by Betty M. Cooney

While many are familiar with the saying "You are what

you eat," another group is taking scientific technology,

sharing it with school children and making an

environmental statement that "we are what we are exposed to."

Last Friday afternoon, six exceptional Halsey J.H.S. stu-

dents in Rego Park and two teachers chosen to participate

in this three hour training session, were asked if they expe-

rienced drowsiness or headaches during afternoon classes.

Several said yes, and with that David Greenberg and Allan

Sirotkin of Analytics Inc., proceeded to set up a portable air

quality monitoring device called ACCESS (A Computerized

Community-based Environmental Sampling System).

Greenberg and Sirotkin, who developed ACCESS,

carefully explained each component on the device, how to

properly set it up and what its function was.

They then took carbon dioxide readings in the class-

room to demonstrate what might be causing the late after-

noon drowsy symptoms.

The readings showed that the carbon dioxide levels

were well above the acceptable levels established by the

Environmental Protective Agency.

The levels could be easily altered by opening the win-

dow or, as suggested, by having plants in the room,

Greenberg noted.

While the demonstration was a simple one. it was the

foundation of a much larger attempt to make people aware

of the dangers of an unmonitored environment.

Dr. Frans C. Verhagen, an environmental sociologist,

teacher at Halsey and the president of SAFE (Sane Aviation

For Everyone), invited the six students to participate and

video tape an instructional manual on the use of the air

monitoring and assessment system designed by Analytics.

The students watched as Sirotkin and Greenberg

demonstrated how to set up the device for recording data

such as noise levels, electromagnetic fields, carbon read-

ings, etc. They then learned how to transfer their data to a

computer to study it.

Dr. Verhagen told the Chronicle that he conceived a

Secondary School Air Monitoring and Assessment

(SSAMA) program in 1996 to respond to both educational

and community demands.

For 12 years Dr. Verhagen has been working within the

nation's largest school system to provide a coherent and

proactive curriculum as part of his Earth Community

School Model of Urban Secondary Education.

He said it is based on the concept of Earth literacy to

operate a school in terms of energy, water, air quality, food

and finally giving service to the local community.

He tried several approaches to starting his program. The

first was to solicit the help of Cooper Union Research

Foundation. There he received a donated computer and

printer for the program, bot no funding.

The second was to contact public officials. He presented

his ideas before the borough president and city and state

environmental officials.

The meetings resulted in the establishment of the

Queens County Air Monitoring Task Force. Dr. Verhagen

noted that at that time, there was no air monitoring taking

place in Queens because the site usually used for monitor-

ing was being remodeled.

He said the task force was a positive result, but funding

for his program was still not available.

The last approach was through one of the founding

organizations of SAFE, the Rosedale Civic Association.

That civic group, under the leadership of Jim English, real-

ized the need to monitor environmental quality in Queens.

In 1996 the group applied for a grant through the

Hudson River Foundation's New York City Environmental

Fund for the purchase of the PaxAnalytic Access system.

The grant was approved and the group was given

$12,000 with a promised amount of $15,000. the cost of

the PaxAnalytic Access system.

English told the Chronicle, "We saw the need. We knew

if this device were placed in institutions it would benefit

the environment, education and provide a hands-on way of

experimentation. It was a win win situation."

• English said he was very concerned about the high inci-

dence of asthma in school age children warning, "we have

only seen the tip of the iceberg."

He said no one has tried to draw a correlation between

airplane pollution and asthma in Queens.

The new portable testing unit will allow students and

volunteer members of SAFE to take data readings inside

buildings and also at street level to see if residents are

being exposed to harmful pollutants.

Rosedale Civic decided to give the device to Dr.

Verhagen because "he will make it a success," English

explained.

While the grant has provided the seed funds for the pro-

ject, Verhagen and English hope to get further support so

the program can be expanded.

The equipment requires costly calibrations and the com-

puter system requires maintenance.

"There aren't too many companies offering this type of

product," Dr. Verhagen noted.

"Government should be doing this, but they're not,"

he said.

Dr. Verhagen and English said they would like to offer

businesses and private homes the opportunity to use the

device to detect sick building syndrome and provide a safe

environinent for workers and residents.

While the program is just in the initial stages, the two

stressed that the device would be used to monitor the envi-

ronment and also to help promote environmental education

for students.

Money received as a donation for the use of the equip-

ment would go back into the program to expand it for use

in other schools.

It is an innovative program that Dr. Verhagen feels can

work for the betterment of the Earth.

For further information on the environmental reading

device E-mail requests to Dr. Verhagen at: gaia1@aol.com or

call (718)275-3932.