The “bucket” is a low-cost, community-friendly air sampler that helps people measure toxic chemicals such as benzene and hydrogen sulfide in their air. Developed in the late 1990s, it was one of the first (if not the very first) do-it-together environmental monitors. Communities living near oil refineries and petrochemical plants gathered to build their own buckets. They established phone trees to make sure that, when noxious fumes enveloped their neighborhood, someone would take a sample. Twenty years later, buckets continue to be a critical tool for fenceline communities impacted by oil and gas development. They test for chemicals like benzene, hydrogen sulfide, perchloroethylene, and vinyl chloride, as well as other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and sulfur compounds. Above all, they allow communities to take control of their air. Think a bucket could be the right tool for you? Keep reading! ************************* _This toolkit was developed in collaboration with South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, groundWork, Citizen Science Community Resources, and Fair Tech Collective. It is is based on resources generously shared by Communities for a Better Environment and Global Community Monitor. We are especially grateful to South Durban Community Environmental Alliance and groundWork for documenting their processes and expertise._ ************************* ##**Overview: Why this tool?** ####[Empowering people to act on air pollution](https://publiclab.org/notes/A_SCH/11-08-2020/empowering-people-to-act-on-air-pollution-draft) >Community air monitoring empowers people to act on air pollution. [I]t enables community members to become active participants in the production of scientific knowledge. It provides them with a tool to scientifically verify existing community knowledge based on their experience of industrial pollution while adding a more specific and systematic dimension to that knowledge. It thus demystifies science. - "Purpose of Community Air Monitoring," [groundWork 2003 Air Monitoring Report](http://www.groundwork.org.za/specialreports/AirMonitoringReport2003.pdf) ####[Addressing the health impacts of petrochemical production](https://publiclab.org/notes/A_SCH/11-08-2020/draft?_=1604861928#) >It is nearly impossible to understand what it is like to fall ill and be deathly sick each day when they start fracking and other production activities on your land, until you get sick. It is hard to comprehend the helplessness that you feel when your water has been tainted, your children are having nosebleeds and you are passing out in your home from the fumes, until it happens. These are not fairy tales or horror stories. They are real. - [April Lane, quoted in "Warning Signs" by Coming Clean and Global Community Monitor](https://comingcleaninc.org/assets/media/images/Reports/Warning%20Signs%20Report.pdf) ####[Mobilizing Action through Community Science](https://publiclab.org/notes/kgradow1/01-04-2021/take-back-your-air-using-the-bucket-air-quality-monitor) >Buckets are one tool we have trusted, it’s one tool we believe in, one tool we will never abandon. It has empowered us, it has empowered the communities that we work with, it has made our city shake, and our industry shake, because of the credible result coming out of using the bucket. -[ Bongani Mthembu, South Durban Community Environmental Alliance](https://sdcea.co.za/) ##**Getting Started** ####[How to build a bucket monitor](https://publiclab.org/notes/kgradow1/11-08-2020/how-to-build-a-bucket-air-monitor) Learn about the materials you will need to build a bucket monitor and where you can find them. We will also take you step-by-step through the building process and ways to troubleshoot your bucket. Click Here to download the manual for building your own Bucket Air Quality Monitor, and [click here](https://store.publiclab.org/collections/the-bucket-air-quality-monitoring-system/products/the-bucket-air-quality-monitor-bucket-only?variant=37683507986612) to purchase a Bucket Kit from the Public Lab Store! ####[How to take a sample with a bucket monitor](https://publiclab.org/notes/A_SCH/11-08-2020/how-to-take-a-sample-with-a-bucket-monitor?_=1604854405) Find out how to use your bucket monitor to get the most accurate and relevant data for you. We will take you through how to pick a location, how to manually take a sample, and how to get the sample ready for lab analysis. ####[Finding a lab](https://publiclab.org/wiki/air-lab-testing) Once you have your sample, you'll need to send it to a lab for analysis. We'll explain how to find a lab and what to expect from your interaction with them. ####[How to use your bucket data](https://publiclab.org/notes/A_SCH/11-09-2020/how-to-use-your-bucket-data-draft) Learn how to go from numbers to a persuasive message about the pollution in your community and what to do about it. Who else is involved? ####[Bucket successes](https://publiclab.org/notes/A_SCH/11-08-2020/mobilizing-action-through-community-science-draft) Bucket monitoring data has helped communities reduce pollution, get enforcement action, and push for new legislation. Learn more here about others experiences using buckets to make change. ####Resources - [SDCEA: Toxic City](https://publiclab.org/notes/kgradow1/11-06-2020/toxic-city-health-impacts-of-chemicals-emitted-in-the-south-durban-area), [Smells that Kill ](https://publiclab.org/notes/kgradow1/10-31-2020/smells-that-kill-how-to-identify-odours) - [Coming Clean / GCM: Warning Signs, Toxic Air Pollution Identified at Oil and Gas Sites](https://comingcleaninc.org/assets/media/images/Reports/Warning%20Signs%20Report.pdf) - [Louisiana Bucket Brigade: The Bucket, Why Monitoring Matters](https://labucketbrigade.org/pollution-tools-resources/the-bucket/#) - [CBE: How to Start a Bucket Brigade](https://publiclab.org/notes/kgradow1/06-09-2020/how-to-set-up-a-bucket-brigade) - [Statistics for Action: Air Quality Guide](https://publiclab.org/notes/kgradow1/10-30-2020/statistics-for-action-air-quality-guide) - [Air Alliance Houston: Community Air Quality Toolkit](https://airalliancehouston.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/6_Community-Air-Quality-Advocacy-Toolkit.pdf) **** ##Activities [activities:bucket-monitor] ## Questions [questions:bucket-monitor] **** ### Have you used the bucket? If you have used buckets in your own work and want to be part of this project, please email Community Technology Fellow Katie Gradowski [here](mailto:katie.gradowski@gmail.com). We view this as a living document and are eager to collaborate with past and present users. ### Updates Are you interested in following along in the project? Subscribe to the tag below to get updates when we post new material. Subscribe to updates on this project ...
