Many of us use natural gas in our day-to-day lives, including cooking on gas stoves. PSE’s team of researchers will be collecting and analyzing samples from residential natural gas from April 18-20 in Pittsburgh. The non-profit research institute is seeking participants for the new study, which “aims to improve our understanding of the relationship between indoor air quality and human health and the potential health hazards of unburned natural gas.” It’s a pretty straightforward process: A pair of researchers will collect a sample of unburned gas from your stove and analyze it for air pollutants. This process takes about 15 minutes and does not affect the stove in any way. Bonus: Those selected to participate will be given a $25 stipend. “We hope local residents take advantage of this opportunity,” GASP Executive Director Patrick Cambell said. “A burgeoning body of scientific research shows the air pollutants that gas stoves emit can have negative health impacts, often exacerbating respiratory conditions like asthma. By participating, you’re not only helping an important research project but you will also get to find out what air pollutants are in your kitchen when you cook.” Just a couple of caveats: To participate in the study, you must live in or near Pittsburgh and have a natural gas stove (not propane). Not sure? No problem! You can ask PSE! Sound interesting? Sign up here. Still on the fence? Check out this video explainer: Editor’s Note: For more information about the study, visit the project website here, and to learn more about PSE Healthy Energy visit its website here. #methane #PSEhealthyenergy #airpollutants #emissions #TheKitchenProject

Last year, two local news organizations teamed up to publish an explosive series that explored the mental health impacts of air and water pollution in western Pennsylvania and sounded the alarm about the increasing evidence that residents in the region are likely suffering changes to their brains because of their environment. The reporting also uncovered the growing gap in mental health care as more people are traumatized by worsening climate change. You can – and should – check those stories out here. We also highly recommend you check out a panel discussion GASP hosted with the series authors, Julie Grant of The Allegheny Front and Kristina Marusic of Environmental Health News: This week, Environmental Health News published an absolute must-read editorial calling for action. You can read the entire opinion piece here, but we were particularly struck by its ending: It is time we give the same focus to the environmental causes of mental illness. Recognizing preventable causes of mental illness is an urgent issue. Roughly one in five U.S. adults and one in six U.S. children experience mental illness each year. And 50% of mental illness begins by age 14. We hope our reporting continues to be a wake-up call for those who fund and conduct research on mental illness, as well as for policymakers in charge of regulating toxic chemicals. No child—or adult—should suffer mental illness due to pollution. Our brains are complex, beautiful, and fragile. Let’s work to understand how we can best protect this gift. “GASP echoes the concerns that are so succinctly laid out in the editorial,” our Executive Director Patrick Campbell said. “We pledge to do all we can to champion this issue and join EHN in calling on scientists, health organizations, funding agencies, and fellow environmental groups to draw brighter lines between pollution and mental well-being.” #JulieGrant #airpollution #pollutionandmentalhealth #EnvironmentalHealthNews #KristinaMarusic #airquality

We get it: With all the gloom and doom related to climate change and air quality, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and anxious. But rest assured, there are little things that we can all do in our everyday lives to help “be the change” we want to see in our environment. Our Fresh Voices for Clean Air participants helped craft some specific actions you can take TODAY to help take action on air quality issues locally. Unfamiliar with our Fresh Voices for Clean Air Program? It’s an innovative initiative that paired a small group of high school students from Allegheny County with a group of their peers in Birmingham, Ala., for a 10-month collaborative partnership. Throughout the past year, the cohorts in each city regularly gathered via virtual meetings to participate in discussions with each other and guest speakers both to learn more about air quality and to build skills that will help them become more effective environmental advocates. By the end of the program year, participants created, developed, and executed an air quality-related project of their own choosing, with the support of adult mentors in both Pittsburgh and Birmingham. This is one of them. The partnership between air quality-focused non-profit organizations in Pittsburgh and Birmingham reflects our cities’ similar industrial and environmental history. A century ago, Birmingham was nicknamed the “Pittsburgh of the South.” Both cities have experienced some of the worst air quality in the nation. Discovering and discussing the similarities and differences between experiences in these two regions will be a key component of the collaboration. You can learn more about our Fresh Voices program here. And you can learn about those actions here: #airpollution #airqualitymonitoring #SmellPGH #FreshVoicesforCleanAir #airquality

