MonitorAQ

Air Quality in the West is Getting Worse

January 6, 2025 by Carly

There is an underreported story relating to air quality in the western United States. 2024 produced more very unhealthy and hazardous air quality days due to high particle pollution, especially in areas like the valleys of California. For example, San Joaquin valley.

Record high pollution days
Several reports, including the American Lung Association's State of the Air report from 2024 spotlighted that the regional West had experienced a record number of hazardous air quality days. The number was the most days with hazardous air quality in the last 25 years. As vehicle emission standards and corporate pollution have declined, it is surprising to see that the highest amount of hazardous air days was last year. This level of hazardous air quality was largely attributed to wildfires brought on by extreme heat drought and mismanaged forests in California. This was an alarming peak in the air pollution levels that had not been experienced since the 1990s.

As Americans are focusing on getting healthy again, we look to medicines, the food supply, exercise, diet, mental health and several other factors. But oftentimes the air quality is overlooked. The 2024 surge in polluted air in the Western United States had severe implications for public health. The elderly children and those at high risk due to respiratory issues were particularly vulnerable during the past year. The American lung associations 2024 state of the air report detailed that nearly 40% of Americans. Most of them living in the West lived within areas where air quality has been degraded. Many days of the year over 25 days were considered failing when measured on a scale for air quality.

The EPA and the other government agencies measure particle levels in the air. There are also some private organizations that measure air quality in the West and particularly in California. The discovery of unusually high air pollution has disproportionately affected some low income areas, especially in agricultural hubs like Bakersfield, Fresno and Visalia. These areas, including the valleys in which they are located, saw the worst scores for particle pollution and high ozone levels. Yet the media and mainstream coverage of this issue was minimal.

It is important to raise awareness about this issue so that people living in these areas can be informed about making healthy choices. When participating in outdoor activities and allowing their loved ones to participate in outdoor activities, playing soccer or basketball during a high pollution advisory can have serious detrimental health consequences. It is better to call off practice than to ingest large amounts of particulate pollution on high pollution advisory days.

The monitoring of air quality is more closely watched in highly populated and urban or suburban areas. Air quality monitoring data is lacking for rural and farm working communities often overlooked in national reports due to a minimal amount of official air quality monitors sanctioned by the EPA. The lack of monitoring in these areas means that the actual amount of poor air quality could be greater than we understand. And the health consequences can be more severe than we have estimated. /p>

What can be done?
What we need is for more air quality monitoring and more awareness of this issue. In an ideal world, we would manage the forest and wildfires in a way that would reduce the amount of smoke and particulate matter in the air that we all breathe.

Ammonia is a Surprising Source of Air Pollution.

Posted November 6, 2024 by Maegan

Ammonia is not the only pollutant that needs to be understood as a concern to those in our environment, but it is also a significant factor in contributing to poor air quality issues. Although more familiar air pollutants such as carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide And other toxic pollutants ammonia often goes unreported.

Ammonia is colorless gas, but it has a very strong pungent odor. It's a naturally occurring pollutant in the environment and is on the rise in our air due to human activity.

The main sources of pollution come from agriculture and landfills. Agriculture is by far the greatest contributor, especially animal agriculture. Livestock such as cattle and the manure that comes from the livestock but also from the fertilizers that promote grass growth also contain lots of ammonia.
In landfills where large amounts of carbon-based waste is accumulating. Ammonia can be released from the waste treatment facilities. The organic matter decomposes and ammonia is produced and escapes into the environment through the air and ground.

Ammonia has a negative effect on human health and environmental health. The human health issues often are respiratory. Exposure to increasingly high levels of ammonia can cause irritation to the mouth, throat and lungs causing coughing, itchy throat and can make asthma worse to a degree. Long-Term ammonia exposure leads to an assortment of health issues. Some can be serious damage to the lungs and other respiratory diseases have been associated with ammonia exposure.

Ammonia alone is harmful to human health, especially with chronic exposure. However, ammonia also reacts with other pollutants in the air and forms particles also known as fine particles or PM 2.5 fine particles have been linked to cardiovascular and heart problems as well as respiratory and lung diseases. In addition to including the air and causing health issues in humans, ammonia can also damage the ecosystem. Ammonia alters the soil PH which affects plants and animals who make their ecosystem in the environment. When ammonia gets into lake's streams and rivers, it can lead to eutrophication and can have a detrimental effect on living systems in the water.

