Use of low-cost air quality sensors in childcare and long-term care facilities in BC and impacts of wildfire smoke on indoor air quality

Abstract

Childcare and long-term care facilities in British Columbia (BC) serve diverse populations who are particularly vulnerable to wildfire smoke. These individuals often cannot take protective actions against air pollution. The increasing wildfire risks due to the current climate crisis make this issue even more urgent. Despite this, there has been little air monitoring or research on how wildfire smoke affects indoor air quality in BC care facilities or what protective measures these facilities are taking.

This talk will discuss ongoing efforts by the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), in collaboration with Health Canada, to address these gaps. We have established a network of low-cost air quality sensors at over 50 care facilities across BC, both inside and outside, to monitor air quality and study the impact of wildfire smoke. The talk will present our findings on air quality monitoring, smoke infiltration, exposure modeling, and the protective measures reported by these facilities. We will also explore how this data can enhance public health decision-making and messaging.

Speaker

Dr. Eric Coker earned his PhD in Public Health from Oregon State University. He also holds an MS in Global Health Science from the University of California, San Francisco, and an MS in Occupational and Environmental Health Exposure Science from the University of Washington. He completed postdoctoral training in maternal child health epidemiology and global health at the University of California, Berkeley.

Prior to coming to BCCDC, Dr. Coker worked as an Assistant Professor at the University of Florida in the Department of Environmental and Global Health, and previously worked as an Environmental Epidemiologist with the New Mexico Department of Health.