A team of researchers at the University of Colorado has secured a $1 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to study the impacts of climate change, including increased wildfires, on indoor air quality and health in low-income Denver-area neighborhoods.
The principal investigator on the three-year project is professor Shelly Miller, who teaches mechanical engineering in CU’s environmental engineering program and is also affiliated with the CU-Denver School of Public Health.
“We’ve put together such a great team. It’s very prestigious to have this award,” Miller said.
Miller’s team plans to evaluate the effects of weatherization programs, including changes in respiratory health that could be linked to indoor air pollution created by wildfires. Studies have shown that as temperatures in Colorado and the West increase because of human-made, heat-trapping greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere, and as drought continues in many areas, wildfires also will be more numerous.
