Community-Engaged Air Monitoring to Build Resilience Near the US-Mexico Border
Initiated in response to community concerns about high levels of air pollution and asthma, the Imperial County Community Air Monitoring Project was conducted as a collaboration between a community-based organization, a non-governmental environmental health program, and academic researchers. This com...
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doaj-801d7c5b3afa4615be942eff36b4beb02020-11-25T02:33:37ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health1660-46012020-02-01173109210.3390/ijerph17031092ijerph17031092Community-Engaged Air Monitoring to Build Resilience Near the US-Mexico BorderMichelle Wong0Alexa Wilkie1Catalina Garzón-Galvis2Galatea King3Luis Olmedo4Esther Bejarano5Humberto Lugo6Dan Meltzer7Daniel Madrigal8Mariana Claustro9Paul English10Tracking California, Public Health Institute, 555 12th St, Oakland, CA 94607, USATracking California, Public Health Institute, 555 12th St, Oakland, CA 94607, USATracking California, Public Health Institute, 555 12th St, Oakland, CA 94607, USATracking California, Public Health Institute, 555 12th St, Oakland, CA 94607, USAComite Civico del Valle, 235 Main St, Brawley, CA 92227, USAComite Civico del Valle, 235 Main St, Brawley, CA 92227, USAComite Civico del Valle, 235 Main St, Brawley, CA 92227, USATracking California, Public Health Institute, 555 12th St, Oakland, CA 94607, USATracking California, Public Health Institute, 555 12th St, Oakland, CA 94607, USAComite Civico del Valle, 235 Main St, Brawley, CA 92227, USACalifornia Department of Public Health, 850 Marina Bay Pkwy P-3, Richmond, CA 94804, USAInitiated in response to community concerns about high levels of air pollution and asthma, the Imperial County Community Air Monitoring Project was conducted as a collaboration between a community-based organization, a non-governmental environmental health program, and academic researchers. This community-engaged research project aimed to produce real-time, community-level air quality information through the establishment of a community air monitoring network (CAMN) of 40 low-cost particulate matter (PM) monitors in Imperial County, California. Methods used to involve the community partner organization and residents in the development, operation, and use of the CAMN included the following: (1) establishing equitable partnerships among the project collaborators; (2) forming a community steering committee to guide project activities; (3) engaging residents in data collection to determine monitor sites; (4) providing hands-on training to assemble and operate the air monitors; (5) conducting focus groups to guide display and dissemination of monitoring data; and (6) conducting trainings on community action planning. This robust community engagement in the project resulted in increased awareness, knowledge, capacity, infrastructure, and influence for the community partner organization and among community participants. Even after the conclusion of the original research grant funding for this project, the CAMN continues to be operated and sustained by the community partner, serving as a community resource used by residents, schools, researchers, and others to better understand and address air pollution and its impacts on community health, while strengthening the ability of the community to prepare for, respond to, and recover from harmful air pollution.https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/3/1092air monitoringair qualitycitizen sciencecommunity air monitoring networkcommunity engagementcommunity-based participatory researchcommunity-engaged researchlow costmonitorssensorscommunity resilience |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Michelle Wong Alexa Wilkie Catalina Garzón-Galvis Galatea King Luis Olmedo Esther Bejarano Humberto Lugo Dan Meltzer Daniel Madrigal Mariana Claustro Paul English |
spellingShingle |
Michelle Wong Alexa Wilkie Catalina Garzón-Galvis Galatea King Luis Olmedo Esther Bejarano Humberto Lugo Dan Meltzer Daniel Madrigal Mariana Claustro Paul English Community-Engaged Air Monitoring to Build Resilience Near the US-Mexico Border International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health air monitoring air quality citizen science community air monitoring network community engagement community-based participatory research community-engaged research low cost monitors sensors community resilience |
author_facet |
Michelle Wong Alexa Wilkie Catalina Garzón-Galvis Galatea King Luis Olmedo Esther Bejarano Humberto Lugo Dan Meltzer Daniel Madrigal Mariana Claustro Paul English |
author_sort |
Michelle Wong |
title |
Community-Engaged Air Monitoring to Build Resilience Near the US-Mexico Border |
title_short |
Community-Engaged Air Monitoring to Build Resilience Near the US-Mexico Border |
title_full |
Community-Engaged Air Monitoring to Build Resilience Near the US-Mexico Border |
title_fullStr |
Community-Engaged Air Monitoring to Build Resilience Near the US-Mexico Border |
title_full_unstemmed |
Community-Engaged Air Monitoring to Build Resilience Near the US-Mexico Border |
title_sort |
community-engaged air monitoring to build resilience near the us-mexico border |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health |
issn |
1660-4601 |
publishDate |
2020-02-01 |
description |
Initiated in response to community concerns about high levels of air pollution and asthma, the Imperial County Community Air Monitoring Project was conducted as a collaboration between a community-based organization, a non-governmental environmental health program, and academic researchers. This community-engaged research project aimed to produce real-time, community-level air quality information through the establishment of a community air monitoring network (CAMN) of 40 low-cost particulate matter (PM) monitors in Imperial County, California. Methods used to involve the community partner organization and residents in the development, operation, and use of the CAMN included the following: (1) establishing equitable partnerships among the project collaborators; (2) forming a community steering committee to guide project activities; (3) engaging residents in data collection to determine monitor sites; (4) providing hands-on training to assemble and operate the air monitors; (5) conducting focus groups to guide display and dissemination of monitoring data; and (6) conducting trainings on community action planning. This robust community engagement in the project resulted in increased awareness, knowledge, capacity, infrastructure, and influence for the community partner organization and among community participants. Even after the conclusion of the original research grant funding for this project, the CAMN continues to be operated and sustained by the community partner, serving as a community resource used by residents, schools, researchers, and others to better understand and address air pollution and its impacts on community health, while strengthening the ability of the community to prepare for, respond to, and recover from harmful air pollution. |
topic |
air monitoring air quality citizen science community air monitoring network community engagement community-based participatory research community-engaged research low cost monitors sensors community resilience |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/3/1092 |
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