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

University Of Colorado At Boulder, Boulder CO

Investigators

Abstract

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.