Air Quality Monitor Lending Program
Do you want to know more about the air you breathe everyday?
We care about air!
We all depend on clean air to breathe. But air pollution from factories, cars, and wildfires can cause respiratory problems, heart issues, and other health concerns, especially for vulnerable communities in cities. With the rise in factors that worsen air pollution, we want to ensure that Bridgeport’s air continues to stay healthy for all residents.
Air monitors, like the one pictured here, measure levels of harmful particles in the air, and help us understand how healthy the air is where we live. Through the Air Quality Monitoring Program, we are loaning monitors to residents of Bridgeport to guide our efforts planting trees, targeting the areas with poor air quality. We aim to educate the community about how we can individually and collectively help ensure our city’s air is clean.
The ultimate goal? Healthy air for everyone in Bridgeport!
The PurpleAir monitor measures the level of particulate matter (PM 2.5) in your air!
Program Background
HEALTHIER AIR, HEALTHIER YOU, Healthier Bridgeport
Bridgeport, like many cities, has factories and other facilities that release pollutants into the air, like those in the West Side/West End and South End neighborhoods. To understand the extent of this pollution better, we are loaning air monitors to residents in these neighborhoods to study Bridgeport’s air quality! Community-managed air monitors will help raise public awareness of local air pollution and its potential health impacts. By working together, we can identify areas with the most pollution and develop solutions – like environmental stewardship, education, and community programs – to create a healthier city for everyone.
Starting in 2022, Groundwork Bridgeport, with PT Partners, secured funding from the Community Environmental Benefit Fund (CEBF) through the Bridgeport Environmental Task Force (ETF) to distribute 48 PurpleAir air monitors across the West Side/West End and South End. These monitors can track either indoor or outdoor air quality, helping us understand more about impacts that industrial, environmental, and personal actions have on our air quality.
The PurpleAir Map
Each circle represents an air monitor, and the number inside shows the level of Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM 2.5) at each site, using the US EPA conversion. View the full map HERE. For more information on what each air quality reading means, see the table below:
Understanding the Air Quality Index (AQI)
This table was adapted from the EPA AirNow Basics and EPA Pollution Guides
Understanding Air Quality
View the slideshow below for some information regarding air quality and pollution, an overview of this program, and the preliminary findings from our data! See the links to view more in depth information about each topic.
