Air Quality Monitoring Launched At Denver Schools

DENVER, CO — Denver health officials aim to reduce asthma rates among children with a $1 million air-quality monitoring program. The initiative has begun with a pilot program at 10 local schools.

Sensors from the Love My Air program are tracking outdoor air quality on the schools’ campuses. Real-time results display on big-screen TVs at the schools, giving students and staff information on each school’s outdoor air quality. The data is also available online for anyone to see.

The data allow principals to make informed decisions, such as limiting recess on days with poor air quality, or encouraging parents to turn off their cars while waiting for their children, health officials said.

Children are more susceptible to poor air quality, including decreased lung function and missed days of school, health officials said.

(Stay up-to-date with Metro Denver news with Patch! There are many ways for you to connect and stay in touch: Free Newsletters and Email Alerts | Facebook)

Schools participating in the program are Swansea Elementary, Garden Place Academy, Sabin World School, Gust Elementary, South High, Bruce Randolph School, Northeast Early College, PREP Academy and University Prep-Steele St.

Sensors will measure a pollutant called particulate matter, or PM2.5. It's an extremely fine particle, about 30-times smaller than a strand of hair, that can lodge deep inside the lungs and cause severe health problems, including asthma and heart disease, health officials said. Doctors also say these particles can affect children’s brain development, making it harder for children to learn.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s limit for PM2.5 is 35 micrograms per cubic meter of air. The World Health Organization has a lower limit of 25 micrograms. However, some scientists say these limits are not stringent enough, claiming the daily limit should be 12 micrograms—not 35, according to the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment.

Robert McDonald, the department's executive director, said Denver families spend more than $30 million annually on asthma-related costs.

“By installing sensors at local schools to obtain real-time, air-quality data, changes can be made to reduce pollution and mitigate the effects on students, hopefully lessening the health impacts and financial strain on families,” he said in a statement.

The department won a $1 million grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies last year to install sensors at a total of 40 local schools over three years. Ten more schools will be added by the end of this school year, health officials said. The other 20 will be online by 2021. The schools were selected based on asthma rates, reduced-lunch rates and school-readiness to participate. Asthma affects some 10,000 local students, health officials said.

Public health officials will help the 10 pilot schools develop programs to reduce student exposure to harmful air. The programs should be in place by December, the city said.

The Love My Air program creates a citywide air-quality monitoring network that uses low-cost, cutting-edge air pollution sensor technology, redeveloped with solar, battery storage, and data connectivity to make it possible to replicate in any municipality, health officials said.