The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) Tuesday announced its intention to relocate the Air Quality Program’s primary air pollution monitoring facilities from Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood to the City’s North Side in 2023. \ The move highlights the best of the Air Quality Program but also leaves questions unanswered about transparency and decision-making in county leadership. The “best” was on display Tuesday morning in a technical presentation of what will go into the move. Suffice it to say transferring equipment just a few miles downriver will be far more involved than most would think. The Lawrenceville monitoring site currently serves as Allegheny County’s primary air quality monitoring site and houses the most complex and complete array of government agency air monitoring instrumentation in western Pennsylvania. The technical gear and gadgets measure toxic pollutants, the criteria pollutants like particulate matter, and ozone-forming pollutants, among others. In addition, these measurements go beyond monitoring ambient air for threats to human health; the measurements and subsequent analysis are designed to help the EPA better understand the causes and patterns of air pollution. By using precision, standardized, and continuously calibrated instrumentation, data collected at this site is comparable nationwide. With that mission at stake, ACHD reported that scouting for an appropriate site began in the summer of 2021. In addition, the move is subject to EPA approval and will be part of a proposal open to public comment that should be published this May. “Moving the monitoring site to an Environmental Justice Community as well as the significant planning and effort that have gone into the move point to this being a win for air quality and public health,” GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell said. “But we still have questions as to why the move is taking place, and that’s troubling.” Without comment or explanation, the technical presentation Tuesday noted simply “[r]emaining on the Clack Campus (in Lawrenceville) is not an option.” It was mentioned that other ACHD programs with offices on the Clack Campus would also be moving, but no details were offered. Also not mentioned: where the non-monitoring portion of the Air Quality Program would end up. It seems clear that Allegheny County is making way for some new use of the site, but details were sketchy on that as well. ACHD Chief Operating Officer Patrick Dowd was quick to point out that the Lawrenceville Community would benefit from a new use of the site but did not elaborate on exactly how. The Clack Campus is 5.2 acres of land adjacent to Pittsburgh’s Arsenal Park but also it is also 5.2 acres of land in a very hot real estate market. When asked about what relocation and related costs the Air Quality Program will incur, Dowd replied that there will be costs and benefits, but referred to county leadership as the best place to point budgetary questions. “Mr. Dowd was correct on one point: the Clack Campus is a county-owned property and as landlord, the county can ask its health department tenants to move on,” GASP Staff Attorney Ned Mulcahy said. “But Mr. Dowd didn’t convince me the Air Quality Program’s best interest – and therefore the best interest of cleaner air and public health – were the county’s primary motivations here.” He continued: “That property was donated to the county in 1957 for public health functions. The county would show itself as an awfully cruel landlord if the ACHD programs asked to relocate don’t benefit from any sale of the Clack Campus.” #PatrickDowd #airqualitymonitors #particulatematter #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment #LawrencevilleUnited #Clackcampus #ACHD #airquality

Allegheny County Health Department leaders on Monday night proposed a long-term “spending framework” for its Clean Air Fund, saying that “considerable challenges lay ahead” that will require a more strategic approach to how that money is spent. As if ripped from the pages of a drama class textbook, the discussion that ensued over this and other matters related to the Clean Air Fund had the set-up, confrontation, and resolution of a classic three-act drama. Air Pollution Control Advisory Committee proceedings will never make for a box office smash hit, but a lot went on Monday night, not much was decided, and the potential impacts on air quality are worth reporting. First, the set-up. On the Allegheny County Health Department balance sheet there exists a specific pot of money that holds all fines and penalties received by the Air Quality Program known as the Clean Air Fund. By regulation, this money must be spent on activities “related to the improvement of air quality within Allegheny County” and that “will increase or improve knowledge concerning air pollution, its causes, its effects, and the control thereof.” While regulations also spell out potential uses of the fund, the department has the freedom to choose the projects and set the procedures. GASP has taken issue with both historically (see more on that here). During his presentation (which you can view here), ACHD Chief Operating Officer Patrick Dowd said the department had been tasked with being “more deliberate” with how Clean Air Funding is doled out so it could act as a “catalyst for long-term change.” This would be accomplished by funding direct allocations, partnerships, and ACHD operational expenses. Specific ideas included funding for equipment, research and development, greening efforts, consultants, and education. Ending with a suggestion that regulations be changed to allow ACHD to use up to 50 percent of the fund balance annually – the current allocation is just 5 percent – struck an awkward note, but unfortunately, this presentation didn’t generate the discussion we – and likely also ACHD – had hoped for. As the silence and lack of lively debate went on, it became clear it was time for Act Two: Confrontation. Also on the agenda last night were Clean Air Fund requests, one of which was submitted by U.S. Steel and rejected by ACHD involving the company asking for Clean Air Fund money for a locomotive emissions-reduction project. After a detailed explanation of why the department chose not to consider it for funding, a circular and extended discussion – perhaps “argument” is a better word – by Air Advisory Committee members Mark Jeffrey and Chip Babst followed. The two – uncannily in unison – were adamant that the department did not have the authority to deny the application on its own. ACHD asserted it had such authority. Again: think “circular.” Ultimately, the item was tabled. This only ensures that the duo will get a second chance to belabor their point. This of course was a perfect segue into the “resolution” contained all third acts. After all the verbal acrobatics over vision and procedure for the Clean Air Fund, Mr. Dowd introduced his last bit of business for the night: a Clean Air Fund request for a health research project. The $30,000 proposal – said to have been personally submitted by ACHD Director Dr. Debra Bogan – was to design a research study to measure the impact of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) on the health of Allegheny County residents. Partners would include the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, and Duquesne University. Committee members narrowly voted to recommend that the Allegheny County Board of Health approve and fund the project. For inquiring minds that want to know: Jeffrey voted no and Babst abstained. Close scene. “As performances go, we’d have to give it a mixed review,” GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell said. “Our stance on the Clean Air Fund hasn’t changed. We agree ACHD needs to take action to better utilize Clean Air Funds, but also believe they need to take on the related issues of funding procedures and transparency.” He continued: “Seeking input is a good step and seeking funding for the health study is a better step, but continuing to entertain individual applications ad hoc is a waste of resources, unfairly favors insiders, and is many, many steps in the wrong direction.” #H2S #hydrogensulfidestudy #CleanAirFundrequest #hydrogensulfide #DrDebraBogen #PatrickDowd #AirPollutionAdvisoryCommittee #AlleghenyCounty #alleghenycountyairquality #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment #CleanAirFund #ACHD

As expected, the infamously-litigious U.S. Steel Corp. has appealed a March 7 Allegheny County Health Department enforcement order for illegal hydrogen sulfide emissions from its Clairton Coke Works. In the 23-page appeal filed April 5 and posted to the ACHD website this weekend, the company asks an Allegheny County hearing officer to vacate the order and the $1.8 million fine that came along with it. U.S. Steel used the usual appeal argument: That ACHD “abused its discretion and acted unreasonably, arbitrarily, capriciously, contrary in fact and law, and in a manner not supported by evidence.” You can read the entire brief here, but be sure to get some popcorn first because things got dramatic quick, with U.S. Steel invoking the Russia-Ukraine conflict and homeland security. “It’s disappointing but not at all surprising that U.S. Steel has doubled down and taken zero responsibility for the all-too-often sky-high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide in the Mon Valley even though the company’s own data shows the Clairton Coke Works is the greatest H2S emitter in the county,” GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell said. “U.S. Steel has repeatedly said how much it cares about its Pittsburgh area ‘family’ but then invests in green tech elsewhere while dragging regulators through the courts when they try to make it clean up its act and it’s cringeworthy.” GASP staff is reviewing the documents, remains deeply concerned about our area’s hydrogen sulfide issue, and will continue to keep you posted. #H2S #hydrogensulfideexceedances #hydrogensulfide #USSteel #MonValley #alleghenycountyairquality #emissions #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment #ACHD #ClairtonCokeWorks #airquality

