|
Click on photo to view larger image
|
With warmer temperatures, Marylanders will be spending more time participating in outdoor activities. Maryland citizens, especially those with respiratory ailments, should pay particular attention to air quality forecasts provided by the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE). More importantly, particulate matter, or particle pollution, is the general term used for air pollution that is a complex mixture of airborne solid particles and liquid droplets. Some particle pollution, such as dust or dirt, is large enough to be seen. Other particle pollution, smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter, is too small to be seen without an electron microscope.
Particle pollution can be emitted directly from a source (primary), such as road dust or smoke from wood fires. Other particle pollution forms in the atmosphere (secondary) when primary gaseous emissions mix with moisture or have a photochemical reaction. These primary gases come from power plants, industries and mobile sources such as automobiles.
Health Problems are Not Hazy
Particle pollution is a significant public health concern. Particles that are small enough to be inhaled deeply into the lungs can cause several cardiopulmonary health problems and can aggravate respiratory conditions such as asthma and bronchitis. Unlike ground level ozone pollution, which is a health concern outdoors, particle pollution can be a health problem both outdoors and indoors. Particle pollution also contributes to regional haze that obscures the views of city skylines, mountain ranges and sails on the water.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its state and local air pollution control partners began measuring fine particle pollution across the nation in 1999. Maryland has a network of 19 monitors that measure fine particle pollution. More than two years of monitoring data show that portions of Baltimore City and an area near the District of Columbia have particle pollution levels above the annual standard. While only some Maryland counties show monitored levels above the standard, a much larger region is considered nonattainment.
“Meeting the fine particle standard will be a challenge,” says Tad Aburn, director of MDE’s Air and Radiation Management Administration. “We’ve been dealing with ground level ozone for a long time, but particle pollution is new to us.”
Need for Regional Solution
“Both ozone and fine particles are regional pollutants with significant amounts coming from sources outside our jurisdiction,” Aburn explains. “There needs to be a regional solution, because Maryland already has one of the most aggressive sets of air pollution control regulations.” MDE is developing a plan that will reduce particle pollution and lead to cleaner air in areas not meeting fine particle pollution standards. Maryland’s attainment plan will be due to EPA in early 2008.
MDE’s Randy Mosier, an air quality expert, offers this advice, “In the event of a high particle pollution forecast, reduce your activity level and reduce physical exertion. Also, limit the amount of time you spend along heavily traveled roadways, so you don’t breathe in vehicle emissions and road dust.”
To learn more about particle pollution, air quality and to get an air quality forecast for your area, visit the www.Air-Watch.net, or call MDE’s Air Quality Hotline at (410) 537-3247. |
