Greening Camden Educating, Empowering, and Enriching Communities for Climate Action and Cleaner Air

Status: Ongoing

Funding Agency: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Abstract: 

This project will correlate indoor with outdoor air quality through installation of paired, low-cost sensors (PurpleAir) centered on four polluting sites with three concentric circles extending from these sites in Camden NJ. The research team will assess cumulative health outcomes (hospitalizations, comorbidities, ER visits, healthcare utilization through Cooper University Health Care’s electronic medical record), perceptions of health, perceptions of climate impacts on health, and psychometrics (stress, anxiety, pain), along with focus groups and interviews. Health information will also be correlated with proximity to polluting sites. Residents will be recruited through neighborhood organizations and from community members who will be reimbursed by recruiting others. Public education on air quality and health will be offered through virtual public education sessions stored on an online portal and health fairs (with air purifiers and air-cleansing plant giveaways). We have partnered with Camden Community Partnership to offer education and giveaways at their monthly fairs from spring to fall across the city. We will work with a Camden art gallery to host an environmental justice-focused exhibition in year 1-2. The research outcome of this project is to identify differences in indoor and outdoor air with varying proximities to polluting sites, including variance in the built environment (green cover/impervious surfaces). Health outcomes and psychometrics (surveys, interviews, focus groups) for residents living within these concentric orbits will be assessed and correlated with socioeconomic analysis. A public-facing dashboard with results will be created.

Investigators: Dr. Jagadish Torlapati, PhD., Dr. Mahbubur Meenar, PhD.

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