Don't let ground-level ozone ruin your summer fun

Summer is definitely here. It’s hot, it’s sunny, it’s the time of year you want to be outside. With all that fun in the sun, though, can come a form of air pollution we’re definitely not excited about: ground-level ozone. 

Ecology keeps a close eye on ground-level ozone levels around Washington and issues advisories when levels rise to a point that could affect people’s health. Let’s talk about what ground-level ozone is, what it can do to your health, how you can help prevent it, and how to find out when levels are unhealthy.

Why should I care about ground-level ozone?

First, let’s distinguish the difference in ozone and ground-level ozone.

• “Good” ozone forms naturally one to 30 miles above the Earth’s surface. This ozone layer protects life from the sun’s harmful rays.
• “Bad” ozone forms at ground-level. It is the main ingredient of smog and can cause a plethora of health problems.

Today, we are going to talk about how ground-level ozone forms, the health problems it causes, and what to do about it.

How it forms

Ground-level ozone is a gas created by a chemical reaction between nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the presence of sunlight. Vehicle and industrial emissions, gasoline vapors, chemical solvents, and natural sources emit NOx and VOCs that help form ground-level ozone. 

Obviously, urban areas will see higher amounts of ground-level ozone because they tend to have more air pollutants. But rural areas may not be spared from the health effects of it. Ground-level ozone takes time to form, and while it’s forming the wind can carry it far away. So, even if you live in the country, you can still be exposed to ground-level ozone.

What it can do to your health

Unhealthy amounts of ground-level ozone can affect everyone, but people with lung disease, children, older adults, and people who are physically active are especially sensitive. Ground-level ozone can:

• Irritate your throat.
• Cause coughing, wheezing, and painful breathing.
• Inflame and permanently damage lung tissue.
• Aggravate asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis.
• Increase the likelihood of pneumonia and bronchitis.

To protect your health, do less strenuous activities outdoors or stay inside until it cools down. If you experience serious symptoms, see your doctor.

How you can help reduce ground-level ozone

On hot days when ground-level ozone is expected to reach unhealthy levels, take these extra steps to help reduce air pollution:

• Drive less. Combine errands or use public transportation.
• Switch to a zero emissions vehicle, walk, or ride a bike.
• Postpone travel until the weather cools when possible.
• Don’t use lawnmowers or other small engines during heat spells.
• Follow burn bans.
• Don’t barbecue or use your fire pit while it’s hot out.
• Don’t let your engine idle.
• Refuel your vehicle in the early mornings.
• Don’t paint or use aerosol sprays until temperatures cool off.

When it gets hot outside, keep an eye on Ecology’s Facebook page or Twitter account for air quality advisories or check Washington’s Air Quality Monitoring Network. 

To learn more about ground-level ozone and other air quality topics, visit Ecology’s website.
 
By Kim Vaughn / Air Quality

Let’s Talk Science: Gearing up for the Tri-Cities Ozone Study

Ground-level ozone, not to be confused with “good” ozone in the earth’s upper atmosphere that shields us from harmful ultraviolet radiation, is toxic to human health.

Exposure to ozone irritates the eyes, nose, throat and the respiratory system. It is especially bad for people with chronic heart and lung disease, pregnant women as well as the very young and elderly.

Air quality specialists here at Ecology monitor air quality across the state to ensure we’re meeting federal health-based standards. Recent monitoring data collected in partnership with Benton Clean Air Agency indicate levels of ozone are higher than we’d like in the Tri-Cities. Ozone readings in Kennewick are about as high as those downwind of the Seattle area.

Because of the health risks associated with ground-level ozone pollution, we need to figure out how to manage it – and are launching a study of sources in the Tri-Cities area of south central Washington.

How ozone forms

Ozone forms in the air when certain gases from individual sources react together on hot summer
days. These gases are known as ozone precursors.

Nitrogen oxide (NOx), a combination of oxygen and nitrogen, is a common air pollutant in the recipe for ground-level ozone. Also in the mix are volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a large group of carbon-based chemicals that easily evaporate at room temperature and come from a variety of natural and manmade sources.

The hot weather, in particular sunlight, bakes the ingredients of NOx and VOC, creating the harmful ozone pollutant.

Let’s fix the problem

Before we can control ozone, we need to know where the ozone precursors are coming from.

We’re taking a team approach. For three weeks in July and August, we hope to quantify compounds such as ozone, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxide in the air by taking several high-tech measurements.

Washington State University and RJ Lee Group Inc. are on contract to complete a majority of the work. We will also conduct some measurements as part of the study. Our friends south of the border in Oregon are also concerned about an ozone buildup in Hermiston. So the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is conducting field monitoring that coincides with our study.

