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Data Collection & Analysis

EHP collects, analyzes, and presents shale gas exposure information that informs frontline communities and empowers them to advocate for ending or mitigating harmful emissions.

Our data collection and analysis work includes:
 

  • employing the Environmental HealthWatch Model,

  • analyzing air quality trends, public health risks, and pollution sources in the AirView Pro app in enrolled HealthWatch communities and fee-for-service projects, 

  • connecting communities with existing air monitors to our public-facing community pollution reporting app, AirView Public,

  • conducting data reviews and analyses in frontline communities collecting data, and

  • performing atmospheric and dispersion modeling in communities with existing or planned shale gas infrastructure, including our HYSPLIT dispersion maps communities can access by submitting a simple form. 

For more information on our data collection and analysis work, contact EHP by email to info@environmentalhealthproject.org or by phone at 724-260-5504.

A list of resources from EHP and other organizations is available here.

Map of the United States with blue green bullseyes over locations in southern California, New Mexico, Colorado, Louisianna, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York

Most of our data collection and analysis work takes place in northern Appalachia and the Northeast, but EHP has supported communities across the country.

A man speaks at a podium to the right of a table covered with a blue cloth that reads UCDAVIS Air Quality Research Center. A woman in a long skirt and pink cardigan stands between the podium and the table. A woman sitting at the table has her eyes closed.

EHP Program Manager Nathan Deron presents EHP's analysis tools and approaches to the 2026 Air Sensors International Conference in Los Angeles.

EHP AirView: A Community Pollution Reporting App

EHP has built and continues to develop tools for the communities in which we work. One of these tools, AirView Public, allows community members to view the data collected by existing air monitors, explore pollution trends, and identify likely pollution sources. Communities with existing air monitors are invited to use AirView Public to explore their air quality data and understand ways local conditions may impact their health.
 

Advocacy organizations interested in exploring long-term trends and accessing enhanced air quality analysis features in AirView Pro should contact communityscience@environmentalhealthproject.org for more information on licensing agreements.

HYSPLIT Air Pollution Modeling

EHP uses the NOAA HYSPLIT model to produce custom maps showing where air pollution emitted directly from facilities will likely end up over time. These maps help communities understand which neighborhoods could be most exposed to air pollution from existing and/or proposed facilities. Dispersion maps inform community outreach strategies and help local decisionmakers understand multi-community impacts from proposed facilities.

EHP created HYSPLIT Air Pollution models for the communities listed here. If your community is not listed, and you would like to request a HYSPLIT model for proposed or existing facility, please fill out this form. EHP staff will follow up with you.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Environmental HealthWatch Model

EHP’s Environmental HealthWatch Model allows communities to determine the extent of extreme episodic exposures occurring in the vicinity of local oil and gas operations or other industrial facilities in order to assess their local health risks. This local monitoring component is crucial because these exposures are known to cause harm to the respiratory, cardiovascular, and neurological systems, as well as impair the development of infants and children. Evidence of these periodic, high-intensity exposures demonstrates how current air regulations fall short of protecting affected communities.

Current Projects

2025 Northern Appalachia HealthWatch Cohort

EHP’s most recent HealthWatch cohort in Appalachia includes two Allegheny County communities and one community near Salt Fork State Park in Ohio. All three communities installed PurpleAir monitoring networks near fracking well pads in various stages of development. EHP provides data analysis and health education to local community organizers and affected community members to inform their advocacy for health protections.

Delaware and Chester Counties, PA

Since the summer of 2025, EHP has provided support to EPA-funded monitoring activities conducted by Clean Air Council. This monitoring focuses on VOC and PM2.5 emissions along the I-95 corridor south of Philadelphia. The main facilities of concern include refineries along the Delaware River.

Cameron Parish, LA

In December 2025, the Community for Louisiana’s Enhanced Air Response (CLEAR) began monitoring particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxides, ozone, and methane in a Gulf South community facing a rapid oil and gas buildout, including LNG processing and exports. EHP supports Habitat Recovery Project with this initiative by analyzing the data collected by four high quality monitors using our AirView app, training community organizers and fisherfolk on how to find and interpret the data, and providing in-depth reports and presentations on air quality trends and their associated public health risks.