A 113-page Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report published in November dissected one of America’s most egregious contributions to greenhouse gas-causing Climate Change: Food waste. Potent greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane are created when that food waste begins decaying in your local landfill. Experts estimate that about one-sixth of our methane emissions are caused by wasted food. Stanford University notes that nationally, the greenhouse gases emitted by landfills equate to emissions generated by 23 million cars. Surprised? Then buckle up, because there are more damning statistics ahead. The most outrageous may be this one: More than one-third of the food produced in the United States is never eaten; wasting the resources used to produce it, transporting it, and creating myriad environmental impacts. Food waste is the single-most common material dumped in landfills and incinerated nationally, contributing as much as 25 percent of municipal solid waste that’s disposed of in landfills and combusted. The magnitude of the environmental impact of food waste is laid out nicely in this image from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): One of the fixes? Reducing and preventing food waste. So, this Earth Week, we wanted to explore what specifically YOU and your family can do to help stave off food waste and the climate change-causing greenhouse gases it produces. Volunteer to Be a Food Rescue Hero One thing you can do locally to make a HUGE difference when it comes to food waste and food insecurity is to become a Food Rescuer with 412 Food Rescue. For those who might be unfamiliar with 412 Food Rescue: The nonprofit is dedicated to preventing good food from entering the waste stream by redirecting it to local people experiencing food insecurity. They partner with food retailers, volunteers, and nonprofit organizations to connect surplus food with individuals and families who are experiencing food insecurity. “With the help of 2 trucks, 1 van, and thousands of volunteers who we call Food Rescue Heroes, we are able to rescue perfectly good but unsellable food that would otherwise be wasted and redirect it to people who need it,” 412 Food Rescue’s website explains. It’s made a HUGE impact locally: Its efforts redirected more than 20 million pounds of food in the region, which equates to 18 million meals. That rescued food mitigating 11 million pounds of CO2 emissions in the process. Learn more about becoming a Food Rescue Hero on 412 Food Rescue’s website. Get Into the Composting Game You can cut down on the amount of your household food waste by composting. Defined as “the act of collecting and storing organic material like plants and food scraps so they can decay and be added to soil to improve its quality,” your compost pile needs three basic components: Brown material – This includes dead leaves, branches, and twigs. Green material – This includes coffee grounds, fruit and vegetable scraps, and grass clippings. Water Keeping that organic material out of landfills has a significant climate change impact, but that’s not all: Composting cuts down on the need for chemical fertilizers and can help remediate contaminated soil. For those who’d like more information on composting, the Pennsylvania Resources Council (PRC) is currently offering a workshop that covers the importance and benefits of composting, the process, setting up a compost pile, proper maintenance, and ways of using finished compost. Participants will receive a free garden EARTH compost bin with attendance. This bin is an ideal for urban and suburban areas and has an 82-gallon capacity. The cost is $70 a person or $75 couple. You can view a list of the upcoming webinars and in-person workshops of the PRC website. The EPA has a great FAQ on composting on its website, too. P.S. There is also a local service that helps “turns kitchen scraps into garden gold.” That’s Worm Return, a service that The Allentown-based company contracts with local businesses and households to keep food scraps out of landfills by providing composting services. And if you live in the 15128 zip code, you could also check out Ecotone Renewables, a company whose mission is “closing the food loop” by transforming otherwise wasted food and turning it into renewable energy and nutrient-rich fertilizer. Since its inception, the Swissvale-based business has repurposed thousands of pounds of food waste. More Quick Tips for Preventing Food Waste at Home There are many other ways to stave off food waste at home. Here are some tips from the National Resource Defense Council (NDRC): Plan ahead. Before you head out to the store be sure to create a meal plan and make a grocery list to prevent impulse purchases that will just go to waste. Don’t forget those leftovers. Find ways to utilize all the food you purchase. Repurpose leftovers into new meals and cook or freeze food to ensure you can eat it later instead of tossing it in the garbage. Consider how you store it. Proper storage of food can increase its lifetime and reduce spoilage. The DCNR’s interactive Save the Food storage guide offers tips, tricks, and info to keep your food fresh and tasty. Understand those food labels. The NDRC was clear: Food expiration dates have little to do with food safety. You might be surprised to know that they are not federally regulated and aren’t even relevant numbers for consumers. The various sell-by, use-by, and best-before