{"678833":{"#nid":"678833","#data":{"type":"news","title":"NSF RAPID Grant to Analyze Plume Chemistry","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EOn September 29, 2024, a\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/experts\/scientists-atlanta-monitoring-air-conyers-chemical-plume\u0022\u003Echemical plume\u003C\/a\u003E of chlorine- and bromine-containing compounds spread across the Atlanta area. The result of a fire at the BioLab pool chemical manufacturing facility in Conyers, Georgia, the plume impacted communities for several weeks, prompting a stay-at-home order and the temporary evacuation of approximately 17,000 people for the surrounding county.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EProfessor\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/huey.eas.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGreg Huey\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E has been awarded an NSF RAPID grant to\u0026nbsp;unravel the chemical composition of the emission plumes.\u0026nbsp;The grant,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/awardsearch\/showAward?AWD_ID=2509330\u0026amp;HistoricalAwards=false\u0022\u003E\u0022Identification and Measurement of Emissions from the Biolab Incident Impacting the Atlanta Urban Area\u0022\u003C\/a\u003E, will support the analysis of air chemistry data collected during a three-week span that the plume impacted the Atlanta area.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EDuring the incident, Huey\u2019s lab collected real-time air chemistry data in two locations \u2014 at Georgia Tech in Midtown Atlanta, and near the BioLab facility, in Conyers, GA.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EHuey, a professor in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eas.gatech.edu\/people\/huey-dr-greg\u0022\u003ESchool of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;has spent the last fifteen years measuring halogens \u2014 including chlorine and bromine \u2014\u003Cem\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003Ein remote locations like Barrow, Alaska. \u201cNormally, there are no halogens detectable in the Atlanta area,\u201d he says. \u201cBut spending the last 15 years making observations in other locations means that we were well-equipped to measure the halogens from the BioLab plume, and untangle some of the plume\u2019s chemistry.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cOur goal is to understand and\u0026nbsp;report what was in the plume, then establish a website and make the data publicly available,\u201d Huey adds. \u201cWe aim to share valuable public knowledge about this incident.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA rapid response\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EWhen the plume first became visible, Huey recognized the ability to collect data in real-time.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cWe decided to turn our high resolution mass spectrometer on and start sampling air,\u201d he says. This piece of scientific equipment is\u0026nbsp;capable of capturing and identifying chemical signatures, and is\u0026nbsp;sensitive to measuring levels of specific chemicals, such as chlorine and bromine. \u201cWe have a port measure on the roof of our building at Georgia Tech, which allowed us to start observing the first day,\u201d he adds.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EHowever, this kind of data collection also depends on wind direction blowing chemicals to different regions, Huey explains.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ELeveraging the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences\u2019 mobile air quality trailer, the team deployed a second mass spectrometer near the BioLab facility in Conyers, Georgia. \u201cThe City was very supportive,\u201d Huey shares. \u201cWe set up the mobile lab in the parking lot of Conyers City Hall with the goal of seeing what we could measure \u2014 and if we were seeing high levels of chlorine.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EWith both sites established, Huey says the team was able to simultaneously measure in Conyers and in Midtown Atlanta \u2014 and began to see that the plume was more chemically complex than initially thought.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA proactive approach\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ECollected data in tow, the NSF RAPID grant will support Huey and a graduate student in the analysis of those site readings, including calibration and publication of chemical data \u2014 to be archived to a publicly accessible site; analysis of mass spectra associated with the plumes and identification of chemical compounds; calibration of the species identified, prioritized based on toxicity; and publication of a report on all species detected in the plumes.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EData from the project will help inform communities potentially impacted by the plume \u2014 while helping predict the impacts of similar chemical incidents, enabling a better understanding of how to address accidental chemical emissions in the future.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003E\u201cWe want to have a better idea of what this type of incident can produce for future incidents, and we want to have a better idea of what people may have been exposed to,\u201d Huey says.\u0026nbsp; \u201cWhile we can\u2019t measure and identify everything, this project will help us become better informed for the future.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFunding:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ENSF AGS Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/awardsearch\/showAward?AWD_ID=2509330\u0026amp;HistoricalAwards=false\u0022\u003E#2509330\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003ELed by School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Professor Greg Huey, the NSF RAPID grant is for analyzing air chemistry data collected during a three-week span when a chemical plume impacted the Atlanta area.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Led by School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Professor Greg Huey, the NSF RAPID grant is for analyzing air chemistry data collected during a three-week span when a chemical plume impacted the Atlanta area."}],"uid":"35599","created_gmt":"2024-12-11 15:46:57","changed_gmt":"2024-12-18 15:26:40","author":"sperrin6","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2024-12-11T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2024-12-11T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"675829":{"id":"675829","type":"image","title":"Atlanta, GA","body":null,"created":"1733941920","gmt_created":"2024-12-11 18:32:00","changed":"1733941920","gmt_changed":"2024-12-11 18:32:00","alt":"Atlanta, GA","file":{"fid":"259500","name":"Image.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/12\/11\/Image.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/12\/11\/Image.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":219913,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/12\/11\/Image.jpeg?itok=LWv7kpbQ"}},"675834":{"id":"675834","type":"image","title":"The School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences\u0027 air quality trailer in Conyers, Georgia (Photo Credit: Greg Huey Research Group)","body":"\u003Cp\u003EThe School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences\u0027 air quality trailer in Conyers, Georgia (\u003Cem\u003EPhoto Credit: Greg Huey Research Group\u003C\/em\u003E)\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1733952206","gmt_created":"2024-12-11 21:23:26","changed":"1733952206","gmt_changed":"2024-12-11 21:23:26","alt":"The School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences\u0027 air quality trailer in Conyers, Georgia (Photo Credit: Greg Huey Research Group)","file":{"fid":"259505","name":"eas-trailer - credit dr greg huey research group.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/12\/11\/eas-trailer%20-%20credit%20dr%20greg%20huey%20research%20group.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/12\/11\/eas-trailer%20-%20credit%20dr%20greg%20huey%20research%20group.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":8767237,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/12\/11\/eas-trailer%20-%20credit%20dr%20greg%20huey%20research%20group.jpg?itok=eQtHLI1A"}},"675835":{"id":"675835","type":"image","title":"Mass spectrometry equipment (Photo Credit: Greg Huey Research Group)","body":"\u003Cp\u003EMass spectrometry equipment (Photo Credit: Greg Huey Research Group)\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1733952206","gmt_created":"2024-12-11 21:23:26","changed":"1733952206","gmt_changed":"2024-12-11 21:23:26","alt":"Mass spectrometry equipment (Photo Credit: Greg Huey Research Group)","file":{"fid":"259506","name":"MS-equipment - credit dr greg huey research group.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/12\/11\/MS-equipment%20-%20credit%20dr%20greg%20huey%20research%20group.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/12\/11\/MS-equipment%20-%20credit%20dr%20greg%20huey%20research%20group.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":6406692,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/12\/11\/MS-equipment%20-%20credit%20dr%20greg%20huey%20research%20group.jpg?itok=TAlNJfv0"}}},"media_ids":["675829","675834","675835"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"364801","name":"School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EAS)"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"154","name":"Environment"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"192249","name":"cos-community"},{"id":"192254","name":"cos-climate"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71911","name":"Earth and Environment"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWritten by Selena Langner\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EContact: \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto: jess.hunt@cos.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJess Hunt-Ralston\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}