Brandywine residents are concerned about their exposure to air pollution due to high levels of industrial activity in and around the community, including the operation of three large fossil-fuel powered power plants located within the community. Despite these emission sources, there are no state or federal air quality monitoring stations located downwind of these plants capable of accurately measuring the level of contaminants in the community. Thriving Earth Exchange connected the community to a scientist at the University of Maryland - College Park, Dr. Akua Asa-Awuku. In February 2018, the project team hosted a community forum to share information and begin a dialogue with community members about intersections between health and air quality. In the coming months, pending the availability of funding, Dr. Asa-Awuku will measure the concentrations of air contaminants in the local air (particularly PM). Her findings will be shared with the community for use in negotiations with state and county government. Given historic marginalization of community voice, the community has requested that these findings additionally be published in a peer-reviewed journal to provide additional weight to the data.
