Diesel Snapshots & Oregon’s Benchmarks

More than 30 neighbors from Portland’s Lents community gathered this week to hear how diesel pollution impacts their lives.

The event, organized by Oregon Environmental Council, ROSE Community Development and Green Lents, showcased a new report and video that highlights an air sampling project focused on diesel in our air.

Information is power: and observation is the first step to an informed public. Only when we are aware of the potential pollution in our neighborhoods can we can work together on solutions.

The community air sampling project was designed to build awareness of diesel pollution in our lives. Community members identified locations of concern and then conducted observations and air quality sampling at those locations.

The result is a series of air quality “snapshots” revealing personal exposures to diesel pollution.

National models predict that we have reason to be concerned about diesel pollution in our neighborhoods. But they don’t provide a clear picture of local pollution: what we breathe as we wait for the bus, play in the park—or what pollution might end up inside our homes and in community spaces.

Our report found “snapshots” of diesel particulate matter that was 10, 20 and nearly 70-times Oregon’s health benchmarks.

Read more about what we found in our report:
Diesel in Our Air: Community Sampling Project

Watch the video produced by Lents Youth Initiative:


For more information on diesel’s impacts to Oregon’s health, please read our report.

See KGW’s special report on this project.

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