Development of a method for local health jurisdictions and schools in WA to use low-cost monitors for wildfire smoke preparedness
Presented By: Orly Stampfer, University of Washington
Summary: In WA, local health jurisdictions have reached out to the WA Department of Health (DOH) for assistance with making decisions about school activity restrictions, closures, and additional air filtration needs during periods of wildfire smoke. Through the Wildfire Smoke Impacts Advisory Group of WA, which includes multiple agency, organization, and academic partners, DOH developed school closure guidance based on indoor particulate matter (PM) concentrations, but there is not an established protocol for assessing this. Variability in school building characteristics and spatial distribution of smoke present challenges to DOH and local agencies in providing guidance.
The advisory group also developed a method for local health jurisdictions and schools to use low-cost monitors to estimate their own ratio of indoor to outdoor PM concentrations over a short time period, which was pilot tested at three sites. Longer term indoor/outdoor data in locations with expected periods of high ambient PM concentrations will be used to assess how the ratio changes with variability in outdoor concentrations. This relationship will be applied to the schools’ findings, so during periods of wildfire smoke the schools may estimate indoor PM concentrations based on outdoor monitors. We will present findings based on low-cost sensor data to demonstrate how the method of indoor/outdoor ratios may be used to inform planning for clean air school environments.
Feedback from staff involved in the pilot project will help us understand facilitating factors and barriers to using the monitors, and if/how it supports schools in preparing for wildfire smoke. This project is an initial step in augmenting state agencies’ abilities to provide guidance to assist in regional community decisions about wildfire smoke and protection of children’s health, and is a work in progress. This project also explores how low-cost monitors may be useful in characterizing and mitigating exposure to PM from wildfire smoke.