Last year, America’s national parks saw more than 330 million visits, but worsening air quality is threatening visitor experience and public health.
Haze monitoring was introduced at national parks 40 years ago; however, increased wildfire activity and lingering coal power production are driving hazier conditions, especially in remote parks often closest to active fires.
Experts from the George Washington University are available to discuss the environmental and health impacts of declining air quality in national parks, as well as the broader trends behind this growing concern. If you would like to schedule an interview, please contact claire [dot] sabin
gwu [dot] edu (claire[dot]sabin[at]gwu[dot]edu) or Katelyn Deckelbaum katelyn [dot] decklebaumgwu [dot] edu (katelyn[dot]deckelbaum[at]gwu[dot]edu).
Caitlin Grady is an associate professor of engineering management and systems engineering. Grady’s research seeks to understand the connection between network models, socio-technical data, and ethical-epistemic analyses to create a more sustainable and secure environment.
Susan Anenberg, is the director of the GW Climate & Health Institute, and professor and Chair of the department of environmental and occupational health. Anenberg’s research focuses on the health implications of air pollution, including smoke from wildfires and climate change. Anenberg can discuss the benefits of staying indoors when air quality is poor and the risk of inhaling pollutants from smoke.
Kate Applebaum is an associate professor in the department of environmental and occupational health. Her research focuses on environmental and occupational exposures influencing the risk of chronic diseases.
Gaige Kerr, is a senior research scientist and professorial lecturer in the department of environmental and occupational health at the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health. He researches ambient air pollution. Projects he’s led include topics ranging from understanding the emission sources of pollution to assessing the health impacts experienced by the populations pollution impacts, with a special emphasis on understanding associated ethnoracial and socioeconomic disparities.
Dan Goldberg, an assistant research professor at the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health is an expert on climate change, environmental occupational health and global environmental health.
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