Updated on June 17, 2015
APIOPA and SGV High School Youth Challenge Your Thoughts on Air Quality in the SGV
By Kyle Tsukahira
As we have previously mentioned:
Over the past school year, the Asian and Pacific Islander Obesity Prevention Alliance (APIOPA) has teamed up with Crown and Sceptre, a senior honors society at Mark Keppel High School, to better understand the air that their community members are breathing in Alhambra.
With the help of USC Dept. of Environmental Health Sciences and Occidental College’s Urban Environmental Policy Institute, our young community advocates took sensor readings using a special device that would share the amount of ultra-fine particulate matter in the local air. Ultra-fine particulate matter is considered very dangerous because the miniscule size makes absorption in to tissue and bloodstream easy, potentially impacting one’s body and health.
Using the air up in the San Gabriel Mountains as a baseline, the young advocates measured air around their school, which is unfortunately located within 150 feet of the 10 freeway. The results were shocking. Ultra-fine particulate matter was anywhere from double to ten times the amount (this happened when the metrolink passed by the school) in the mountains.
Well, as you can see above, the youth have finished their video project and we are proud to present their amazing product. Moving forward from here, we are working with the youth to:
- Work with local city officials to install air monitoring at the school to better monitor air quality at school, for longer periods of time.
- Work with local elected officials to create and enforce better short-term and long-term policy for better air quality in the SGV.
Follow our website to hear the latest news and updates on this project!