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faq
Where does the information on this website come from?
Most of the information comes from fenceline.org. Our site is different because it lets you see information from as far back as May 2015.
We also show information from air monitors set up by community members.
How do you decide what is a dangerous amount of a chemical in the air?
Different groups have different standards for unhealthy amounts of various chemicals. Air Watch Bay Area uses standards from government agencies, especially the US National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), the Agency for Toxic Substances and Diseases Registry (ATSDR), and the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA). For each chemical we measure, we use the lowest amount that is considered dangerous. In other words, we pick the strictest standards from the experts.
An air pollution event happened in my community, but the air monitors didn’t pick up anything. What happened?
Air pollution events can happen in a community but be too far from a monitor to be sensed. This can mean they don't appear on the site. What the monitors can pick up depends on where the pollution came from and the wind's speed and direction when it happened.
Why are schools and day-care centers included on the map?
Air pollution is more dangerous for certain people, including children and older people. We show schools and day-care centers on the map so people can see how air pollution will affect them and their families.
about
Air Watch is developed and maintained by the Fair Tech Collective (contact: airwatchbayarea@gmail.com) at Drexel University in collaboration with the Community Robotics, Education, and Technology Empowerment Lab at Carnegie Mellon University and concerned community members from:
Download the Smell My City App
Air Watch Bay Area is joining forces with the Smell My City app to manage your pollution odor reports. Download the Smell My City app today!
Report a Pollution Incident
(i.e. flaring, odor, residue, health symptoms)
When you report to Air Watch Bay Area, you contribute to a publicly visible "paper trail" of incidents.
Having this paper trail enables community members to hold Bay Area Air Quality Management District accountable.
If you cannot resolve this error, please take screenshots of your entire report and email airwatchbayarea@gmail.com and we will get back to you shortly!
Your submission was a success! Thank you for reporting.
Click here to make a report to the BAAQMD site.
You should also report this pollution event to BAAQMD through its website. We cannot send your report to BAAQMD.