ANNOUNCER: "THE CROWD & THE CLOUD" IS MADE POSSIBLE BY NSF,
THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION, WHERE DISCOVERIES BEGIN.
ABDALATI: WE LIVE IN A COMPLEX AND INTERDEPENDENT WORLD.
THE ENERGY SOURCES WE RELY ON CAN BE DIRTY AND POLLUTING.
AND SOMETIMES, THE SYSTEMS WE DEPEND ON FOR PROTECTION
FALL SHORT.
WOMAN: THERE WAS NOTHING IN PLACE TO MONITOR THE AIR,
AND SO WE DECIDED TO DO IT OURSELVES.
ABDALATI: THAT'S WHEN CITIZEN SCIENCE CAN HELP
CLOSE THE GAPS.
MAN: STREAM MONITORING IS SOMETHING THAT EVEN US
FEEBLE-MINDED FISHERMEN COULD BE ENGAGED IN.
MAN: THERE'S NO QUESTION THAT MILLIONS OF AMERICANS ARE
BEING EXPOSED TO LEAD IN DRINKING WATER.
MAN: THIS IS CITIZEN-LED SCIENCE, AND HERE WE ARE DOING
THE LEGWORK.
MAN: WE ARE CITIZENS.
WE ARE FINDING PEOPLE WHO ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR FAMILY
AND THEIR FAMILY'S HEALTH.
WOMAN: YOU WON'T KNOW UNTIL YOU TEST YOUR WATER,
SO PLEASE, EVERYONE, TEST YOUR WATER.
ABDALATI: IN CHINA, REPORTS OF POLLUTERS CAN BE SHARED FASTER
THAN EVER THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA.
MAN: WE NEED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF MOBILE INTERNET TO CHECK
ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE RIVERS AND LAKES IN CHINA.
I'M WALEED ABDALATI.
I WAS A SCIENTIST AT NASA FOR 15 YEARS.
NOW I HEAD UP AN ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE
IN BOULDER, COLORADO.
SO I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH BIG SCIENCE.
BUT IN THIS SERIES, I'VE MET CITIZEN SCIENTISTS WHO'VE
SHOWN ME A DIFFERENT WAY OF DOING SCIENCE.
THEY'RE BIRDERS COLLECTING DATA, DOCUMENTING WHAT SPECIES
LIVE WHERE; THEY'RE MAKERS AND MILLENNIALS CREATING LOW-COST
SENSORS TO TRACK POLLUTION; THEY'RE STUDENTS RESEARCHING
NEIGHBORHOOD AIR QUALITY AND PRESENTING RESULTS TO
PROFESSIONAL SCIENTISTS.
CITIZEN SCIENCE, POWERED BY DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES,
IS A NEW WAY TO CAPTURE DATA THAT CAN ULTIMATELY
BENEFIT US ALL.
LOOK FOR URLs INDICATING WHERE TO FIND MORE INFORMATION
ON OUR WEBSITE.
IN THIS EPISODE OF "THE CROWD & THE CLOUD," WHERE LEAD
IN DRINKING WATER COMES FROM AND HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FAMILY;
HOW CITIZEN SCIENCE, BACKED UP BY PROFESSIONAL
RESEARCHERS, CAN IMPACT PUBLIC POLICY; AND HOW SOCIAL MEDIA
CAN BE WAY MORE THAN GAMES.
THAT'S ALL IN THIS EPISODE OF "THE CROWD & THE CLOUD"--
CITIZENS PLUS SCIENTISTS.
MAN: THE CROWD, THE CLOUD.
[PEOPLE TALKING INDISTINCTLY]
WOMAN: "THE CROWD & THE CLOUD."
[PEOPLE SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]
MAN: "THE CROWD & THE CLOUD."
[COMPUTERIZED VOICE] "CITIZENS + SCIENTISTS."
ABDALATI: THE SITUATION IN FLINT, MICHIGAN, MADE
HEADLINES FOR MONTHS AS CITY RESIDENTS AND THE WHOLE
COUNTRY LEARNED WHAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A COST-SAVING
MEASURE HAD GONE DRAMATICALLY WRONG.
MANY OTHER COMMUNITIES WONDERED "COULD IT ALSO
HAPPEN HERE?"
THIS IS A STORY TOUCHING ON COMPLEX LAWS AND REGULATIONS.
BUT AT ITS HEART, IT'S ABOUT FAMILIES AND THE SAFETY
OF THE WATER THEY'RE DRINKING.
HERE'S HOW CITIZEN SCIENCE TRIED TO FILL THE INFORMATION
AND TRUST GAP IN PHILADELPHIA.
WOMAN: I'VE LIVED IN WEST PHILADELPHIA ALL MY LIFE.
THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL NEIGHBORHOOD.
THE HOUSES ARE AT LEAST LIKE 100 YEARS OLD.
OF COURSE, PHILADELPHIA IS AN OLD CITY, AND MANY
OF THE PIPES HERE ARE INSTALLED BEFORE 1970s WHEN
THEY OUTLAWED LEAD PIPES.
WOMAN: I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN PHILADELPHIA.
MY WATER PIPE IS RIGHT THERE.
MAN: THE WATER DEPARTMENT, THEY DON'T HAVE AN OFFICIAL COUNT--
AT LEAST THEY DON'T HAVE AN OFFICIAL COUNT THEY'RE
RELEASING--ABOUT HOW MANY PIPES ARE LEAD SERVICE PIPES
IN THE CITY, BUT THEY ESTIMATE UPWARDS OF 50,000 OR MORE.
PHILADELPHIA, YOU KNOW, WITH A POPULATION OF OVER 1.5 MILLION
PEOPLE, WE THINK THERE'S PROBABLY A LOT MORE.
ABDALATI: IT WAS NOT JUST THE AGE OF THE HOUSES, BUT ALSO
HOW THE AUTHORITIES IN FLINT HAD MISLED THE PUBLIC
THAT MADE SOME PHILADELPHIANS CONCERNED.
SPAGNOLI: SO, THIS WHOLE THING GOT STARTED THROUGH A SIMPLE
QUESTION ON A FACEBOOK GROUP THAT I'M PART OF CALLED
URBAN PHILADELPHIA.
AND THE QUESTION WAS "DOES PHILLY HAVE A FREE LEAD-TESTING
PROGRAM FOR TAP WATER?"
HOW DO WE TEST OUR OWN WATER, THE WATER, THE WATER
THAT WE'RE GIVING TO OUR CHILDREN?
WOMAN: HEE HEE HEE!
SPAGNOLI: AND WE THOUGHT 1,500 MEMBERS--WE SHOULD BUY THE
TESTING EQUIPMENT IN BULK AND JUST PLOT OUT THE RESULTS.
AND A COUPLE PEOPLE SAID, "HUH, THAT'S INTERESTING."
AND I SAID, "YEAH, THAT IS INTERESTING."
KING: I'M JUST KIND OF THE TYPE OF PERSON THAT WOULD CALL
MARC EDWARDS AT VIRGINIA TECH AND ASK HIM, UH, "HOW WOULD I
TEST MY WATER?"
ABDALATI: MARC EDWARDS WAS THE RESEARCHER WHOSE LABORATORY
AT VIRGINIA TECH FINALLY CONFIRMED FLINT RESIDENTS'
SUSPICIONS THAT THEIR WATER WAS SERIOUSLY CONTAMINATED.
NOW, IN 2016, IT WAS PHILADELPHIA FAMILIES WHO
WERE CONCERNED.
BOY: LET'S DO IT ALL THE WAY UP.
EDWARDS: HE HAD INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT WAS OCCURRING
IN PHILADELPHIA, AND, FRANKLY, IT KIND OF SHOCKED ME.
ABDALATI: MEDIA REPORTS NOTED THAT THE PHILADELPHIA WATER
DEPARTMENT WASN'T FOLLOWING EPA's GUIDELINES ON HOW TO
TEST FOR LEAD.
UNTIL RECENTLY, THEIR SAMPLING PROCEDURES ADVISED PEOPLE TO
REMOVE AERATORS AND TO RUN COLD WATER FOR 2 MINUTES
BEFORE THE 6-HOUR STAGNATION PERIOD.
BOTH APPROACHES CAN ARTIFICIALLY LESSEN EVIDENCE
OF LEAD IN THE WATER.
TONY AND JONATHAN FORMED THE PHILLY UNLEADED PROJECT
IN ORDER TO GATHER MORE PRECISE INFORMATION
ABOUT LEAD LEVELS.
EDWARDS: WE, IN CIVIL ENGINEERING, OUR... HIGHEST
PRIORITY IS TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC WELFARE, AND THAT'S
WHAT'S AT STAKE HERE.
AND HE SAID, "IF YOU GET A NUMBER OF PEOPLE
IN PHILADELPHIA, WE'LL TEST EVERYBODY'S WATER AND WE'LL
SEE WHAT'S GOING ON HERE, AND WE'LL DO IT AT COST."
[LAUGHTER]
SPAGNOLI: BUT THEN WE EXPANDED THIS NETWORK OF OTHER
COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND GROUPS TO BE ABLE TO HAVE
A KIND OF A FULLER PICTURE OF WHAT'S GOING ON, BUT IT ALL
STARTED ON FACEBOOK.
ABDALATI: ANOTHER GROUP OF CONCERNED CITIZENS IS PART
OF AN INITIATIVE AT DREXEL UNIVERSITY CALLED
WITNESSES TO HUNGER.
WOMAN: THEY GAVE US A CAMERA AND TOLD US TO TAKE PICTURES,
AND WE--WE DID THAT.
[LAUGHTER]
ABDALATI: WITNESSES DOCUMENT THEIR DAILY LIVES
IN PHOTOGRAPHS SHARED WITH LAWMAKERS AND OTHERS, SHOWING
HOW HUNGER IMPACTS FAMILIES.
WOMAN: IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT NOT BEING ABLE TO MAKE
THE ENDS MEET.
IT'S ABOUT HOW POVERTY AFFECTS SO MANY OF THE FACETS
OF OUR LIVES.
