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LOCAL
Tri-County claims funds for Love My Air program
BY LUKE ZARZECKI LZARZECKI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The Environmental Protection Agency announced on Nov. 3 that $403,996 will be awarded to the Tri-County Health Department for their community air monitoring network.
“Tri-County Health Department is excited to be awarded a grant from the EPA for $403,996 to continue and expand the Love My Air program across Adams and Arapahoe Counties,” Environmental Health Director Brian Hlavacek said.
The money comes from the Infl ation Reduction Act and the American Rescue Plan. TriCounty Health Department is one of 132 air monitoring projects across the country that received funds.
According to a news release from the EPA, the chosen projects are in communities “that are underserved, historically marginalized, and overburdened by pollution.”
Hlavacek said the department has 20 sensors that detect PM 2.5, which is particulate matter 30 times smaller than a strand of hair. With these funds, they hope to increase the amount of sensors to 26.
The pollutant lodges deep inside the lungs and causes severe health problems like asthma, chronic bronchitis and heart disease. Common sources include wildfi res, construction, vehicle emissions and heavy industry.
The sensors are placed at a number of schools, libraries and parks. They track the data and those who host the sensors can use the data, possibly in programming or classes, or awareness.
They were initially funded in the fall of 2019 since air quality is a big concern. The idea was for the data to be available to residents and entities to eventually lead to informed decisions such as policy changes.
“We work regionally to try to get the education out there around air pollution,” he said.
VIRUS
FROM PAGE 1
the news conference to warn parents and urge vaccinations after watching levels, especially for RSV, spike in recent weeks.
While RSV, which stands for respiratory syncytial virus, causes mild symptoms in most people, it can cause severe illness or even death in young children and older adults. Of the 554 people who have been hospitalized in the Denver area in the last few weeks, 95% were children. Health offi cials have counted 144 outbreaks statewide at schools and child care centers.
Infants and children under age 2 are most at risk for dangerous cases of RSV, as are people over age 65 or with lung issues. Colorado is seeing “unprecedented levels” of RSV transmission, said state epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy.
She asked people to get vaccinated, both for the fl u and COVID-19, and to stay home if they are sick, even with mild symptoms.
“A mild infection in me or you can translate to a life-threatening infection to a young child or an older adult,” she said.
SEE VIRUS, P3
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