PH working with NASA on study on air quality
PH working with NASA on study on air quality
Transcript
00:00 Measuring air quality is a highly specialized science given the billions of microscopic
00:05 and invisible particles in the air that linger and each need to be identified,
00:10 classified and carefully studied for what threshold is harmful or lethal to human health.
00:16 And NASA is more than glad to give us a lift in providing instrumentation and keeping us to speed
00:23 with current technologies such as the Airborne and Science Investigation of
00:27 Asian Air Quality Science Mission that our Clayzel Pardilia hashes over in this report.
00:33 Ellen still covers her nose and mouth with face mask whenever she leaves the house for work.
00:54 Ellen's despised pollution has become a part of the life of traffic enforcer Alvin.
00:59 According to the Manila Observatory, seven million people worldwide
01:12 die each year due to air pollution. Among these figures are Filipinos.
01:17 In the Philippines, that's about a hundred people per 100,000 people die each year due to air pollution.
01:25 The health department said lung cancer can be caused not only by smoking but also by air pollution.
01:31 The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has over 138 air quality stations
01:46 across the country. However, this isn't enough to fully understand the extent
01:52 and severity of air pollution in our country. That is why the Philippines is participating
01:57 in a scientific research flight led by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
02:03 of the United States. This is called the Airborne and Satellite Investigation of Asian Air Quality
02:09 Science Mission. From February 1 to 15, two research aircraft will fly over the Philippines.
02:16 Our team has boarded one of these two flying laboratories. This is the DC-8 aircraft,
02:22 a flying laboratory of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. This will fly over
02:28 Metro Manila, Ilocos Norte, Cebu and Palawan to collect air samples. On board are modern
02:37 technologies that will measure, identify and study air pollution in various locations in the country.
02:43 And if you take this DC-8 low altitude, you're getting the air molecules themselves.
02:47 As they go through and they go through a particular piece of the air,
02:51 they'll cap off that air cylinder and then they'll store that air cylinder and analyze it.
02:57 The researchers aim to collect and analyze various types of gases such as carbon dioxide and sulfur
03:03 dioxide, along with small particles like particulate matter and meteorological variables
03:09 like temperature, humidity and wind speed. By studying these components, scientists can gain
03:16 insights into the composition and behavior of air pollution in different locations.
03:22 This comprehensive approach allows for a more thorough understanding of air quality and its
03:28 impact on human health and the environment. We can provide direct measurements of how much
03:34 pollution is coming from different sources and that's one of the primary inputs to the air
03:40 quality forecasting models. In addition to pollution from industries, vehicles and various
03:45 sectors, this study can also identify transboundary pollution originating from other countries.
03:52 NASA is working in collaboration with the DENR, Philippine Space Agency and other experts to
03:59 integrate data collected from aircraft, satellites, air quality models, monitoring and research
04:05 observations. We have ground-based instruments that actually measure air quality. What this
04:11 mission is going to do is measure what's in between. We don't know how the particulates and
04:18 the different pollutants that are being emitted actually transport and interact with each other
04:24 in between. We'd like to understand the interaction between pollutants, greenhouse gases
04:32 and climate change as well. This study results will be used by the DENR to formulate policies
04:39 to reduce air pollution. They also aim to disseminate information to the public
04:44 and other government agencies on how to address the issue. What we are wanting to do with this
04:49 mission is understand all that is going on as it's seen from space. We need to understand in
04:56 order to have policy and regulation that is evidence-based regarding public health, regarding
05:03 industrial compliance, regarding of course the general ecosystem preservation and conservation.
05:09 The DENR believes the Philippines' participation in this study is not only about tapping into
05:15 advanced technologies from other countries but also about enhancing collaboration and data
05:21 sharing with other nations. Malaysia, South Korea and Thailand will also participate in the research
05:28 flight in the coming weeks. Kele Zalparidiliya from The National TV for a new and better republic.