ABDALATI: GIVEN COMMUNITY CONCERNS, THE WITNESSES ADDED
DRINKING WATER SAFETY TO POVERTY AND HUNGER.
THE GROUP HAD BEEN FOUNDED BY ANTHROPOLOGIST
MARIANA CHILTON.
SHE'D ATTENDED GRADUATE SCHOOL WITH YANNA LAMBRINIDOU.
CHILTON: HI, YANNA. CAN YOU HEAR US?
LAMBRINIDOU: OH, HI, EVERYBODY.
ABDALATI: YANNA HAD BEEN ONE OF THE RESEARCHERS MOVED TO
TAKE ACTION BY AN EARLIER LED CRISIS IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
LAMBRINIDOU: THIS IS A LEAD PIPE, AND IT'S OVER 100 YEARS OLD.
CHILTON: I'M GONNA PASS IT AROUND SO PEOPLE CAN SEE.
WOMAN: THAT'S CORRODED AND EVERYTHING.
CHILTON: IT'S SOFT, RIGHT? 100 YEARS OLD.
LAMBRINIDOU: YEAH.
OUR SCHOOLS IN WASHINGTON, D.C. HAD TESTED JUST A FEW CUPS,
AND THEY FOUND SERIOUS CONTAMINATION OF LEAD,
AND NOBODY HAD TOLD US ABOUT IT.
WOMAN: THAT'S OUTRAGEOUS.
LAMBRINIDOU: AND THAT WAS THE END FOR ME.
THIS LAW, THE FEDERAL LAW ON LEAD IN DRINKING WATER
CONSIDERS US, PARENTS AND RESIDENTS, CONSUMERS OF WATER,
PARTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR PROTECTING OURSELVES FROM LEAD
IN DRINKING WATER.
GAINES-TURNER: BUT WE RESPONSIBLE TO PAY OUR BILL
ON TIME OR THEY'RE GONNA SHUT US OFF, BUT YOU'RE NOT
RESPONSIBLE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE NOT DRINKING WATER WITH LEAD IN IT.
LAMBRINIDOU: YES.
THAT'S A BUNCH OF B.S.
WOMAN: IT'S A SHAME BECAUSE A LOT OF US
ARE SO...CLUELESS ABOUT WHAT LEAD IS,
'CAUSE WE JUST DEAL WITH EVERYDAY STRUGGLES THAT
THE LAST THING WE SHOULD HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IS OUR WATER
BEING UNSAFE.
YOU KNOW HOW WE ALWAYS HEAR THAT SAYING "WHAT YOU
DON'T KNOW WON'T HURT YOU"?
WOMEN: MM-HMM!
DON'T YOU FEEL LIKE THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE DOING?
LIKE, WHAT WE DON'T KNOW IS REALLY WHAT IS HURTING US?
ABDALATI: THE "SAFE DRINKING WATER ACT" IS THE FEDERAL LAW
THAT PROTECTS THE WATER WE DRINK.
PART OF THE ACT IS THE "LEAD AND COPPER RULE," LCR,
THAT MANDATES EXACTLY HOW PUBLIC WATER SYSTEMS MUST TEST
DRINKING WATER AND WHAT STANDARDS MUST BE MET.
MOST AMERICANS ASSUME THE "CLEAN DRINKING WATER ACT"
REQUIRES LOCAL WATER AUTHORITIES TO DELIVER SAFE,
CLEAN WATER ALL THE WAY TO THE KITCHEN FAUCET.
IT TURNS OUT, HOWEVER, THAT THIS IS NOT HOW THINGS
ACTUALLY WORK.
KING: SO, HERE'S--HERE'S THE SERVICE LINE, RIGHT?
AND IT'S COMING FROM THE STREET AND IT'S UNDER THE SIDEWALK.
IF YOU WERE TO ASK SOMEBODY, YOU KNOW, "IF THIS PIPE IS
"LEACHING LEAD, IS IT MY RESPONSIBILITY OR IS IT
THE CITY'S?"
YOU KNOW, I THINK PEOPLE WOULD THINK, "OH, IT'S THE CITY.
IT'S OUT THERE." RIGHT?
BUT MEANWHILE, THE CITY'S SAYING, "HEY, IT'S UNDER
YOUR SIDEWALK. IT'S YOUR RESPONSIBILITY."
AND PEOPLE DON'T EVEN REALIZE THAT.
WHO'S HEARD OF LEAD POISONING? WHAT IS LEAD POISONING?
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? SOMEBODY TELL ME. YES, MA'AM.
TAYLOR: WHO'S HEARD OF WHAT HAPPENED IN FLINT, MICHIGAN?
[ALL TALKING AT ONCE] YOU GUYS, YOU KNOW, RIGHT?
ABDALATI: IN EARLY 2016, REPORTERS CONTINUED TO
QUESTION HOW PHILADELPHIA TESTED ITS WATER.
IN MARCH, CITY COUNCILMEMBERS HELD HEARINGS TO EXPLORE
THE ISSUES.
THE HEARINGS STARTED WITH TESTIMONY FROM PHILADELPHIA'S
WATER COMMISSIONER.
WOMAN: GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS DEBRA McCARTY.
I'M COMMISSIONER OF THE WATER DEPARTMENT.
FIRST AND FOREMOST, LET ME BEGIN BY NOTING THAT
PHILADELPHIA'S DRINKING WATER IS LEAD-FREE AND THAT THERE
ARE CLEAR DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FLINT AND PHILADELPHIA.
ABDALATI: COMMISSIONER McCARTY MAY BE CORRECT ABOUT THE WATER
LEAVING THE CITY'S TREATMENT PLANTS AND FLOWING THROUGH
ITS MAINS.
BUT YOU CAN ONLY KNOW IT'S SAFE AT THE TAP IF YOU
ACCURATELY TEST THE WATER AFTER IT'S PASSED THROUGH THE
SERVICE LINES THAT CONNECT THE CITY'S MAINS TO THE FAUCETS
IN YOUR HOME, AND THAT'S WHEN A HOMEOWNER'S SHARED
RESPONSIBILITY FOR DRINKING WATER SAFETY KICKS IN.
THE WATER INDUSTRY HAS NOT REALLY BEEN
AN HONEST BROKER.
IF YOU'RE GONNA HAVE A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY LAW, YOU NEED
AN HONEST BROKER EXPLAINING "HERE'S OUR PART
OF THE RESPONSIBILITY. HERE'S YOUR PART."
ABDALATI: IN MOST CITIES, THE MAINS ARE MADE OF IRON,
CONCRETE, OR RUGGED PLASTIC.
BUT THEN IN THE HOMES OF SOME 15 MILLION TO 22 MILLION
AMERICANS--AMAZINGLY ENOUGH, NO ONE HAS AN EXACT NUMBER--
THAT WATER TRANSITIONS FROM THE CITY'S MAINS TO LEAD
SERVICE LINES.
AND THAT'S WHERE THE MAJORITY OF LEAD PIPES ARE
IN THIS COUNTRY.
ABDALATI: THEY'RE TOUGH AND DURABLE, WHICH IS WHY USING
LEAD SEEMED LIKE SUCH A GOOD IDEA AT THE TIME AND WAS
MANDATED BY CITY GOVERNMENTS LIKE CHICAGO, BUT WE NOW KNOW
LEAD SERVICE LINES ARE RISKY AND ALWAYS HAVE THE POTENTIAL
TO LEACH THIS DANGEROUS NEUROTOXIN.
EDWARDS: IT'S LIKE THE EQUIVALENT OF DRINKING THE
WATER THROUGH THIS LEAD STRAW.
ABDALATI: WHEN THE WATER ISN'T TREATED WITH THE RIGHT KIND
AND AMOUNT OF CORROSION- CONTROL CHEMICALS, LEAD
LEACHES OUT OF THE PIPES LIKE SUGAR DISSOLVING INTO WATER.
REPLACING PART OF A LEAD SERVICE LINE WITH COPPER CAN
ALSO BE A PROBLEM BECAUSE THE JOINT BETWEEN THE TWO CAN
CREATE GALVANIC CORROSION, WHICH MAY ACTUALLY RELEASE
TWICE AS MUCH LEAD AS THE OLDER PIPES.
[JACKHAMMERING]
ROADWORK NEARBY CAN RELEASE LEAD-BEARING RUST INTO
THE WATER AS PARTICLES.
THIS IS CHEMICALLY EQUIVALENT TO LEAD PAINT CHIPS
FALLING INTO YOUR WATER.
ABDALATI: EVEN WHERE COPPER IS USED INSIDE A HOUSE, SOLDER
CONTAINING LEAD TO JOIN THE PIPES WAS LEGAL UNTIL 1986.
THAT LEAD CAN ALSO DISSOLVE INTO THE WATER.
AND BRASS FIXTURES SUCH AS FAUCETS CAN STILL CONTAIN
LEAD, ALTHOUGH IN SMALLER AMOUNTS SINCE 2014.
AT THE TAP ITSELF, THE FINE MESH OF AN AERATOR TRAPS SOLID
PARTICLES, CREATING HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF LEAD,
RIGHT WHERE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY DRINK FROM.
ULTIMATELY, THE BURDEN FOR PROTECTING YOUR
FAMILY AND YOUR CHILDREN, IT FALLS ON YOU, EVEN WHEN
THE LAW IS WORKING.
ABDALATI: BUT HOW TO FIND OUT IF YOUR WATER REALLY DOES
CONTAIN LEAD?
DAVID MASUR WORKS WITH PENNENVIRONMENT, A CITIZEN'S
GROUP WHOSE MEMBERS STARTED ASKING ABOUT TESTING.
WE CAN JUST GO AROUND AND SAY A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHY
YOU CARE ABOUT LEAD IN DRINKING WATER.
YOU KNOW, AS A FATHER OF TWO, I'M ALWAYS CONCERNED
ABOUT WHAT'S THE BEST THING FOR MY KIDS.
DEVIGNE: I HAVE TWO KIDS.
I LIVE RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER, AND MY 2 1/2 YEAR OLD
JUST TESTED SLIGHTLY ELEVATED FOR LEAD.
