NO2 NO Grazie (NO2 NO Thanks)
The project consists in citizens science monitoring campaigns of NO2 concentrations in urban areas through the participation of citizens who join the project, usually support the (little) cost of purchasing the tubes (passive diffusers), place the tubes were they choose to but following the protocol that is shared and instructed by the project coordinator. The tubes are therefore exposed for a month/ 4 weeks and then returned by the citizens to the coordinator which takes care of shipping them to the lab. After the lab returns the data thus including the NO2 concentrations measured in each location chosen by the citizens, a map is created to share the data after the relevant analysis and elaboration has taken place by experts to calibrate the tubes results with the local EPA monitoring stations where tubes had also monitored during the campaign. The project is now at its 3rd edition in 2020 and has monitored 3 times Milano, twice Rome, once Brescia, once Naples and has achieved that also communities and other Ngos have activated the project in Torino, Bologna, Messina and additional smaller towns: All maps and reports can be found on the home page of the NGO website https://www.cittadiniperlaria.org/# under NO2 NO Grazie
Aim
The primary aim of the project of the ONG Citizens for Air (Cittadini pe l'aria) was to higlight that citizens are exposed to high and illegal concentrations of NO2, nitrogen oxide, originating mostly from diesel cars by creating a way to achieve a diffused monitoring capacity through the participation of citizens. The projects was launched the first time in 2016 when the Dieselgate scandal was starting and it had the aim of informing the citizens about the illegal emissions and concentrations of NOx coming out from diesel cars and thus strenghtening the pathway towards changing mobility patterns and the creation of LEZ in Italian cities. Involvement of citizens created the capacity to spread the issue and the data utcoming from the citizens science campaigns that have gone by since 2017 in many Italian cities, not only as a result of the organization of Citizens for Air, but also, as a result of the effort by Citizens for air to share the model of the project and bases to replicate it, in many more communities and cities which were eager to organize it by themselves.
Created June 23, 2021, 7 a.m.
Updated June 23, 2021, 7 a.m.
