Air pollution and Aerosol Information Resource for Educators and students
In response to the current COVID-19 crisis in India, a group of scientists and public health experts has developed an infographic with tips and facts for managing the spread of SARS-CoV-2. The information has been translated into more than 20 local South Asian languages, as well as Spanish, French, and Portuguese. The Hindi version is below, and the rest of the languages can be found here.
The information on this infographic was also published in FAQ form by Indian online magazine, The Quint:
Más de 20 investigadores de Columbia University han formado un grupo collaborativo, que se llama el “Clean Air Toolbox Initiative.” Ese grupo usa las herramientas de ciencias atmosféricas, ciencias de datos, salud pública, la ley, y más para luchar contra la contaminación del aire en ciudades por el Sur Global. Ellos están trabajando in ciudades de África y India para demonstrar su métodos. Para obtener más información, visite aqtoolbox.org y sígalos en Twitter (@aqtoolbox).
In this article, published in October 2017 on HuffPost India, Prof. McNeill and Dr. Julia Nunes break down the data for particulate air pollution in cities across India. Air pollution is at an unhealthy level for a large part of the year, in most Indian cities.
The pie charts show the number of days in the past year that the average PM2.5 level fell into the following three categories: Green days (PM2.5 < 35.4 μg m-3) are healthy or moderate, yellow days (35.5 μg m-3 to 55.4 μg m-3) are unhealthy for sensitive groups such as children, the elderly or those with lung disease, and red days (PM2.5 > 55.5 μg m-3) are unhealthy for all. For more information on the data sources: https://aire.mcneill-lab.org/india-aq-2016-2017/
World Asthma Day reminds us at the AIRE team why we care about clean air. Air pollution is a trigger for asthma. According to the 2017 HEI State of Global Air report, most people on Earth are living with PM2.5 concentrations which the US EPA has labeled as “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups,” which includes people with asthma. Air Quality has improved enormously in the US, to the benefit of asthmatics and everyone else, since the passing of the Clean Air Act of 1970. The improvements in US air quality are even visible from space. However, India, China, UK, and other nations worldwide are currently facing air quality crises. Cleaning up the air in order to protect public health, while at the same time meeting climate goals, will require a combination of technical insight, policy innovation, and political will.