Thank you for indicating your interest in air monitoring in the Clean Air For All (CAFA) study. Please fill out your information below to be put on our list of interested contacts.

Here are the basics on Protect PT's "Clean Air for All" Air Monitoring Study:

This project is an EPA grant-funded air quality study that Protect PT will conduct starting in Summer 2024 through January 2026. This project will focus on the communities near the Sedat Plum Injection Well, Monessen Coke Works and the Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill that are most likely to be affected by air pollution emitted by these facilities. This project aims to have four monitoring sites distributed around each facility to capture data during different wind conditions.

Each monitoring site will host a particulate matter (dust, soot, etc) monitor for a period of approximately 2 years. These monitors will take continuous measurements of one of the most common air pollutants. These monitors are small (around the size of PVC pipe cap) and can be installed in a person's yard on a shepherd's hook. Certain monitoring sites will also recieve larger "SPod" monitors which will be deployed where wind conditions, monitor data, and resident observations suggest that high pollution events are occurring. SPods will collect data about the level of gaseous (VOC) pollutants in the air. During times when we suspect a pollution event may be happening, they will trigger the collection of an air sample. ProtectPT will collect these samples and send them to a lab that can measure levels of specific VOCs that are categorized as hazardous air pollutants by the Clean Air Act.

Protect PT will work with the Environmental Health Project, another nonprofit organization based in Pennsylvania, and CREATE Lab, based at Carnegie Mellon University, to analyze VOC sample results and compare them to health standards. During the study period, each participant will receive reports every 3 months on data collected and ongoing education about how air quality impacts daily life in the region. Such information will include the specific chemicals that are polluting the community's air. This information can support residents in talking with community leaders and health care providers about their concerns.

Protect PT will also offer free Home Resource Guide workshops tailored to the issues found by monitoring air pollution from each of the sources. We will provide guidance to community members on how they can take action and protect themselves from unlawful pollution. At these workshops, each attendee will receive a guidebook and tools to recognize and reduce their exposure to pollution when it occurs in their community.

We are asking all residents in the study area who are concerned about potential impacts from these sites if they would like to host monitors at their property. The study will last approximately 2 years. The monitors require a reliable wifi signal, access to an outlet, and a few square feet of space in a yard. Willingness to keep a log of significant air impacts, health impacts and recent pollution-causing events will be helpful for interpreting results. ProtectPT staff will visit the monitoring sites to install and troubleshoot monitors, and to place and retrieve air sample containers.

For more information, contact Protect PT's environmental scientist, Yvonne Sorovacu at yvonne@protectpt.org or at 412-727-0514.