New Report Examines How West Oakland Took Action To Protect Residents from Diesel Pollution

Today, the American Lung Association released a new report, “Something in the Air: How Communities Are Tracking the Air They Breathe,” which examines how communities impacted by major sources of air pollution are using air quality monitors to reveal local-level pollution gaps, use data to inform and guide local decision-making, and strengthen cross-sector partnerships for cleaner air. One case study delves into a program in West Oakland, California and its efforts to reduce traffic related pollution in a nearby neighborhood.

The new report examined the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project in West Oakland, California.
The neighborhood houses 29,000 people in a 7-square-mile area and is surrounded by three major interstate highways. The area is also close to the Port of Oakland, two large railyards, truck lots, distribution warehouses, and metal and recycling facilities. This results in thousands of diesel trucks passing through West Oakland daily, near homes, schools and childcare centers. To better monitor air pollution in this neighborhood, the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project built the West Oakland Air Quality (WOAQ) Monitoring Network, which included 21 sensors: seven advanced units capable of measuring black carbon, heavy metals and other diesel tracers, and 14 PurpleAir particle pollution sensors installed at homes, businesses and community sites across truck-impacted corridors. This data informed the development of the West Oakland Community Action Plan, which included 80 strategies to reduce pollution, helping reduce diesel particle pollution by 31% and reduced exposure to the pollution by 56%. Read the full case study here.

“The transportation sector is a leading source of air pollution and the United States' biggest source of carbon pollution that drives climate change and associated public health harms. This pollution can impact everyone, but it is especially harmful to people who work outdoors, are pregnant, are under age 18 or over age 65, or have asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or another lung disease, chronic heart disease or diabetes,” said Will Barrett, assistant vice president, nationwide policy, clean air, for the Lung Association. “Trucks represent a small fraction of total on-road vehicles but generate the greatest share of harmful air pollutants. In 2020, heavy-duty vehicles represented approximately 6% of the on-road fleet but generated 59% of ozone- and particle-forming NOx emissions and 55% of the particle pollution (including brake and tire particles). This program in West Oakland is a great example of how local and cross-agency partners can come together to protect the health of their communities.”

The full report, “Something in the Air: How Communities Are Tracking the Air They Breathe,” examines how community air quality monitoring reveals pollution patterns that traditional networks are not designed to capture. While U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) monitoring network remains the foundation for meeting and enforcing air pollution standards, it does not capture pollution trends at the hyperlocal level, by neighborhood or by block. This is especially important for communities near busy highways and major industrial sites, and in wildfire-prone regions. As a result, many communities, like West Oakland, are strengthening their ability to measure and respond to air pollution through collaborative partnerships that integrate low-cost sensors, mobile monitoring and other research instruments that translate data into tangible protections. 

The report offers specific recommended actions for EPA; federal partners; state and local governments; research, academic and technical partners; and community groups and individuals to take to broaden the use of community air monitoring to improve public health. Learn more at Lung.org/something-in-the-air.

“Something in the Air: How Communities Are Tracking the Air They Breathe” is the third report in a series supplementing the Lung Association’s annual “State of the Air” report, which examines unhealthy levels of pollution in cities and counties across the country. The series aims to expand the role of emerging technologies in air quality monitoring and public health protection. Additional case studies in the report focus on pollution from heavy-duty traffic, industrial facilities and power plants, and wildfire smoke. The first report in the series, “Something in the Air: Bridging the Air Quality Data Gap with Satellite Technology,” was released in October 2024, and the second report, “Something in the Air: Nitrogen Dioxide and Community Health,” was released in March 2025.