Clean Air Board Community Meeting, June 6

How to talk about clean air and health?  Join us for the next Clean Air Board community meeting, June 6, 7 pm.

The Clean Air Board meets at the Second Presbyterian Church, 528 Garland Drive, Carlisle, PA 17013  For directions:  http://mapq.st/YfkRSe

 

Smog alert ahead

http://cumberlink.com/news/opinion/columnists/guest/guest-editorial-smog-alert-ahead/article_83047dce-ae8f-11e2-bd59-001a4bcf887a.html

Summer will soon be here and that can mean high levels of air pollutants in our air, specifically ozone and small particles, commonly known as smog.

Meteorologists declare “Air Quality Action” days when they project that weather conditions are conducive for unhealthy air pollution. In 2012, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) called 12 “action days” for the Susquehanna Valley.

We should heed those warnings. Recent scientific studies conclude that short-term exposure to unhealthy air pollution can have significant adverse effects on pregnant women, children, the elderly and even the general population — especially those with pre-existing conditions such as asthma.

Short-term symptoms resulting from breathing high levels of ozone and fine particulate are chest pain, coughing, nausea, throat irritation, and congestion. These pollutants also aggravate bronchitis, heart disease, emphysema, and asthma — and can increase risks of stroke.

Children, senior citizens, and those with asthma or other respiratory problems are urged to limit outdoor activities when an action day is predicted.

The quality of the air we breathe is a fundamental component of our overall health. The physiological effect of short-term ozone exposure is being unable to inhale to total lung capacity. Small particles, or PM 2.5, can be especially dangerous because they can travel deep into human tissue. Scientific studies over the last two decades have shown that exposure to high levels of PM 2.5 can raise the incidence of heart and pulmonary disease, cancer, infant mortality, low birth-weight babies, and even impaired cognitive function.

Air Quality Action days are often declared when there is little wind, and when the amount of ozone or particles in stagnant air could exceed federal health standards.

The DEP monitors local and regional air quality. Local television and radio stations alert the public to an Air Quality Action day prediction. Check your newspaper’s websites as well. The Clean Air Board of Central Pennsylvania also monitors pollution levels at its website, and posts notices when DEP declares an Air Quality Action day. Go to: cleanairboard.wordpress.com

On Air Quality Action days, the public can take simple, voluntary actions to help reduce the chances of creating even more health-impairing pollution. The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends 10 steps:

1. Instead of driving, share a ride, take public transportation, walk or bike.

2. If you must drive, avoid excessive idling or jack-rabbit starts, and try to consolidate errands.

3. Don’t refuel your car, or only do so after 7 pm.

4. Avoid using outboard motors, off-road vehicles, or other gasoline powered recreational vehicles.

5. Wait to mow your lawn until late evening or the next day. Also, avoid using gasoline-powered garden equipment.

6. Use latex paints instead of oil-based paints, solvents, or varnishes that produce fumes.

7. If you are barbecuing, use an electric starter instead of charcoal lighter fluid.

8. Limit or postpone your household chores that will involve the use of consumer products.

9. Conserve energy to reduce energy needs.

10. Keep your car well maintained to limit excess emissions.

As more scientists and public health officials have studied air quality, more links have discovered between pollution and illness. Our local monitoring and notification systems work like other public information systems that warn of danger and possible threats to our health. They work to protect us, and it is, therefore, wise to pay attention to them.

submitted to Sentinel by Thomas Au

Clean Air Board Community Meeting, March 7, 2013, 7 pm

“Looking Forward to Clean Air”

CAB will look at new developments under the federal Clean Air Act and under state regulations.  Arleen Shulman, former air resources planning chief at the state Department of Environmental Protection will speak to the board.

This meeting will be held at the Second Presbyterian Church, 528 Garland Drive, Carlisle, PA 17013, on March 7,  at 7 pm.   Join us for a discussion of this important topic.

Air Quality Action Day has been declared for Susquehanna Valley, PA, on Friday, Aug 3

 

Friday’s Forecast
Friday, Aug 3:	127 AQI	Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups		Ozone
	60 AQI	Moderate		Particle Pollution (2.5 microns)
Extended Forecast
Saturday, Aug 4:	100 AQI	Moderate		Ozone
	65 AQI	Moderate		Particle Pollution (2.5 microns)

