Do you know how the air you breathe can affect your health?
Champion: Cinzia Sevignani (contact: jim.wylie@verizon.net)
Our primary concern with air quality is PM (Particle Matters) in center city. The major source of PM in center city are automobiles, buses and trucks. Those particles can accumulate a few feet from the grounds so children and people who commute by bicycle would be particularly vulnerable to the dangers of PM.
Particles smaller than 10 micrometers in diameter; and "fine particles" (such as those found in smoke and haze), which are 2.5 micrometers in diameter and smaller are linked to health issues, including lung cancer (see EPA and State Of The Air reports).
This committee's main goals are monitoring and education. Perhaps in collaboration with Clean Air Council we will collect data at various locations in center city where people walk and bike. Volunteers could carry a portable device.
It can be dangerous to cycle and it is not even very healthy with the fumes of so many cars. Heavy metals can accumulate at street level affecting children even more than adults.
"Green Education", not only in schools, but also for general public, business, organizations, etc...should play a bigger rule in our society in order to help citizens to take better choices for the future.
There are good examples in some Northern Europe green cities (http://ec.europa.eu/environment/europeangreencapital/index_en.htm).