What happens next?

These measurements will tell us where VOCs and NOx are coming from and potentially what is causing high levels of ozone in the area.

Please stay tuned. Study results are expected around mid- 2017. We will share the results and next steps and looking for input from the local Tri-Cities community.

Meanwhile, we all can take important steps to reduce ozone pollution in our communities.

If you have questions about the study, email ranil.dhammapala@ecy.wa.gov

By Ranil Dhammapala, atmospheric scientist

Air Time: Washington ranks high for wood stove pollution

By Camille St. Onge, communications manager, Air Quality/Climate Change 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently ranked Washington state as ninth worst in the nation for wood stove pollution. 

For the past 20 years, Washington has had the toughest air quality standards in the nation for wood stoves, furnaces and heaters. Despite that, we still rank in the top 10 of most-polluting states. 

Washington’s geography and winter weather affect pollution levels 

Mountainous terrain, valleys and cold air are a perfect recipe for high levels of

harmful particulate pollution in the winter. 
Normally, the air closest to the ground is warmer than the air up high. This allows air pollution like smoke, vehicle exhaust and dust to rise and disperse and pollution doesn’t reach high levels in the air we breathe. 

In winter, however, sometimes these conditions are reversed—cold air below and warmer air up high. This is called an inversion. During an inversion, air pollution and smoke (particlulate pollution) become stagnant and don’t move up the air column. The polluted air is trapped close to the ground, in the air we breathe. 

Wood smoke is tiny particles of ash and tar. The particles are smaller than 1 micrometer in diameter and are light enough to be carried by air currents. Single smoke particles are too small to be visible, but when there are enough, they form a cloudy haze.  We inhale these fine particles deep into our respiratory system and they lodge in our lungs. This is unhealthy for everyone, but is especially harmful to infants, young children, the elderly, and people with asthma, heart or lung disease.

Inversions happen all over the state. Examples of areas more susceptible are Leavenworth and Colville, which are in narrow valleys. Other areas are less obvious, like bowl-shaped areas such as Spokane. 

Why wood-smoke pollution matters  

Simply put, your health is why it matters. There is no level of exposure to

particulate pollution from wood smoke that is considered safe. 
Hundreds of studies show that air pollution causes serious harm, even at levels below federal safety standards.

Particulate pollution causes significant health issues each year in Washington, including: 

• 1,100 premature deaths are attributed to particulate pollution - more than twice the number of deaths from automobile accidents
• 1,500 heart attacks
• 2,000 cases of acute lung disease and bronchitis

The harm to human health from this air pollutant equates to $200 million in preventable costs each year.

Keep in mind that particulate pollution is just one of the six pollutants regulated by federal air quality standards. There are hundreds of other chemicals emitted into our air that can harm health or our environment, including toxic chemicals such as mercury and benzene.

Population growth and more wood stoves

The population of our state has more than doubled since 1970. Along with the

population increase has come higher numbers of homes heated with wood, and cleaner burning devices are needed.  

EPA’s new wood stove standards go into effect in May 2015 and there will be more stringent standards in 2020. These standards reduce the maximum amount of fine particulate pollution allowed for new stoves. 

Washington’s Clean Air Act standards already meet EPA’s new 2015 standard, but not the lower 2020 levels. Moving to the 2020 standards will help improve pollution levels in Washington, giving us all healthier air to breathe. 

Air monitoring and forecasting

Ecology works with forecasters at nine partner air authority agencies in Washington to monitor weather patterns and assess air quality.

Forecasters watch weather and air quality models closely to identify areas with weather and pollution patterns that will cause air quality to reach unacceptable levels.

Air monitors placed throughout the state provide valuable data about air pollution. Through air monitoring and weather modeling, forecasters are able to identify communities that will experience air pollution problems during inversions, wildfires or other times. If a community has an air pollution problem, a burn ban may be put in place to help keep air pollution at acceptable levels.

Outreach and education

In addition to monitoring and forecasting, another important component to managing air pollution is outreach and education. Ecology coordinates with local air agencies to implement wood smoke reduction programs.

In 2013-15, Ecology awarded $4 million in grant money to seven communities that are vulnerable to violating national air pollution standards for fine particles. These grants focus on replacing old stoves in low-income households that burn a lot of wood for heat or other purposes.

Despite the success of grants and recycling programs, Ecology estimates that there are more than 200,000 old, high-polluting stoves still in use in the state.

Air Time: Mild weather drawing you outside?

