Physics & Engineering Physics Colloquium

Join us for a presentation from Stephen Holler, Ph.D., chair and professor of physics and engineering physics, as he presents “FRESH Air: Beyond Particulate Matter”.

The Fordham Regional Environmental Sensor for Healthy Air (FRESH Air) brings together the university community and the Bronx community to monitor and discuss air pollution that adversely affects the city’s poorest borough. Disparities in pollution exposure cut along socio-economic lines and lead to disparities in health outcomes. The Bronx has the highest rates of asthma in New York City and accounts for 24% of all asthma-related deaths statewide. Chronic exposure to high levels of particulate matter (PM), especially fine PM, can lead to inflammation and the development of respiratory and cardiovascular disease. However, harmful pollution comes in more varieties than just PM. Methane, the principal component in natural gas used for cooking and heating, is not only a potent greenhouse gas but also a precursor to ground-level ozone, which can exacerbate asthma and other respiratory diseases. More than 4,300 asthma-related emergency department visits occur each year in New York City (32% of those cases originate in the Bronx), costing no less than $2.3 million. Our recent expansion of FRESH Air maps methane concentrations around NYC, with a primary focus on the Bronx. In addition to a background level at least 5% greater than the global mean atmospheric methane (GMAM) level, we note areas that are consistently 20% greater than the GMAM. This presentation will focus on the distributed methane measurements and corresponding PM measurements, and their impacts.