“Clean Air Started Here,” declares the banners on the main street of Donora Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh. The signs refer to a tragic incident in 1949 when the town suffered an air inversion incident that caused the smog from the steel industry furnaces to hover low to the ground resulting in 20 people losing their lives in a single day. As can happen when the pain of communal grief turns into purpose, with much help from years of activists, the Federal Clean Air Act was put in place in 1963. The problem isn’t solved as yet but, after many more years of early deaths from bad air quality and more work from activists and regulations, in 2022 the round particle pollution levels in Pittsburgh were significantly lower than the previous year. In this third year of improvement, Pittsburgh received a passing grade on its air quality for the first time.
But what about indoor air quality? It’s not just the need to control sources of indoor air pollution like carbon monoxide, smoke, asbestos, mold, and dust mites. Since Covid, we’ve been concerned that our social gatherings not become super spreaders of disease. We like to say we’re reemerging after four years of Covid hibernations but what does that mean for those of us planning indoor events and social gatherings?
Contrary to popular opinion, the risks of contracting Covid and spreading it to an especially vulnerable loved one are still present for many people. And for people used to attending worship services and family gatherings over zoom in the safety and comfort of their own homes, what should they be looking for in considering attending an indoor in person event?
We’re all familiar with the practices of having everyone wear a mask or leaving that decision to the participants while asking everyone to gracefully accept those who have made a different decision on the matter. If you have traveled by plane, there is sometimes a request to test yourself before coming to an event to ensure you haven’t picked up anything at the airport. For weekend long retreats, my experience suggests this is pointless. It takes longer for a disease to show up on a test should a disease be contracted and for a test to not give a false positive for someone who has recovered from a disease and is no longer contagious.
As I was planning the in-person launch, performance/party for my new book, The Art of Grieving to be held Thursday May 16 at 7 pm in a large multipurpose room at the Jewish Community Center I got introduced to the concept of Safe Air. My friend and videographer Mark Dixon who has spent many years advocating for better air quality outdoors in the Pittsburgh area taught me some great ways to achieve it indoors. When good ventilation and air filtering systems are provided the space is safer than it would be if everyone was masked. He knew someone willing to lend us portable filters for our event and suggested that I ask permission to bring them in. My husband, seeing the length of my “to do” list cautioned me, “Don’t take on any more side projects.”
Now I get to the best part of this story. The people who attend my event will be able to experience the Safe Air that Mark was advocating for. Turns out that during Covid, when the Jewish Community Center remained open to serve their vulnerable youth and elder populations, they purchased CDC regulation air filters for every room. They graciously offered to move as many portable air filters into our space as we would like to function at our event for the evening.
If you live in the Pittsburgh area, come and help us celebrate The Art of Grieving: How Art and Art-Making Help Us Grieve and Live Our Best Lives and reside comfortably in the Safe Air the JCC is helping to provide for us. Here’s a link to register https://letsreimagine.org/76768/the-art-of-grieving-in-person-book-launch-and-performance
Here’s a link to the KDKA Channel 2 television program Talk Pittsburgh that offers a preview of what to expect next Thursday evening. https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/talk-pittsburgh/
P.S. My new book is available for pre-order on Amazon now. Here’s the link: https://a.co/d/fCLchkf
Sheila