Consider alternatives to burning as you gather brush, leaves and yard waste

By Joye Redfield-Wilder, communications manager, Ecology's Central Regional Office

Unseasonably warm weather has many of us poking around in our gardens. The camellias are blooming, the daffodils and tulips are already poking up, and that yard debris you didn’t get to last fall may be calling to you.

Household chippers are affordable and create instant groundcover
 

With a little planning, you can turn that yard waste into a useful product – simply by chipping, mulching and composting. Household chippers are quite affordable these days and the shredded branches, twigs and leaves make a great groundcover and mulch around your home.

Composting creates a useful soil amendment, and like chipped materials, can save you from having to buy a comparable product at the garden store. Many communities have yard waste collection programs or community gardens where composting might be available.
Putting your waste to use in your yard has other benefits; it’s good for air quality and helps prevent unintended wildfires.

The Department of Natural Resources reports that in the past four years 562 unattended burn piles scorched 2,317 acres across the state. The smoke and damage from such fires is costly, not only in terms of human health, but also in responding firefighters and property loss. It’s just not worth the risks.

Burning leaves, twigs and other yard debris creates smoke that’s both a nuisance and harmful to you, your children and neighbors. Fires must be kept small and be attended with a water supply nearby to extinguish if it gets out of hand.

What a hassle when there are so many easy alternatives!

While burning remains an important tool for forest health and agriculture, outdoor burning was phased out in urban growth communities (UGAs), in 2006. Land clearing, agriculture and forest land fires require burn permits and such prescribed burning is only allowed on days when ventilation is good. You can be fined for illegal burning or burning without a permit.

Don’t ever burn garbage. Burning plastic, treated wood, garbage and even processed paper releases harmful chemicals, such as formaldehyde, mercury, arsenic, benzenes and dioxins to the atmosphere. Exposure can cause asthma, burning eyes, bronchitis, lung disease and chronic heart disease.

Though common in rural areas, burn barrels are banned in Washington.

This spring, arm yourself with a rake, chipper and spade and choose to mulch, chip and compost. Roll up your sleeves and breathe in the sparkling clean air of an early spring!

Related information:

1. Don’t burn it, recycle it!  Composting on your property is easy and there are many facilities that use this valuable material. www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/swfa/compost/

2. If you must burn, know the rules! And your local Air Authority jurisdiction. www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/air/local.html     

3. Be safe! Know who your local fire department is and what their rules are for both your home and vacation properties. Post this info at your cabin or on your refrigerator. 

4. Make sure it’s a burn day! This applies to outdoor burning and woodstoves too. www.waburnbans.net or call 800-406-5322, burn decision hotline. 

5. If you see someone burning illegally report it! Call 866-211-6284 statewide, 24-hour, toll free.

Air Time: We monitor smoke so you can protect your health

Wildfire UPDATE

Wildfires have been causing smoky, hazy air off and on throughout the state. The severity of the smoke impacts depends on weather patterns. If the air isn’t moving, the concentration of fine particles increases in the air. Smoke from fires can travel rapidly, affecting air quality hundreds of miles downwind.

A wall of smoke from the Chiwaukum Creek fire looms over Plain, WA.
Photo courtesy of Dominic Urbano

According to the Washington Department of Health, breathing smoke from wildfires can make anyone cough or wheeze, and people who have asthma or another lung disease may experience more severe symptoms.

As pollutant particles build up in the respiratory system, they can cause several health problems including burning eyes, runny noses, and illnesses such as bronchitis.

Protect your health

Here are some steps you can take to protect your health from wildfire smoke:

• People who are sensitive to air pollution should limit the time spent outdoors.
• When smoke levels are high enough, even healthy people may be affected. To protect yourself, it’s important to limit your exposure to smoke.
• Pay attention to air quality reports. The Washington Air Quality Advisory (WAQA) is a tool used to inform people about the health effects of air pollution. WAQA uses color-coded categories to show when air quality is good, moderate or unhealthy.
• Use common sense. Air quality monitors may not have immediate information on conditions in your specific area. If it looks and smells smoky outside, it’s probably not a good time to go for a jog, mow the lawn or allow children to play outdoors. Avoid physical activity and stay indoors with windows and doors closed.
• Keep smoke out. Turn on your air conditioner and keep the fresh-air intake closed and set the unit to recirculate. Use a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA)filter to reduce indoor air pollution, if one is available to you.

Stay alert

There are many ways to stay current on Washington wildfires.

The Washington State Military Department’s Emergency Management Division is providing regular online updates on fire response efforts.