Connecticut

Compressor stations, pipelines, power plants, and other gas-powered facilities are significant contributors to air quality concerns across Connecticut. EHP participates in policy advocacy initiatives led by the No Pipeline Expansions Northeast (NOPE Northeast) coalition and provides technical assistance to local and statewide campaigns.

2024 New York State HealthWatch Cohort

In late 2024, EHP launched a HealthWatch cohort in New York State. EHP continues to support these communities with ongoing data analysis and technical assistance in their advocacy efforts to slow, stop, and prevent pollution.

The community-based organization, Seneca Lake Guardian, and volunteer citizen scientists in Seneca Falls and Waterloo, NY installed air monitors near a large landfill and “gas-to-energy” facility. Information from their monitoring network helped community members living near the site to understand their exposure to fine particulate matter and VOCs. While this project does not measure the signature pollution from landfills (e.g., methane emissions, hydrogen sulfide), it compliments other monitoring projects that did measure those pollutants and provided recommendations to neighbors to reduce their exposure to pollution.

Volunteers living in and near Clymer, NY surrounded a compressor station with their PurpleAir monitors. As expected, short-term episodic exposures to pollution have been identified since data collection began in 2024.

 

Beaver County, PA

EHP collaborates on several air monitoring projects in the Beaver area to assess general air quality and contributions from local emitters, including a petrochemical facility, railroad, gas pipeline, and other industrial sites. EHP provides data analysis and interpretation support to the AirSense project and Project SPOTlight. Both projects installed high-quality air monitors in the river valley. Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community (BCMAC) and the Breathe Project lead these projects, respectively. 

Westmoreland County, PA

In 2024, EHP supported Protect PT, a community-based organization, with their Clean Air for All (CAFA) study. This EPA-funded air monitoring project focuses on communities that are likely impacted by air pollution from facilities in Westmoreland and Allegheny Counties. The facilities of focus include the Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill, Monessen Coke Works (Cleveland Cliffs), and Plum Injection Well (Sedat Injection Well). This study uses PurpleAir monitors to measure particulate matter pollution and one Summa canister and SPod deployment systems near each facility to measure volatile organic compounds.

Brooke County, WV and Jefferson County, OH

In 2024, four high-quality Sensit SPod air monitors were installed near Follansbee, WV and Mingo Junction and Jefferson County, OH to understand local pollution trends from shale gas and steelmaking operations. EHP works in collaboration with FracTracker Alliance and CMU CREATE Lab to analyze continuous and sampling data by producing community reports every six months. EHP also participates in a Follansbee-based working group that is pushing back against proposals for more fossil fuel pollution and uplifting community members’ desires for alternatives.

Allegheny County, PA

EHP supports a variety of air monitoring and environmental health initiatives in Allegheny County. Our tools help community members and collaborating organizations understand the health risks associated with exposure to air pollution from shale gas and other fossil fuel facilities. One of these projects includes Group Against Smog & Pollution’s Allegheny County Community Air Monitoring Project, which monitors air quality near Neville Island, the Mon Valley, and Uptown Pittsburgh.

Washington County, PA

Since 2020, EHP has worked with residents of Smith Township in Washington County, PA and collaborating organizations to monitor PM2.5 and tVOC pollution in relation to nearby wells, cryogenic facilities, and compressor stations. Mostly recently, EHP participated in an EPA-funded air monitoring and sampling project with Environmental Integrity Project, FracTracker, and the CMU CREATE Lab. This EPA project will conclude in summer 2026 and is intended to inform regulatory decisions about local monitoring protocols and public health agency strategies.

Past Projects

Youngstown, OH (Mahoning County)

EHP authored a baseline air quality report for the local community group, SOBE Concerned Citizens, to inform the Youngstown City Council’s 2025 decision to extend a moratorium on pyrolysis development. EHP analyzed one year of data from a network of PurpleAir monitors to assess the city’s existing pollution burden. EHP’s data analysis found that Youngstown could not accommodate new sources of pollution without risking an impact on the health and well-being of community members. EHP recommended a continued moratorium on pyrolysis development in Youngstown, Ohio, which was approved in November 2025.