THE PEDIATRICIAN WAS LIKE, "DON'T BE CONCERNED.
MOST KIDS IN PHILADELPHIA TEST SLIGHTLY PO--" AND I'M
LIKE, "WHAT?"
[LAUGHTER]
"SO, OK." UM... DEEP BREATH.
UNDER THE "SAFE DRINKING WATER ACT," EVERY 3 YEARS
MUNICIPALITIES HAVE TO DO A SMALL TEST
SAMPLE FOR LEAD.
WHAT THAT MEANS FOR THE PHILADELPHIA WATER DEPARTMENT
IS THEY HAVE TO COLLECT BETWEEN 50 AND 100 SAMPLES OUT
OF THE 700,000 HOMES IN PHILADELPHIA TO TEST FOR LEAD
FROM HIGH-RISK HOMES.
ABDALATI: IN 2014.
THE WATER DEPARTMENT WAS ONLY ABLE TO SAMPLE 42 OF THE VERY
HIGHEST-RISK HOMES--34 WITH LEAD SERVICE LINES AND 8 MORE
WITH LEAD SOLDER, INSTEAD OF EPA's TARGET OF 50.
GARY BURLINGAME, HEAD OF THE WATER DEPARTMENT'S LABORATORY,
WAS QUOTED AS SAYING "...PEOPLE
AREN'T RESPONDING..."
AS ONE REASON FOR THE LOW NUMBER OF THESE HIGHEST-RISK,
TIER 1 TEST SITES.
THEY DID ADD 92 LOWER-RISK HOMES WITH LEAD SOLDER
FOR A TOTAL OF 134 SAMPLES.
CHILTON: YOU--IF YOU LOOK AT THE MAP, THEY'RE COMPLETELY
MISSING MOST OF THE SUPER-REPORT AREAS.
ONLY 4 OF THE TESTS WERE IN VERY LOW-INCOME NEIGHBORHOODS,
AND 1 OF THOSE 4 WAS THE ACTUAL WATER
COMMISSIONER'S HOME.
MASUR: AND WE SAID, YOU KNOW, "LET'S SHOW HOW EASY IT IS.
WE'RE A BUNCH OF BOOTSTRAPPING NON-PROFIT GROUPS, AND WE'LL
GET 50 TO 100 TESTS OURSELVES."
EVEN IF WE FIND NO LEAD IN THE WATER,
THAT'S FANTASTIC. VERY GOOD.
BUT IN THE MEANTIME, THE PHILADELPHIA WATER
DEPARTMENT HAS NOT BEEN ACCOUNTABLE TO THE CITIZENS
OF PHILADELPHIA.
THEY NEED TO COMMUNICATE BETTER AND THEY NEED TO CHANGE
THEIR PRACTICES.
WE'LL GET THE RESULTS TESTED, AND WE'LL SHOW THE
WATER DEPARTMENT THAT THERE'S NO REASON THEY SHOULD NOT
COMPLY WITH THE FEDERAL DRINKING WATER STANDARDS.
THEY'RE GEARING UP TO TEST THE WATER NEXT SUMMER,
ALL RIGHT?
BUT WE'RE GONNA BEAT THEM TO IT, AND WE'RE GONNA FOLLOW
THE EPA GUIDELINES WITH OUR FRIENDS AT VIRGINIA TECH.
ABDALATI: AFTER MEETING WITH TONY, JONATHAN,
AND THE WITNESSES, PENNENVIRONMENT PAID FOR 150
TEST KITS, WHICH VIRGINIA TECH OFFERED TO PROVIDE
AND ANALYZE AT COST.
BY JULY 19th, THE FIRST SET OF KITS HAD ARRIVED AND WERE
READY FOR DISTRIBUTION.
BOTH PENNENVIRONMENT AND THE WITNESSES RAN TRAINING
SESSIONS TO ENSURE PARTICIPANTS UNDERSTOOD HOW TO
DO THE TESTS CORRECTLY.
SO I HOPE YOU SIGNED YOUR FIELD TRIP WAIVER TODAY
TO GO TO THE KITCHEN, AND WE'LL DO A SORT OF A DRY RUN
OF HOW THE KITS WORK.
AND IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU PAY
ATTENTION BECAUSE IT HAS TO BE DONE A SPECIFIC WAY.
"STEP ONE--AFTER THE WATER'S NOT BEEN USED
"FOR AT LEAST 6 HOURS, OPEN THE KIT, REMOVE THE PLASTIC CAPS
FROM ALL 3 BOTTLES."
WOMAN: AS LONG AS THE WATER IS SITTING AND NO ONE IS FLUSHING
OR ANYTHING FOR 6 HOURS.
IF YOU USE THE WASHING MACHINE OR THE DISHWASHER,
USE ANYTHING BEFORE 6 HOURS, IT CAN THROW OFF THE TESTING.
MAKE SURE THAT YOUR TAP WATER IS ON COLD ALREADY.
AND IT MUST BE COLD WATER.
SO YOU DO THE FIRST BOTTLE AND YOU FILL IT UP.
THEN YOU'RE GONNA LET THE WATER RUN FOR 45 SECONDS,
AND IT'LL FILL THE SECOND BOTTLE UP.
THEN WE'RE GONNA LET THE WATER RUN FOR 2 MINUTES AND FILL
THE LITTLE BOTTLE UP.
OK, READY?
WE'RE GONNA FILL IT ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP. GO.
WE GET OUR FIRST BOTTLE. WE'LL SET THAT ASIDE.
YOU HAVE TO WAIT 45 SECONDS BEFORE YOU CAN FILL UP
THE SECOND ONE.
WOMAN: AND THE KEY TO THIS IS NOT TO TURN OFF THE WATER.
BOY: WE HOPING FOR GOOD WATER.
MASUR: IF YOU THINK IT'S HARD TO SIT FOR 45 SECONDS,
WAIT TILL WE HAVE TO WAIT FOR 2 MINUTES.
WOMAN: ALL RIGHT, 45 SECONDS.
OUR SECOND TEST.
WOMAN: WHY DO YOU THINK THEY GOT IT SO FAR APART?
WHAT Y'ALL THINK?
GOOD JOB.
AND WE'RE DOIN' IT THE RIGHT WAY BECAUSE THE WATER
DEPARTMENT IS NOT DOING IT BY PROTOCOL.
MASUR: WE NEED, LIKE, BACKGROUND MUSIC.
MAYBE WE SHOULD JUST PASS AROUND THE DONUTS REAL QUICK.
WOMAN: YEAH.
MAN: ...ANOTHER 2 MINUTES.
MASUR: ANOTHER 2 MINUTES, YEAH, YEAH.
IT IS A LONG TIME, BUT YOU KNOW, WE ALL--WE MIGHT
TRY TO GET OUR WEIGHT DOWN, SO DO A COUPLE SQUATS,
YOU KNOW, A COUPLE--YOU KNOW, WHATEVER YOU WANT TO DO,
A COUPLE STRETCHES.
WOMAN: WAIT.
AND THIS IS THE LONGEST 2 MINUTES IN THE WORLD,
SO WE CAN DANCE.
♪ DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO ♪
5, 4, 3, 2, AND 1.
ALL DONE.
BOY: WE PUT 'EM IN HERE, SO--
WOMAN: LET'S MAKE SURE THE TOPS ARE ON TIGHT.
ABDALATI: PHILLY UNLEADED'S MOTIVATION FOR INDEPENDENT
TESTING WAS DRIVEN IN LARGE PART BY THE WATER DEPARTMENT
NOT FOLLOWING CURRENT EPA GUIDELINES.
SHOULD MOMS AND DADS HAVE TO GIVE UP THEIR LIFE TO
DO A JOB THAT WE PAY PEOPLE AND PAY PEOPLE WELL TO DO?
UH, YES,
BECAUSE, UNFORTUNATELY, THEY REFUSE TO DO THE JOB.
SPAGNOLI: SO WE ARE CRUISIN' AROUND PHILADELPHIA TODAY.
YOU KNOW, THIS IS CITIZEN-LED SCIENCE, AND HERE WE ARE DOING
THE LEGWORK.
NO ONE--WE HAVE NO ONE TO PAY 'CAUSE WE HAVE NO MONEY.
WE'RE TRYING TO GET TEST KITS IN AS MANY HOMES AS
POSSIBLE ANYWHERE IN THE CITY, ANYONE WHO SIGNED UP.
SPAGNOLI: GOOD DATA IS IMPORTANT TO THIS PROJECT
AND TO ANY, I THINK, CITIZEN-LED PROJECT.
IN ANY SCIENCE PROJECT, YOU WANT THE WORK THAT YOU PUT
INTO IT TO BE VERIFIABLE AND USEFUL.
SO, HOPEFULLY, WE'RE ABLE TO COMPLY WITH THE "LEAD
AND COPPER RULE" WITH OUR CITIZENS SCIENCE TEST,
BUT I CAN'T STRESS THIS ENOUGH.
THE PHILADELPHIA WATER DEPARTMENT HAS AN OBLIGATION
TO FOLLOW THE "LEAD AND COPPER RULE."
THAT IS THEIR OBLIGATION.
WE ARE CITIZENS.
WE ARE VOLUNTEERS.
WE ARE FINDING PEOPLE WHO ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR FAMILY
AND THEIR FAMILY'S HEALTH, AND WE ARE GETTING THE BEST
TESTING PROCEDURE AVAILABLE INTO THEIR HANDS SO THAT THEY
CAN TEST THEIR WATER THAT THEY'RE GIVING TO
THEIR FAMILY.
WOMAN: YAY!
ABDALATI: THE FIRST KITS TO ARRIVE AT VIRGINIA TECH CAME
FROM THE WITNESSES TO HUNGER INITIATIVE.
MAN: AND I'M GONNA GET MY GLOVES ON FIRST HERE.
ABDALATI: JEFF PARKS HAD WORKED ON THE SAMPLES
FROM FLINT.
NOW HE MOVED ON TO THOSE FROM PHILLY.
PARKS: SO IT'S KIT NUMBER 104--
UH, P104 FOR PHILADELPHIA.
