TagUWDEOHS(31)

The Healthy Air, Healthy Schools Study Phase 1 Report, published in December 2021 by the University of Washington for the Washington State Legislature, investigates air quality conditions affecting schools in communities near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, including SeaTac, Burien, Federal Way, Normandy Park, and Des Moines. The study was conducted in partnership with Federal Way Public Schools and Highline Public Schools, with researchers from UW's Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences and Civil & Environmental Engineering departments. It represents the first phase of a broader effort to understand how local air pollution — potentially influenced by airport and related traffic activity — impacts the health of students in these communities.

A 2021 Washington State legislative funding request of $912,810, sponsored by Representatives Tina Orwall and Jesse Johnson, seeks to deploy HEPA portable air cleaners in 20 schools across SeaTac, Des Moines, Federal Way, Normandy Park, and Burien to reduce students' exposure to outdoor air pollution from traffic and wildfire smoke. The University of Washington's Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences would lead the project, measuring indoor air quality improvements and student performance outcomes. The initiative builds on an ongoing 2021 pilot study monitoring air quality in five schools within the Highline and Federal Way School Districts.

This research presentation describes a mobile air monitoring study conducted in Seattle to measure ultrafine particulate matter and black carbon pollution levels for elderly residents participating in the Adult Changes in Thought (ACT) study, which investigates aging and dementia. Researchers used a vehicle-mounted monitoring system to collect repeated short-term air quality samples across the Seattle area, aiming to estimate long-term pollution exposure for cohort participants aged 65 and older. The study is funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Institute on Aging.

A 2021 University of Washington study found that ultrafine air pollution particles from road and aircraft traffic near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport were infiltrating nearby school classrooms, with indoor levels reaching roughly half of outdoor concentrations before any intervention. Installing portable HEPA air purifiers reduced classroom ultrafine particle levels to about one-tenth of outdoor levels, cutting overall particle concentrations by an estimated 70%. A follow-up Phase 2 study is now underway in 30 Washington schools to examine longer-term air quality improvements and their effects on student health and academic performance.

This December 2016 presentation by University of Washington Professor Tim Larson examines ultrafine particles (UFPs) — tiny airborne particles smaller than 0.1 micrometers — found near airports, including sources such as jet engine exhaust and other combustion products. The research, conducted in collaboration with USC scientists, investigates the concentration and spread of these microscopic particles in communities surrounding airports. The findings are relevant to ongoing discussions about air quality and public health impacts near facilities like Sea-Tac Airport.

This December 2016 presentation by University of Washington Professor Tim Larson examines ultrafine particles (UFPs) — tiny airborne particles smaller than 0.1 micrometers — found near airports, with a focus on emissions from aircraft and other combustion sources. Conducted in collaboration with researchers from UW and USC, the study explores how these microscopic particles, which are far smaller than diesel smoke or tobacco smoke particles, may pose environmental and health concerns for communities near airports like Sea-Tac. The research provides scientific context for understanding air quality impacts associated with airport operations.

This University of Washington newsletter documents over 50 years of air quality research by the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, tracing collaborations with Seattle and regional agencies dating back to 1951. It highlights key studies on particulate air pollution from sources such as car exhaust and burning vegetation in the Pacific Northwest, and describes the work of the EPA-funded Northwest Center for Particulate Air Pollution and Health (PM Center), which operated from 1999 to 2006.