Unfortunately, if you could see the quality of the air you’re breathing in many places, you’d probably never go outside. But it’s important to highlight the insidious presence of air pollution, and recently a team of scientists and artists teamed up to do just that.
These images, taken as part of the “Air in the Anthropocene” project, show that particulate matter is widespread around the world. Because particulate matter is so tiny and suspended in the air, it might be obvious, but the team developed a clever technique to reveal its presence. The team built an array of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that were programmed to blink depending on the mass concentration of particulate matter. Essentially, the dirtier the air was, the brighter the array. The team then took long-exposure images of the landscape, creating a “light painting” that highlighted the areas where the air was worst.
The team photographed sites in the UK, Ethiopia and India and showed that poor air quality can occur in unexpected places. Published Last week Communication Earth and the Environment.
“As a team, we were very keen to not only show people the problem of pollution, but also provide them with advice on how to change their exposure to air pollution,” Francis Pope, an environmental scientist at the University of Birmingham and lead author of the study, told Gizmodo in an email. “That’s why our campaign in Ethiopia used light paintings as a way to generate interest and discussion. We printed the light paintings on postcards, along with details about air pollution and how to reduce your exposure to air pollution.”
“We (Robin and Francis) have been working on visualising air pollution since 2017. The project has been a fantastic experience and we have iterated on our approach,” artist and publisher Robin Price, co-author of the recent paper, told Gizmodo in an email. “The first photo featured in the article was of the Port Talbot Steelworks in Wales, chosen due to residents’ concerns about this huge industrial facility. Since this first run, we have continued working in locations around the world.”
The light painting in Port Talbot is above. According to the World Health Organisation, 99% of pollution on the planet comes from breathing polluted air. 7 million people die prematurely each year Air pollution is thought to be the cause. The WHO also Common sources of air pollutionDomestic combustion appliances, automobiles, industrial facilities, forest fires, etc.
The image above shows a developed area of Adias Aviva, the capital of Ethiopia. The research team measured particulate matter concentrations in the range of 10-20 micrograms per cubic meter, which is relatively low compared to other major cities around the world. However, when compared to the image of an indoor kitchen in the city (at the top of this article), where concentrations are about 20 times higher than in the outdoor photo, it is clear that exposure to air pollution can vary widely, even among individuals who live and work in relatively close proximity to one another.
Perhaps the most striking part of the series are two light paintings done at playgrounds in India, in Palampur and Delhi, more than 300 miles (500 km) apart. The Delhi playground had about 12.5 times the amount of particulate matter in the air than the Palampur playground.
The project has been exhibited in Los Angeles, Belfast and Birmingham, and the team is now open-sourcing the project, allowing scientists around the world to create their own light paintings. Last year, in collaboration with EUniWell, Leiden Light PaintingIt shows the adaptability of the project.
Ignorance is bliss, until you cough your lungs out. Seeing air pollution in the light is a harsh reminder of the fact that it is ubiquitous and that it poses serious dangers to human health wherever you are on Earth.
more: The world’s first death from air pollution could be the catalyst for the changes we need
