RAPID: Sustained Air Quality Impacts of the Marshall Fire in Boulder County

这个RAPID项目将调查与科罗拉多州最近的马歇尔火灾有关的室内空气污染，该火灾始于2021年12月30日的一场草火。大火产生的烟雾渗透到燃烧区域周围未受损的房屋中，留下了灰烬和烟尘，明显影响了室内空气质量。从2022年1月8日开始，该地区的多户家庭内部和周围正在进行挥发性有机化合物（VOCs）和颗粒物（PM）的测量。该RAPID项目将为继续进行这些测量提供支持，以评估火灾对空气质量的持续影响，并分析和展示结果。本项目将探讨以下问题：(i)马绍尔火灾后受烟雾影响的房屋的室内空气成分为何？（ii）哪些物理过程控制受烟雾影响的房屋持续释放污染物？（三）家中被污染的灰和烟灰的成分是什么？（iv）燃烧地区持续排放的空气污染物是什么？(v)在马歇尔火灾期间和之后，人们接触到的PM水平是多少？这些信息是当地社区和卫生部门感兴趣的。将训练五名研究生协助这个项目。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This RAPID project will investigate indoor air pollution associated with the recent Marshall Fire in Colorado, that started as a grass fire on December 30, 2021. Smoke from the fire infiltrated into undamaged homes surrounding the burnt areas and left ash and soot behind, noticeably impacting indoor air quality. Measurements of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particulate matter (PM) are being made inside and around multiple homes in the area beginning on January 8, 2022. This RAPID project will provide support for the continuation of these measurements to assess the sustained fire impacts on air quality and for the analysis and presentation of the results.This project will address the following questions: (i) What is the composition of indoor air in smoke-impacted homes after the Marshall Fire? (ii) Which physical processes control the continued release of pollutants from smoke-impacted homes? (iii) What is the composition of the contaminated ash and soot left behind in homes? (iv) What are the continuing emissions of air pollutants in the burnt area? (v) What levels of PM were people exposed to during and after the Marshall fire? This information is of interest to local communities and health departments. Five graduate students will be trained to assist with this project.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.