Monitoring air quality near Kitchener schools
Laurier study will begin this summer to assess how idling vehicles impact air quality near a vulnerable population
KITCHENER — A collaborative research project between the City of Kitchener and Wilfrid Laurier University will monitor air pollution near a handful of local schools to compare the slower summer months with the busier school year and help assess how idling vehicles impact air pollution.
WLU researcher Hind Al-Abadleh has received a $50,000 grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada to install five remote monitoring stations in the city — one near four different schools and one near Victoria Park.
They will measure nitrogen dioxide (which can irritate the lungs and damage plants or crops), particulate matter (which can damage the lungs and airways), and carbon dioxide (a major contributor to global warming). The project is in partnership with environmental consultant Hemmera Envirochem Inc.
Her hypothesis is they will see a spike in pollutant levels during pickup and drop-off times at schools.
“If we can provide data that shows an increase in pollutants during these times, it could help speed up the electrification of the transit system,” Al-Abadleh said in an interview.
It could also encourage parents to either invest in electric vehicles themselves or ditch their car altogether in favour of walking or cycling to school every day with their kids.
The researcher said studying the air quality around schools is particularly important since students spend so much of their day there.
Depending on the results, the City of Kitchener may also consider revising vehicle idling bylaws and develop new practices and programming with regional partners to help minimize student exposure to pollutants.
The study will help the city by “generating science-based, real-time climate data that community members can visualize and interact with as we work toward building a healthier community for all residents,” said Claire Bennett, corporate sustainability officer at the City of Kitchener.
The Waterloo Region District School Board said it is supportive of the project as it aligns with staff and student wellness goals, along with overall sustainability.
“We are very interested in seeing the results of this study and leveraging them for educational (and) school programming opportunities,” said the school board in a statement to The Record.
The World Health Organization has called air pollution a “silent killer” that contributes to the premature death of an estimated seven million people every year, including 600,000 children.
Last month, regional council voted in favour of a plan to no longer buy buses powered exclusively by diesel engines starting next year. Six electric buses will be purchased in 2022, and five in 2023.
And while it’s still unclear if traffic around schools will be back to normal this fall due to the pandemic, Al-Abadleh said she’s optimistic it will and the data will be an accurate reflection of typical vehicle activity.
The researcher has also partnered with U.S.-based air-quality firm Ambilabs, which will provide the monitoring stations that can be mounted on nearby telephone poles. The monitoring stations are expected to be installed in July or early August.
The exact locations of the four stations have not yet been determined, and the fifth will be positioned near the provincial air monitoring station just outside Victoria Park so the data from the two stations can be compared by researchers.
Al-Abadleh was shocked to learn this region has just one provincial air monitoring station.
“We need more,” she said.
Her ultimate goal is to create a network of backyard air-monitoring stations with citizen scientists to create real-time pollution maps that give people the information to make decisions about their outdoor activities based on pollution levels at specific times and locations.
The model has been adopted in major cities like London, Paris and San Francisco, but none in Canada.