>> A YEARLONG INVESTIGATION REVEAL CHICAGO'S AIR QUALITY IS MUCH WORSE THAN ITS SURROUNDING COOK COUNTY'S NEIGHBORS SEASON.

THOSE I MEAN, THE PROJECT INVOLVES SENSORS INSTALLED AND MONITORED BY SEA SETTLES IN DEEP INDIAN AND ROCK PROVIDING DATA TO BACK UP WHAT MANY COMMUNITY MEMBERS WERE ALREADY FEELING WEST SUBURBAN SEE SETTLE IS A LARGELY IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY IN OVER 80% OF THE POPULATION IS LATINO.

JOINING US NOW TO DISCUSS FINDINGS ARE.

DID LITTLE DEVELOPMENT IN COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT COORDINATOR WITH SEE SETTLE IN DEEP IN THE IN THING.

AND MARINA KOCH LACK A HEALTH GEOGRAPHER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF URBANA CHAMPAIGN.

THANK YOU BOTH FOR JOINING US.

HE DIDN'T I WANT TO START WITH YOU.

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO TAKE VEST IN THIS INVESTIGATION ON INTO YOUR OWN HANDS?

AS THE NEWSROOM?

WELL, IT'S VERY COMMON IN CICERO TO HEAR COMPLAINTS OF PEOPLE THAT SAY THAT THE AIR FEELS WEIRD OFF PEOPLE COMPLAINING THAT THERE'S WRY NECK SMELL IN THE AIR THAT COMES FROM THE WATER RECLAMATION PLANT OR SOMETIMES FEELING LIKE THERE'S SO WE KNOW THAT THERE'S BEEN STUDIES CONDUCTED IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO TO MEASURE THE AIR QUALITY.

AND WE WANTED TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT WHAT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING IN CICERO.

>> SO WE ENLISTED THE HELP OF DIFFERENT VOLUNTEERS.

RESIDENT SINCE HE SAID, OH, WE'LL SAID, LIKE, HEY, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I CARE ABOUT.

YOU KNOW, LET LET ME HOST ONE OF THE AIR MONITORS SO THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY LEARN ABOUT WHAT WHAT IS GOING ON IN OUR TOWN.

AND AS INVESTIGATION POINTED OUT, SEASONAL RARELY EXCEEDS FEDERAL, CLEAN AIR ACT STANDARDS FOR AIR QUALITY.

WHAT RESULTS DID YOUR SENSOR SHOW?

OUR SENSES SHOW THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR SENSORS ARE MEASURING PM 2.5 SUIT DAILY, LIKE EVERY 2 MINUTES.

AND THERE'S ALREADY SENSORS IN THE AREA THAT MEASURE SAME PARTICULAR MATTER.

EVERY 6 DAYS.

BUT ARSON STIR SHOW THAT, YOU KNOW, COMPARED TO OTHER COMMUNITIES.

HE SAID ALL HAS SOME OF THE WORST AIR QUALITY, INCLUDING INDUSTRIAL ZONES, LIKE LITTLE VILLAGE.

OVER THE SUMMER.

WE SAW WHERE THAT PARTICULAR MATTER, SPITE, INCLUDING ON DAYS WHEN YES, THERE WILDFIRES HAPPENING.

THAT EFFECT THAT EVERYBODY IN THE NATION.

BUT WHAT WAS PARTICULARLY WORSE SEE SETTLE AND THIS IS HAPPENING AND, YOU KNOW, AREAS WHERE PEOPLE ARE LIVING AND BREATHING IN EVERY DAY, THE THE EMISSIONS THAT COME FROM, YOU KNOW, POLLUTANTS LIKE LARGE TRUCKS THE DIFFERENT INDUSTRIAL CORRIDORS WHERE, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE LIVING WERE SCHOOLS ARE LOCATED, OF COURSE, MEETING.

I WANT TO GO TO YOU.

WHAT IMPACT CAN THIS HAVE ON PEOPLE'S HEALTH OVER TIME?

>> BOTH SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM, LONG-TERM CAN INFLUENCE YOUR BRAIN TO COCOA FROM THINGS LIKE INCREASING VISITS TO THE ER FOR INFLATED AT I RELATED INCIDENTS BUT ALSO AND THIS CAN LEAD TO LONG-TERM.

RIGHT HEALTH FROM ASTHMA CHANGES IN KOREA, VASCULAR DISEASE AND THAT SORT OF THING.

BUT ALSO EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT, YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE RIGHT NEXT TO.

A PLAN EXPERIENCE TO THESE CHALLENGES.

IF YOU'RE LIVING WITH CHRONIC STRESS, WHICH MANY OF RESIDENTS IN ARE ARE LIVING THROUGH BECAUSE ECONOMIC HARDSHIP TO MANY OTHER FACTORS.

THERE'S KIND OF EXTRA TO HELP OUTCOMES YOUR HEALTH.

ONLY TAKE SO TIME AT.

>> HE DIDN'T WANT TO GO BACK TO YOU.

HOW IS THIS AIR AFFECTING THE FAMILIES?

YOU SPOKE WELL, SOME OF THE FAMILIES THAT THAT WE SPOKE TO, FOR EXAMPLE, THERE WAS J THE SON OF NOT ONLY IN HEAVIEST A LEASEHOLD.

TALK TO US ABOUT HOW HE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH ASTHMA AN INFANT.

AND THERE ARE SEVERAL DAYS, ESPECIALLY ON THE DAYS WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE SEE A RELATIVELY HIGH READING OF PM 2.5 WHERE HE'S ACTUALLY EXPERIENCE SCENE, A TOTAL BREATHING AND HIS PLANS OF HAD TO TAKE HIM TO THE HOSPITAL, TO TAKE HIM TO THE DOCTOR.

