Facultad de Ingeniería de la Universidad Nacional de Asunción (FIUNA)

In Paraguay, wildfire smoke and urban pollution harm the health of thousands of people every year. Yet near Paraguay’s capital, Asunción, there has never been a high-precision air monitoring station to measure this pollution accurately. That’s why we are excited to launch this project and install the region’s first reference station just outside the city—along a key transit corridor into the capital—to provide open data for both policymakers and the public. With this information, we plan to help municipal leaders update their environmental regulations, enable doctors to better understand how air quality triggers conditions like asthma, and give local governments the tools to demand cleaner air. Our goal is to help Paraguay make decisions about its air based on real evidence.

Part of our research focused on understanding the air we breathe in Paraguay. But we can’t build on that knowledge without reliable, high-quality measurements. Just outside Asunción, this project is setting up the region’s first US-EPA-certified reference station to deliver open data that local communities currently lack.We are confident this data will support the Ministry of Environment (MADES), provide the medical community with clear evidence linking pollution to respiratory illness, and give local municipalities a practical tool for technical enforcement. This isn’t about quick fixes. It’s about building a solid, lasting foundation for environmental decision-making in Paraguay.

Prof. Nilda Carolina Recalde Acosta, Leader of the Environmental and Atmosphere Research Group, Facultad de Ingeniería de la Universidad Nacional de Asunción (FIUNA)