SO WHAT THE ACID WILL DO--IT WILL DISSOLVE ANY PARTICLES
OF ANY METALS OR SCALES OR ANYTHING THAT CAME FROM THE--
FROM THE PLUMBING.
ABDALATI: THE MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE AMOUNT OF LEAD
IN ANY WATER SYSTEM IS 15 PARTS PER BILLION IN 10%
OF THE HOMES TESTED, BUT THAT'S AN ARBITRARY LEVEL.
ANY AMOUNT OF LEAD IN WATER IS A POTENTIAL HEALTH HAZARD,
ESPECIALLY TO THE VERY YOUNG AND VERY OLD.
PARKS: UH, WE CAN SEE LEVELS OF LEAD VERY ACCURATELY AS LOW
AS 0.2 PARTS PER BILLION.
ABDALATI: WHEN ALL THE SAMPLES WERE ANALYZED, THERE WAS GOOD
NEWS AND BAD NEWS.
MOST OF THE TESTS WERE BELOW THE 15 PARTS PER BILLION
THRESHOLD, BUT JONATHAN KING'S HOME CAME IN AT 48 PARTS PER
BILLION--3 TIMES THE EPA ACTION LEVEL.
HIS DAUGHTER'S DOCTOR SAID SHE'S COMPLETELY FINE,
BUT JONATHAN IS MYSTIFIED SINCE HE THOUGHT HE HAD NO
LEAD ANYWHERE IN HIS SYSTEM, WHICH GOES TO SHOW THE VALUE
OF TESTING.
AND NO MATTER THE RESULTS, CITIZEN ACTION HAS ALREADY
HELPED PRESSURE THE FEDERAL EPA INTO INSISTING THAT THE
PHILADELPHIA WATER DEPARTMENT FOLLOW BEST PRACTICES
IN TESTING--THE VERY SAME PROCEDURES THAT THE PHILLY
UNLEADED PROJECT HAS BEEN USING.
MASUR: THE WATER DEPARTMENT SORT OF TRYING TO TAKE A MORE
PROACTIVE POSITION IS ABSOLUTELY DUE TO THE PUBLIC
SCRUTINY, THE PUBLIC SAYING THEY'RE GOING TO TAKE THE BULL
BY THE HORNS AND DO IT THEMSELVES.
HOW CAN WE HELP PHILADELPHIA WATER DEPARTMENT HELP US?
ABDALATI: NOT BAD FOR CITIZENS PLUS SCIENTISTS.
SO WHAT TO DO IF YOU'RE CONCERNED?
EXPERTS SAY THERE'S SOMETHING THAT ANYONE WITH A LEAD
SERVICE LINE OR WHO THINKS THEY MIGHT HAVE ONE CAN
AND SHOULD DO.
INSTALL A FILTER ON YOUR FAUCET THAT'S CERTIFIED TO CUT
BACK ON LEAD AND OTHER HARMFUL CONTAMINANTS.
THEY COST AS LITTLE AS $16, BUT THEY DO NEED THEIR
CARTRIDGES REPLACED EVERY COUPLE OF MONTHS.
THERE'S MORE INFORMATION ON HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF
AND YOUR FAMILY ON OUR WEBSITE.
IS CITIZEN SCIENCE REALLY SCIENCE?
WELL, WHEN RESULTS ARE PUBLISHED IN PEER-REVIEW
JOURNALS, THERE'S NO DOUBT IT'S SCIENCE.
THIS IS A STORY OF WHAT HAPPENS WHEN CITIZENS
AND PROFESSIONAL SCIENTISTS WORK TOGETHER TO GATHER DATA
ON ONE OF TODAY'S MOST CONTROVERSIAL TOPICS--
HYDRAULIC FRACTURING, OR FRACKING.
WOMAN: BOTH DICK AND I HAVE SPENT A LOT OF TIME
IN THE OUTDOORS, OF COURSE, 'CAUSE WE BOTH GREW UP
IN MONTANA AND SPENT A LOT OF TIME TROMPING THE HILLS.
AND THAT WAS A BIG THING ABOUT BUYING THIS PLACE WAS WE'RE
SURROUNDED BY PUBLIC LAND.
AND SO WE CAN LITERALLY LEAVE THIS PROPERTY AND RIDE
ON HORSEBACK, UM...FOR DAYS, WEEKS, IF WE'D WANT TO.
WE HAD A LOT OF WILDLIFE.
THERE ARE HUGE ELK HERDS THAT MOVED THROUGH HERE
AT THAT TIME.
REALLY QUIET, JUST INCREDIBLE NIGHT SKIES, INCREDIBLE STARS.
SO, UM, THAT WAS REALLY BEAUTIFUL.
WE WERE HERE FOR 5 YEARS WHEN THE DEVELOPMENT STARTED.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, IT'S THE SAME STORY YOU HEAR EVERYWHERE.
MAN: NATURAL GAS IS FORMED JUST LIKE COAL IS FORMED,
OIL IS FORMED, FROM THE DECAY OF ORGANIC MATERIAL.
FRACKING HAS BEEN DONE FOR A LONG TIME.
WHAT'S CHANGED IN THE LAST FEW YEARS IS UNCONVENTIONAL OIL
AND GAS EXPLORATION--
HYDROFRACKING, OR FRACTURING.
THOMAS: WE WERE RIDING OUR HORSES UP ACROSS A STATE
SECTION THAT'S RIGHT ACROSS THE ROAD FROM OUR PLACE,
AND WE NOTICED A BUNCH OF SURVEY FLAGS, AND SO WE
STARTED CALLING AROUND.
WE CALLED THE STATE. WE CALLED THE COUNTY.
WE CALLED OUR LOCAL REPRESENTATIVES.
NOBODY COULD TELL US ANYTHING.
IN WYOMING, ON STATE LAND, THE COMPANIES CAN COME IN
AND PREPARE THE PAD AND PUT THE PITS IN BEFORE THEY
ACTUALLY GET THEIR PERMIT TO DRILL.
AND SO THERE WAS NO RECORD.
THEY 'DOZED OFF ABOUT A 2-ACRE PAD AND PUT IN 2 PITS THAT
HELD AN ACRE-FOOT EACH OF FLUIDS.
SO AT THAT POINT, WE KNEW IT WAS SOME KIND OF OIL
AND GAS DEVELOPMENT.
IT TOOK RIGHT AT 100 DOUBLE SEMI-LOADS TO GET THE RIG IN.
IT WAS A TRIPLE RIG.
YOU KNOW, THE TRAFFIC WENT FROM MAYBE 3 OR 4 CARS A WEEK
TO LIKE 50 A DAY.
TONS OF DUST ON THIS COUNTY ROAD.
THEY'D FLARE FOR MONTHS.
THEY'D LIGHT THE FLARE, AND THE WHOLE CREEK BOTTOM
WOULD SHAKE.
AND SO OUR HOUSE WOULD JUST SHAKE.
LOTS OF NOISE.
ALL THE WILDLIFE JUST--TSCHKOO!
TOOK OFF.
THERE WERE SPILLS AND LEAKS, AND NOBODY CLEANS IT UP.
NOBODY SAYS ANYTHING OR DOES ANYTHING.
THERE'S NO OVERSIGHT.
THE STATE DOESN'T COME OUT AND SAY, "YOU OUGHTA
CLEAN THIS UP."
IT'S LEFT TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING THERE.
THE BLOWOUT HAPPENED AUGUST 11, 2006.
THEY HIT THEIR TARGET DEPTH AND HIT A REALLY HIGH-PRESSURE
POCKET RESERVOIR OF GAS.
THE WELL KICKED BACK, AND IN THE EARLY AFTERNOON THEY STARTED
TO SEE THESE BLOWHOLES PUSHING
ALL THOSE DRILLING FLUIDS
AND CONDENSATE UP TO THE SURFACE.
SO IT LOOKED LIKE THE MUD POTS IN YELLOWSTONE PARK.
THEY FINALLY FIGURED OUT THAT THEY COULDN'T CONTROL
THE WELL, SO THEY TRIED TO EVACUATE EVERYBODY
IN THE DRAINAGE.
ABDALATI: LOOKING BACK, DEB TOOK THIS PHOTO AS SHE WAS
BEING EVACUATED.
THOMAS: THEY KNEW THAT ALL OF THOSE CHEMICALS
AND THE DRILLING FLUIDS AND THE CONDENSATES HAD COME UP
THROUGH THE WATER IN THE DRAINAGE.
AND, AS A RESULT, WHAT'S HAPPENED IS ALL
OF THE GROUNDWATER WAS CONTAMINATED.
NOW WE HAVE HUGE GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION.
MOST PEOPLE RECOGNIZE WATER CONTAMINATION BEFORE THEY
RECOGNIZE AIR.
AND THERE WAS NOTHING IN PLACE BY THE STATE TO MONITOR
THE AIR, BUT WE STARTED TO RECOGNIZE THAT THERE WERE ALL
THESE EMISSIONS COMING FROM PRODUCTION FIELDS, FROM TANKS,
FROM SEPARATOR EQUIPMENT, FROM EVERYTHING THAT THEY
WERE VENTING.
AND SO WE WERE SMELLING IT.
AND SO WE STARTED ASKING THE STATE TO MONITOR,
AND OF COURSE THEY WOULDN'T.
THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY MONEY TO DO IT,
AND SO WE DECIDED TO DO IT OURSELVES.
MAN: BREATHING IS SOMETHING YOU DO EVERY MINUTE
OF EVERY DAY,
HOPEFULLY--HA HA HA!--UNTIL YOU'RE DEAD.
SO, UM, FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, IT WAS A RIGHT-TO-KNOW ISSUE
AND STILL IS.
PEOPLE WANTED TO KNOW WHAT THEY WERE BREATHING.
YOU KNOW? IT'S PRETTY BASIC.
IT'S NOT AN OPTIONAL THING THAT YOU DO.
DEB CONTACTED US.
SHE WAS AWARE OF THE BUCKET BRIGADE BECAUSE WORK HAD BEEN
DONE IN THAT AREA.
SHE WAS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT FOR A LONG TIME WHETHER TO
JUST KIND OF GIVE UP.
