Sept. 9, 2008 DRIFT CATCHER SELECTED AS 2008 TECH AWARDS LAUREATE BY THE TECH MUSEUM OF INNOVATION
PAN's air monitoring device, invented by chemist and senior scientist Dr. Susan Kegley, was designated a 2008 Tech Awards Laureate, one of 25 global innovations recognized each year for applying technology to benefit humanity and spark global change. The Tech Awards, a signature program of The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, California, selected the Drift Catcher from among hundreds of nominations representing 68 countries, for "empowering communities for health and sustainability" to measure concentrations of hazardous pesticides as evidence to prevent exposure to pesticide drift.
On this page:
- Introduction
- Would Using the Drift Catcher Benefit Your Group?
- Drift Catcher Results
- Contact Information
Introduction
PANNA has developed a user-friendly and accurate air sampling device called the Drift Catcher to collect air ambient air samples. Air samples collected with the Drift Catcher can be analyzed to determine the concentration of pesticides in the air. Sampling done with the Drift Catcher follows standard National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) protocols.
A Drift Catcher project can help communities learn more about the pesticides in the air at locations such as homes, workplaces, farms, schools, or parks. It can also test the air inside buildings. In a typical project, one or more Drift Catchers are set up to collect air samples daily for several weeks. Drift Catcher Operators are trained and certified by PANNA staff in advance of the sampling and should have some free time available to commit to the project. We often have groups do sampling multiple years in a row to help explore how drift might vary over several years under different conditions. Here are some examples of the kinds of studies the Drift Catcher can do:
- Show that pesticides are present or absent in the air in a specific location—i.e. near a school, playground or residential area or inside a building.
- Document how long pesticides stay in the air after they are applied.
- Document the levels of pesticides in the air and compare them to Reference Exposure Levels (RELs) the dose below which no adverse effects are anticipated by U.S. EPA.
- Document the relationship between the distance from the place where the pesticides are applied, and the concentration of pesticides in the air.
The air samples collected using the Drift Catcher must be analyzed by an experienced laboratory to determine the level of pesticides in the air. Analysis can be costly ($100-$300 per sample), but PANNA’s own laboratory can analyze for certain pesticides for a fraction of this cost for partner groups if capacity is available.
Would Using the Drift Catcher Benefit Your Group?
PANNA's primary goal in using the Drift Catcher is to document situations in which airborne pesticide drift may be problematic. We plan to use the data collected to work for change in pesticide use laws and policies. We will also find out where airborne pesticides may not be a problem and where most of our efforts for change should be focused.
Because organized groups are most effective in making change, PANNA is
prioritizing Drift Catcher projects involving groups who are willing to
work for change. At this point in time, we do not have the resources to
work with individuals.
If you think the Drift Catcher might help your group achieve its goals for local, state or national change, please contact us. We will review it and let you know if your proposed project is a good fit for the Drift Catcher and if we or one of our partner groups can fit your project into our schedules.
Download our Drift Catcher Planning Packet in English or Spanish to find out more.
Drift Catcher Results
| PANNA and the community groups we are working with have posted the results of our Drift Catching projects on the Drift Catcher Results web page. |
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Contact Information
If you would like more information about pesticide air monitoring, please contact the Drift Catcher .