For current air quality data related to smoke, bookmark wasmoke.blogspot.com

If you are on Twitter, follow the hashtags:

• #waWILDFIRE
• #WatermelonHill
• #ChiwaukumComplex
• #MillsCanyon
• #CarltonComplex

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AIR TIME: Burn bans remain through weekend in 9 Central and Eastern Washington counties

By Joye Redfield-Wilder, communications manager, Central Regional Office

Conditions remain uncooperative in Central and Eastern Washington where Stage 1 burn bans have been continued until at least 4 p.m. Monday, Dec. 30, in nine counties. Burn bans have been in place since Christmas Eve.

The ban affects Kittitas, Chelan, Douglas, Okanogan, Ferry, Stevens, Pend Oreille, Asotin and Walla Walla counties, where smoke hasn’t dispersed since earlier this week and forecasts remain poor through the weekend, though temporary clearing is possible in some areas.

The ban includes all outdoor burning.

A Stage 1 ban applies to uncertified wood-burning devices – including fireplaces, wood stoves and inserts –unless they are a home's only adequate source of heat. Certified wood-burning devices and pellet stoves are allowed.

For burn ban updates, check online at www.waburnbans.net.

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AIR TIME: Uncooperative conditions call for burn bans in 9 Eastern Washington counties

By Joye Redfield-Wilder, communications manager, Central Regional Office

Unpromising weather forecasts are prompting the Washington Department of Ecology to call Stage 1 burn bans for Kittitas, Chelan, Douglas, Okanogan, Ferry, Stevens, Pend Oreille, Asotin and Walla Walla counties beginning at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, December 24.

Dispersion is expected to worsen over Christmas and lead to poor air quality later in the week. The bans will continue at least until 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 27.

All outdoor burning – including residential, agricultural and forest burning – is prohibited.

Under a Stage 1 ban the use of uncertified wood-burning devices – including fireplaces, wood stoves and inserts – is prohibited unless they are a home’s only adequate source of heat.

For burn ban updates, check online at www.waburnbans.net.

Certified wood-burning devices and pellet stoves are allowed. Ecology recommends burning hot fires using only clean, dry wood.

By limiting burning and following restrictions when burn bans are called, residents can help improve air quality sooner.

Ecology’s burn bans do not apply on tribal reservations, where the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has jurisdiction.

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Air Time: Stage 1 burn ban extended for Chelan, Douglas, and Okanogan counties

Stage 1 burn ban in Chelan, Douglas and Okanogan counties will continue, through Wednesday Dec. 18th. Air quality remains impaired, with strong winds aloft not mixing down to the valleys.

All outdoor burning – including residential, agricultural and forest burning – is prohibited.

Under a Stage 1 ban the use of uncertified wood-burning devices – including fireplaces, wood stoves and inserts – is prohibited unless they are a home’s only adequate source of heat.

For burn ban updates, check online at www.waburnbans.net.

By limiting burning and following restrictions when burn bans are called, residents can help improve air quality sooner.

Ecology’s burn bans do not apply on tribal reservations, where the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has jurisdiction

See a list of certified wood stoves and other information: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/air/indoor_woodsmoke/wood_smoke_page.htm

Tips on getting the most heat from your firewood: http://burndryfirewood.com/

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Air Time: Stage 1 burn ban in Chelan, Douglas, and Okanogan counties

A Stage 1 burn ban for Chelan, Douglas and Okanogan counties has been issued for 4 p.m. today (Dec. 9) by the Washington Department of Ecology. Poor dispersion is expected to degrade air quality over the next few days. The ban will continue at least until 10 a.m. Friday.  

All outdoor burning – including residential, agricultural and forest burning – is prohibited.  

Under a Stage 1 ban the use of uncertified wood-burning devices – including fireplaces, wood stoves and inserts – is prohibited unless they are a home’s only adequate source of heat.  

For burn ban updates, check online at www.waburnbans.net. 

By limiting burning and following restrictions when burn bans are called, residents can help improve air quality sooner.  

Ecology’s burn bans do not apply on tribal reservations, where the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has jurisdiction

See a list of certified wood stoves and other information: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/air/indoor_woodsmoke/wood_smoke_page.htm

Tips on getting the most heat from your firewood: http://burndryfirewood.com/

Air Time: adding five new counties to Stage 1 burn bans

By Brook Beeler, communication manager, Eastern Regional Office

Stage 1 bans start immediately in Columbia, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, and Pend Oreille counties. In addition, Stage 1 burn bans in Asotin, Chelan, Douglas, Kittitas, Klickitat, Okanogan, Stevens, and Walla Walla counties will continue.

