The Air We Breathe: Partnering to Measure Air Quality in Cicero, IL.

Dillon Bergin, MuckRock Foundation &
Irene Romulo, Cicero Independiente

Friday, December 8th at Noon CST,
via Zoom & In-Person at NHB 2049

Join us for learning and conversation at the next installment of the HEROP Speaker Series on Friday, December 8th at noon. Coffee and networking session to follow. Please join us via Zoom or come watch in person at NHB 2049!

Cicero Independiente and MuckRock have been monitoring air pollution in Cicero. What we found: Cicero’s air quality is much worse than surrounding Cook County neighborhoods, and it’s worse than what the Environmental Protection Agency and pilot programs run by the city and Microsoft have routinely reported. Now, we’re digging into the biggest industrial polluter in Cicero: the Koppers chemical plant, which processes tars and oils. Koppers is the biggest polluter in Cicero and because of its emissions of known and potential carcinogens, like Benzene and Naphthalene, one of the most dangerous in the country.

Dillon Bergin

Dillon Bergin is the MuckRock Foundation’s data reporter. He uses data and public records to power investigative reporting. Dillon was a member of the Documenting COVID-19 team, a project funded by MuckRock and the Brown Institute for Media Innovation. Before that, he was a reporter for the America Corps, a member of Searchlight New Mexico, and a Fulbright Germany Journalism Fellow.

Irene Romulo

Irene Romulo is the Development and Community Engagement Coordinator for Cicero Independiente, a bilingual, news organization for the people of Cicero and Berwyn, IL. The Cicero Independiente project hopes to make local news more accessible and provide the information and tools necessary to make Cicero a better place to live.

In-Person or Virtual?

A virtual option via Zoom is available for the public. To gain access to the Zoom Webinar, please RSVP here: https://go.illinois.edu/HEROP-DEC8.

The in-person option is open to the University of Illinois community (students, staff, and faculty). If you are attending in person, we will be streaming the talk at the Natural History Building Room 2049.

About the Series

The HEROP Speaker Series connects scholars, experts, and innovative thinkers to discuss different conceptual, methodological, and technological facets of public health to better understand the social determinants of health, and how place may influence outcomes. The Healthy Regions & Policies (HEROP) Lab integrates innovative GIScience, public health, and statistical approaches to explore, understand, and promote healthy places. We’re experts in the spatial & social determinants of health. We’re based out of the Dept of Geography & GIScience at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.