Wintertime Air Quality Health Impacts in Oakridge and Westfir

Overview:

The communities of Oakridge and Westfir, Oregon, have consistently been among the worst 20 communities in the United States for air quality. Their health is compromised by soot from wood burning during the winter month, which leads to respiratory and cardiac challenges, disease, and cancer. We are using a variety of air quality and health data to statistically analyze and present results using data visualization and geospatial data analysis tools. The goal is to measure whether there are health impacts after significant smoke events and provide a baseline to measure improvements in health outcomes after implementing smoke mitigation measures.