Bans are necessary since poor air quality and stagnant conditions are expected to continue for the next few days.

Ecology’s Stage 1 burn ban for these counties will continue until at least 10 a.m. Sunday, when they could be called off or extended. The Stage 1 ban applies to the use of uncertified wood-burning devices (including wood stoves, inserts and fireplaces) and to all outdoor burning.

All outdoor burning – including residential, agricultural and forest burning – is prohibited.

Under a Stage 1, ban the use of uncertified wood-burning devices – including fireplaces, wood stoves and inserts – is prohibited unless they are a home’s only adequate source of heat.

Ecology’s burn bans do not apply on tribal reservations, where the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has jurisdiction.

Burn ban violators are subject to civil penalties. You can report violators by calling Ecology’s smoke complaint hotline (1-866-211-6284).

For burn ban updates in other jurisdictions, go online to www.waburnbans.net.

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Air Time: Eastern Washington burn bans continue, three counties added

By Brook Beeler, Eastern Regional Office

The Stage 1 burn bans in Chelan, Douglas, Kittitas, Stevens and Walla Walla counties will continue. Stage 1 bans have also been issued in Asotin, Klickitat and Okanogan counties starting immediately, by the Washington Department of Ecology.

Current air quality data can be found on Ecology's website.
This shows air quality in Walla Walla is "unhealthy for sensitive groups".

The bans will continue at least until 4 p.m. Wednesday. Poor air quality and stagnant conditions are expected to continue for the next few days.

All outdoor burning – including residential, agricultural and forest burning – is prohibited.

Under a Stage 1 ban the use of uncertified wood-burning devices – including fireplaces, wood stoves and inserts – is prohibited unless they are a home’s only adequate source of heat. 

Certified wood-burning devices and pellet stoves are allowed. Ecology recommends burning hot fires using only clean, dry wood.

Ecology’s burn bans do not apply on tribal reservations, where the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has jurisdiction.

For burn ban updates, check online at www.waburnbans.net

You can track air quality in your area by using the Washington Air Quality Advisory . This is Ecology’s tool for informing people about the health effects of air pollution, including fine particles. It uses color-coded categories to show when air quality is good, moderate or unhealthy.

For more information about WAQA, see this Ecology fact sheet.

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How’s the air out there?

By Ginger Wireman, Environmental Education & Outreach Specialist, Nuclear Waste Program

Did you know that in Los Angeles an estimated 9,000 people each year die from lung and heart diseases aggravated by air pollution? "Bad air days" have decreased dramatically since the region implemented stringent clean air laws beginning in the 1970s. But air pollution still kills.

In Washington, we are lucky to have topography and climate, as well as smaller populations that help us avoid the air pollution experienced by places like Los Angeles or Denver. But we are not without our problems, and I recently witnessed firsthand the impact of poor air quality on a population.

In October I went with the Richland High School marching band to competitions in Spokane and Yakima. Marching band is a physically demanding activity. I marched for six years and know personally the amount of effort one expends in a six-to-eight-minute show. Walking, dancing, scurrying, AND playing and carrying an instrument (or twirling an implement in color guard) is exhausting!

You may take the field in competition

Right before each band takes the field, the announcer asks, "Drum Majors, is your band ready?" And although they all appeared ready at the Yakima competition, I watched in dismay as soloists in three different bands bombed. None were in our band, but as a parent, I want all kids to succeed. I felt so bad for them.

Those kids, playing trumpet, baritone, and sousaphone, respectively, had played beautifully a week prior in Spokane. But in Yakima, they missed notes and were barely audible. They clearly didn’t have enough breath support!

Since I knew each had played well the week prior, I wondered what was going on. Had they all developed colds that week? Or was it something in the air? A black haze hung over the Yakima area when we drove into town. I assume smudge pots were in use to protect apples from frost.

The following Monday I found out one of our students was unable to perform in the preliminary competition (at 2 p.m.) because her asthma was flaring up.

Something hazy going on

I wanted to see what the air quality was those days, so I visited Ecology’s Air Monitoring website. The website is quite easy to use and shows real time information for most areas of Washington. It displays colored dots ranging from green-for-good to dark-red-for-hazardous air.

To access a report for the days in question, I entered the competition dates for each city and compared the reports. My suspicions were confirmed. The air had two or three times more particulate matter (PM 2.5) throughout the day in Yakima than it had in Spokane. PM 2.5 particles are so tiny and get past your nose hairs and into your lungs.

Air quality was considered moderate, as opposed to good, much of both days. But it did jump into the "unhealthy for sensitive groups" range during the afternoon in Yakima, or greater than 25 micrograms per cubic meter (ug/m^3).