SO IT'S STILL SORT OF RECURRING LIKE STORIES THAT WE HEARD THROUGH THROUGHOUT, YOU KNOW, OUR RESEARCH BECAUSE WE WEREN'T JUST MEASURING THE AIR QUALITY WAS SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE'VE DONE IS ACTUALLY DOOR KNOBS.

TALK TO RESIDENTS TO HEAR MORE ABOUT THEIR OWN HEALTH CONCERNS.

AND DURING THE SUMMER, ESPECIALLY WE HEARD A LOT OF PEOPLE LIKE TELLING US RIGHT THAT THEY EXPERIENCE HEADACHE SO THAT THEY EXPERIENCE OR THROAT, ESPECIALLY ON THE DAY'S STARTED HEARING A PATTERN.

YES, ESPECIALLY ON THE BASE.

WHEN WE NOTICED THAT THERE SPIKES IN IN THE PARTICULAR MATTER READINGS.

>> MONEY GOING TO USE THE HAS A LONG HISTORY WITH POLLUTERS.

AS INVESTIGATION POINTED OUT, WHAT FACTORS CONTRIBUTE MOST TO THE POOR AIR QUALITY.

>> I DEFINITELY COMPLEX PATTERNS.

SO IN ADDITION TO EMISSIONS DIFFERENT EMITTERS, LIKE YOU TALKED ABOUT, THERE'S ALSO PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT.

SO SOMETIMES JUST WHERE PLACES ARE SITUATED CAN CREATE KIND OF COMPOUNDING CHALLENGE.

SO SISTER IS LOCATED BETWEEN 2 MASSES, HIGHLY STRUCTURES AND ALSO JUST NORTH OF MAINLY RIGHT.

AND THERE'S A LOT DIFFERENT ISSUES IN THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT THAT JUST ADD ADDITIONAL CHALLENGES.

AND I WANT HOW HOW WOULD YOU SAY THE SEASONAL AIR QUALITY COMPARES TO OTHER PARTS OF CHICAGO?

>> YES, COMPARED TO OTHER PARTS OF CHICAGO, YOU'RE LOOKING AT SOME OF THE HIGHER HIGHEST RATES OF REPORTED PARTICULATE MATTER.

AND THAT'S ACROSS MULTIPLE DIFFERENT MODELS THAT ACROSS.

>> THE MODEL THAT OUR TEAM RAN CHICAGO, IT'S ALSO IN LINE WITH IT.

SOME PARTNERS AT NORTHWESTERN AND WHAT THEY FOUND.

WE'RE LOOKING ACROSS THE ENTIRE COUNTRY ON THE CITY HEALTH DASHBOARD THAT NEW YORK MANAGES YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE HIGH IN THE COUNTRY WHEN ACROSS OTHER CITIES AS WELL.

>> AND IT A PLANNING TO YOU TO JUST SEE HOW THE AIR QUALITY WAS SO MUCH DIFFERENT IN OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS COMPARED TO QUALITY AIR QUALITY.

IT'S ACTUALLY SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, WE KIND OF WAS HAPPENING.

BUT IT WAS REALLY DON TO TO LOOK AT THAT THE TO HAVE THOSE READINGS.

AND I THINK WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO THAT THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR TOWN, GOVERNMENT AND LOCAL ELECTED OFFICIALS TO REALLY AND PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT IS HAPPENING IN CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE TO BECOME INVOLVED IN THIS.

IT REALLY THE FUTURE OUR TOWN AND HOW WE CAN ADDRESS NOT JUST THIS ISSUE, BUT OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS THAT WE'RE FACING.

AND WHAT CAN PEOPLE DO ABOUT THE POOR AIR QUALITY IN THEIR COMMUNITY?

THIS ACTUALLY A SECTION IN OUR REPORT WHERE WE TALK ABOUT BOTH THE INDIVIDUAL ACTIONS THAT ONE CAN TAKE AND SOME OF THE DIFFERENT POLICIES THINGS THAT OTHER COMMUNITIES ARE TRYING.

FOR EXAMPLE, WE TALK ABOUT PEOPLE LIKE UNDERSTANDING THESE READINGS AND MAKING SURE THAT LOCAL AGENCIES ARE COMMUNICATING TO PEOPLE IN THE LANGUAGE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND WHEN THERE'S BAD AIR QUALITY.

DID YOU SEE PEOPLE WHO EAT WHEN YOU ARE DOOR KNOCKING THAT THEY JUST LACKED AWARENESS?

THEY JUST DIDN'T KNOW.

YES, DEFINITELY.

WE SAW PEOPLE SHOWED US THE ALERTS THAT THEY GOT ON THEIR PHONE, BUT THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT MEANT BECAUSE IT WAS AN ENGLISHMAN.

THEREFORE, THEY DIDN'T KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE WE SHOULD.

I SHOULD LIMIT MY TIME OUTSIDE OR I SHOULD CONSIDER WEARING A KN 95 MASK.

WHEN I'M ON SITE.

BUT I THINK WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO US, SOME OF THE LAKE, INSTITUTIONAL AND GOVERNMENT ACTIONS THAT CAN BE TAKEN LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, THERE'S COMMUNITIES WHO, YOU KNOW, ARE ACTIVELY DOING PUTTING CAPS EMISSIONS, MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE DOING ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES AND ALLOWING FOR ITS CITIZENS TO REALLY BECOME INVOLVED IN THE DECISION-MAKING AND THE SIDEWALL.

WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT?

IS IT THE INDUSTRY THAT'S POLLUTING OUR ENVIRONMENT OR IS IT YOU KNOW, SOME OF THINGS THAT WE NEED TO NEED TO PURSUE?

WELL, THANK