Friday’s Forecast: Hot and humid conditions will be in store for Friday under mostly sunny skies. Forecast highs are expected to reach the mid 90s as high pressure overhead keeps rain out of the forecast for the day. Ozone concentrations that were on the rise Thursday afternoon should rise once again, though rise even higher to reach Code Orange levels. A light south/southwesterly breeze will help transport a more modified air mass into the region from the Washington DC/Baltimore region, which will only further add to the threat to see Code Orange readings. The south/southwesterly flow will also keep dew point temperatures riding in the upper 60s to low 70s. Even though PM 2.5 concentrations have been mainly good throughout the week, I believe the incoming flow from that direction should force levels to reach just inside the moderate range on Friday. The moderate levels for PM 2.5 should carry over into Saturday with a possibility that Code Orange levels of Ozone will do the same. *** Extended Forecast: Hot and humid conditions will continue on Saturday, with mostly sunny skies early in the day. The main difference between Friday and Saturday will be that there will be a greater probability for afternoon convection to develop more clouds as well as some scattered showers and thunderstorms. More cloud cover and some scattered thunderstorms would limit how high Ozone concentrations would climb. With an already modified air mass in place, it is still possible that a few locations reach Code Orange levels once again. Other sites will likely only reach the moderate range. PM 2.5 concentrations will continue to sit in the moderate range as more moisture transports into the region while winds continue to blow from the south/southwest. Forecast highs will once again climb into the 90s, though range from the lower to mid 90s dependent on the amount of cloud cover that develops. An even greater threat for thunderstorms will come on Sunday, as a strong cold front approaches from the west. This front will not arrive until late in the day, so Ozone concentrations may begin to climb in the early afternoon before the main threat for precipitation begins to develop. If the increase in clouds and thunderstorms arrive later in the afternoon, there may be just enough time for Ozone concentrations to approach the Code Orange range again. Moderate levels are more likely to occur, however. PM 2.5 levels should again remain moderate until after the frontal passage, where they will then decline into the good range for the early part of next week. Temperatures are likely to reach near 90 degrees before the front’s arrival on Sunday, with closer to normal highs of mid to upper 80s coming behind the front. Ozone concentrations will also return more to the good to moderate range after the front passes, ending the threat for Code Orange levels. — Roble

Here are some Air Quality Action Day tips you can follow to help reduce pollution:

Days when ozone levels are expected to be high:

* Conserve electricity and set your air conditioner at a higher temperature.
* Choose a cleaner commute—share a ride to work or use public transportation. Bicycle or walk to errands when possible.
* Refuel cars and trucks after dusk.
* Combine errands and reduce trips.
* Limit engine idling.
* Use household, workshop, and garden chemicals in ways that keep evaporation to a minimum, or try to delay using them when poor air quality is forecast.

Days when particle pollution levels are expected to be high:

* Reduce or eliminate fireplace and wood stove use.
* Avoid using gas-powered lawn and garden equipment.
* Avoid burning leaves, trash and other materials.

 

This forecast is brought to you by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) and the Air Quality Partnership of the Susquehanna Valley.

* For more information on the health effects of PM 2.5 and ozone, visit the EPA Airnow website.
* To see the current forecast and monitoring information for the Southwest PA Region, visit us online at the PA DEP Forecast and Monitoring Site.
* To find out more information about the Air Quality Partnership of the Susquehanna Valley, visit the AQP of SV Website.

Scientific Studies Support New Look at Air Quality Standards

EPA is right to revise small-particle pollution standards 

Published: Friday, June 29, 2012, 5:00 AM

 By Patriot-News Op-Ed 

By Tami Davis Biddle and Thomas Y. Au

When we look back on photos, film and other imagery from the mid-20th century, we are often struck by the prevalence of cigarettes. Americans smoked; many smoked heavily. Smoking cigarettes was not only considered acceptable, it was considered appealing, attractive and cool. Then we learned better.

Scientific studies began to pile up more and more evidence, from the 1960s through the 1980s, indicating that smoking was directly linked to all kinds of negative health outcomes, most notably cancer. Public information, including government-led campaigns, helped us see the light.

In the second decade of the 21st century a similar ground-swell of awareness is developing about the air around us. This groundswell, too, has developed gradually and is just now beginning to gain a head of steam. Once again it pertains directly to our health, and once again it pertains directly to the air we put into our bodies. This time, however, the focus is on air pollution and “fine particulate matter,” which is invisible and small enough to penetrate readily into human body tissue.

From the 1990s, scientific evidence has been piling up regarding the wide array of negative health effects of air pollution. And that evidence has pointed a particularly telling finger toward fine particulate matter, or PM 2.5 for short. It is well-established that exposure to air pollution increases the incidence of respiratory illness, including bronchitis and asthma.

Recent studies, including one run by the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health, have drawn direct links as well between high levels of combustion-generated pollutants and high rates of infant mortality, low birth weight and cancer. In recent years, a direct link has been established between air pollution and cardiovascular illness. This link has been confirmed repeatedly in studies by scientists around the world. This problem is of concern in central Pennsylvania, where small-particle pollution is high.

If all this wasn’t enough to give us pause, researchers have begun to find strong linkages between PM 2.5 and two other dreaded health problems: stroke and cognitive degeneration. A recent study run by Gregory Wellenius of the Brown University Center for Environmental Health and Technology revealed that on days when concentrations of traffic pollutants go up, so, too, does the risk of stroke.

The increased stroke risk was highest within 12 to 14 hours of exposure to PM 2.5 and was most strongly associated with traffic-related pollution. Regarding the latter finding, the authors noted that “Experimental studies in humans and animals have shown that exposure to concentrated ambient PM 2.5 can induce increases in blood pressure and heart rate and reductions in heart rate variability within this time frame.”