SHE WAS PRETTY BURNED OUT, AND SHE SEIZED UPON THIS IDEA
THAT IF SHE COULD DO A BUCKET BRIGADE TO SHOW THE PRESENCE
OF THESE CHEMICALS THAT WERE IN THE BAG THAT THEY COULD
ACTUALLY MAKE SOME CHANGE IN WYOMING, WHICH IS NO
SMALL TASK.
THOMAS: AT THAT POINT, HE WAS JUST STARTING THE 5-STATE--
TURNED INTO A 6-STATE STUDY--
ON AIR QUALITY AROUND FRACKING SITES.
AND HE SAID, "WELL, IF YOU WANT TO DO WYOMING, YOU
CAN DO IT."
SO WE STARTED THE BUCKET BRIGADE AND DOING OUR OWN
AIR MONITORING.
THE FIRST THING THAT HAPPENS IS THE SITES ARE
SELECTED, THE CITIZEN SCIENTISTS ARE TRAINED ONSITE
BY OURSELVES.
THEY'VE GOT A SET NUMBER OF SAMPLES THAT THEY CAN TAKE.
SO THE SAMPLES ARE TAKEN.
UM, LITERALLY TAKING, YOU KNOW, A PLASTIC BUCKET
AND PUTTING SOME STAINLESS STEEL ON IT THAT WILL
HOLD THE SAMPLE BAG.
IT'S LIKE A LUNG.
SO THE BUCKET IS THE BODY, THE BAG IS THE LUNG,
AND THEN THERE'S A PUMP WHICH SERVES AS YOUR DIAPHRAGM,
WHICH PUMPS THE AIR OUT CREATING NEGATIVE PRESSURE,
OPENING THE BAG AND BRINGING IN AIR SO IT CAN BE SEALED
AND SENT TO THE LAB FOR TESTING.
AND THEY PROCESS IT IMMEDIATELY.
ABDALATI: BUCKET BRIGADE TECHNIQUES HAVE BEEN REVIEWED
BY THE EPA AND HAVE BEEN FOUND TO BE USEFUL IN CAPTURING DATA
WHERE GOVERNMENT SENSORS ARE LACKING.
LARSON: THE WARNING SIGN STUDY LOOKED AT HAZARDOUS AIR
POLLUTION IN 5 STATES.
IT'S THE WHOLE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE WENT AFTER
AT EVERY POINT.
WE RAN AROUND TAKING BUCKET SAMPLES.
WE TOOK MANY SAMPLES AT WELL PADS.
THEN IT MOVES ALONG A PIPELINE, WHERE THERE ARE
SOMETIMES VENTS INTO COMPRESSOR STATIONS.
THE COMPRESSOR STATION HAS GOT TO MOVE AGAIN.
THE GAS PROCESSING PLANT, WHERE IT'S MADE INTO,
YOU KNOW, THE NATURAL GAS THAT'S SOLD.
ABDALATI: SAMPLES WERE ANALYZED USING EPA PROTOCOLS
BY A CALIFORNIA LABORATORY, WHICH IS CERTIFIED BY 10
STATES AND THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.
CARPENTER: OF THE SAMPLES THAT WE TOOK, THEY WERE ANALYZED
FOR THE VOLATILE ORGANICS, WHICH INCLUDES METHANE,
BENZENE, ETHYLBENZENE, HEXANE, XYLENE--
A WHOLE VARIETY OF THINGS.
ABDALATI: DAVID CARPENTER IS A PHYSICIAN AND DIRECTOR
OF THE UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY'S INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH
AND THE ENVIRONMENT.
FOR 15 YEARS, HE HEADED NEW YORK STATE'S PUBLIC HEALTH
REFERENCE LABORATORY.
CARPENTER: BASICALLY, WHAT WE FOUND IS THAT 60%
OF THE SAMPLES DID NOT EXCEED ANY FEDERAL GUIDELINE,
BUT THAT IS TO SAY 40% OF THEM DID.
I WAS SHOCKED.
I DIDN'T THINK WE'D FIND MUCH, AND WE FOUND EMISSIONS OFF
THE FREAKIN' CHARTS.
WE FOUND THAT MANY OF THE SAMPLES EXCEEDED
THOSE STANDARDS.
SOME FOR BENZENE WERE SOMETHING LIKE 10,000 TIMES
ABOVE THE STANDARD.
MANY OF THE TOXIC CHEMICALS THAT ARE KNOWN TO
CAUSE CANCER THAT WE FOUND IN THIS REPORT WERE IN SOME CASES
HUNDREDS, IN OTHER CASES THOUSANDS, AND IN ONE CASE
22 MILLION TIMES OVER THE EPA CANCER RISK.
CARPENTER: THESE ARE ENORMOUS RELEASES.
MANY OF THESE COMPOUNDS ARE NEUROTOXINS.
AT HIGH CONCENTRATIONS, THEY CAN ACTUALLY CAUSE COMA,
BUT AT LOWER CONCENTRATIONS, THEY TEND TO REDUCE
BRAIN FUNCTION.
THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS, THE BIGGEST ONE IS CANCER
BECAUSE SEVERAL OF THESE ARE KNOWN HUMAN CARCINOGENS.
THOMAS: SO WHEN WE STARTED DOING THE BUCKET BRIGADE,
THE 5-, 6-STATE BUCKET BRIGADE, WE DIDN'T INTEND
ON DOING THE PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLE.
WE WERE JUST GONNA DO THE REPORT.
CARPENTER: I BECAME INVOLVED IN THE FRACKING STUDY WHEN THE
GROUPS THAT HAD COORDINATED THE COMMUNITY-BASED ACTIVITIES
APPROACHED ME FOR ASSISTANCE DOING THE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
OF THE DATA, WRITING UP THE PUBLICATION, AND GETTING IT
PUBLISHED IN A PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL.
AND WHENEVER THERE IS THIS KIND OF STUDY, HAVING A PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATION
IS SORT OF THE "GOOD HOUSEKEEPING"
SEAL OF LEGITIMACY FOR A STUDY.
WHAT HAPPENS WITH CITIZEN SCIENCE IS, EVERYBODY
DISSES IT.
SO, THE PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLE WAS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT
BECAUSE IT GAVE VALIDITY TO CITIZEN SCIENCE.
LARSON: I THINK THAT'S WHY WE GOT TAKEN SO SERIOUSLY--THAT
A JOURNAL ARTICLE HAD BEEN PUBLISHED, AND THIS IS WHAT
ACADEMIC SCIENTISTS AND DOCTORS WERE SAYING
ABOUT THE EXTREME HAZARD FROM OIL AND GAS DEVELOPMENT.
AND THERE WAS WIDESPREAD COVERAGE ACROSS THE U.S.
AND ACTUALLY GLOBALLY OF BOTH THE PEER-REVIEWED STUDY
AND THE REPORT, AND IT HAD A MAJOR IMPACT.
THOMAS: I THINK THE GREATEST INFLUENCE FROM THE "WARNING
SIGNS" REPORT WAS FOR THE BAN IN NEW YORK.
OUR FRACKING STUDY WAS WAIVED BY THE COMMISSIONER
OF HEALTH WHEN HE MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT THE GOVERNOR
OF NEW YORK WAS BANNING FRACKING.
ABDALATI: INDUSTRY-RELATED GROUPS DID QUESTION
THE OBJECTIVITY OF THE PEER REVIEWERS, BUT THOSE REVIEWERS
WERE INDEPENDENTLY SELECTED BY THE JOURNAL EDITORS, NOT
THE AUTHORS.
AND THERE HAVE BEEN NO QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FACTUAL
ACCURACY OF THE LABORATORY ANALYSES.
WHEN YOU START WATCHING YOUR FAMILY GET SICK
AND YOUR KID HAS A BLOODY NOSE FOR WEEKS ON END AND YOU CAN'T
FIGURE OUT WHY, YEAH, IT CHANGES YOUR WHOLE
PERSPECTIVE ON FOSSIL FUELS DEVELOPMENT.
I WAS SO PISSED OFF
OVER WHAT WAS HAPPENING TO US, I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT.
I COULDN'T BELIEVE THAT OUR GOVERNMENT WASN'T THERE
TO HELP US, THAT THERE WAS NOBODY THAT
WOULD DO ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING TO US.
AND IF I HAD A NICKEL FOR EVERY TIME SOMEBODY SAID,
"OH, THEY CAN'T DO THAT.
YOU JUST HAVE IT WRONG," I WOULD BE A MILLIONAIRE.
BECAUSE NOBODY CAN BELIEVE IT.
UNTIL YOU LIVE THROUGH THIS, YOU CAN'T BELIEVE IT.
I MEAN, THAT'S SOMETHING IN THIS LINE OF WORK
YOU HEAR JUST ABOUT EVERY DAY, 'CAUSE PEOPLE WHO LIVE
ON THE FENCE LINE ARE TOTALLY MARGINALIZED.
IT'S A VERY SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THE TOTAL POPULATION,
BUT THEY'RE ESSENTIALLY IN A SACRIFICE ZONE.
AND PEOPLE WANT THEIR GASOLINE AND THEY WANT IT CHEAP
AND THEY WANT THEIR PRODUCTS AND THEY WANT IT CHEAP.
AND THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT PAY FOR THAT AT THE FENCE LINE.
ABDALATI: MOST OF US DRIVE, MANY OF US FLY, AND JUST
ABOUT ALL OF US RELY ON INTERNET AND SOCIAL MEDIA
USING ENERGY-INTENSIVE SERVERS TO KEEP IN TOUCH.
SO THE QUESTION IS, HOW DO WE GENERATE THE ENERGY WE NEED
WHILE STILL ENSURING THERE ARE PROTECTIONS IN PLACE
FOR INNOCENT CITIZENS AND THAT SOMEONE IS ENFORCING
THE LAWS FAIRLY?
THOMAS: ONE THING YOU HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND
IS THAT THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY HAS EXEMPTIONS
TO THE "CLEAN WATER ACT," "SAFE DRINKING WATER ACT,"
AND THE "CLEAN AIR ACT."