Many of the negative health effects on humans are confined to certain geographic regions where ammonia is produced in higher levels. These areas where humans live tend to be of a lower socioeconomic status due to the conditions in the environment that allow ammonia to escape. Ammonia pollution disproportionately affects the economically depressed areas.

Many pollutants are regulated under the clean Air act. That sets clear guidelines and boundaries for upper limits of pollutants in the air. Ammonia is not one of these pollutants that is recognized. As such, ammonia is often overlooked And left unmitigated.

Although pollution by ammonia is often unnoticed or overlooked, the situation is improving. As farmers and ranchers become aware, they have begun implementing precise dosing of fertilizer for agricultural use. Also managing manure efficiently and adopting new techniques and systems such as anaerobic digesters can reduce emissions of ammonia into the atmosphere. In addition to private awareness and action, there have been some measures to introduce legislation that will affect levels that are allowed as well as enforcement recommendations that are to be enacted. Stricter regulations and monitoring of ammonia emissions can improve the environmental air quality in areas that are producing an abundance of ammonia. One important factor in the struggle to improve our air is public awareness. Increasing. The knowledge that the public has about the dangers of ammonia is critical as we understand where ammonia is produced and the negative health effects, communities and governments can allow for change that will reduce exposure and reduce negative health events.

Ultimately, the onus for one's health comes down to an individual's ability to be aware of risks and to mitigate risks in their environment. Monitoring air quality and mitigating poor air quality can't have life-changing benefits for those who experience poor environmental air. As we begin 2025, we hope that awareness of this environmental pollutant is heightened and that people living in polluted areas can seek remedies to improve their health.

Effects of Poor Air Quality On the Elderly

Posted September 22, 2024 by Kelly

For elderly individuals and also for those with compromised immune systems And poor health. Poor air quality can cause a host of issues including respiratory issues. Poor cardiovascular health and a weakened immune system exacerbated cognitive decline. Reduced physical activity. Poor mental health and overall increased mortality rates. Quality of life is reduced because of these issues.

Respiratory issues can be increased due to chronic health issues. Elderly people that have ongoing respiratory or pulmonary conditions such as bronchitis, asthma and COPD may live with symptoms that are worsened by poor air quality. Poor air quality or bad air can cause an increased risk of poor health and infections. Bad air quality can weaken the function of the lungs making the elderly individuals more prone to infections of the respiratory system.

Bad air indoors and outdoors can reduce proper functioning of the cardiovascular system in the elderly population. Being exposed to polluted air will increase the risk of heart disease and heart attacks including heart failure and stroke. This is due to stress on the arteries and veins. Including inflammation of the heart. Blood pressure can also be a factor in health outcomes. Evidence exists that links air pollution to hypertension, especially among those who are elderly and these incidences are becoming more common as the baby boomer generation ages.

If you have ever had a conversation with an elderly person, oftentimes it's apparent that their cognitive abilities have begun to decline. This is a typical period that happens to all elderly people as the brain function degrades. Synapses and brain chemicals become slower and memories become foggier resulting in a diminished ability to communicate and perform cognitively. One factor that may produce adverse cognitive events is the neurological impact of exposure, especially long-term exposure to polluted air. This neurological impact may accelerate impairment of cognitive functions and produce an increased risk of developing dementia and related symptoms.

As we age, our memory and our ability to direct attention and focus on a topic becomes diminished. Even short-term exposure to polluted air has been correlated with decreases in cognitive performance in the elderly population.

As with all animals, the immune system plays an important role in regulating foreign pathogens that must be defended against. Poor air quality is a vector for contaminants to enter the bloodstream - overloading the immune system with many different types of external contaminants can cause the immune system to function more poorly. A weakened immune system in the elderly can be caused by poor air quality and can further compromise the ability of an individual to fight off all diseases due to being overloaded with contaminated air that makes its way into the blood.

