Summer Pollution Season is Over
October 12, 2009 | AZPM
Story by Robert Rappaport
With the change to cooler weather comes the change in monitoring air pollution in Southern Arizona. The summer air pollution season, which for record keeping is April 1 through September 30, ended this year on a good note.
Pima County Department of Environmental Quality Senior Program Manager Beth Gorman says the 2009 season was much better than a year ago, with much less ground-level ozone than usual. "This summer, we were really pleased to see that the levels were much lower. We found that we had 31 additional days, compared to last year, that were rated 'good' for air quality."
Ground-level ozone comes from a number of sources that combine with the presence of sunlight, which can cause breathing problems for sensitive people. "We really didn't come up with a firm reason why the air was better this summer," says Gorman.
Gorman speculates the economy could have been a factor, since the ozone levels were down nationally. "Maybe people are out less in their vehicles," she says, meaning less vehicle emissions. Emissions from vehicles are one ingredient of ground-level ozone.
Not every day was great though, especially July 22nd, when the county exceeded EPA standards for particulate matter.
Now that the summer air pollution season is over, Pima County is now in the winter air pollution season, with issues such as carbon monoxide and particulate matter. Weather and fireplace smoke also gunk up the air.
Gorman says there are several things you can do to control fireplace pollution over the winter, such as using natural gas instead of wood. She also says putting candles in the fireplace provides a nice glow, without all of the pollution.
The Pima County Department of Environmental Quality has a service for alerting people on high pollution days. You can sign up online at www.airinfonow.org.