LARSON: YOU KNOW, IF YOU LIVE NEXT TO A FACTORY,
THAT FACTORY HAS TO FOLLOW FEDERAL LAWS
TO KEEP THEM FROM POISONING YOUR DRINKING WATER,
GROUND WATER, AIR, FROM POISONING THE SOIL,
FROM POISONING THE BAY OR RIVER THAT THEY DUMPED THEIR DISCHARGE INTO.
YOU'RE PROTECTED WITH THAT FACTORY.
WHEN THE OIL WELL OR THE FRACKED GAS COMES INTO YOUR BACKYARD,
YOU DON'T HAVE THAT.
THOMAS: THIS ISN'T GONNA END ANY TIME SOON
UNTIL PEOPLE JUST REFUSE TO PUT UP WITH IT.
I SAY KUDOS FOR PLACES LIKE NEW YORK, WHO, YOU KNOW,
HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SAY, "NO. WE DON'T WANT IT,"
BUT THAT'S BECOMING MORE AND MORE DIFFICULT.
ABDALATI: THE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH ARTICLE CONCLUDED
THAT COMMUNITY-BASED MONITORING CAN EXTEND THE REACH
OF LIMITED PUBLIC RESOURCES.
I MEAN, IF SOMEBODY DOESN'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW WHAT THEY'RE BREATHING,
I DON'T KNOW THAT IT'S-- HOW IT COULD BE MORE OF A HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUE THAN THAT.
RIGHT NOW, WITHOUT THE CITIZEN SCIENCE MOVEMENT
AROUND OIL AND GAS DEVELOPMENT, FOR EXAMPLE,
THERE'S NO NEW INFORMATION.
THOMAS: PEOPLE ASK MY HUSBAND DICK AND ME
THIS QUESTION ALL THE TIME: WHY DO WE STAY?
WHY DON'T YOU JUST LEAVE?
I BELIEVE IT'S OUR RESPONSIBILITY
TO PROTECT WHAT WE HAVE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.
MY FAMILY'S BEEN ON THE FRONT, THE BEAR TOOTH FRONT,
FOR 4 GENERATIONS.
AND I FEEL...LIKE I'M HERE TO PROTECT AS MUCH OF IT AS I CAN.
I OWE THAT TO MY CHILDREN AND THEIR CHILDREN,
TO ALL THE--THE ANIMALS THAT LIVE HERE WITH US,
UM, AND TO MY ANCESTORS.
PROTECTING NATURE SOMETIMES TAKES HEROIC EFFORTS
AND PERSONAL COURAGE.
BUT THANKS TO NEW SENSORS AND NEW GROUPS
UNDERSTANDING THE VALUE OF SCIENCE-BASED OBSERVATIONS,
PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT IS SOMETHING ALL OF US CAN DO
WHILE PURSUING OUR PASSIONS.
MAN: I'VE BEEN FLY FISHING SINCE I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL.
I ALWAYS JOKED THAT IF CATCHING FISH WAS THE OBJECT,
I'D CHANGE MY TACTICS.
I DON'T CARE IF I CATCH A FISH OR NOT.
THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET OUT AND GET IMMERSED IN THE WATER
AND BE IN NATURE...
HUMANS ARE PART OF NATURE, NOT SEPARATE FROM.
ABDALATI: JIM WEAVER HAS BEEN FLY FISHING FOR OVER 40 YEARS
IN THE STREAMS AND RIVERS OF TIOGA COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA.
WOMAN: IF YOU'RE SOMEBODY DRIVING AROUND TIOGA COUNTY FOR THE FIRST TIME,
YOU ARE LIKELY TO NOTICE, FIRST, LONG-WINDING ROADS
THAT GO THROUGH THE COUNTRYSIDE
THAT EVENTUALLY END UP AT THE TOPS OF HILLS
INSIDE OF THESE BEAUTIFUL DENSE HEMLOCK FORESTS
THAT FEED COLD-WATER STREAMS THAT EVENTUALLY RUN INTO RIVERS.
MAN: YEAH, THE COMMUNITIES ARE PRIMARILY ESTABLISHED IN THE VALLEYS.
AND THE VALLEYS ALSO HAPPEN TO BE WHERE THE RIVERS ARE,
AND SO EVERY COMMUNITY HAS A CREEK OR RIVER RUNNING RIGHT THROUGH IT.
SO IT'S REALLY A PART OF THE LIFEBLOOD OF THE AREA.
ABDALATI: BUT OVER THE LAST DECADE,
JIM AND HIS FISHING FRIENDS HAVE SEEN A LOT OF CHANGES.
MALONEY: ABOUT 7 OR 8 YEARS AGO,
THE GAS INDUSTRY STARTED TO MOVE INTO OUR REGION.
AND THIS BROUGHT NEW OPPORTUNITIES,
BUT IT ALSO BROUGHT A LOT OF NEW CHANGES.
AND SO IT CAUSED CONCERN FOR SOME OF OUR LOCAL CITIZENS.
ABDALATI: NORTHERN PENNSYLVANIA SITS ON TOP OF THE RESOURCE-RICH MARCELLUS SHALE.
THE MARCELLUS REGION ALONE ACCOUNTS FOR ABOUT 40%
OF U.S. SHALE GAS PRODUCTION.
BACK IN 2008, WE, UH--
WE BECAME AWARE OF THIS WHOLE MARCELLUS SHALE
NATURAL GAS PLAY, AND WE RECOGNIZED
THAT--THAT THERE'S SOME RISK THERE TO OUR COLD WATER STREAMS.
ABDALATI: LOCAL GOVERNMENT REALIZED IT DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH BOOTS ON THE GROUND
OR WADERS IN THE STREAM TO MONITOR EVERY RIVER.
VOLKMAR: SHORTLY AFTER THAT,
TIOGA COUNTY CONSERVATION DISTRICT
STARTED A CITIZEN STREAM MONITORING PROGRAM,
AND THEY INVITED A NUMBER OF US
FROM A NEIGHBORING TROUT UNLIMITED CHAPTER TO COME OVER
AND GO THROUGH THE TRAINING AND LEARN WHAT THIS WAS ALL ABOUT.
AND IT'S PART OF THAT 300...
VOLKMAR: AFTERWARDS, WE GOT TO TALKING THAT,
"BOY, THIS IS RIGHT UP OUR ALLEY.
I MEAN, WHO'S ON THE STREAMS MORE THAN WE ARE?"
ABDALATI: TROUT UNLIMITED STARTED AS A CONSERVATION ORGANIZATION OVER 50 YEARS AGO,
WITH 16 FISHERMEN WHO WANTED TO PROTECT AND PRESERVE THE WATERS THEY USED.
NOW IT'S A NATIONAL ORGANIZATION WITH SOME 150,000 MEMBERS
IN ALMOST EVERY STATE.
WELL, A LOT OF THE SHALE GAS DEVELOPMENT WAS HAPPENING
IN VERY REMOTE REGIONS OF CENTRAL APPALACHIA,
AND IT JUST HAPPENED TO OVERLAP WITH SOME OF THE BEST WILD
AND NATIVE TROUT WATERSHEDS THAT WE HAVE OUT HERE.
SO WE THOUGHT IT WAS IMPERATIVE UPON US TO GET OUT
AND COLLECT GOOD DATA SO THAT WE COULD SEE,
YOU KNOW, IF ANY POLLUTION EVENTS WERE OCCURRING
AND TO KEEP AN EYE ON THINGS.
MAN: 49.8 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.
WOMAN: IT'S REALLY A DIVERSE GROUP.
WE HAVE RETIREES WHO COLLECT DATA IN THE STREAMS
WHERE THEY GO TO TROUT FISH,
THEIR FAVORITE TROUT-FISHING STREAMS.
OTHER FOLKS WHO MONITOR STREAMS CLOSE TO HOME
THAT THEY JUST HAVE THAT CONNECTION TO
'CAUSE IT'S THEIR HOME WATERSHED.
LEMON: ANGLERS KNOW THEIR HOME WATERS.
THEY KNOW HOW THEY SHOULD LOOK CERTAIN PERIODS OF THE YEAR.
AND SO THEY'RE BEST SUITED TO IDENTIFYING POTENTIAL POLLUTION EVENTS THAT COULD OCCUR.
WHITE: SOME PARENTS, LIKE MYSELF, WHO WANT TO INCLUDE THEIR KIDS
IN THIS KIND OF AN EXPERIENCE.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT
WHO WANTS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SCIENCE
WHO'S LOOKING TO GET INVOLVED IN SCIENCE DOWN THE ROAD.
WOMAN: TODAY, WE'RE HERE AT DARLING RUN.
WE'RE TAKING MEASUREMENTS OF CONDUCTIVITY, PH,
AND TEMPERATURE.
WHEN I HEARD ABOUT THE MARCELLUS GAS INDUSTRY,
I WAS REALLY CONCERNED AND I WANTED TO FIND A WAY
THAT I COULD HELP OUT.
AND THIS IS A WAY THAT I FOUND I COULD DO IT.
I MONITOR ONCE A MONTH,
AND IT TAKES ME ABOUT AN HOUR TO DO IT.
I HAVE 3 DIFFERENT LOCATIONS THAT I MONITOR THAT ARE NEAR MY HOUSE.
SO THESE ARE STREAMS THAT I REALLY CARE ABOUT.
WOMAN: SO T.U.'s VOLUNTEER MONITORING PROGRAM
REALLY STARTS WITH--TO USE STAFF TRAINING OUR VOLUNTEERS.
ONCE THOSE VOLUNTEERS ARE TRAINED,
DEPENDING UPON WHERE THEY LIVE AND HOW MUCH SHALE GAS
DEVELOPMENT IS OCCURRING NEAR THEIR WATERSHEDS,
THEY WILL GO OUT AN MONITOR EITHER ON A BI-WEEKLY BASIS
OR ONCE A MONTH.
AND THEY WILL SPEND ABOUT 15 TO 20 MINUTES
AT EACH SITE TAKING KEY WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS
THAT WILL LET US KNOW IF SHALE GAS DEVELOPMENT
IS AFFECTING THE STREAMS.
