skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Dirty Air? Art Display Illustrates Invisible Pollution in NC

play audio
Play

Wednesday, March 15, 2017   

RALEIGH, N.C. – Your lungs will feel poor air quality long before your eyes can see it. That reality is the inspiration for a free public art exhibit that will illustrate pollution in real time.

"Particle Falls" will be on display in downtown Raleigh from later this month through April.

Artist and scientist Andrea Polli created an animated light display with an air-monitoring device and specialized computer software. Paige Donnely is the public engagement manager with Novozymes, a biotechnology firm involved with the display.

"One thing that this art installation will do is really bring awareness to the quality of air that we currently have in the Triangle, as well as help educate the public on options that are available for clean transportation," she said.

Representatives will be on location most nights to share information about air quality and clean transportation options. Raleigh was ranked the 142nd most polluted city last year by the American Lung Association and traditionally ranks above the national average of U.S. cities for annual particle pollution.

Terry Lansdell is the spokesperson for Clean Air Carolina, one of the organizations supporting the event, and explains visually what people will see.

"It reads particulate matter or pollution in the air and then it translates that into an artistic display of red and yellow dots on this blue waterfall of light," he said.

Particulate matter is a major contributor to poor air quality and climate change.

Heather Brutz with the North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center, a sponsor of the exhibit, says the vibrant display will make it hard for people to ignore how human behavior impacts the environment.

"We are hoping that people will start thinking about some of the choices they can make," she said. "For example, they can choose to walk or bike or take public transit or use alternative fuels, or drive more fuel-efficient cars."

In addition to contributing to climate change, fine particulate matter is linked to asthma, heart and lung disease, cancer, poor birth outcomes and premature death.

Particle Falls will be located across the street from the Raleigh Times Bar at 14 East Hargett St., and will be on display March 24 through April 23.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021