Summer camp conjures up visions of a beautiful lake, swimming, hiking, playing with friends, and an escape from the hustle-bustle and pollution of urban life. In part due to human-caused climate change, 2023 has set records for both high global temperatures as well as wildfires in Canada. These idyllic summer camp settings are no longer out of reach of significant air pollution.

Government agencies maintain a network of ground-based air pollution monitors, mostly based in urban areas, to track the National Ambient Air Quality Standards and calculate the Air Quality Index (AQI). Outside of urban areas, it’s harder to get “real-time” air pollution readings.

Summer camps involve children participating in sometimes strenuous outdoor activities, and there are recommendations for limiting physical activity when air quality is poor. But how do we know that air quality is deteriorating? This is the question that Dr. Andy Beck, of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and Cincinnati Children’s, posed to the Community Engagement Core. Dr. Beck spends part of his summer working at a summer camp in a rural area far away from US EPA air pollution monitors. The Community Engagement Core provided him with an AirBeam3 to use at the camp to provide real-time PM2.5 measurements. He was also provided with air pollution health information from US EPA. Dr. Beck noted that, “the ability to measure air quality on site, in real time, helped guide our programming day by day. We were able to determine when strenuous activities were unsafe, protecting our kids and staff. We were so grateful to be able to bring this data-driven approach to a camp environment we hold dear.”

In the future, we’re planning to adapt our “make your own air pollution sensor” project with the Cincinnati Museum Center to a new audience, summer camp (and campers) in rural areas since climate change knows no boundaries.