Archive for September 2018
MAY 22 FREE Citizen-Science Training for Portable Air Monitoring
SATURDAY, SEPT 22
Session 1:
10:30 am -1 pm
Session 2:
2pm to 5 pm
Goodwork Co-Working Space
1808 South Good Latimer/Dallas
For the first time, Downwinders is offering members of the public the chance to learn how to take air quality samples with one of our Aeroqual Series 500 portable Particulate Matter monitors – the monitors that helped defeat the proposed Joppa batch plants back in March.
For this first introductory lesson, there’s a 45-60 minute classroom presentation followed by 90 minutes in the field actually taking readings with the machines. The field trips will all be aimed at helping Downwinders assemble a growing data base on Dallas PM levels.
This customized training has been put together by Downwinders’ PM Science Director, Dr. Tate Barrett of UNT, as well as Cresanda Allen and Amanda Poland of our PM Committee. There’s no charge to attend. Lunch won’t be served, so bring some snacks and since we’re going out in the filed, you’re advised to wear comfortable shoes and clothes.
At the completion of this first hands-on training, participants will be given a 
certificate that classifies them as “apprentice” level citizen scientists. This allows them to sign-up and go out on individual portable monitoring trips with members of the PM team in the weeks ahead. After two such outings with the team they’re classified as a Citizen Science “Researcher” and assigned more responsibilities.
After three such excursions with team members, they’re classified as an “Investigator” and are eligible to check put the monitors for their own projects or help contribute to group efforts. In effect, we’re creating a lending library of portable air monitors open to anyone willing to go through the training.
On Saturday the 22nd we’re offering two training workshops:
Training Session #1 10:30am – 1pm
Training Session #2 2 pm – 5 pm
Both sessions will be conducted at the GoodWork Co-working space at 1808 South Good-Latimer, Downwinders’ home.
Participation is limited to let everyone get a chance to actually use the portables. To assure yourself a spot, please sign-up now by letting us know which session you want: downwindersatrisk@gmail.org, re:citizen science training.
New Study Links PM Pollution to IQ Loss
Underscoring how important this month’s event are is a new study from China that concludes exposure to Particulate Matter air pollution erodes a person’s IQ, especially in older people.
“Polluted air can cause everyone to reduce their level of education by one year, which is huge,” said Xi Chen at Yale School of Public Health in the US, a member of the research team. “But we know the effect is worse for the elderly, especially those over 64, and for men, and for those with low education. If we calculate [the loss] for those, it may be a few years of education.”
In some ways this latest research, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), only confirms earlier studies associating PM pollution with Dementia and other developmental diseases like Autism and ADHD. But it was the largest study yet to look at the impact PM has on cognitive abilities and it looked at people of all ages, not just students. 20,000 men and women were followed for four years and many other variables besides exposure to air pollution were ruled out as causes of the decline, including the inevitable decline of mental dexterity with age.
The more a person was exposed to dirty air, the more their intelligence suffered, with language skills suffering more than mathematical or analytical, and men more than women.
At the same time even short term exposure to air pollution was seen to have an effect on intelligence, a result with consequences for students taking tests or workers attempting to passing certification exams.
Derrick Ho from Hong Kong Polytechnic University was quoted in a Guardian article stating his own research group had similar preliminary findings in their work. “It’s because high air pollution can potentially be associated with oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and neurodegeneration of humans.”
Specifically, exposures to pollutants such as carbon monoxide (CO) and particulate matter prevent proper blood flow and could affect the flow of oxygen to the brain, which in time, affect cognition. Long-term exposure of these pollutants can lead to lesions in the brain’s white matter, which is dangerous for cognitive skills.
The study has worrying implications for neighborhoods like Joppa and West Dallas that are crowded next to PM polluting industries and freeways. Residents from those communities often start out with material or social disadvantages that limit their opportunities. Constant exposure to a toxin that robs them of IQ points makes things even worse. It’s one more thing that can trap them in downward spiral.