Citizens Monitor Air Quality In Dayton

Environmental Defense and Ohio Citizen Action today launched a citizen monitoring network for collecting air pollution data in the Miami Valley. This summer, volunteers will collect data with hand-held devices for seven weeks in 10 areas to learn more about ozone levels in their areas. The results will indicate any differences in smog levels (also known as ground-level ozone) among neighborhoods and help pinpoint hot spots for high levels of ozone formation around the region.

The Dayton Project is being organized by Citizens Policy Center (CPC), Ohio Citizen Action’s research and education organization. “We are pleased that we could coordinate this project in the Miami Valley and equip citizens and organizations with the tools to monitor ozone and educate the public on this problem,” said Jane Forrest Redfern, Environmental Projects Director for Ohio Citizen Action’s CPC.

Environmental Defense is working with organizations in Cleveland and Atlanta to operate similar monitoring networks in those cities. “This is a new and exciting way for citizens to take actions to protect the environment and their health,” said Carol Andress, economic specialist at Environmental Defense. “The high ozone concentrations that Dayton and many other cities experience during the summer can have serious health effects, especially for residents with asthma or other respiratory problems. By allowing citizens to monitor smog levels in their neighborhoods, we can help residents protect themselves from the harmful effects of ground-level ozone.”

For more information about the procedures used, how the technology works, limitations of the technology, as well as the citizen readings throughout the Miami Valley, please visit www.environmentaldefense.org on the web.