labels are generally just indicators of when food will be at its peak quality. Experts advise folks to rely on their senses of smell and taste to determine if food is spoiled. Check those temps. Check the temperature setting of your fridge. Keep the temperature at 40° F or below to keep foods safe. The temperature of your freezer should be 0° F. Make space. Create a designated space in your fridge for foods that you think will be going bad within a few days. Get virtual help. Download an app like Kitche or Nosh that are designed to help reduce food waste in your home by keeping track of what food is in your pantry and providing recipes to best utilize them. Have other tips or resources? Leave us a comment below. #airpollution #greenhousegases #foodwaste #EcotoneRenewables #composting #EarthWeek #emissions #412FoodRescue #EPA #airquality

Earth Week is a great annual reminder of the importance of being in the know about local air quality issues, as well as getting involved with, and using your voice to, affect environmental change. And this Earth Week, GASP wants to help you do that: Get in the Know It’s been said many times, in many ways: Knowledge is power. This is especially true when it comes to air quality issues. Because we know *just* how complex and confusing air quality issues can be, we created the GASP’s Plain-Language Guide to Understanding Local Air Quality. In this guide, we give you the skinny on what air pollutants are a concern locally, where it comes from, how air quality is regulated, as well as how to make an air quality complaint when you smell something foul in the ambient air. You can check our guide out here. Understanding what’s in the air will help you mitigate your exposure to air pollutants by keeping an eye on air quality data sources. Our local air quality regulator, the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) has an entire section of its website dedicated to air quality. It includes many resources such as: An air quality dashboard featuring current air quality data from county air quality monitors. Users can also look at air quality over time or during a specific time frame. A spreadsheet showing hourly air quality data by monitor A daily air quality and dispersion forecast An online portal that allows users to create an account and file air quality complaints electronically. Reports can also be made anonymously, which does not require the creation of an account. Residents may also call the health department to make an air quality or odor complaint at 412-412-350-4636. In addition, there are a number of websites where you can obtain real-time air quality information: ACCAN Camera – Allegheny County Clean Air Now partnered with the CREATE Lab to deploy 24/7 documentation of the industrial pollution that harms our health and environment with views of air pollution sources in Neville Township and Emsworth. You can check that on ACCAN’s website. Breathe Project’s Breathe Cams – The Breathe Project operates Breathe Cams, which provide high-resolution, zoomable, 24-hour live feeds of Pittsburgh’s skyline, as well as the Mon Valley and the Ohio River Valley. PurpleAir.com – PurpleAir monitors are relatively low-cost, easy-to-install sensors that give real-time data for levels of particulate matter. When you visit the website, you can search your geographic location to see readings in your area. SmellPGH – The Smell PGH app was developed by Carnegie Mellon University’s CREATE Lab, with support from the Heinz Endowments in collaboration with clean air groups like GASP to crowdsource smell so researchers can track how pollutants travel across the Pittsburgh area. Get Involved Making an effort to understand air quality issues is just the first step. Once you’re in the know, it’s time to move to Step 2: Getting involved and making sure your voice is heard. Here are a couple of ways to do that: Consider writing a letter to the editor. They make a difference. So if sharing your standpoint on an issue you care deeply about isn’t enough to nudge you to use your writing chops, consider this: Letters to the editor could help determine news coverage. Why? Because the job of news editors is to help determine what issues are most important to readers, which helps determines coverage. LTEs also send a clear message to policymakers about the issues to which they need to devote more time, attention, and resources. It can also help spur regulatory and legislative change. Show up. There are so many events you can attend either in person or online to learn more about local environmental issues, as well as regularly scheduled meetings of local and county boards. Check out GASP’s events page and consider attending an upcoming meeting or rally – like the one that our friends at PennEnviroment are planning before the May meeting of the Allegheny County Board of Health. If you can’t make a meeting, please know that you can still weigh in on issues being mulled at one by submitting written public comments. You can also join and otherwise help support the organizations on the front lines of air quality and environmental advocacy. Consider becoming a member of GASP and be sure to bookmark our website, and join the conversation by liking us on Facebook and Instagram and following us on Twitter.

