DEP alerts public of Air Quality Action Day for Ozone Monday, May 28

From the Department of Environmental Protection:

Monday, May 28:	105 AQI	Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups		Ozone
	65 AQI	Moderate		Particle Pollution (2.5 microns)

Memorial Day: On Monday, the south/southeasterly wind will turn to become more south/southwesterly. This will continue to pump warm and moist air into the region for yet another hazy, hot, and humid day. Temperatures will again climb to near 90 degrees while dew point temperatures remain in the 60s. Mostly sunny skies combined with a more south/southwesterly flow will help to bump up both Ozone and PM 2.5 levels. High moderate levels of Ozone are likely, though a few locations could see readings climb into the Code Orange range. As a result, we will be issuing an Action Day for Monday for Ozone. PM 2.5 levels will remain in the moderate range. ***

Is our Air Quality getting better or worse?

Join the discussion on the latest State of the Air report.  Kevin Stewart, Director of Environmental Health at the American Lung Association, will discuss ALA findings in the 2012 State of the Air report.

Please join us at the Second Presbyterian Church, 528 Garland Drive, Carlisle, on May 3, at 7 pm.

Particle pollution numbers rise for Carlisle area

From the Sentinel – cumberlink.com

HARRISBURG — Particle pollution continues to be a concern in Central Pennsylvania, according to the American Lung Association’s State of the Air 2012 report released Tuesday.

And it’s a concern that seems to only be getting worse.

The Harrisburg-Carlisle-Lebanon metro area went in the opposite direction of much of the rest of the country when its number of bad air days for particle pollution increased from 4.3 to 6.3 days per year, shifting the area’s rank from 39th worst in the country to 17th.

Read more: http://cumberlink.com/news/local/particle-pollution-numbers-rise-for-carlisle-area/article_a0cb738e-8e6b-11e1-a4ff-001a4bcf887a.html#ixzz1t4FYPUIJ

Clean Air Board Community Meeting, April 5, 6 pm

Our next Clean Air Board community meeting will be held at the  Second Presbyterian Church in Carlisle on April 5, at 6 pm.  Note that the meeting is an hour earlier than normally.  We will hear presentations by college students on various idling law projects they have been working on.

NY Times article: Air Pollution Linked to Heart and Brain Risks

Air Pollution Linked to Heart and Brain Risks

By ANAHAD O’CONNOR

It may be time to start paying more attention to those local air pollution alerts.

That is the message of three new studies this week that found, collectively, that people exposed to higher levels of air pollution have a greater risk of stroke, heart attacks and cognitive deterioration.

Read more … http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/15/air-pollution-tied-to-heart-and-brain-risks/

Diesel exhaust in miners study released

Another bit of research that connects exposure to diesel fumes to increased lung cancer risk -http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2012/03/daylight-at-last-for-study-of.html?ref=ra