 

Petrochemical Developments in the Ohio River Valley Story Map

An overview of the petrochemical buildout in Southwestern Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia as of Summer 2024. Click here to view the story map.

2022 Southwest Pennsylvania HealthWatch Cohort

EHP launched our third HealthWatch cohort in 2022 in collaboration with Protect PT, Center for Coalfield Justice, and Mountain Watershed Association. These organizations helped recruit air monitoring hosts and installed four monitors near the following facilities: the Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill and Max Environmental Landfill in Westmoreland County, PA and the McIntosh Compressor Station in Union Township, PA.

2021 New York HealthWatch Cohort

EHP installed low-cost community air monitors in Putnum County and Dutchess County to assess air quality near compressor stations and a gas-fired power plant.

Westmoreland County, PA

From 2021 to 2024, EHP worked with Citizens to Protect Ligonier Valley and local volunteers to monitor PM2.5 and VOCs in the Ligonier community. This study included 10 PurpleAir and 10 Airviz monitors. The results will serve as a baseline for advocates should any further oil and gas development be proposed.

2020 New York HealthWatch Cohort 

EHP hosted five sets of monitors—including both PM2.5 and VOC monitoring devices—in Slate Hill in Orange County, NY, working closely with two local groups, Sustainable Warwick and Protect Orange County. There are several emitters in this area, including the CPV Valley Energy Center and the Minisink compressor station.

Medina County, OH

From 2019 to 2021, EHP provided Medina residents with PM2.5 and tVOC monitoring, as well as chemical sampling. We have conducted health surveys of individuals living near the Wadsworth Compressor Station.

Allegheny County, PA

EHP hosted community meetings with collaborating organizations to identify locations for local monitoring projects surrounding shale gas development infrastructure across the county. In North Braddock and McKees Rocks specifically, EHP contributed to regional shifts in public perception and understanding of the health impacts of oil and gas development by providing information for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's public hearing on the proposed well at the Edgar Thompson Works. EHP also canvassed residential areas in McKees Rocks to educate residents on the MRIE frac sand facility site and its role in localized air pollution.

Buckingham County, VA

In 2018 and 2019, EHP worked with Friends of Buckingham to place air quality monitors and conduct health surveys in a historically Black community that was slated to have a new compressor station built near their town. Friends of Buckingham successfully fought to have the permit for the compressor station overturned in federal court in January 2020.

Burlington County, NJ

In 2018 and 2019, EHP worked with a task force associated with the town of Chesterfield to conduct a community science project involving baseline air monitoring and health surveys in response to a new compressor station.

Sandoval County, NM

In 2018 and 2019, EHP worked with Sierra Club member Teresa Seamster and the Navajo Nation to provide air monitoring in a region of oil and gas wells. Local Navajo conducted health surveys and health impact assessments in collaboration with the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. They continue to fight for the cease of new oil and gas development in their region.

Kern County, CA

In 2016 and 2017, EHP conducted health and air and water quality monitoring in Lost Hills.

Chemung, Delaware, Duchess, Madison, Montgomery, Niagara, Orange, Rensselaer, Schoharie, Sullivan, and Tompkins Counties, NY

EHP has worked in the state of New York since 2014, serving residents in 12 communities. Ten of these communities hosted compressor stations that were slated for expansion or were anticipating new compressor station development. One of these communities successfully negotiated with the pipeline company to upgrade equipment to reduce dangerous pollutants.

Washington County, PA

We began our work in Washington County in 2012. For nearly 10 years, we have collaborated with Washington County families, residents, and health professionals to defend their health — and their patients' health — against the impacts of shale gas development. Of our accomplishments in Washington County, a notable moment for our organization was the 2019 community meeting we held in Canonsburg, where more than 200 community members met to discuss childhood cancers in the area. This meeting propelled a movement to open discussions on the topic and encouraged local residents to advocate for further conducted research and policy changes.

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