What is perhaps most striking about this study is that PM 2.5 exposure increases the risk of ischemic stroke at levels below those currently considered safe under U.S. regulations. This observation prompted Dr. Rajiv Bhatia of the San Francisco Department of Public Health to suggest that ambient air quality standards should be reviewed. Bhatia argued that improved human control of PM 2.5 is “technically feasible, but will require increased efforts to assess exposure at the community level, more stringent and creative regulatory initiatives, and political support.”

In a study with equally daunting ramifications, Jennifer Weuve of the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago found women with higher levels of long-term exposure to course and fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) had significantly faster declines in cognition than those with less exposure to pollutants. Weuve and her colleagues found evidence that fine particulate can penetrate the brain through the nasal passages. Her study followed 19,409 women in the U.S. between ages 70 and 81 for about a decade, looking at cognitive changes every two years.

All of these studies have significant ramifications for national health policy and regulatory policy in the United States, suggesting stronger efforts to control fine-particle pollution might be needed to protect the general population. These studies should be in the forefront of the public debate as the Environmental Protection Agency considers whether to raise the standards for fine particulate.

Tami Davis Biddle and Thomas Y. Au are members of the Clean Air Board of central Pennsylvania. 

Air Quality Action Day declared for Friday, June 29

 

 

 

 

A(n) Air Quality Action Day has been declared for Susquehanna Valley, PA, on Friday, Jun 29
Tomorrow’s Forecast
Friday, Jun 29:	110 AQI	Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups		Ozone
	70 AQI	Moderate		Particle Pollution (2.5 microns)
Extended Forecast
Saturday, Jun 30:	90 AQI	Moderate		Ozone
	75 AQI	Moderate		Particle Pollution (2.5 microns)

Current Conditions as of 2 PM on Thursday: The start of a potential heat wave has arrived as temperatures this afternoon are already approaching the 90 degree mark. Temperatures in the 90s will be here to stay the next couple days, along with deteriorating air quality conditions. It is likely that we will see scattered Code Orange level concentrations around the region over the next few days. *** Friday’s Forecast: Hot conditions will continue on Friday as temperatures again will climb well into the 90s. There is potential for a small scale convective system to move into the Commonwealth during the early morning hours to bring some localized showers for a short time period. Clearing skies will occur early enough that Ozone formation will be enhanced once again to see values reach at least the moderate range. Some locations, due to the variability of the early morning system, can possibly even see Code Orange levels of Ozone despite the chance for an early shower. Winds will become breezy out of the northwest as conditions are quick to dry out by late morning. Dew point temperatures will increase early, but fall off slightly in the afternoon with the clearing skies. PM 2.5 levels should reach the moderate range but will struggle to climb with the drier and breezy afternoon winds. *** Extended Forecast: We will sit along the outer edge of an area of high pressure as we progress into the weekend as the high heat continues to bear down on the east. This “ring of fire” scenario provides a potential for some disturbances to cross the region, bringing a chance for a quick shower or thunderstorm. This probability for a scattered shower or thunderstorm could impact air quality conditions for the weekend. The instability with these features could develop cloud cover that would limit just how high Ozone levels will climb. Weaker disturbances would have less of an impact, therefore creating potential to see Code Orange levels continue. Forecast highs will be in the mid to upper 90s with dew point temperatures hanging around the mid 60s to near 70 degrees. PM 2.5 levels should remain in the moderate range despite some mixing with an afternoon breeze. The heat will continue into early next week along with the threat for a scattered shower or two. Without a big change in the weather pattern likely at the present time, scattered moderate to Code Orange levels of Ozone could continue into early next week. PM 2.5 levels will also likely remain at least moderate with moderately high dew point temperatures. One thing to keep an eye on is transport of smoke from wildfires to the west, if any of it were to reach this far east, and a smaller scale wildfire currently in northern Virginia. Smoke could play a role in how both Ozone and PM 2.5 levels react over the forecast region. As holiday festivities begin to kickoff, PM 2.5 and Ozone could also become impacted by firework activity. — Roble

Here are some Air Quality Action Day tips you can follow to help reduce pollution:

Days when ozone levels are expected to be high:

* Conserve electricity and set your air conditioner at a higher temperature.
* Choose a cleaner commute—share a ride to work or use public transportation. Bicycle or walk to errands when possible.
* Refuel cars and trucks after dusk.
* Combine errands and reduce trips.
* Limit engine idling.
* Use household, workshop, and garden chemicals in ways that keep evaporation to a minimum, or try to delay using them when poor air quality is forecast.

Days when particle pollution levels are expected to be high:

* Reduce or eliminate fireplace and wood stove use.
* Avoid using gas-powered lawn and garden equipment.
* Avoid burning leaves, trash and other materials.

This forecast is brought to you by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) and the Air Quality Partnership of the Susquehanna Valley. 

* For more information on the health effects of PM 2.5 and ozone, visit the EPA Airnow website.
* To see the current forecast and monitoring information for the Southwest PA Region, visit us online at the PA DEP Forecast and Monitoring Site.
* To find out more information about the Air Quality Partnership of the Susquehanna Valley, visit the AQP of SV Website.