COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Texas A&M university's new mRAPiD air quality testing van is giving researchers and communities the ability to detect hazardous chemical air pollutants in real-time, while on location.
"Air pollution is known to cause a variety of adverse health effects," associate professor of environmental health at Texas A&M Dr. Natalie Johnson said. "This can include lung cancer, it can include long-term chronic lung conditions like COPD and asthma."
Dr. Natalie Johnson conducts the van's use in the field. The idea for the van originally started after the large-scale disasters here in the Lone Star State, like Hurricane Harvey and the ITC fire in Deer Park.
"One of the most unique features is the instrumentation that we have within the van. Our mass spec that's onboard can measure hundreds if not up to 1000 Different VOCs," Johnson said. "Whereas most of the stationary monitors only are able to provide a small subset of VOCs this gives us information on mixtures."
Dr. Johnson is able to test these pollutants which are mainly composed of volatile organic compounds and mixtures, on actual human lung cells that they grow to see what the real effects would be on humans. Of course, Johnson isn't doing this alone. She has a pair of graduate students that work by her side, like toxicology graduate student Mariana Saitas.
"I've been learning about the respiratory impacts from volatile organic compound exposures," Saitas said. "So my project right now will be focusing on that, especially after environmental disasters. I'll be working on this pilot project over in Somerville where I'll be taking this van out and doing some sampling."
The plan is to be able to take the van out monthly to get routine measurements in different areas, both locally and statewide.
"It's a really neat project. I haven't really read much about it anywhere else. I think we're one in 10 universities or labs doing this kind of project," Saitas said. "It's very unique, and studying air pollution has always been a very keen interest of mine. So I'm pretty psyched."
The van will be deploying in early may here locally, so be on the lookout for the mRAPiD van.