Is your family ready?

I'm going to check the Air Monitoring website in advance for the remainder of my child's marching career and be ready to alert chaperones to watch for kids who may have an asthmatic response. I'd encourage anyone with children who engage in rigorous outdoor activities to bookmark the page and arm themselves with information.

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Air Time: Tis the Season – for hazy skies, wood smoke, burn bans, tips on burning clean

By Joye Redfield-Wilder, communication manager, Central Regional Office

Tis the Season — the season for SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) or just as easily “SAQD (Seasonal Air Quality Disorder).” When temperatures drop, smoke will increase in many Washington communities as we begin nesting and fire up wood-burning devices to heat our homes.

When smoke combines with diesel emissions and other tiny pollution particles, air quality can quickly degrade. That sometimes results in bans on burning. Wood smoke is one of the most serious air pollution problems in Washington.

Communities in both Eastern and Western Washington suffer poor air quality during the home heating season and can be at risk of failing to meet state and federal air quality standards to protect human health. But there’s something people can do to help.

That’s burning clean or choosing another way to heat your home.

Burning wood can be a cheap way to heat your home if done correctly.

Here’s a video on how to operate your woodstove more efficiently.

More on that and burn bans is available on Ecology’s Air Quality web site.

See the Ecology News Release: Hazy skies call for clean burning to help avoid burn bans

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Air Time: Test your knowledge about summer ozone

by Ecology's Air Quality Program

Summer is the time of year many of us enjoy favorite outdoor activities like hiking, biking and gardening. Summer's warm temperatures and longer days can also lead to increased ground-level ozone in the air. How much do you know about ozone? Take the following short quiz to find out.

1. Is ozone good or bad?

A. Ozone is good! It protects us from the sun's ultraviolet rays.

B. Ozone is bad! It irritates our lungs and aggravates asthma.

C. Both! Ozone up high in the stratosphere protects us from ultraviolet radiation, but ozone at ground level is unhealthy to breathe.

 

Answer: C. Ozone is good up high, but bad nearby. For those with asthma and other respiratory diseases, ground-level ozone is air pollution that can put a real damper on outdoor fun. If you or any of your loved ones have asthma or other respiratory problems, you may find it helpful to check the air quality before going outdoors. Go to Ecology's Air Monitoring Network for more information.
Ozone pollution also harms plant life. Reducing ozone pollution levels will help protect Washington's most treasured sites, including Mount Rainier National Park.

2. Do human activities produce ozone pollution?

A. No.

B. Yes.

C. Yes and no.

 

Answer: C. We do not create ozone directly, but our activities generate oxides of nitrogen and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that form ozone in the presence of heat and sunlight.

3. What activity contributes the most to Washington's ozone pollution levels?

A. Backyard barbecues

B. Driving

C. Garden and lawn care

D. Using paints and solvents

E. VOC emissions from plants

 

Answer: B. Although all of the above activities emit chemicals that can form ozone, the biggest contributor is motor vehicles. Vehicles emit oxides of nitrogen and VOCs that form ozone when exposed to heat and sunlight. In addition to forming ozone, oxides of nitrogen and many VOCs are unhealthy for us to breathe. You don't even need to drive your vehicle to emit VOCs. They evaporate from your fuel tank on hot summer days.
Some VOCs that form ozone come from natural sources. Human activities, however, are by far the biggest source of ozone-forming chemicals that lead to unhealthy air during hot summer weather.

4. What can you do to reduce ozone pollution?

A. If you have an alternative, don't drive. Walk, bike, or use transit.

B. If you must refuel, do so at night. The gas pump emits those same VOCs that evaporate from your gas tank on a hot day.

C. Maintain your vehicle. A vehicle in good working order runs cleaner and emits less pollution.

D. A, B, and C.

 

Answer: D. For tips on vehicle maintenance, see Ecology's publication Car Care=Clean Air.
Although motor vehicles contribute the most, some popular summer activities that contribute to forming ozone pollution include mowing the lawn, painting the house, and using the barbecue. Here are some more ways you can reduce ozone:

• Use an electric or push lawn mower, or wait for cooler weather to mow the lawn.
• Avoid using pesticides and synthetic fertilizers in your yard. Instead, try these natural yard care tips.
• Use low-VOC house paints.
• Don't use lighter fluid when you fire up the grill.

To learn more about ozone, check out the Air Quality Program's ozone video. Also see Ecology's Air Quality Program.

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Air Time: Fireworks are fun, but smoke isn’t

Make sure you protect your lungs if you plan to light off or be near fireworks around the Fourth of July.

