A Combined Citizen Science—Modelling Approach for NO2 Assessment in Torino Urban Agglomeration

Abstract

<jats:p>The #CHEARIATIRA citizen science campaign was developed in February 2019 in Torino (western part of the Po Valley megacity region). The aim of the campaign was public engagement with measuring NO2 concentrations in an urban area that often exceeds air quality standards. NO2 diffusion tubes were employed by citizens under our supervision. In this paper, we present the main outcomes of a combined approach between the #CHEARIATIRA campaign and the urban dispersion model SIRANE. The results were validated against the available public Air Quality Monitoring Stations (AQMS). The citizens’ passive samplers and the modelled data show a good response in central districts both during the campaign interval and by annual projection. Traffic hotspots and sensitive receptors (schools, hospital) have high concentrations of NO2. Most of the study area (83% of the tubes) is subject to an increased risk of premature death according to epidemiological literature.</jats:p>

An Early Beginning of Citizen Science: Adolescents Experiencing Urban Energy Usages and Air Pollution

“…Not to mention, the top concentrations we measured in at least a third of cases in the northeast area of Rome; for instance, the demonstrated existing correlation between Roman air pollution and respiratory diseases [33,34], or myocardial infarction [35], were obtained referring to mean values of CO, SO 2 and NO x that were less than half of those measured ten years before their studies. In addition, similar conclusions on the effects on human health have been obtained in other Italian cities, referring to pollutant concentrations of the same order of magnitude [28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38]. The works of other authors are more recent and refer to a socio-political context in which pollution has already been the subject of legislation aimed at its reduction.…”

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“…In this sense, community participation is crucial. A community science campaign (#CHEARIATIRA) was carried out in February 2019 in Torino (Italy) [4], with the aim of engaging the public in measuring NO 2 concentrations in an urban area that often exceeds air quality standards. NO 2 diffusion tubes were employed by the community under the supervision of the authors of the study.…”