Boston, MA

Climate and environment | 2025

Identified neighborhood air pollution hot spots and high-risk periods to inform advocacy for better air quality. 

Poor indoor and outdoor air quality is associated with a range of health conditions and can affect people’s overall quality of life. East Boston is an urbanized area with limited green space and tree cover. Proximity to three transportation routes with tunnels and an international airport increases the neighborhood’s air pollution, leading to more health risks for residents. For example, one study found that East Boston’s children had higher rates of asthma than children in other parts of Boston. Neighborhood of Affordable Housing (NOAH), a community development corporation, led this project to identify air pollution hot spots and high-risk periods, equipping East Boston residents with the information they need to advocate for better environmental protections.

NOAH trained five East Boston residents through its youth program in leadership skills, air quality data analysis and interpretation, and public presentations. Youth attended weekly sessions where they learned about Python and Excel, environmental justice issues, and self-confidence and public speaking. In partnership with Dr. Amy Mueller from Northeastern University, youth leaders then analyzed data from the 10 air quality sensors NOAH installed in East Boston to identify where, why, and how air pollution affects residents. Preliminary findings from the sensors for April 2026 suggest that, in general, neighborhood air quality values are in the “good” range of EPA standards, although multiple readings entered the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” range. The same April data were plotted on a map with the monthly averages for each sensor. The team presented results to East Boston residents through a Harbor View Neighborhood Association meeting, a Jeffries Point Neighborhood Association meeting, community events, and an East Boston air quality summit.

NOAH will share project data with Mothers Out Front East Boston, the East Boston Air Coalition, the Massachusetts Department of Energy, Northeastern University’s iSUPER team, GreenRoots, Maverick Landing Community Services, and the East Boston community. Findings will help community partners and residents advocate with policymakers to improve air quality and remediate the current health risks, with emphasis on how the airport can play a role in remediation. To that end, NOAH is planning to install additional ultrafine-particle air quality sensors that they can use to identify wind patterns and particle pollution from the airport. Finally, the project will help NOAH expand their air purifier distribution programs and establish targeted interventions to reduce harmful exposure.