Through a new air quality monitoring network, the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission and its partners will gain a better understanding of how the quality of air differs from neighborhood to neighborhood.
MORPC issues daily air quality forecasts and notifies the public when ozone and particle pollution levels are considered to be unhealthy for sensitive groups of people. On days with an air quality alert, children, older adults, and those with lung illnesses such as asthma can begin to experience symptoms like shortness of breath and wheezing.
But when it comes to measuring the particle pollution – found in smoke, soot, and dust – some communities might experience more pollution than others at a given time. For this reason, MORPC’s new partnership with Franklin County Public Health and the American Geophysical Union’s Thriving Earth Exchange will allow for a network of air monitors to be installed across Franklin County – more monitors, closer to home.
“Though not quite as precise as the instruments typically used by the Ohio EPA, these PurpleAir monitors can be deployed more widely and in greater numbers to better understand real-time, street-level air pollution and whether or not some communities are exposed to more air pollution than others.”
The monitors are connected to Wi-Fi and provide real-time data on an interactive web map.
MORPC is currently seeking individuals, businesses, and organizations to host the monitors, with an exterior surface available for the monitors to be installed, available Wi-Fi, and electricity.
If interested in hosting a monitor, contact Brooke White at bwhite@morpc.org or 614.233.4168.
More information on the Neighborhood Air Quality Monitoring Program is available here.