Many studies have shown that increased physical activity promotes general good health. If the air quality outdoors is of poor quality, it makes performing physical activity more difficult. Having poor air quality can reduce the amount of exercise that individuals may engage in outdoors. Air quality that is bad will often lead to more indoor activity versus outdoor activity and promotes contributing to a sedentary lifestyle, which as we all know has many adverse effects and increased rates of mortality.
With the reduced physical activity associated with poor air quality, entire systems are affected and as we age, our muscle and bone health becomes more important. People who exercise less especially due to poor air quality can develop muscle weakness and a higher amount of bone density loss. This reduced amount of density can increase the risk of broken bones and fractures from bumps and falls. A fracture for an elderly person can be permanently debilitating or result in a premature death.

As many of us know, being socially isolated can cause a host of mental health issues. We know that human interaction, friendships and other social interactions can contribute to positive mental health outcomes. If one is isolated indoors and unable to enjoy the outdoors by walking or bicycling in fresh air, it could be assumed that an isolated person that stays indoors will have poor mental health versus someone who goes outside. Mood disorders can be caused by staying indoors due to poor air quality. It has been correlated that poor air quality and increased rates of anxiety and depression can occur in older adults who are isolated in an indoor environment. Also being isolated socially because of a reluctance to experience the outdoors under air quality fears can cause social isolation which contributes to adverse mental health outcomes.

In addition to poor quality of life and reduced ability to engage in daily activities, especially outdoor activities, poor air quality can contribute ultimately to worse outcomes than poor health. When the air quality monitors report high levels of pollution, this event has been correlated with higher levels of hospitalizations and increased hospital admissions for cardiovascular events such as stroke and heart attack and for other acute respiratory attacks.

To tie all of this together, there is clear evidence to suggest that poor air quality can lead to all sorts of health and mental problems for the elderly population. The ultimate sacrifice of breathing unhealthy air is early death. This unfortunate fact is highlighted by the notion that our air doesn't need to be as unhealthy as it is. Also, when the air is unhealthy, there are ways to mitigate breathing the unhealthy air.

Recommendations to reduce adverse effects of poor air quality are to monitor the air quality and to use publicly available air quality indices to plan when the best times are for outdoor activities. Also, when an individual is indoors, air purifiers that can purify air indoors can be helpful for overall health. Staying informed of local reports, health advisories and potentially hazardous chemicals in your environment can lead to positive outcomes. Regular checkups by a medical professional may also help to understand negative or adverse effects of a lifestyle that includes breathing polluted air. By identifying and understanding these effects, an individual can take proactive steps to mitigate negative impacts of poor air quality.

The Traveling Carcinogen: A Story

Posted July 7, 2024 by Admin

The Pacific Ocean is a majestic and vast body of water. This ocean serves not only as a conduit for trade and exploration and adventure, but also is a silent conveyor of invisible cargo. Poor quality air in the form of pollution from China and the Asian continent crosses the ocean. Here in North America and in the western United States, we breathe in more than just the air that our forests produce. Our air is not always local. We share the atmospheric tapestry woven from looms far across the sea.

An incredible journey!
Imagine if you would: polluted air created in China's industrial centers, hustling and bustling and blowing up massive clouds of smoke and pollution swirling with the warm zephyr winds on California's coasts. These winds like ancient Mariners form a solution of particles on a journey of thousands of miles traversing the largest ocean on our blue planet.

What actually lies in the air that comes over from the East?
Use your imagination to visualize a fleet of polluted air. You'll see sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides and the infamous fine particulate matter. These pollutants begin their journey from smokestacks and factories as well as power plants and industrialized mining. These pollutants are released into the air whisked away by the winds and they traverse across the Pacific Ocean to our shores.

When these pollutants carried by the air make land, it's on our western shore. When this airy Armada arrives to make landfall on our West Coast, it combines with our local pollution which is usually much lesser to a degree. On some days these foreign-born particles will account for significant portions of what we inhale, especially in West Coast cities like Los Angeles, Sacramento, and San Francisco, as well as Seattle and Portland where the air can be seen hazy and gray although this pollution has come from far away.

If you think that the pollution is bad for the natural environment, it is also bad for our human bodies. It's a health hazard. The pollution brought here from China by the wind can cause or exacerbate conditions like asthma, eczema, heart disease, and even lower cognitive functions for vulnerable populations such as the elderly children, asthmatic and really anyone trying to optimize their health. Their lived experiences are most affected.

