Breathe Baltimore
Circle logo for Breathe Baltimore. The center is sky blue and has a black pencil sketch of a skyline with 3 white clouds.

Breathe Baltimore: Air Quality Testing in Baltimore

The Environmental Justice Journalism Initiative is partnering with Smithsonian Environmental Research Center to bring air quality testing to urban Baltimore communities.

About the Project

Breathe Baltimore is a community-based research project addressing air quality issues in South Baltimore. This project is in partnership with the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) and the Environmental Justice Journalism Initiative (EJJI). Baltimore’s history of industrial pollution and other environmental injustices is still felt today. This project aims to provide data to support Baltimore communities suffering from poor air quality. See the "Air Quality Facts" section below for more information on air pollution and its impacts.

SERC and EJJI plan to deploy 15 air quality sensors across South and West Baltimore in late 2024. Currently, 6 sensors have been deployed at host sites. See "Host Sites and Partners" for more information on host sites and neighborhoods being measured.


These sensors will measure particulate pollution, ozone, and other emissions. Local air quality data will be made available to the public. Sites for monitoring are still being selected. SERC and EJJI are committed to choosing sites relevant to Baltimore communities and understanding city pollution patterns.


6 people, men and women, stand on both sides of the air quality sensor. The sensor is mounted on a pole with a solar panel on top.

Air Quality Sensors and Data

Our sensors allow us to monitor how much pollution is in the air. They measure air quality by particulate matter (PM) or how many particles of pollution are in the air.

Each sensor has a display box with information about the current air quality at that site. Community members can see the air quality status in real-time by the lights found on the front of the sensor. See the image to the right or Air Quality section for more information.


Data is recorded every 15 seconds by the sensor. Community volunteers help collect and send the data to the Technology in Ecology Lab at SERC. See the "Get Involved" section below if you are interested in volunteering or becoming a host site. The data collected is free and open source. It will be made available online soon. Check back for updates!




Image of a gray box with a clear door cover mounted onto the end of a black chain-link fence. The box houses a green sensor inside with a blue LED screen and different color wires. On the door are 4 stickers; one with a QR code, a Breathe Baltimore logo, a SERC logo, and a sticker with air pollution definitions. To the left of the stickers is an LED light strip that changes color based the air quality.

Air Quality Facts

The infographics below can help better understand why monitoring air quality is important.

Air Pollution and its Impacts (First Row of Images)

  1. What is air pollution?
  2. How does air pollution affect my body?
  3. How is air pollution measured?


Pollutants and the Ozone (Second Row of Images)

  1. Carbon Dioxide
  2. Particulate Matter
  3. Ozone

Click the images to view them in full-screen:

Host Sites and Partners

A community-based project, the stewardship of Baltimore organizations is key to successfully monitoring air quality. Below is a list of over 10 local groups that are  host sites for air quality sensors:


Host Sites


(Awaiting Installation)


5 people gather around a spot in the grass to identify where they are going to put pilot air quality sensor. It is a sunny day with blue skies and some clouds. Behind them is a larger solar panel and trees. The people are holding different tools.

Get Involved


Sites selected to house the air quality monitoring systems will be located throughout South Baltimore. Sensors are low-power and will be placed in secure locations. Local stewards will be needed to help record and share the data with SERC scientists.


If you are interested in helping collect and share air quality data, please sign up as a volunteer and reach out to veronica@ejji.org.


We have interns and technicians who can help with this or we can teach you how to do this yourself. There is no need for technical knowledge of how these sensors work!


Follow the steps below to sign up as a volunteer:


Have questions?

Feel free to reach out to the following people if you have questions about:

  • Sensors and Data - SERC
  • Director of Public Engagement, Alison Cawood, CawoodA@si.edu
  • Principal Investigator, Research Scientist, Roy Rich, RichR@si.edu
  • Volunteering and Site Questions - EJJI
  • Environmental Science Programs Manager, Veronica Lucchese, veronica@ejji.org
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