This Earth Week, we want to challenge you to consider how much your transportation choices might impact local air quality – and what small changes you could take to make a big difference. Case in point: If your main source of transportation is a car or truck, know that just 10 minutes of idling time contributes about a pound of carbon dioxide – a primary contributor to global warming – into the air. That’s why GASP has long advocated for anti-idling laws and partnered with local businesses and communities to help remind folks to turn off their engines by providing “No Idling” signage. Most recently, we were pumped to partner with the City of Pittsburgh to create a Public Service Announcement to get the word out about the importance of NOT idling. We hope it also helped dispel the common misconception that idling is better for the car and the environment than shutting off and restarting your engine. You can check out the video here: But when it comes to reducing your carbon footprint, there are other transportation choice changes you can make: Seems obvious but drive less. This could mean walking or biking when you can, utilizing Pittsburgh’s bike-share program or taking public transit, carpooling, or using a ride-sharing service when possible. Experts also advise folks to plan ahead to make the most efficient route when running errands, and if your employer allows it, consider skipping your commute entirely by working from home when permitted. Don’t drive like a jag. Seriously – the way that you drive can absolutely impact the emissions emitted. So go easy on that gas pedal and those brakes and remember that maintenance matters. Regular oil changes and tune-ups help ensure your vehicle is running as efficiently as possible. Consider a more fuel-efficient vehicle. There are many “greener” driving options out there for consumers these days. There are electric cars, hybrid vehicles, and those that run on cleaner-burning fuel. If you are or will be in the market for a new vehicle, check out the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Vehicle Guide here. Don’t forget about the air pollution implications of your home deliveries. Reduce your impact by asking to have your packages sent in as few shipments as possible and choose companies that use minimal and/or eco-friendly packaging. We hope you take the opportunity to get out and explore some of those other local transportation options. Yes, there are ride-share companies like Uber and Lyft. But if you’re interested in getting into the biking game, check out our friends at Bike Pittsburgh – they have so many resources (including the Bike Commuting 101 Guide). We also recommend you register for Healthy Ride, our local bike share program, and rent a bike from any of Healthy Ride stations (P.S. they are available 24/7 for as little as $2 for every half hour or for free with a PAT ConnectCard). The Port Authority of Pittsburgh provides public transit via bus, light rail, and inclines. Also wanted to know that PAT encourages riders to combine modes of transportation to reduce dependence on cars, so every bus provides a bike rack.

This week we’ve talked a lot about actions that you can take to help reduce your personal impact on the environment and local air quality regarding the food you eat, the clothes you wear, and the ways in which you get around town. As Earth Week winds down, we wanted to shift our attention to Earth- and air quality-friendly actions we can take at home and at work to avoid air pollution pitfalls and ensure you and your crew can breathe healthier air there. Because indoor air quality is a concern. Recent studies show indoor air quality can sometimes be more polluted than outdoor air if you can believe. Then there’s exposure to consider. Americans, on average, spend about 90 percent of their time indoors, where the concentrations of some pollutants are as much as five times higher than typical outdoor concentrations. Some of these pollutants come from sources inside the building themselves – like combustion sources such as fireplaces, tobacco smoke, and cooking appliances. But there are also cleaning supplies, paints, and insecticides from the degradation of old building materials or from new materials that are off-gassing. We also know indoor air quality can become unhealthy due to outdoor sources of pollution making their way inside our homes, schools, and office buildings through open doors and windows, ventilation systems, and cracks in structures. Some pollutants come indoors through building foundations. Harmful smoke from chimneys and industrial sources can enter homes to pollute the air in the home and neighborhood. In areas with contaminated groundwater or soils, volatile chemicals can enter buildings through the same process. With all that said, here’s the good news: Indoor air pollution concentrations from individual sources usually do not pose a serious health risk by themselves. The bad news: The majority of homes have more than one source of indoor air pollution. We’re talking more than radon and asbestos (which are serious concerns that you can learn more about here and here). We’re talking about other stuff like dust, smoke, and fumes from home products. Here are some ways to take action to improve your indoor air quality: Get going with spring cleaning. Commit to a deep clean this spring. Wipe down windows and walls. Remember to launder curtains and rugs and bedding – all of which tend to trap allergens that will have your eyes watering and your throat itching. You can also consider switching to natural cleansers that have less-harsh fumes. Think filters. Question for you: When did you last change the filters that help keep your furnace and air conditioning systems clean? Follow-up question: Do you know the state of your ductwork? Because having it cleaned can make a huge difference in your indoor air quality. You can get more information on air filters this handy guide from the EPA. Seek out more resources. You can find more information on how to keep your indoor air clean by checking out these helpful infographics on the best ways to clean and disinfect your home created by our friends at Women for a Healthy Environment (WHE). Also check out Pittsburgh-based ROCIS (Reducing Outdoor Contaminants in Indoor Spaces), one of our partner organizations that has a number of helpful resources. #airfilters #airpollution #airquality #indoorairquality