{"id":11351,"date":"2021-03-01t06:07:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-01t06:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dpetrov.2create.studio\/planet\/wordpress\/understanding-the-invisible-air-quality-and-health\/"},"modified":"2023-02-28t18:37:23","modified_gmt":"2023-02-28t18:37:23","slug":"invisible-health-air-quality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/invisible-health-air-quality\/","title":{"rendered":"understanding the invisible: air quality and health"},"content":{"rendered":"

fort collins, colorado, residents are used to spending time outside. it\u2019s inherently a \u201ccolorado\u201d thing\u2014hiking across foothills, skiing down snowcapped peaks, spending a great deal of time in nature\u2014it\u2019s what coloradoans do.<\/em> these healthy exercise habits increase brain function, boost metabolism, and make us feel good. but there\u2019s a downside to spending time outdoors when the air is thick with microscopic pollution particles. as the greater mountain west region rebounds from a catastrophic and historic season of wildfires, environmental health scientists urge everyone from recreators to professional athletes to pay attention to their local air quality\u2014out of concern that these healthy habits<\/em> could directly harm your health.<\/p>\n

how can we know if it\u2019s safe to breathe the very air that surrounds us?<\/h2>\n

2020 has taught us that some of our deepest problems are the ones we can\u2019t see. through interdisciplinary efforts on behalf of the center for science communication (csc) at colorado state university, we\u2019ve begun to understand how we can protect ourselves from one of those invisible issues.<\/p>\n

the up-and-coming center, housed in the greater department of journalism and media communication, has goals, action plans, and tools in place to combat these issues, just as the following studies portray. it\u2019s truly revolutionary, in that such an assortment of individuals can unite efforts to better understand an aspect of our world. the csc seeks to connect stakeholders across campus in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities to improve the science communication process. it\u2019s a stimulating democratic approach\u2014the csc; a center for the people, by the people<\/em>\u2014to science, which will pay dividends to research for years to come.<\/p>\n

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zoey rosen, csu journalism
\n\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200bgraduate teaching assistant<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

enter zoey rosen, the dark-haired and bright-eyed scholar, who holds a bachelor\u2019s degree in atmospheric science (a unique combination of meteorology and physics), and a master\u2019s degree in public communication and technology from colorado state university. she is currently in year two of her ph.d. in public communication and technology, with a focus on weather. rosen is part of the social-science side of the equation to the csc\u2019s overall mission of effectively increasing awareness of science\u2014communicating to general audiences how air-quality research is important through a nasa-funded program: the citizen-enabled aerosol measurements for satellites (ceams) project. headed by john volckens, mechanical engineering professor and principal investigator, the ceams team combines diverse academic backgrounds to tackle issues of air quality.<\/p>\n

\u201cceams is a citizen-science project,\u201d says rosen. \u201cwe are trying to see if the act of measuring air quality influences how we understand and think about the air from a day-to-day standpoint.\u201d<\/p>\n

according to the ceams blog<\/a>, which has been managed by rosen along with other ceams researchers, citizen science is the collaborative effort wherein volunteers help researchers collect scientific data. in many ways, citizen-science captures the goals of the csc: bringing together academic experts, industry professionals, staff, students, and citizens to better coordinate science communication. scientists at csu have designed a machine that is sent to volunteers for setup in their backyards, dubbed the amod (aerosol mass and optical depth) sampler. see the diagram below for more information.<\/p>\n

\n
\"amod
this sampler measures aerosol optical depth (aod), the amount of sunlight that is scattered or absorbed by particles, which is another way of saying how clear or hazy a location looks from space..but aod isn\u2019t always accurate from satellite view\u2014thus the handy-dandy amod also measures pm2.5\u2014which is a measure of how many small particles we breathe on earth\u2019s surface. this measure of pm2.5 gives us a more accurate reading of our small particle intake, thus better indicating the overall impact poor air quality days have on our health. for the sake of context, <\/em>look at this image of pm2.5 in relation to huma<\/em>n<\/em><\/a> hair. both aod and pm2.5 measurements helps nasa\u2019s satellites get more accurate measurements and predictions for more rural places on earth that don\u2019t have access to these amod trackers.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

why and how is ceams analyzing this data? carefully, jokes rosen. \u201cwe study how the air-quality measurements change over time, compare measurements at different locations, and assess how the existence of different types of particles can impact our health,\u201d rosen said.<\/p>\n

rosen illustrates how this can be tricky. imagine when you were an elementary student, playing with magnets in science class. you might have been amazed when paperclips rapidly stuck to the poles, or transfixed by how two equal polar ends of magnets would simply refuse to connect. that<\/em> science was understandable, tangible\u2026visible!<\/p>\n

\u201ccan we apply that same sort of hands-on learning to adults in communities? that\u2019s what we\u2019re trying to do,\u201d rosen said. \u201cbecause most of the time, we can\u2019t see if the air quality bad or not. we have no concept of how this actually affects us\u2014it\u2019s just air!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

what we can\u2019t see can hurt us<\/h2>\n

when i see snow outside, my instincts tell me to tread lightly; i don\u2019t want to slip. but i can\u2019t see air, so how am i supposed to know when it\u2019s bad? <\/em>according to the world health organization, air pollution is one of the leading causes of death across the globe. it worsens underlying cardiovascular and respiratory problems and has a host of short-term exposure effects when exacerbated by events like wildfires. according to the epa, the overall health effects from pollution lay on a spectrum, where the least significant effects are associated with large particle exposure for a minimal amount of time, and the direst effects are jointly associated with fine particles and longer exposures. this spectrum consists of relatively minor coughing and phlegm build-up effects, to bronchitis and asthma, finally progressing to heart failure, stroke, and premature death.<\/p>\n

these statistics are courtesy of the world health organization.<\/p>\n