Follow Your Nose! We Will Provide the Data

Rebecca Cardin
19 hours ago
3 min read

On a recent fall morning I stepped out on my porch, coffee in hand, expecting the smell of fall leaves and spruce that usually imbues my rural community only to be met with something entirely different - the overwhelming smell of chlorine. Running through the possibilities of what this could be, my eyes drifted up to the fracking pad above my home.

It can be hard to trust our nose. Afterall, we decided long ago that our olfactory senses are inferior to those of our household pets and other animals. As we’ve deprioritized the use of this sense we have limited our capacity to give meaning to the odors that surround us – which is a shame because our fine tuned sense of smell serves an evolutionary purpose in preserving our health.

Living in Pennsylvania means living with high levels of air pollution. The American Lung Association notes that 21 of 32 Pennsylvania Counties assessed received a “D” or lower on their air quality report card for particulate matter based air contamination – of those counties, 17 received an “F”. This is particularly concerning considering that poor air quality is the second most significant risk factor contributing to human mortality. To put it in perspective, that’s nearly four times the number killed in traffic accidents each year.

While this may sound like hyperbole, it makes a lot of sense when we consider the impacts of air contamination on our body. Science has proven with great redundancy that air contamination from particulate matter and volatile organic compounds is linked to:

Where is all of this air contamination coming from? There are a wide array of sources for air pollution. This can vary from agricultural processes, use of cars, drought conditions (leading to increased particulate matter in the air), volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) from cleaning products, or even gas stoves. One of the most significant contributors is industrial processes tied to the manufacture, transport, and use of fossil fuels which include:

Use of Compressor Stations
Drilling of new wells
Storage and evaporation from solid and liquid waste products
Spill based contamination
Dust and emissions from industrial truck traffic

How do we reconcile what we see with our eyes, feel in our body, and smell with our nose? This is where Physicians for Social Responsibility of Pennsylvania (PSR PA) can offer support. Through the use of FLIR OGI (optical gas imaging) we can see what is often only detected by the nose! The images below are an example of the types of emissions captured by Chris DiGuilio, our certified FLIR OGI technician and environmental science director:

While we can’t all purchase a FLIR OGI camera, there is something that you CAN do. PSR PA’s Air Monitoring Program offers residents the opportunity to observe air quality with a PurpleAir Monitor. Access to this program starts with filing out our request form linked below!

The use of air monitors can help residents recognize bad air days and understand when to take action to protect their health. With our Temboo community platform, participants can report air quality emergencies and compare air quality of neighboring monitors. One of the most impactful uses of our air monitoring network is to better understand the impact industrial neighbors have on the air quality that we live with every day!

We have helped more than 150 Pennsylvanians take control of their health and air quality knowledge through the use of our air monitoring network! With the help of my monitor, I have become more confident in my ability to sniff out trouble. When I step onto my porch in the morning and smell something ‘wrong’ I can now validate my senses with data from my air monitor.

We look forward to helping you begin to trust your senses again! Humans are born with amazing analytical tools. We can use modern technology to enhance nature’s tools!

Air health is our health!

To learn more about our air monitoring program please contact air@psrpa.org or submit a request form.