ORLANDO, Fla. – The Parramore community is getting an update on air quality, as there have been concerns about pollution causing health problems for some residents.
On Thursday, Lawanna Gelzer is hosting a community advisory meeting about air quality monitoring and data reporting.
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For people living near downtown Orlando, there have long been concerns about increased traffic leaving road dust and exhaust emissions in the air.
“Our young people, especially our children and elderly, we see a lot of people with asthma in these communities,” Gelzer said.
For more than a year, Gelzer has managed a project that has placed air monitoring devices in Parramore and 13 other communities.
The project was made possible through a $500,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency.
“We’re getting a lot of air from the southeast, and we can tell by the particulate matter what’s in that dust when it travels,” Gelzer said while demonstrating one of the devices.
Gelzer and her team received training to properly set up and monitor the equipment. The machines collect daily air quality data for up to six months and submit that information to the EPA.
She hopes the study will lead to change, including more accountability for developers and stronger protections for communities at risk.
All are welcome at Thursday’s community meeting, where data collection results will be discussed.
The meeting is from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the Callahan Neighborhood Center, located at 101 N. Parramore Ave.