'Pollution sniffing' van hits the streets in Metro Vancouver
A new mobile lab is helping researchers at UBC to map levels of air pollution in Metro Vancouver in real time, monitor how they change, and measure which locations are most impacted.
The Portable Laboratory for Understanding Human-Made Emissions, PLUME for short, was developed by Dr. Naomi Zimmerman and it's described as a pollution-sniffing lab on wheels.
"I'm very passionate about all air pollution sampling happening in the community, in the real world, because this is actually the air that people in our community are breathing," she said.
"I am very confident that this is really going to up the game in terms of air pollution sampling."
Zimmerman says air pollution is a linked to nine million premature deaths globally each year.
"There is no safe level of exposure to air pollution," she said. "Even at very low concentrations, there are health effects."
The van is equipped with a pump that feeds air into it constantly, that air is sampled and the information is fed into a dashboard, Zimmerman says. A UBC student serves as a "co-pilot," making in-person observations to supplement the information gathered automatically.
"What it can do is it measures a suite of both regulated air pollutants and also emerging air pollutants. It samples those air pollutants while in motion and anywhere it happens to go," she said, adding that sensors also measure wind in order to get a better idea of which direction polluted air is blowing.
Some of what it can detect includes carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, ground-level ozone, black carbon, methane, and "volatile organic compounds," according to a news release from UBC.
'IF YOU SMELL IT, REPORT IT'
Another way the van is used is to map the relationship between unpleasant smells and air pollution, Zimmerman says.
"Right now, we're sampling hotspots of odour for air pollutants," she says
PLUME is part of a project called Smell Vancouver, where anyone in the region can submit reports of unpleasant smells using an app. Zimmerman says those reports will help flag places the van should visit.
The app asks people rate how offensive the smell is and to describe it by clicking on words like "fishy, smoky, chemical, decaying animal, or rotten eggs." It also asks people whether they experienced symptoms like coughing, dizziness, nausea or headache.
LINK: https://smell-vancouver.ca/
"We're using actually a citizen-science generated map of odour hotspots to know where we should go and do some sampling," she says.
"If you smell it, report it."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.