Smell reports reveal the need to expand urban air quality monitoring, say UBC researchers
Photo Credit: structuresxx – stock.adobe.com UBC researchers analyzed 549 reports from the Smell Vancouver app and discovered that “rotten” and “chemical” odours dominated. Ever wondered if your neighbourhood odour could be impacting your health? UBC researchers have uncovered surprising insights into the Vancouver region’s “smellscape” using data from the Smell Vancouver app. Analyzing 549 reports from […]
Vancouver odour app chronicles behavioural responses to stink
The initial findings of a UBC research collaboration collecting real-time public reports to map odour across Metro Vancouver have been published. The CBC talks to researcher Dr. Sahil Bhandari about this project lead by Dr. Naomi Zimmerman (MECH), Dr. Amanda Giang (MECH, IRES) and Sarah B. Henderson (SPPH). | CBC: Smell Vancouver publishes initial findings, […]
Dr. Amanda Giang named Canada Research Chair in Environmental Modelling for Policy
Assistant Professor Amanda Giang has been named the Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Environmental Modelling for Policy. The Government of Canada announced the new and renewed Research Chairs on March 13, 2024, providing $191 million for 230 chairs at post-secondary institutions nationwide, alongside $9 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s John R. Evans […]
UBC team deploys pollution-sniffing mobile lab
Watch out, Vancouver. The PLUME van is coming soon to a location near you. An “air pollution lab on wheels,” PLUME will be used to measure concentrations of air pollutants across the city including carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, ground-level ozone, black carbon, methane, volatile organic compounds, and various sizes of ultrafine particles that can affect […]
Media Mention: Dr. Amanda Giang quoted about lead pollution cleanup efforts in Trail, BC.
NATIONAL OBSERVER: For more than 30 years, a small city nestled in the mountains of British Columbia’s West Kootenay region has been working to clean up lead pollution that spewed from the local smelter for almost a century. Teck Metals has upgraded the smelter, and that led to major improvements, but blood lead levels among […]
UBC News: Marginalized groups experience higher cumulative air pollution in urban Canada
Different marginalized groups are exposed to higher cumulative air pollution in Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto, according to new research from the University of British Columbia. The study, published last week in Environmental Research Letters, shows that in Vancouver, Indigenous residents are most at risk, while the burden falls on immigrant and low-income residents in Montreal and […]
New Frontiers in Research: Cannabis, Air Quality, Health and Community Impact
Cannabis cultivation in Canada: Assessing the air, health, and equity impacts of a growing and uncharted industry | Nominated Principal Investigator: Naomi Zimmerman, Co-Principal Investigator: Amanda Giang On October 17, 2018, Canada became the second country in the world to federally legalize cannabis. Ten months later, the legal cannabis industry had grown by 185 per […]