Fireworks can be spectacular to see, but they also can generate a lot of potentially harmful smoke. Breathing fine particles in fireworks smoke can cause or contribute to serious short- or long-term health problems. They include:

• Risk of heart attack and stroke.
• Lung inflammation.
• Reduced lung function.
• Asthma-like symptoms.
• Asthma attacks.

Unhealthy spikes

In past years, air monitors showed unhealthy levels of fine particles from fireworks smoke in some Washington communities.

During winter, air quality agencies can issue burn bans when levels of fine particles reach or exceed 30 micrograms per cubic meter of air during a 24-hour period. Bans also can be called if fine particles are forecast to reach or exceed that level.

Air monitors have recorded much higher, temporary spikes in fine particles caused by fireworks smoke in past years on the Fourth of July in some communities. For example, on July 4 last year Puget Sound Clean Air Agency monitors showed:

• A spike of about 600 micrograms around Marysville’s 7th Street.
• A high of nearly 500 micrograms around Lynnwood’s 212th Street SW.
• A reading of nearly 100 micrograms around Tacoma’s Alexander Avenue in the tideflats.

Protect yourself

Ecology recommends that people with breathing problems or heart or lung disease avoid areas of heavy smoke by viewing fireworks from a safe distance. People who are especially sensitive should stay indoors (especially during the evening) and close the windows to avoid breathing the smoke.

Even healthy people may have temporary symptoms such as irritation of the eyes, nose and throat; coughing; and shortness of breath.

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Air Time: Wildfires heat up, bring toxic smoke

By Seth Preston, Communications Manager, Toxics Cleanup Program

Wildfires are burning already in several locations in Washington, just months after the nation watched as fires consumed vast tracts of central and eastern Washington, overwhelming local communities with hazardous, choking smoke.It was a stark, brutal lesson about the destructive power of wildfires. The air quality in some central Washington communities was so unhealthy for so long that many residents were compelled to evacuate their homes just so they could find clean air to breathe.

The photo on the right from the Daily Record in Ellensburg gives just a snapshot of what happened last summer and fall.

The current fires are a potential reminder of that – and a possible harbinger of the wildfire season ahead, which began this year in Washington on April 15, according to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

This week (May 5-11) is Wildfire Awareness Week. You can learn more wildfire awareness and activities, resources and learning opportunities in local communities by checking out this DNR news release.

All wildfires have the potential to unleash large amounts of unhealthy smoke. Here are wildfire-related questions and answers that the Washington Department of Health, Ecology and other state and federal agencies developed during last year’s devastating wildfires.

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AirTime: Wood-fired hydronic heaters

By Rod Tinnemore, Wood Stove Coordinator, Air Quality Program

The best solutions to problems create wins all around. A republican president stated in his State of the Union address in 1970, “We can no longer afford to consider air and water common property, free to be abused by anyone without regard to the consequences. Instead, we should begin now to treat them as scarce resources, which we are no more free to contaminate than we are free to throw garbage into our neighbor’s yard.” In a similar vein, my mantra is “Solving a home heating problem by creating an air pollution problem is not a win-win”.

There are devices called wood-fired hydronic heaters or outdoor wood boilers that have caused havoc throughout the NE and Mid-West U.S. Many of these units and their operators are violating this win-win principle. These devices are currently not regulated by EPA and can emit nearly 100 times the pollution per hour of a Washington approved wood stove. Worse, irresponsible owners have used them as crude home incinerators, burning garbage, plastic chairs, animal carcasses and diapers. Remember, what goes into that firebox still comes out, often in a more toxic form. Can you imagine living next door to these toxic, smoke-generating machines? Who would do that to their neighbors?

There is hope for a better solution. The Washington State Department of Ecology prohibits the sale of outdoor wood-fired boilers in Washington State and works to help innovators create better boilers. EPA will begin regulating these devices in 2014 so new, much cleaner models are already making their way into the market. There is currently only one indoor wood-fired hydronic heater and only a few pellet-fueled hydronic heaters approved for sale in Washington State. These devices can heat an entire house with no more pollution than from a Washington approved wood stove. That’s a win for home heating, for neighbors and for the environment.

If you have questions about these or other solid fuel burning devices, contact Rod Tinnemore, wood stove coordinator, at the Washington State Department of Ecology, 360-407-6978, rod.tinnemore@ecy.wa.gov . You’ll find the list of Washington approved wood burning devices online at Ecology's woodstove page.

