UWM Zilber College of Public Health MPH alum Langston Verdin is featured in this Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article. Verdin founded the organization MKE FreshAir Collective.
By Caitlin Looby, Melba Newsome
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Climate Central
August 9, 2024
Article excerpt:
…Last summer around Milwaukee the AQI soared into “very unhealthy,” which set a record for the state. So far this summer, the AQI has gone up to the “moderate” range. The most recent alert from wildfire smoke was in late July
And in Milwaukee, these data are about as local as it gets.
There are 20 air quality monitors in neighborhoods throughout the city thanks to MKE FreshAir Collective. The nonprofit organization was created by Langston Verdin after he saw a map that monitored air quality in real time during the devastating 2019-20 Australian bushfires.
Verdin, who has a child with asthma, said he wanted to bring this approach to Milwaukee to help keep his family and community safe. He worked with IQAir, a Swiss technology company, to get the air monitors placed on homes, businesses and schools throughout the city.
Milwaukeeans can use the IQAir app to get notifications when the air quality is bad in their neighborhood, Verdin said.
A top suggestion during smoky days is to stay inside. But a lot of patients struggled figuring out the best thing to do because if there isn’t air conditioning or good quality windows, the air inside may not necessarily be safer, said Alex Zielinski, a primary care nurse practitioner who also teaches at Marquette University.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends that people in the Great Lakes region keep a supply of N95 masks or respirators, which can filter out soot and particle pollution. And if they can’t keep in a cool and clean environment to seek shelter with friends or relatives, or local public buildings that serve as clean-air shelters.