philadelphia, and York).
Strong sunshine, temperatures close to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and light south to southwest winds will act to bring ozone concentrations to code ORANGE levels Tuesday afternoon. Concentrations of ozone are expected to be lower on Wednesday with only partly sunny skies and the chance for shower and thunderstorm development.
On air quality action days, young children, the elderly, and those with respiratory problems, such as asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis, are especially vulnerable to the effects of air pollution and should limit outdoor activities. Read more
NASA Satellite Data Show 30 Percent Drop In Air Pollution Over Northeast U.S.
Over the past several weeks, NASA satellite measurements have revealed significant reductions in air pollution over the major metropolitan areas of the Northeast United States. Similar reductions have been observed in other regions of the world. These recent improvements in air quality have come at a high cost, as communities grapple with widespread lockdowns and shelter-in-place orders as a result of the spread of COVID-19. Read more …
CAB files comments on “Transparency Rule”
On May 15, 2020, the Clean Air Board of Central Pennsylvania filed written comments opposing EPA’s proposed rule entitled “Strengthening Transparency in Science.” CAB expressed concern that the proposed rule will work to create barriers to the use of highly respected and valuable epidemiological studies in EPA’s decisions. Along with other consequences, under the proposed rule, large epidemiological studies like the effect of air pollution and correlation with public health in regard to respiratory, cardiac, and neurological impacts would be discounted, to the detriment of people living close to polluting sources.
The full comment statement can be found here.