Effect on climate

Particles and chemicals don't just settle on the ground. They interact with our systems of weather. These particulates and pathogens have been known to invigorate cyclones over the North Pacific that create storms that would be more intense than normal without these additional additives.
While these pollutants do contribute to the greenhouse effect which may be making the planet warmer, their presence can also cause a cooling effect in certain areas due to their interaction with blocking sunlight and forming clouds. This is a complex picture and a headache for those modeling climate scenarios.

When we consider why China is polluting so much, it has to do with the global economy. There is a certain amount of irony that must be observed. We have offshored most of our pollution to places like China to produce all the consumer goods that we buy from China. Our factories don't pollute as much but many of our goods are made in China which pollutes heavily. When we factor in the regulations that we have in the United States and North America in general, it's ironic that we have sent our production of dangerous chemicals offshore since we have no way to regulate the pollution that China creates, this is pollution that ends up coming our way in the wind. Climate change activists can't do anything about China's unwillingness to cooperate.
One consideration might be that if we were to manufacture everything in the United States instead of more pollution in our home country, we would be able to regulate and mitigate some of the pollution and thereby reduce it instead of sending it to far off lands which actually come back home.

What can be done?The first step is awareness of this issue. We have to understand that not all of our pollution on our land is produced by us. This is clear.
We could opt to manufacture more in the United States and thereby we could have a safer means of production and this would reduce the amount of pollution created in China. We can also do our best to limit our local pollution as this is something that we can control on our shores.

The air that we breathe and consume in the West and also throughout the United States is not entirely ours. The air is blended with the entire world's air as it spins the globe. A shared breath is taken with our neighbors on the other side of the planet. As we search out over the ocean, we must be compelled to remember that our atmosphere is like our humanity. We all share in it. We are all one in health, environment and spirit. The fate of the global community is intertwined. Let's work towards ensuring a bright future that is shared and breathe easy and clean for our sake and for theirs.

Construction Site, a Dangerous Neighbor

Posted May 21, 2024 by Sarah

Demolition projects and construction sites can be the heartbeat of development in urban and suburban areas. The reality is that between the workers coming and going and materials being delivered, there lies an invisible threat - compromised air quality. There is lots to know about the dangers of the air quality in the dust and debris caused by these projects.

While we may be excited that our neighbors are remodeling their home, there are often times to pause and consider the health effects of all the work being done. The air around these construction and demolition sites is thick with particulate matter including PM10 which are larger particles and PM2.5 which are very tiny particles. The tiny particles can lodge deep in your lungs and be transported into your bloodstream. These particles come from concrete, wood, soil and various building materials including drywall, stone, brick and roofing materials.

Silica dust is often found at construction and demolition sites. It is considered a silent killer as it goes unreported and underreported. Silica dust can be formed from concrete, grinding or mixing cutting bricks and stone and tile and silica exposure can lead to a silicosis which is a serious and debilitating lung disease when exposure happens over the long term. Even short-term exposure can lead to respiratory issues and other illnesses.

In addition to all the dust and debris that is created at a construction site, volatile organic compounds are also produced from all of the paints and adhesives, and chemicals used in the construction process. Releasing VOCs into the air which can cause irritations of the eyes, airways and skin. Also, these have long-term health effects including cognitive impairment, neurological damage and cancer.

The health risks of building
The dust found at construction sites can cause respiratory issues. These issues include asthma, bronchitis and other inflamed airway symptoms. The dust can exacerbate or cause respiratory conditions to be induced, especially in populations of the vulnerable. Dust particles can enter the bloodstream and circulate throughout the body which could potentially lead to heart complications such as heart attacks or heart disease and strokes by causing inflammation in the circulatory system and altering the conditions for blood clotting.

With the dust and the chemicals, the skin and eyes are also often irritated. Skin rashes and irritation, which could be temporary and uncomfortable, may also lead to more serious, long-term effects when not mitigated properly.