Author | Comment | Last activity | Moderation | ||
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stevie | "Great post! TRI has gotten so much better in the past 10 years. There are a lot more helpful ways to explore the data now, and new ways to overlay ..." | Read more » | about 4 years ago | |||
goalgoal788 | "nice work IDNGOAL IDN GOAL " | Read more » | about 4 years ago | |||
eustatic | "what's a handheld weather model? Definitely track the wind. Here's an example using Meso West in Cancer Alley https://mesowest.utah.edu/cgi-bin/..." | Read more » | about 4 years ago | |||
kgradow1 | " @kgradow1 has marked @jjcreedon as a co-author. " | Read more » | about 4 years ago | |||
Ag8n | "I'm not an expert on the EPA. But I do have extensive experience in the medical device field. In the USP ( United States pharmacopeia), timelines ..." | Read more » | about 4 years ago | |||
kgradow1 | "@joyofsoy @nshapiro @eustatic " | Read more » | about 4 years ago | |||
covinsopolst7856 | "So, if you visit Loch Fyne Restaurant this week and receive the receipt, it may be a lucky day for you and you may be one of the survey winners. S..." | Read more » | about 4 years ago | |||
kgradow1 | "@eustatic, would you be interested in chatting with me about this project? it would be awesome to do a quick write-up of the minivol vs. bucket, ..." | Read more » | about 4 years ago | |||
ms2739165 | "https://bollywoodboxofficecollectionindia.blogspot.com/2020/06/kangana-ranauts-thalaivi-box-office.html " | Read more » | about 4 years ago | |||
eustatic | "So, I'm new to air. i used the Emergency Response Mapping Application a lot. There's a lot of geographical information on ERMA for your region, an..." | Read more » | about 4 years ago | |||
eustatic | "Ha! @kgradow1 so Check your community members' HVAC system. if the brass or other metal couplings have corroded, ask how often the resident has ..." | Read more » | about 4 years ago | |||
eustatic | "It seems like a big hassle to 1) regulate the airflow over 24 hours 2) confirm! that you have regulated the airflow. This is most of what the Min..." | Read more » | about 4 years ago | |||
MacLeod121 | "Hello, The TCD is a thermal conductivity detector. It's an attempt at a " universal" detector- that is one that will detect most substances. The p..." | Read more » | about 4 years ago | |||
santafedia | "You need to ask the experts only, because for the installation bandarqq terpercaya of air valves should not be haphazard " | Read more » | about 4 years ago | |||
DavidMack | "Sure, also for estimating emissions, see EPA AP-42 emission factors: https://www.epa.gov/air-emissions-factors-and-quantification/ap-42-compilatio..." | Read more » | about 4 years ago | |||
kgradow1 | "This is pretty much exactly what I was hoping would happen when I posted this thread :). Thank you @DavidMack! " | Read more » | about 4 years ago | |||
DavidMack | "You can look up the actual reported emissions from many facilities using the EPA National Emission Inventory, which is compiled every three years: ..." | Read more » | about 4 years ago | |||
DavidMack | "You could probably use HD parts. It just depends on what you are sampling (corrosivity) and the threshold levels of your analysis. Ideally all "w..." | Read more » | about 4 years ago | |||
stevie | "Hi! Tagging in a couple people who might have ideas: @guolivar @danbeavers @DavidMack " | Read more » | about 4 years ago | |||
nestocean85 | "https://onlinemocktest2.blogspot.com/2020/06/sbi-po-2021-exam-important-information.html Homeschooling is not full without a collection card. The c..." | Read more » | about 4 years ago | |||
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subir | "Thanks for sharing. I think the most beautiful part is that people, who are not scientists or engineers but the common stakeholder in the air we br..." | Read more » | about 4 years ago | |||
mimiss | "I wonder how easy the filters are to remove from the adapters after filling the bags? If we can see it on a microscope, those filters tend to look ..." | Read more » | about 4 years ago | |||
kgradow1 | "@mimiss: I think the answer to the first question is probably yes! The bucket uses a Swagelok adapter, similar to the Summa canisters, and it l..." | Read more » | about 4 years ago |