ABDALATI: A FEW YEARS BACK, ONE TROUT UNLIMITED VOLUNTEER
WAS OUT FISHING AND SAW SOMETHING DIFFERENT AND DISTURBING ABOUT THE WATER.
DUNLAP: HE NOTICED A TURBID PLUME
OF DIRTY, BROWN, MUDDY WATER COMING DOWN THE STREAM.
[CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING]
HE FOLLOWED THAT PLUME UPSTREAM
AND CONTINUED TO FOLLOW IT THROUGH A DIFFERENT TRIBUTARY
UNTIL EVENTUALLY HE FOUND THE SOURCE.
HE IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED THE COUNTY CONSERVATION DISTRICT,
WHICH CONDUCTED AN INSPECTION,
ISSUED VIOLATIONS,
AND THEN THAT AGENCY BROUGHT IN STATE AGENCIES
WHO, ULTIMATELY, INITIATED AN ENFORCEMENT ACTION,
WHICH WAS FINALLY SETTLED JUST LAST YEAR FOR $800,000.
ABDALATI: SO FAR, T.U.'s ANGLER SCIENCE
HASN'T RECORDED ANOTHER SIMILAR SPILL
OR TRIGGERED ANOTHER SUBSTANTIAL FINE,
BUT THEY KNOW THEIR WORK IS VALUABLE NONETHELESS
BECAUSE THEY'RE DOCUMENTING THE PRESENTLY UNSPOILED CONDITIONS.
MAN: WE'RE HOPING THAT WITH THE EXTENSIVE MONITORING THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING,
SHOULD THERE BE ANOTHER LARGE-SCALE BOOM IN THE AREA,
WE'LL HAVE ADEQUATE BASELINE DATA
TO REALLY COMPARE AGAINST OUR POST-DEVELOPMENT DATA
TO SEE IF THERE ARE CHANGES.
WOMAN: WE WANT THE--
THE INDUSTRY TO KNOW WE'RE OUT THERE LOOKING.
ABDALATI: T.U.'s CITIZEN SCIENCE DATA IS RELIABLE ENOUGH
TO BE TRUSTED BY GOVERNMENT RESEARCHERS AND ACADEMIC SCIENTISTS.
LEMON: WE'VE HAD VARIOUS AGENCIES AND INSTITUTIONS REACH OUT TO US
TO GET AHOLD OF OUR DATA SO THEY CAN USE IT IN THEIR RESEARCH.
THEY SEE VALUE IN VOLUNTEER DATA.
IT'S A GREAT RESOURCE OF LARGE DATA SETS
THAT THEY COULDN'T COLLECT WITH THEIR PROFESSIONAL STAFF ALONE.
MAN: YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A SCIENTIST
TO PUT A THERMOMETER IN THE WATER.
A LOT OF THE TECHNOLOGY NOW MAKES IT VERY EASY
TO COLLECT VERY ACCURATE SCIENTIFIC DATA.
BROOK TROUT IS A CANARY IN A COAL MINE
BECAUSE THEY'RE VERY SENSITIVE TO CHANGES IN THEIR HABITAT.
UH, THEY'RE COLD-WATER FISH.
THEY'RE SENSITIVE TO SEDIMENT.
AND SO, WHEN YOU LOSE THE BROOK TROUT,
YOU'VE LOST THE QUALITY OF THAT HABITAT.
WOMAN: ONCE YOU LOSE THAT, IT'S REALLY HARD TO GET IT BACK.
ABDALATI: THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY IS ALWAYS SUBJECT TO BOOM AND BUST CYCLES.
BUT WHATEVER THE FUTURE BRINGS,
CONTINUED MONITORING OF SUCH PRICELESS NATURAL ASSETS
IS A WISE INVESTMENT OF TIME AND EFFORT.
WEAVER: IT'S LIKE COUSTEAU SAID. "PEOPLE PROTECT WHAT THEY LOVE."
CITIZENS PUSHING FOR MORE TRANSPARENCY,
HOLDING LOCAL AUTHORITIES TO ACCOUNT.
THAT MAY NOT SEEM UNUSUAL IN EUROPE OR THE UNITED STATES.
AND THANKS TO THE EFFORTS OF ONE MAN AND THE CROWD,
IT'S ALSO HAPPENING IN CHINA, WHERE, INCREASINGLY,
THE BATTLE FOR BLUE SKIES AND CLEAN STREAMS IS BEING WAGED ONLINE VIA SOCIAL MEDIA.
MAN: I GOT THE CHANCE TO TRAVEL IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF CHINA
IN THE MID-1990s,
AND I WAS STRUCK BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE,
ESPECIALLY THE DEGRADATION OF OUR WATER RESOURCES--
OF THE RIVERS AND LAKES.
SO I REALIZED THAT A MAJOR ECODAMAGE IS GOING ON,
AND SO I PUT IT INTO A BOOK TITLED "CHINA'S WATER CRISIS."
AND MANY PEOPLE, THEY CAME BACK AND SAYING THAT, YOU KNOW,
"WE AGREE. WHAT SHOULD WE DO?
HOW SHOULD WE TRY TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM?"
SO ALL THESE YEARS, I'VE BEEN PUSHED INTO, YOU KNOW,
THINKING ABOUT SOLUTIONS.
ABDALATI: RECENT STUDIES INDICATE THAT SOME 1.6 MILLION CHINESE DIE EACH YEAR
FROM AIR POLLUTION.
AND THE OVERALL COST OF POLLUTION TO CHINA
IS ESTIMATED AT AROUND 10% OF ITS $11 TRILLION ECONOMY.
JUN: IN THE COUNTRYSIDE, WE STILL GOT
UP TO 300 MILLION RURAL RESIDENTS
WHO STILL LACK ACCESS TO SAFE DRINKING WATER.
THAT CAN ALSO LEAD TO BAD HEALTH PROBLEMS.
CHINA'S BEEN THROUGH THIS 30 YEARS OF TREMENDOUS ECONOMIC GROWTH
THAT BENEFIT CHINA, BUT IT PUT HUGE PRESSURE ON THE ENVIRONMENT.
AND IN THE MEANTIME, CHINA HAS SPENT HUGE EFFORTS
TO TRY TO DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM DURING THE PAST 10 YEARS.
THE GOVERNMENT HAVE CHANGED POLICIES AND STRATEGIES
AND TRY TO INTEGRATE ENVIRONMENTAL TARGETS
INTO THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN.
HOWEVER, WE STILL HAVEN'T SEEN THE TURNING POINT.
ABDALATI: IN A MOVE THAT MIGHT SURPRISE SOME,
CHINA'S CENTRAL GOVERNMENT HAS REQUIRED MAJOR FACTORIES
TO INSTALL AUTOMATIC SENSORS TO DOCUMENT EMISSIONS.
PEGGY LU IS A CHINESE-AMERICAN WHO HEADS UP JUCCCE,
THE JOINT U.S. CHINA COLLABORATION ON CLEAN ENERGY.
LIU: SO IN 2015,
THEY LAUNCHED THE NEW ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION LAW
WHICH ALLOWS WHISTLEBLOWERS TO ACTUALLY GET MONEY
AND ENCOURAGES THEM TO ACTUALLY IDENTIFY
WHICH POINT SOURCES OF EMISSIONS THERE ARE.
AND IT ALSO ALLOWS NGOs AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS
TO SUE THESE FACTORIES FOR TOO MUCH POLLUTION.
ABDALATI: MA JUN SET UP ONE OF CHINA'S FIRST NGOs,
THE INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS,
TO SHARE THAT DATA WIDELY.
IPEs FIRST ONLINE PROJECT WAS TO DEVELOP A NATIONAL POLLUTION MAP
SO ORDINARY CITIZENS COULD ACCESS WATER QUALITY DATA
AND SEE A LIST OF POLLUTERS.
FACTORIES DYEING FABRICS FOR THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY
HAVE BEEN A MAJOR SOURCE OF DISCHARGE INTO THE RIVERS AND THE OCEAN.
JUN: YOU CAN SEE FROM-- FROM THE COLOR
THAT IT CANNOT MEET WITH-- WITH THE STANDARDS.
YOU CAN FEEL THE HEAT FROM IT.
ABDALATI: SOME FACTORIES ARE TAKING STEPS TO IMPROVE.
OTHERS TRY TO HIDE THEIR POLLUTION
BY DISCHARGING IT FARTHER OUT INTO THE RIVERS.
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
[SHUTTER CLICKING]
ABDALATI: IPE ASSEMBLED A GROUP OF CHINESE ENVIRONMENTAL NGOs
INTO A GREEN CHOICE ALLIANCE
TO PRESSURE LOCAL FACTORIES INTO COMPLIANCE.
ONE POLLUTER WAS THE SAINTYEAR TEXTILE GROUP,
BUT AFTER WORKING WITH IPE, THEY CHANGED THEIR PRACTICES
AND CLEANED UP THEIR DISCHARGES.
[SPEAKING CHINESE]
THE MOST IMPORTANT IS THAT TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE
WHO DON'T WANT TO COMPLY WITH THE BASIC STANDARDS WILL BE PROPERLY PENALIZED.
SO YOU NEED TO HAVE THE STICK.
ABDALATI: MA JUN REALIZED THAT IPE's MAPS AND DATA
COULD ALSO BE USED TO PRESSURE INTERNATIONAL BRANDS
INTO INSISTING ON CHANGE.
WOMAN: I THINK THEY EPITOMIZE THE MARGARET MEAD QUOTE
ABOUT "A SMALL GROUP OF CITIZENS CHANGING THE WORLD."
IT'S INCREDIBLY STRIKING TO ME, NOT ONLY IN THE APPAREL
BUT IN THE ELECTRONICS SECTOR THAT WITHOUT THEIR ACTION,
I DON'T THINK THAT WE WOULD SEE THE EFFORTS BOTH ON THE BRANDS
AND APPAREL INDUSTRY SIDE, BUT AS, YOU KNOW,
THE SUPPLIERS AND MANUFACTURERS IN CHINA.
