Understanding Air Pollution: How to Get the Facts You Need

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Join the Environmental Health Project (EHP) and Sierra Club Connecticut on Thursday, November 13, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., online via Zoom, for an overview of resources and tools that can help communities to better understand the impacts that oil and gas facilities have on local air quality and health. EHP staff will show attendees step-by-step how to use the following tools:

• Compounds of Concern: a searchable, interactive database of the symptoms and health impacts associated with chemical compounds commonly found in industrial air pollution. This tool can help those living near polluting facilities to understand what compound(s) may be causing their individual health symptoms, and to help advocates understand the health risks linked to air pollutants emitted from facilities.
  

• AirView Public: a free tool that displays and analyzes data from community air monitoring projects. It allows the public to explore air quality readings in their community, identify pollution events, and see whether pollution events are widespread or local. It can help users understand whether a health event like a headache or asthma attack happened during a time of poor air quality. AirView Public can also help users see the impact of industrial activity they notice in their community.

Speaker Bios

Talor Musil is the Field Manager at the Environmental Health Project, where she leads place-based initiatives to protect communities from oil and gas development. As a macro social worker, she is dedicated to community and system change that advances social, environmental, and racial justice. Her career has focused on reducing environmental exposures in the built and natural environment. She formerly served as the Health Policy Manager at Women for a Healthy Environment and the Coordinator of the Cancer and Environment Network of Southwestern Pennsylvania. She has a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) from Calvin University and a Master of Social Work (MSW) with a concentration in Community, Organization, and Social Action from the University of Pittsburgh.

Jackson Zeiler is the Public Health Analyst at the Environmental Health Project, where he works to gather and disseminate complex public health research to impacted communities. He received his Master of Public Health (MPH) from Columbia University, specializing in environmental health policy. Much of his graduate work looked at the costs and benefits of community-level climate change adaptation strategies, including energy transitions, regulatory frameworks, and community resiliency. Jackson has extensive experience translating emerging scientific literature and research into accessible formats. Prior to EHP, he worked with an organization specializing in climate change health communication. He also worked as an intern at the Federal Emergency Management Agency Region 2, assisting with data analysis and research reviews on vegetative waste management in Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria.

Sarra Bridges is the Northeast Project Coordinator at the Environmental Health Project. She supports communities with oil and gas infrastructure in the northeast by enhancing public understanding of the health impacts of oil and gas development, and by sharing strategies for working toward a healthier environment. Sarra received a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in biology with a concentration in neuroscience from Colby College. She also earned a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Environmental Health Sciences, as well as a Master of Science (MS) in Environment and Sustainability with a focus on Environmental Justice from the University of Michigan. During graduate school, Sarra sought to understand how environmental factors impact health, why some communities are disproportionately burdened, and pathways towards a more just, sustainable, and healthy future for all. Sarra rejoins EHP, having been a summer Environmental Health Fellow. Among her other previous roles, Sarra was a community health coordinator for tobacco and obesity prevention programs at Healthy Acadia in Maine, and a program associate focusing on environmental health and justice policy at Clean+Healthy in New York State.

This is a free event. Registration is required. Please click here to register now.