Press Release  Healey-Driscoll Administration Awards More Than 200 Air Quality Sensors in Communities Across Massachusetts

BOSTON — Today, the Healey-Driscoll Administration announced the award of 213 new air quality sensors to 27 cities, towns, and organizations. The new sensors, which are funded by the Massachusetts Office of Environmental Justice and Equity, will be deployed across the state with a majority installed in Environmental Justice areas. They add to the 248 sensors first awarded by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) in 2021.

“Clean air is a fundamental right that must be accessible to everyone across the state,” said Governor Maura Healey. “By putting tools in the hands of residents, we empower them to make real-time decisions and advocate for their communities and we further advance our administration’s efforts on environmental justice.”

“Partnering with our cities and towns is critical to understanding where air quality issues need to be addressed,” said Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll. “Communities will be able to harness the power of this data and identify ways to improve local air quality. Today’s announcement continues to bolster those partnerships, charting a course to real solutions.”

The sensors awarded today through MassDEP’s Particulate Matter Air Sensor Grant Program are known as PurpleAir sensors. These softball-sized sensors monitor air quality by measuring fine particulate matter (PM_2.5). The data from the sensors is displayed in real time on PurpleAir.com, as well as on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Fire and Smoke interactive map on AirNow.gov. Sensor recipients can use that information to work with MassDEP, residents, and community groups to assess local air quality that can lead to steps to reduce exposure to unhealthy air and identify areas with higher pollution levels where mitigation efforts can be directed to protect public health.

“This administration has centered environmental justice in everything we do,” said Secretary of Energy and Environment Rebecca Tepper. “We’re deploying these air sensors with a focus on communities disproportionately impacted by poor air quality so families will better understand the air they breathe, and policymakers can make better informed decisions going forward.”

“To tackle air quality, we need to join forces with the communities hit hardest,” said EEA Undersecretary of Environmental Justice & Equity Maria Belen Power. “These air sensors will equip them — especially underserved areas — with the critical data they need to act and respond to air quality concerns.”

“Two of the cornerstones of our Environmental Justice approach are transparency and accessibility,” said MassDEP Commissioner Bonnie Heiple. “What better way to advance both than to provide real-time air quality data in the hands of residents, measured right where they live. This information will provide a wealth of information on where and how to improve air quality for all.”

“As climate change intensifies and extreme heat events become more frequent in Massachusetts, the connection between air quality and public health becomes increasingly critical,” said Department of Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein, MD, PhD. “The deployment of these air quality sensors will provide essential, real-time data of localized air quality that can enable better planning at the state and local level to respond to the challenges posed by a changing climate - and protect the health of our communities who are disproportionately impacted by poor air quality and may be particularly vulnerable during heat events that exacerbate air pollution.”

The new PurpleAir sensors have been awarded to:

• Brockton Neighborhood Health Center – 5 sensors
• Charlestown Civic Association – 10 sensors
• Charlton Board of Health – 10 sensors
• City of Framingham Health Department – 5 sensors
• Douglas Board of Health – 8 sensors
• Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG), Cooperative Public Health Services – 10 sensors
• Hitchcock Center For the Environment – 10 sensors
• Hopedale Board of Health – 6 sensors
• Mohawk Trail Regional School District – 6 sensors
• Natick Health Department – 5 sensors
• North Reading Sustainability Committee – 10 sensors
• South Coast Neighbors United (SCNU) – 10 sensors
• South Hadley Public Health Department – 8 sensors
• Southeastern Mass Pine Barrens Alliance (SEMPBA) – 10 sensors
• Town of Abington – 8 sensors
• Town of Chatham – 5 sensors
• Town of Hopkinton Health Department – 6 sensors
• Town of Littleton – 10 sensors
• Town of Monson Massachusetts, Office of Conservation Agent – 5 sensors
• Town of Montague – 5 sensors
• Town of Northbridge Board of Health – 5 sensors
• Town of Rutland – 10 sensors
• Town of Somerset – 10 sensors
• Town of Swampscott – 10 sensors
• Town of Westport – 6 sensors
• Upton Board of Health – 10 sensors
• Westfield Residents Advocating for Themselves Inc (WRAFT) – 10 sensors

“It is absolutely critical that our cities and towns have access to accurate information about the local environment so they can improve public health,” said Senator Brendan Crighton (D-Lynn). “I am very pleased that Swampscott is a recipient of these air sensors, which will provide the town with the tools it needs to protect the health and wellbeing of all residents.”

“I am delighted that the Town of Montague, the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, and the Hitchcock Center for the Environment in Amherst will receive new air quality sensors to measure fine particulate matter through the Particular Matter Air Sensor Grant Program,” said Senator Jo Comerford (D-Northampton). “Thank you to MassDEP for working with communities to assess local air quality and identify regions with higher pollution levels where mitigation efforts can be directed to protect public health. These new sensors are a vital tool in the work to reduce exposure to unhealthy air in the communities I serve.”

“Nothing is more elemental than the air we breathe. Making sure it's clean and safe requires constant monitoring,” said Representative Jenny Armini (D-Marblehead). “Real-time data from Swampscott’s ten new sensors will help the community reduce exposure, especially to vulnerable populations, and mitigate the impact of unhealthy air. I am grateful to MassDEP for providing Swampscott and other municipalities with the tools they need to collect, distribute, and act upon timely public health information.”

These portable air sensors will supplement MassDEP’s comprehensive statewide air monitoring network that tests for pollutants such as ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and fine particulate matter (PM_2.5). Those data are posted in near real-time on the MassAir Online portal. MassDEP also provides air quality forecasts for PM_2.5 year-round and for ozone during the summer ozone season.   

Later this year, MassDEP will partner with two or three communities to deploy advanced air monitoring technology – black carbon and multi-pollutant air sensors – in or near Environmental Justice populations. Forty black carbon sensors will characterize diesel emissions in areas that experience high levels of truck traffic. Fifty multi-pollutant air sensors will measure fine particulates, carbon monoxide, ozone, and nitrogen dioxide. The resulting data will expand awareness of local air quality conditions and inform strategies to reduce exposure to pollutants, as well as inform future placement of the sensors.

For more information on Air Quality Initiatives, visit MassDEP’s Air Quality Page.

MassDEP’s mission is to protect and enhance the Commonwealth’s natural resources – air, water and land – to provide for the health, safety and welfare of all people, and to ensure a clean and safe environment for future generations. In carrying out this mission, MassDEP commits to address and advance environmental justice and equity for all people of the Commonwealth; to provide meaningful, inclusive opportunities for people to participate in agency decisions that affect their lives; and to ensure a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve.

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