ABDALATI: BUT FOR ALL OF IPE's SUCCESSES
WITH THE GREEN CHOICE ALLIANCE,
MA JUN KNEW MUCH MORE NEEDED TO BE DONE.
JUN: WE REVIEWED THE SITUATION,
AND WHAT WE FOUND IS THAT IT'S JUST A DROP OF WATER IN THE BUCKET.
WE STILL GOT PROBABLY 140,000 RECORDS OF VIOLATIONS,
AND MOST OF THE FACTORIES STILL WOULDN'T TRY TO RESPOND
AND TRY TO SOLVE THEIR PROBLEM.
SO WE BELIEVE WE NEED TO SCALE UP OUR WORK,
AND THE WAY TO DO THAT IS TO EXPAND TRANSPARENCY IN A VAST WAY.
ABDALATI: THE SAME FRANTIC PACE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
THAT GENERATED SO MUCH POLLUTION ALSO LED TO THE INTERNET
AND MOBILE PHONES BECOMING UBIQUITOUS ACROSS CHINA.
ZOU YI, AT FIRST, WAS JUST AN INDIVIDUAL SICKENED
BY SEEING THE POLLUTION OUTSIDE HIS BEIJING APARTMENT.
HE STARTED TAKING PHOTOS EVERY DAY,
DOCUMENTING BLUE SKIES AND THE EVER-MORE-FREQUENT BROWN SKIES.
SOON, HE WAS FOLLOWED BY MORE THAN 24 MILLION PEOPLE ONLINE.
THIS IS THE WHOLE YEAR OF LAST YEAR PICTURES.
SO FROM HERE, YOU CAN SEE HOW MANY BLUE SKY WE HAVE AND, UH,
THE SMOG DAYS WE HAVE.
YOU--YOU DON'T NEED ANY MORE MESSAGE OR EXPRESSIONS.
JUN: I BELIEVE THAT WE NEED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE
OF THIS QUICK DEVELOPMENT OF MOBILE INTERNET
AND TRY TO HELP PEOPLE TO ACCESS THE DATA
THROUGH A CELL PHONE APPLICATION.
ABDALATI: IN 2016, VERSION 3.1 OF IPE's BLUE MAP APP WAS RELEASED,
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE EXPLOSION OF APPS
LIKE WeChat AND SINA WEIBO, CHINA'S TWITTER.
ONE SPECIAL SECTION OF THE APP IS CALLED "BLACK AND SMELLY RIVERS."
JUN: THIS IS THE FIRST TIME FOR PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO CHECK
ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE RIVERS AND LAKES IN THEIR AREAS
ON THEIR CELL PHONE.
LIU: TODAY, WHEN YOU HAVE A PLATFORM LIKE WeChat,
WHICH IS OUR MOST PROLIFIC SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM,
IT HAS OVER 550 MILLION ACTIVE USERS EACH DAY.
ANYBODY CAN IDENTIFY RED-COLORED WATERS.
ALL OF THIS CAN IMMEDIATELY CREATE UNWANTED EXPOSURE
FOR COMPANIES AS WELL AS CITIES.
JUN: PEOPLE CAN SHARE THIS DATA
ON THE PLATFORM CREATED BY THE MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AND THE MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND CONSTRUCTION.
IT'S QUITE HAPPY TO SEE THAT ALL THIS HAVE SOME OFFICIAL RESPONSE.
THE RED-COLORED RESPONSE IS FROM THE GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
THAT ALL THIS POLLUTION PROBLEM DID EXIST,
SO WE WILL TRY TO TACKLE THIS PROBLEM.
WHAT THE BLUE MAP APP DOES IS IT COMBINES THE GOVERNMENT DATA
AS WELL AS THE USER-GENERATED CONTENT
ON WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH AIR POLLUTION AND WATER POLLUTION
INTO ONE EASY-TO-USE PLATFORM.
AND THAT WILL MAKE A LOT OF NGOs' WORKS,
LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL COURTS' WORKS MUCH EASIER.
JUN: OF COURSE, WE'RE NOT JUST TRYING TO HELP PEOPLE
ACCESS THE AIR AND WATER QUALITY.
THEY NEED TO KNOW WHO ARE THE SOURCE OF ALL THIS POLLUTION
SO THAT THEY CAN GET INVOLVED WITH THIS IDEA.
WE HELP PEOPLE TO ACCESS THE DATA ON THE EMITTERS.
THIS IS FOR AIR POLLUTION IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF CHINA.
AND THOSE WHICH ARE IN RED,
MEANING THAT THEY'RE NOT IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE STANDARDS.
THEY CAN USE THE APP TO SHARE THE DATA THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA,
WHICH HELPED TO MOTIVATE, YOU KNOW, MORE THAN 600 OF THESE MAJOR VIOLATORS
TO OPENLY ADDRESS THEIR PROBLEM.
LIU: ALL OF THESE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS HAVE REALLY REVOLUTIONIZED
ENVIRONMENTAL ENFORCEMENT AND MONITORING.
AND NOW INDIVIDUALS ARE INCENTIVIZED UP TO RENMINBI 5,000,
OR ALMOST $1,000 U.S. DOLLARS, TO IDENTIFY POLLUTING COMPANIES.
WE'RE HAPPY TO SEE IN SOME OF THE AREAS WHICH USED TO HAVE SO MANY RED DOTS
AND NOW MANY OF THE VIOLATORS HAVE TURNED FROM RED INTO GREEN.
ABDALATI: MA JUN AND IPE HAVE MANAGED TO MAINTAIN THEIR TRICKY BALANCE
BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PUBLIC
AND CONTINUE THEIR WORK FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY.
LIU: THE BLUE MAP APP IS REALLY REVOLUTIONARY FOR CHINA.
IN THIS POINT OF HISTORY IN CHINA, IT'S SORELY NEEDED.
JUN: OUR MISSION IS TO TRY TO FIND BACK THE BLUE SKY
AND CLEAR WATER FOR THE PUBLIC.
ABDALATI: PROBLEMS WITH AIR AND WATER POLLUTION ARE LONG-STANDING
AND TAKE TIME TO FIX.
THE BLOWOUT THAT MOTIVATED DEB THOMAS TO GET INVOLVED
WITH BUCKET BRIGADE MONITORING HAPPENED BACK IN 2006.
BY EARLY 2016, 10 YEARS LATER,
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS HAVE BEEN SPENT TO TRACK THE SPILL,
BUT THE POLLUTION HAD STILL NOT BEEN FULLY REMEDIATED.
AT THE SAME TIME, THE FRACKING COMPANY
WAS PETITIONING THE STATE TO CLOSE OUT THE CASE.
AND IN MANY WAYS, CITIZEN MONITORING IN WYOMING
HAS RECENTLY BECOME MORE DIFFICULT.
THOMAS: ONE OF THE PROBLEMS IN WYOMING
IS THIS LAST YEAR THEY PASSED A TRESPASS LAW,
WHICH STOPS CITIZENS FROM COLLECTING RESOURCE DATA.
AND SO THE KIND OF DATA COLLECTION THAT WE DID
CANNOT BE DONE IN WYOMING.
SO NOW, EVEN THOUGH THE STATE WON'T COLLECT THAT DATA FOR YOU,
YOU NO LONGER CAN.
WE HAVE TO LIVE WITH IT AND SHUT UP.
LARSON: YOU HAVE TO HAVE HOPE IN THIS LINE OF BUSINESS
BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF NEGATIVE THINGS
THAT ARE HAPPENING OUT THERE TO A LOT OF REALLY GOOD PEOPLE WHO DON'T DESERVE IT.
BUT I'M HOPEFUL FOR THE FUTURE
BECAUSE I SEE A MASS MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE USING CITIZEN SCIENCE
AND PEOPLE WHO SUPPORT THEM RISING UP TO SAY, "THIS WILL NOT CONTINUE.
THIS WILL CHANGE."
AND THERE'S A VERY DIVERSE GROUP OF PEOPLE, INCLUDING CONSERVATIVES,
THAT ARE JOINING TOGETHER, AND THERE'S A LOT OF HOPE IN THAT.
JUN: WE ARE THE FIRST GROUP WHO TRY TO FOCUS ON TRANSPARENCY
AND USE THAT AS A TOOL TO EMPOWER THE CITIZENS
SO THAT THEY CAN GET INVOLVED.
ABDALATI: WHILE PHILLY UNLEADED FOUND LOW LEVELS OF LEAD
IN MANY OF THE SAMPLES TESTED,
ANY AMOUNT OF LEAD IS NOW CONSIDERED DANGEROUS.
BUT IF CITIZENS AND SCIENTISTS AND PUBLIC HEALTH AGENCIES
ALL WORK TOGETHER, THERE ARE SOLUTIONS.
EDWARDS: REALLY, THERE'S NO MORE POWERFUL SCIENTIFIC FORCE
ON THIS PLANET THAN A MOTHER TRYING TO FIGURE OUT
WHY THEIR CHILD IS SICK.
THESE MOMS HAVE BEEN EXTRAORDINARILY GOOD SCIENTISTS.
I FEEL GOOD TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK OUT
FOR MY CHILDREN'S FUTURE.
THEY ARE MY FUTURE.
IN MY WORK AS A RESEARCHER,
I USE SATELLITES AND SUPERCOMPUTERS
TO SEE HOW THE EARTH IS CHANGING.
BUT THERE'S NO WAY SATELLITES CAN LOOK INSIDE LEAD PIPES
OR CAPTURE STREAM QUALITY DATA ON ALL OUR RIVERS.
THAT'S WHERE CITIZEN SCIENCE PROVIDES GROUND TRUTH
AND WHERE ALL THOSE VOLUNTEER HOURS PAY OFF
IN LOCAL KNOWLEDGE THAT'S INVALUABLE.
IT'S A WIN-WIN FOR CITIZENS AND SCIENTISTS.
FOR "THE CROWD & THE CLOUD," I'M WALEED ABDALATI.
ANNOUNCER: "THE CROWD & THE CLOUD" IS MADE POSSIBLE BY NSF,
THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION, WHERE DISCOVERIES BEGIN.