Community Monitoring of Diesel Truck Emissions

In August 2024, Dr. Neeta Thakur–in partnership with the University of California, Berkeley and community partners Lifelong Medical, Central California Asthma Collaborative, and Little Manila Rising–received funding from the National Institutes of Health to better understand how diesel pollution affects people with asthma, especially those living near busy roads or industrial sites.

This study focuses on black carbon, a major component of diesel exhaust, and explores:

• How short-term exposure to black carbon affects the use of asthma medication and the severity of symptoms.
• How daily stressors may worsen these effects.
• How protective factors, such as housing quality and the outdoor environment (trees), might reduce health risks.

The findings will support a community-led effort to highlight the most effective strategies for reducing harm and inform implementation of community-developed emission reduction plans.