In 2023, the City of Madison launched a three year initiative with UW-Madison, Public Health Madison & Dane County, Foundation for Black Women’s Wellness, The Hmong Institute, and Latino Health Council to expand and capture data on air quality across the city. The City of Madison is one of three recipients in Wisconsin to expand air quality monitoring. This project is funded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The Foundation and other community partners will leverage affinity-based community engagement strategies to ensure representative education and feedback on this project.
The air contains many substances and some of those substances can be harmful. Particulate matter (PM) in the air can lead to health and environmental effects. Studies have pointed to the fact that people of color, low income, and other systemically marginalized groups are at greater risk for exposure to air contaminants.
Negative health risks associated with hazardous particulate matter include damage to the heart and lungs. Air pollution exposure has been linked to:
Early death in people with heart or lung disease.
Irregular heartbeat.
Decreased lung function.
increased issues like troubled breathing.
Particulate matter pollution also has significant links to negative environmental and natural resources. Pollutants environmental damage impacts include:
Increased incidents of haze.
Increased acidity of lakes.
Damage to food crops and forests.
Source Health and Environmental Effects of Particulate Matter (PM) | US EPA. See US EPA for a full list of negative effects.
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