Air

Protecting Disaster Responders from Respiratory Hazards

lbennett — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 14:08:39 +0000

Protecting Disaster Responders from Respiratory Hazards

lbennett Fri, 06/12/2026 - 21:08

The Ask: Our clients with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Worker Training Program (WTP) fund organizations that deliver disaster preparedness and response training to workers and communities across the country. Trainers from these organizations expressed a need for voluntary respiratory protection guidance to protect workers and volunteers who participate in disaster cleanup but do not have mandated respiratory coverage, or whose employers do not provide or authorize personal protective equipment.

The Solution: MDB worked with an occupational health and safety expert to develop a respiratory guidance document and tool. The expert solicited input from a panel of WTP-funded organizations, academics, and industry professionals with experience in respiratory protection to participate in interviews and provide feedback about the structure and scope of the tool. Based on iterative review and feedback from the panel, our team worked to develop the outline, content, and graphics for the tool.

Notable Outcomes: The final tool, “Site Coordinator’s Guide to Voluntary Use of Respiratory Protection for Disaster Preparedness and Response,” is targeted toward laypeople, like volunteers, who are responding to tropical storms and hurricanes. The tool offers a resource for disaster response site coordinators who oversee workers and volunteers who may be included in a voluntary respiratory use program. The tool is comprised of standalone one-page sheets to allow each page to be disseminated as their own documents or as a whole packet. It provides clear, concise information that supervisors can use to advise their decision to implement voluntary respiratory protection, ultimately keeping disaster workers safe as they complete disaster cleanup tasks.

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Advancing Community Change Through Clear, Actionable Visuals

lbennett — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 14:07:02 +0000

Advancing Community Change Through Clear, Actionable Visuals

Air

Communication & Outreach

lbennett Fri, 06/12/2026 - 21:07

The Ask: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sought to develop clear, accessible graphics to accompany its Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Community Change Grants (CCG) — a nearly $2 billion program supporting community-driven efforts to reduce air pollution and build capacity in disadvantaged communities. Given the complexity of the application process, EPA needed a way to distill detailed program requirements into materials that community stakeholders could easily understand and act on.

The Solution: MDB created a series of infographics to accompany the CCG NOFO, translating complex grant requirements into clear, user-friendly visuals. These graphics illustrated key elements of the program, including eligibility criteria, statutory partnership requirements, funding structure, and the range of allowable strategies and project components.

To further support outreach and understanding, MDB also designed the program’s logo and produced four tailored slide decks for both prospective applicants and federal stakeholders, ensuring consistent, cohesive messaging across all engagement efforts.

Notable Outcomes: The graphics and slide decks were widely used in a series of webinars for communities across the country to learn about the new CCG funds and application process. These materials were also included in a slide deck presentation to a White House working group.

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Highlighting Advances in Air Pollution Monitoring Following Disasters

lbennett — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 14:04:12 +0000

Highlighting Advances in Air Pollution Monitoring Following Disasters

Air

Communication & Outreach

lbennett Fri, 06/12/2026 - 21:04

The Ask: The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) aimed to elevate its most impactful, Institute-funded research for public audiences — including advancements in tools and technologies used to monitor air pollution exposures during disasters.

The Solution: MDB condensed a technical publication on mobile air monitoring following the train derailment in East Palestine, OH into a simplified, plain-language summary in the NIEHS Environmental Factor Newsletter. It highlighted how scientists used real-time nontargeted mobile air quality monitoring to gain better insight into exposures and potential health effects following the disaster.

Notable Outcomes: The clients and the Environmental Factor editor commended the simplified write-up for succinctly conveying the key scientific advancements and implications for protecting public health.

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Sharing Research Linking Air Pollutants and Metabolic Diseases

lbennett — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 14:02:04 +0000

Sharing Research Linking Air Pollutants and Metabolic Diseases

Air

Communication & Outreach

lbennett Fri, 06/12/2026 - 21:02

The Ask: The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences sought to share high-impact, scientifically rigorous research with the public, including studies the connect air pollution exposure to human health risks.

The Solution: MDB condensed the technical publication into a simplified, plain-language summary in a monthly Research Brief. It highlighted how scientists reported that prenatal exposure to the air pollutant benzene increased the risk of metabolic disorders later in life.

Notable Outcomes: Both the clients and the lead author on the paper praised the brief for translating complex science on air pollution’s health effects into clear, accessible insights for a wider audience.

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Developing a Training Tool for Community Engagement

lbennett — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 13:59:40 +0000

Developing a Training Tool for Community Engagement

Air

Communication & Outreach

Training

lbennett Fri, 06/12/2026 - 20:59

The Ask: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Air and Radiation (OAR) needed a tool to help local and state governments incorporate engagement with communities into their grant-funded projects.

The Solution: In collaboration with OAR staff, MDB designed and developed a 7-page booklet to help local and state governments create or expand their plans to engage communities MDB provided planning, copy editing, graphic design, and Section 508-compliance support. The booklet is an effective tool to provide a visual and written roadmap for grant recipients as they develop community engagement plans.

Notable Outcomes: EPA praised the booklet as a beautiful and useful resource and planned to share it with others. The booklet was disseminated to grant recipient listservs and published on the EPA website.

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Communicating Public Health Benefits of Air Research for Policy Implications

lbennett — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 13:58:22 +0000

Communicating Public Health Benefits of Air Research for Policy Implications

Air

Communication & Outreach

lbennett Fri, 06/12/2026 - 20:58

The Ask: The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences sought to synthesize decades of air pollution research funded through the Superfund Research Program (SRP) and promote the resulting public health benefits.

The Solution: MDB compiled and synthesized relevant publications, interviewed the lead scientist, and wrote a Public Health Impact Story detailing how their research revolutionized our understanding of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) as air pollutants rather than just contaminating soil or water. It further highlighted how this research has been used to help K-12 schools more accurately identify sources of PCBs and prioritize remediation projects to yield cost savings and informed a policy in Germany to better protect human health.

Notable Outcomes: The clients and the researcher praised the story for eloquently condensing the research into an engaging and visually appealing story.

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Sharing Challenges and Opportunities to Improve Air Quality in Schools

lbennett — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 13:47:19 +0000

Sharing Challenges and Opportunities to Improve Air Quality in Schools

Air

Communication & Outreach

Data Analysis & Visualization

Environmental Science

lbennett Fri, 06/12/2026 - 20:47

The Ask: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sought to assess and synthesize decades of research on air quality in schools around the world. This involved casting a wide-net literature search, led by MDB’s library scientist, and screening nearly 2,000 articles for relevance and inclusion.

The Solution: MDB science writers led the development of a comprehensive 155-page contractor report on indoor air quality in schools that summarized the body of literature, including detailed overviews of 11 common pollutants (e.g., particulate matter, volatile organic compounds), including sources of exposure, measurement and monitoring strategies, impacts on the health of students and school staff, intervention and mitigation strategies, and barriers and challenges to implementation.

Notable Outcomes: MDB’s Creative Director and science communicators also developed a suite of eye-catching outreach materials to help share the findings more broadly. These materials included an interactive school map to be posted on a new EPA webpage, with several different rooms within a school building (gym, pool, technology room, art room, classroom, supply closet, etc.) with clickable pop-out windows featuring indoor air quality concerns in each room.

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