A new documentary tells the story of a successful collaboration to stop diesel trucks from detouring through an urban New Jersey neighborhood to avoid turnpike tolls. “Countdown to Cleaner Air,” was released Aug. 10 by the Community Engagement Core (CEC) of the Rutgers University Center for Environmental Exposure and Disease, an NIEHS-funded Environmental Health Core Center.

A team led by CEC Director Robert Laumbach, M.D., worked closely with Elizabeth residents to collect data on air quality and truck traffic through First Street. The data they provided to the city council helped convince the council to act. Environmental Factor reported on the effort in the February 2018 story, “Rutgers Community Engagement Core helps improve air near schools.”

“The film project tells the story about how community members worked with us to clean the air in their neighborhood,” Laumbach said. He added that he will present the project at the November meeting of the American Public Health Association.