Philadelphia residents can now consult a new online dashboard to gauge outdoor air quality before heading out to a park, going for a run, or cycling through the city.<\/p>\n
The city unveiled a real-time air quality network<\/a> that collects data from solar-powered sensors at 76 strategic locations, blanketing every neighborhood. The system can warn residents when pollution spikes \u2014 for instance, if a junkyard fire sends particulate levels surging.<\/p>\n \u201cStarting now, every resident in Philadelphia will be able to see, almost in real time, the air quality in their own neighborhood,\u201d said Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker<\/a>. <\/p>\n What does the system measure?<\/p>\n The weatherproof sensors, bolted to utility poles at 1.5-mile intervals, track two primary pollutants:<\/p>\n Fine particulate matter (PM2.5), tiny particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs and cause respiratory issues.<\/p>\n Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a component of ozone.<\/p>\n Parker, along with City Council members and officials from the Philadelphia Department of Public Health\u2019s Air Management Services (AMS), introduced the Breathe Philly initiative Wednesday at Stinger Square Park in Grays Ferry.<\/p>\n The monitoring system, manufactured by Clarity Movement Co., will cost the city $90,000 annually. It is currently funded through the nonprofit Philadelphia City Fund.<\/p>\n The new network operates independently from the city\u2019s existing 10\u2011sensor system that supplies data to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.<\/p>\n Parker said it represents a significant step toward environmental justice, especially in neighborhoods that previously lacked adequate monitoring. Some of the sensors will begin monitoring for ground-level ozone as soon as spring. <\/p>\n Ozone is a potent pollutant formed from chemical reactions between vehicle, power plant, and industrial emissions in the presence of sunlight. <\/p>\n \u201cYou can check it on your phone, your tablet, your computer,\u201d she said. \u201cYou can access up-to-date information about the air that you and your family are breathing right where you live.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018We knew right away\u2019<\/p>\n Palak Raval-Nelson, the city\u2019s health commissioner, said the new air monitoring network has been in the works for years. The project is overseen by the health department\u2019s AMS.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s amazing to finally see that it\u2019s here,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n The system detected the air quality as poor during a fire last week, Raval-Nelson said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe monitor went off, and we knew right away that we needed to communicate information,\u201d Raval-Nelson said. <\/p>\n The monitor displays colored circles and squares indicating the air quality at each monitor. Colors range from green, the best, to purple and mauve, the worst.<\/p>\n The sensors detect levels of particulate matter, which are tiny particles in the air that can cause health risks. PM2.5 is the result of the burning of fossil fuels, such as by vehicles or power plants. They sensors also measure NO2, a gas also emitted by burning fossil fuels.<\/p>\n Both chemicals can cause respiratory issues. <\/p>\n \u201cIt is a concrete step to help keep all of us and our loved ones safe,\u201d Raval-Nelson said of the new sensor system.<\/p>\n Council President Kenyatta Johnson<\/a>, who grew up in Point Breeze<\/a>, said the system will help provide real-time information in the event of a disaster, such as the PES Refinery explosion and fire in 2019. <\/p>\n And it will help those with breathing issues like asthma decide whether it is safe to go outside for extended periods.<\/p>\n A new layer of safety<\/p>\n Alex Bomstein, executive director of the nonprofit advocacy group Clean Air Council, said the network adds a new layer of safety for city residents.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t go very far in the city without encountering a monitor, which is wonderful, because that means that everybody in the city is being protected,\u201d Bomstein said.<\/p>\n