​​The San Francisco program was implemented by Brightline Defense, an environmental justice nonprofit providing direct services and supporting policy advocacy for Eastern San Francisco. Founded in 2006, Brightline has a deep history working on environmental justice issues, including job training, air quality, and clean energy advocacy in coalition with community organizations, government agencies, and community leaders.

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For years, San Francisco residents and community groups have been concerned with poor air quality, especially in neighborhoods lined by highways, congested intersections, and industrial sites. Residents in the Eastern San Francisco communities of the Tenderloin, South of Market (SoMa), Bayview Hunters Point, and Chinatown were previously unmonitored at a neighborhood level for poor air quality, while being disproportionately burdened with pollution during poor air quality events. 

 

Community Air Quality Concerns

• Proximity highway traffic

• Congested roadways

• High concentration of industrial sites

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In 2020, to address community concerns and better characterize the air pollution, Brightline teamed up with Clarity Monitoring Inc. to install 19 Clarity Node-S sensors in Bayview-Hunters Point, SoMa, the Tenderloin, and Chinatown to deliver community-level air quality readings for frontline communities. 

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After 5 years of monitoring, Brightline re-deployed its air quality monitoring network to include Black Carbon, a contaminant associated with heavy-duty truck traffic. Brightline then consolidated its network to 10 Clarity Node-S and AethLabs Black Carbon Monitors. As for the location of the sensors, Brightline chose to keep the sites relatively near the 2020 deployment locations, with some changes to address new community concerns and monitor safety. Here’s what we learned from the re-deployment:

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Program Challenges

• Technical limitations — air monitors limited to PM2.5 and NO2, which did not cover community concerns

• Limited, inconsistent, short-term grant-based funding which impacts the ability to maintain air monitoring subscriptions

• Community skepticism due to historic inaction on air quality concerns

• Low participation of community members

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When establishing community air quality monitoring networks, selecting the appropriate air quality sensor that aligns with the community’s pollution issues is essential. AQCBA opted for Clarity Node-S sensors due to their affordability, reliability, and ease of installation. However, these sensors are limited to monitoring PM2.5 and NO2, which restricts our ability to fully assess the air pollution concerns raised by community members. While the data they provide is valuable and free, it does not help us identify pollution sources, a common limitation in community air quality monitoring.

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Limited or short-term funding can also constrain air quality monitoring projects. The monitoring duration is crucial for generating quality assessments of air quality data within each region. Consequently, obtaining long-term grant-based funding to extend monitor usage beyond 12 months will not only enhance community confidence in the network but also serve as a trustworthy data source.

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Community participation in these projects thrives, and would likely increase further if community members received stipends for their contributions. Rise South City successfully leveraged gift cards for their second needs assessment workshop, resulting in high attendance, particularly from families who might not have been able to attend otherwise. Future funding considerations should include community stipends as a significant resource to further engage community members.

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Recommendations

• Secure funding for community stipends to incentivize participation

• Capitalize on existing community partnerships to support outreach and implementation

• Co-develop and deploy sensors with community leaders who know the area best and may support outreach, building trust in the community, and providing alternatives for siting

• Co-develop a draft site-deployment plan with air quality data analysts or academic institutions to gather recommendations on optimal siting, and ensure quality data will be collected

• Create a game plan for deployment, including testing equipment beforehand, assembling any tools necessary for installation, and contacting the appropriate organizations for access to buildings/ rooftops, etc.