{"id":761053,"date":"2021-07-14T12:05:13","date_gmt":"2021-07-14T19:05:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/?post_type=msr-blog-post&p=761053"},"modified":"2021-07-14T12:43:22","modified_gmt":"2021-07-14T19:43:22","slug":"how-fireworks-impact-air-quality","status":"publish","type":"msr-blog-post","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/articles\/how-fireworks-impact-air-quality\/","title":{"rendered":"How Fireworks Impact Air Quality"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n
Overview:\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Fireworks displays celebrating Independence Day are a mainstay in American culture. Yet, research shows fireworks\u00a0lead to\u00a0high levels of air pollution.\u00a0For example, one study estimated\u00a0July 4th<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>celebrations produced\u00a0a\u00a0<\/span>42% increase in particulate matter<\/span><\/a>\u00a0nationwide.\u00a0<\/span>particulate matter can stay in the air for days or weeks<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0so\u00a0poor air quality from fireworks can last long after festivities have ended.\u00a0We also know that exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is related to a host of poor health outcomes, including\u00a0<\/span>asthma-related outcomes<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>cardiovascular and respiratory diseases<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>poor birth outcomes<\/span><\/a>, and even\u00a0<\/span>premature death<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Observation:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In Chicago, we deployed over 90 air quality sensors<\/a> just before the 4<\/span>th<\/span>\u00a0of July weekend.\u00a0<\/span>Our devices showed\u00a0<\/span>city-wide\u00a0<\/span>PM2.5 levels<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>rising<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>from\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span>g<\/span>ood\u201d to \u201c<\/span>m<\/span>oderate\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>on July 4, and\u00a0<\/span>particulates\u00a0<\/span>lingered in the air for\u00a0<\/span>days.\u00a0<\/span>On July 7, average levels<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>were still over double pre-holiday readings.\u00a0<\/span>Our\u00a0<\/span>network of\u00a0<\/span>hyperlocal low-cost air sensor<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0also\u00a0<\/span>allows<\/span>\u00a0us to<\/span>\u00a0observe differences in air pollution levels across neighborhoods of Chicago. While\u00a0<\/span>our\u00a0<\/span>sensors<\/span>\u00a0are subject to some\u00a0<\/span>inaccuracies<\/span>, they can help<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>uncover<\/span>\u00a0the variability and behavior of pollution<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>adding new information to complement the data EPA collects with highly accurate but sparsely distributed stations<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>When we mapped our data,<\/span>\u00a0we\u00a0<\/span>saw<\/span>\u00a0lower levels in\u00a0<\/span>the north side<\/span>\u00a0on July 3, and\u00a0<\/span>noticeably\u00a0<\/span>higher levels in the\u00a0<\/span>south and\u00a0<\/span>southwest\u00a0<\/span>sides<\/span>\u00a0of Chicago that appear most pronounced on July 4 and 6.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n These differences in pollution track social and economic differences across neighborhoods. In\u00a0<\/span>Chicago<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the second most segregated metro in the US<\/span><\/span><\/a>, communities of color cluster on the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>west, south, southwest, and southeast sides<\/span><\/span><\/a>. These are the same neighborhoods where we<\/span><\/span>\u00a0observe elevated air pollution exposures.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Though<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>public health researchers have declared residential segregation is \u201c<\/span><\/span>a fundamental cause of racial disparities in health<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u201d\u00a0<\/span>and<\/span>\u00a0have explicitly connected segregation to disparities in health\u00a0<\/span><\/span>via inequitable exposures air pollution<\/span><\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>we<\/span>\u00a0still lack the tools needed to monitor\u00a0<\/span>exposures at the neighborhood scale \u2013 the scale at which inequities emerge<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Project Eclipse, and sensor deployments like it, could enable urban public health departments to\u00a0<\/span>monitor<\/span>\u00a0hyperlocal<\/span>\u00a0outdoor air pollution exposure<\/span>\u00a0not just over 4<\/span>th<\/span>\u00a0of July, but every day<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n