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| DRAFT
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2/8/10
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URBAN
COMMUNITY AIR TOXICS MONITORING
PROJECT, PATERSON CITY, NJ
(UCAMPP)
PROJECT
DESCRIPTION
The overall objective of the Urban Community Air Toxics Monitoring Project,
Paterson City, NJ (UCAMPP) is to obtain data which will assist the NJDEP
in formulating risk reduction strategies related to air toxics. It is
well established that air quality is a health concern nationwide because
concentrations of air toxics are above health benchmarks for most air
toxics. Presently, we monitor air toxics by placing monitors so they
capture general population exposures. The USEPA recognizes there are
limited data on specific geographic locations, such as Paterson, so
they decided to solicit for projects that will collect community based
air toxics information. UCAMPP will determine which pollutants are a
health concern in an urban environment, where they come from, and then
identify risk reduction strategies. This will be accomplished through
the characterization of local air toxics related to different land use
patterns in a highly industrialized urban community. Air toxics monitors
will be strategically placed at monitoring stations in community-oriented
locations that will capture industrial, commercial and mobile source
dominated emissions. Two of the monitoring stations will be located
at Paterson public schools allowing UCAMPP to measure the community's
potential for exposure.
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UCAMPP
will:
1) characterize the spatial resolution of local air toxics;
2) determine concentration gradients;
3) identify source signatures from various land use(s);
4) evaluate modeling results using monitoring data;
5) field test new sampling and analyses techniques for air toxics that are
currently difficult to quantify;
6) characterize the concerns of an Environmental Justice (EJ) community;
7) provide information and develop tools so that the New Jersey Department
of Environmental Protection (NJ DEP) and the local community can better
address exposure and risk issues related to air toxics; and
8) identify risk reduction strategies. This study will serve as a pilot
project and provide valuable information that can be applied to other communities
around the state and the nation.
Paterson City (Paterson) in Passaic County, NJ, was chosen for this project
because it is a mixed-use urban community with high population density and
has all the characteristics of an environmental justice community. The NJDEP
has existing programs that are addressing some of the air toxics problems
in this community including a Compliance & Enforcement Initiative, an
air toxics risk evaluation (a NJDEP contribution to UCAMPP) and a PM2.5
monitor. The NJDEP has committed to providing additional resources, e.g.,
the staff time needed for data management/assessment and a portion of sample
collection and analyses.
UCAMPP identified a suite of air toxics from an initial
NJ emissions inventory and from the targeted compounds from the grant
solicitation. Three monitoring sites have been identified which target
specific land use types, i.e., industrial, commercial and mobile. A background
site has also been identified. Sampling frequency will be every six days
over the course of a year and is slated to begin either in November of
2005.
The NJDEP will partner with the Environmental Occupational
Health Science Institute (EOHSI). Researchers at EOSHI have developed
new and advanced techniques for measuring air toxics e.g., acrolein and
hexavalent chromium. EOHSI will donate some of the equipment and the personnel
necessary for sample collection, a portion of the sample/data analyses,
and a small pilot study to field-test their new methods.
UCAMPP is also partnering
with the Paterson Public Schools
District (District). T he
District has agreed to allow UCAMPP
to place air toxics monitoring equipment
at two of their public schools,
i.e., PS#2 & PS#10, to capture
mobile and industrial source oriented
emissions, respectively. These two
locations are nestled in residential
areas and will serve as a platform
that will allow the NJDEP to determine
what the citizens residing and working
in the neighborhood around the schools
are being exposed to. High school
student interns will participate
as part of their science education.
Dr. Bonanno will incorporate an
educational component for the students
which will explain what air toxics
are, health effects, how they are
regulated, risk reduction strategies
and employment opportunities.
This study will benefit many different areas including
but not limited to:
• technical/scientific (e.g., the field testing of new techniques
and analytic procedures);
• regulatory (e.g., evaluation of modeling results with monitoring
data);
• enforcement (e.g., possible identification of facilities out of
compliance) and community-based, rather than facility-based, characterization
of air toxics;
• social (e.g., through community outreach and education, addressing
the concerns of an Environmental Justice Community, employment opportunities
for students); and
• risk reduction.
UCAMPP also
has a community outreach component. The NJDEP plans to meet with various
community groups and organizations to explain the project in more detail
and to find out the concerns of community members related to air toxics.
If you or your community group/organization would like to meet with the
NJDEP about UCAMPP, please contact Dr. Linda Bonanno at (609) 984-9480
or email her at linda.bonanno@dep.state.nj.us.
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Related web sites for Paterson NJ
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Office
of Science
Dr. Gary A. Buchanan, Manager
428 East State Street
P.O. Box 409
Trenton, NJ 08625
Phone: (609) 984-6070
Fax: (609) 777-2852
For Information regarding
this site, please contact Terri
Tucker. |
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