While some of these health risks are considered temporary or recoverable, there are cancer risks from long-term exposure to many different types of dusts. Some of these dusts include silica and asbestos, which can be present in older structures and during demolition and remodeling. The risks significantly increase because the dust is disturbed and it becomes released into the environment and the surrounding neighborhood. Asbestos is known to cause cancers such as mesothelioma and mesothelioma has a rather negative prognosis.

The most vulnerable groups are those in the closest proximity to the work being done, the actual construction workers are those directly involved in the demolition or construction projects and they face the highest levels of exposure which means making the personal protective equipment most important for them. Masks and dust suppression are vital to keep these workers from experiencing health issues in the short and long-term. The communities that surround the construction sites such as residents of the neighborhood schools, and also businesses near the construction activity may not be aware of the hazards of the contaminated air that they're breathing. The harmful dust, particularly during peak construction activity or when wind direction is blowing towards their location causes the highest level of risk. Children with developing bodies and developing lungs are at high risk for long-term illness and debilitating injuries from breathing polluted air. It is important to be aware of the hazards of construction sites and to stay away from the dust created in those zones.

The environment is also impacted
The soil and water near and far relative to the location of a construction site can be affected and contaminated. Dust can blow. Dust can settle and contaminate nearby soil and water sources. This contamination can lead to ecological distress and damage the health risks of these conditions on flora and fauna in the vicinity and downstream of these activities.

Although more controversial, it appears that the climate can be adversely affected by construction as well. Dust from the construction can add to Urban heat islands and also if the air contaminants contain carbon it can cause a greenhouse effect to occur thereby warming the temperatures on the planet.

Demolition and construction are not going to stop and it seems like there is no practical way to litigate and create laws to prevent people from building. The best way to reduce harm to society is to take steps to mitigate the damage.

Dust control can be obtained by using water sprays to tamp down dust in soils and grinding activities. Windscreens that prevent the dust from blowing into neighboring properties can be helpful and dust collectors with filters can help mitigate the spread of the dust. Regular cleaning of the site and surrounding areas helps in between wind storms when the dust can travel most easily. For the workers involved in the projects, PPE or personal protective equipment can be used to mitigate risks making the use of dust masks mandatory, especially those rated for fine particles is a good idea. Also, using eye protection and coveralls that are left on site will reduce the amount of dust that travels to the neighborhoods and homes of the workers. Some construction sites have more mitigation measures than others and some want to cut costs and save money by not adhering to strict air quality regulations. With real-time monitoring and inspections, safety standards can be met and compliance with safety standards can reduce harm to communities. If the public is not aware of the dangers of these construction projects there will be more risk to the communities informing nearby communities about activities that are happening at construction sites and providing information about air quality can allow the people living in the communities adjacent to the projects to take precautions.

As with many forms of progress in our modern technological lives, the transformation of our urban landscapes through building comes at the high cost of our polluted air by understanding and mitigating the dangers of poor air quality and construction and demolition sites. We can advocate for and implement practices that can lead to a higher level of safety. Workers, residents and passerbys all have risks so the first step is awareness and remember your health is your responsibility.

A Dusty Plea

Posted April 1, 2024 by Maegan

We've all seen the warning labels on the packages of cement and thinset mortar when doing home remodels. The instructions say to use a face mask or respirator when dealing with the dry dusty bags of cement. The cement has silica in the powders which can cause the lungs to build up with this material over long periods of time and cause a chronic condition.

Many construction workers act like they are tough guys and don't want to put on a mask when working with this dangerous dust. It doesn't help that other workers might make fun of you and clown you for protecting your health. What is important is thinking of your family and your long-term survival and longevity. Spend the extra money on masks that filter out all the particles and learn how to wear them properly.

When working in very cold, very hot or very humid conditions, it may be more uncomfortable to wear a mask while working. But when you consider the long-term. Benefits of personal protection equipment. The long-term benefits highly outweigh the cost of just a little bit of discomfort of wearing a mask. Masks are not free but they're also not expensive, so buy good masks that will protect your health.

Don't mix cement without a mask until it's completely moistened. Don't do any projects that require grinding or sanding without protecting your lungs and bloodstream. Tiny particles enter your lungs and make their way into the bloodstream circulating the entire body.

So please as a precaution and a warning, wear personal protection equipment such as dust masks when working with construction materials that cause dust.