Fresh Approaches to Air Quality

The quality of the air we breathe, both indoors and out, is thrown into question as the 21st century unfolds. From world-class research to new systems development, New York’s independent colleges and universities are navigating our way to healthier air.

New York may boast among the most comprehensive and stringent air pollution control programs in the country, yet the latest data show a crosscurrent of wins and losses. A recent EPA assessment confirms that our residents breathe the dirtiest air in the nation. Another shows a welcome 82 percent decrease in air pollution indoors – mainly as a result of the state’s pioneering 2003 Clean Indoor Air Act.

Within all this lie the efforts of New York’s independent colleges and universities to make our environments healthier, more comfortable, and more efficient. Scientists at New York University (NYU) School of Medicine, for example, are coming closer to understanding how air pollution damages the body’s blood vessels. Previous studies have linked air pollution to cardiovascular disease, but the NYU researchers have been able to pinpoint specific mechanisms that cause pollution to harden, narrow, and clog arteries – and lead to heart disease.

The University of Rochester Medical Center, a national leader in the study of how the tiniest airborne particles harm the lungs and blood vessels, is also at work on this link. In fact, the center is using $8 million awarded by the EPA to identify the sources of the finest particles of air pollution, characterize their health effects, and provide the government with information that could change the regulation of these particles.

Most importantly, studies such as these may lead to further EPA regulation to reduce the amount of airborne dust, soot, and smoke allowed. Preliminary estimates point to 60,000 premature deaths every year in the United States due to these microsopic particles. While researchers know that particulate matter in the air comes from coal-burning power plants, factories, vehicles, and other burning fuels, much more needs to be documented.

At nearby Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), engineers are joining forces with public policy and marketing experts to create a new approach to studying American pollution-control policies. Aided by a $100,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, the RIT team will provide a better understanding of the effects of automotive greenhouse-gas policies on efficiency and pollution levels. Researchers hope the result of this study will improve the effectiveness of environmental regulations in the U.S. and, says lead investigator James Winebrake, “ultimately assist in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.


Also underway at RIT are the development and licensing of new systems to help fight air pollution at its source. One of the most promising technologies is a self-regenerating particulate trap for diesel emissions a significant source of unhealthy soot. Other RIT initiatives include the development of a New York State Pollution Prevention Institute. The proposed institute will deliver on-site technical assistance to manufacturers and industry clusters statewide, sharing its pollution-prevention research and technology.

Recording emissions and predicting the resulting pollution concentrations is the work of Professor Scott Lowe in the Department of Environmental Engineering at Manhattan College. Aided by a grant from the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council, Lowe is conducting an air quality model of metropolitan New York – a crucial first-step toward controlling the city’s transportation-related pollution.

In different corners of the state, campuses are working together to address local air quality issues. Pace University teamed up with The Hudson River Valley Institute at Marist College in March to present a regional conference discussing the environmental, health, and economic benefits of cleaner air, fuels and technology. The public forum focused on real-world, achievable solutions and included discussions of proposed regional legislation.

An Inside Look

We are spending more and more time indoors where levels of pollution are highest, say researchers. Called “built environments” by scientists and engineers, our houses, schools, cars, and offices cradle many chemical and biological pollutants that can harm our health. Some seem innocuous: New furniture and carpets. Others are well-documented carcinogens, such as tobacco smoke and cleaning products. In all, the multiple components that make up our breathing space produce a cocktail of health threats.

A vital leader in addressing indoor air quality is Syracuse University. Here, in the heart of a region rich in environmental research and related industry, a new $170 million Center of Excellence (CoE) in Environmental Systems will house labs and business incubator space. The Syracuse CoE, a federation of more than 70 partner institutions, will be a high-performance green building dedicated to exploring the impact of indoor and urban environments on human health. Its goal, according to Associate Director Suresh Santanam, is ambitious: “to learn how to create indoor environments that allow people to leave their workplaces at the end of the day with a sense of energy, well-being, and enthusiasm.”

Among research efforts already underway are the identification and elimination of asthma-triggers in indoor environments as well as exploring safer methods for lead-dust containment and removal. Pace University in Manhattan is also involved in Syracuse CoE, testing innovative air purification systems. A pioneering feature of the new center will be the Total Indoor Environmental Quality Lab. The state-of-the-art facility will provide a controlled space for studying the relationship between air quality and productivity. From thermal comfort to lighting quality to human activity, all aspects of an indoor environment can be simulated to yield more effective measurements than are possible in an actual workplace.

Building Green, Breathing Easy

Leaders in the “green building” movement point to the remarkable effects of environmentally-responsible design: children in “green” schools score about 20 percent higher on tests than the norm; patients in “green” hospitals go home two and a half days earlier than average; workers in “green” factories show higher levels of productivity and fewer injuries. These eye-opening statistics are culled from an array of research-supporting organizations, such as Carnegie Mellon University, the EPA Office of Indoor Air, and the American Lung Association.

Many structures around New York State are designed and built with energy efficiency in mind, including new and renovated facilities on many Independent Sector campuses. The designs are often unique, the technology sophisticated, and both form and function are remarkable – but the goal is the same: to protect our natural resources, take only what we need, use and reuse responsibly, and create buildings that work for people and the environment. For more information about how independent colleges and universities are “Building with a Conscience”

visit: http://capwiz.com/cicu/go/ GreenBuildings.