The San Joaquin Valley (SJV) is one of the worst air quality basins in the United States with pollutants often exceeding EPA standards.

Vehicle emissions are a major cause of this pollution, yet there is limited community-wide air monitoring in the SJV. Childhood asthma and other respiratory diseases are common and disproportionately affect low-income communities of color and are highly correlated with worse air quality.

The San Joaquin Valley Center for Air Injustice Reduction (SJV-CAIR) is a fully integrated research center, which seeks to assess traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) exposures and health impacts in some of California’s most disadvantaged communities. Our team includes academic researchers and community members deeply engaged in efforts to improve air quality and reduce health inequities.

This community-university partnership will advance knowledge through four main objectives:

• Build infrastructure for long-term air quality studies;
• Serve community environmental justice needs by monitoring vehicle emissions and their impacts on air quality and respiratory health in disadvantaged communities;
• Work with county health departments to assess the public health impacts of vehicle emissions, and
• Inform policies to improve California’s air quality.