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Air Time: Pellet Stoves are still a good idea

By Rod Tinnemore, Wood Stove Coordinator, Air Quality Program

Pellet Stoves

The pellet stove manufacturers that I’ve met have been creative people who care about the environment. They envisioned pellet stoves back in the 1970s as a remedy to the open burning of sawdust and wood shavings at lumber mills. Today the crude “tee-pee burners” are gone and those wood by-products are made into pellets or compressed logs that heat homes and produce little pollution.

Pellet stoves now come in many styles and levels of sophistication. Some can burn a variety of other pelletized products. Still others can be operated remotely from a smart phone. Nearly all produce less pollution than most wood stoves.

There are also challenges along with these benefits. Pellet quality is not standardized or regulated, much to the dismay of consumers. Pellets sold as “premium” may in fact be of lesser quality with a higher percentages of bark. They may also contain mixtures of potentially toxic materials like plastics and pressure treated wood. EPA plans to address pellet quality through a national pellet standard in the near future. A strict standard is already in place in Europe.

Another drawback to pellet stoves has been their need for electricity, which renders most of them useless during power outages. Current technology has overcome much of that problem with improved motors, advanced battery back-up systems that can run the stove for days, and even pellet stoves that require no electricity at all.

The cost and transportation of pellets continues to be another challenge. Parts of Europe have replaced their fuel oil delivery network with a wood pellet network. Homes are equipped with bulk hoppers; trucks deliver bulk pellets through pneumatic hoses, and homes utilize high efficiency, very clean pellet devices. The concept is achievable here in the U.S. but price and delivery barriers must be overcome.

Pellet stoves can be stylish, have low emissions and don’t require wood hauling, splitting, and storage. So if you want to burn wood but don’t want the mess or effort of cordwood, consider a modern pellet stove.

For more information about using heating with wood in Washington, see Wood Stoves, Fireplaces, Pellet Stoves and Masonry Heaters.

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Air Time: Wood Smoke and Survival

By Rod Tinnemore, Wood Stove Coordinator, Air Quality Program

Heating homes

Some of the folks who burn wood to heat their homes are barely able to survive financially. I’ve known years in my life like that, so I can relate. For them, burning the wood they can acquire at little or no cost is a necessity, not a luxury. No one wants to have to choose between putting food on their table and keeping warm, especially if there are children in the home.

There are others who may have cleaner heating options yet select to burn wood to reduce their heating bills, to provide additional comfort to family members with medical needs, or simply because they enjoy it. None of these need be a problem IF stove operators burn properly. While I admire thrift, trying to save a dime by heating improperly with wood just doesn’t make sense or cents. I, too, enjoy the extra warmth from wood heat and own a wood stove, but I make sure there is no smoke coming from the stove after start-up.

Regardless of what kind of stove you own or your motives, you can operate your stove to reduce the impact on yourself, your neighbors and the environment. All it takes is preparation and some attention to detail.

Finding solutions

The Air Quality Program of the Washington State Department of Ecology acknowledges this reality and is working hard to find solutions at many levels.

• We are supporters of innovation, like the National Wood Stove Design Contest, where a staff member is one of the judges. We work with major manufacturers and start-up companies to encourage innovation and help find a pathway toward device certification.
  
  
• We channel grant funds from the Legislature to air agencies conducting wood stove change-out and bounty programs to communities with wood smoke problems.
  
  
• We work closely with EPA to improve that emission standards and test methods for devices that burn wood or pellets.
  
  
• We provide instruction to building inspectors and weatherization staff so they can better understand wood stove issues and needs.

But we can’t solve our wood smoke pollution problems through our efforts alone. It will take all of us, regardless of personal financial resources, to keep the air clean by learning to fuel and operate a wood stove correctly.

Resources

You’ll find lots of good information about proper burning on the instructional videos at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/air/indoor_woodsmoke/wood_smoke_page.htm.

If you would like to move to cleaner heating options, contact your local air agency about possible programs in your area.

You’ll find a list of Washington State air agencies online at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/air/local.html. If you help weatherizing your home to reduce your heating costs, contact Washington’s weatherization program at http://www.benefits.gov/benefits/benefit-details/1885.

Thank you for caring for the air we all share.

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Air Time: Make heat, not smoke

By Rod Tinnemore, Wood Stove Coordinator, Air Quality Program

Operating a clean wood stove

Operating a wood stove properly takes practice and attention. Wood stove technology has not advanced enough to let someone simply throw in wood, light it, close the door and walk away. The term “clean” is relative because any gas, oil, or electric heater produces less direct pollution than a wood stove. There are, however, several ways to reduce pollution from wood stoves.

Cleaner, more efficient wood burning starts with reading your wood stove owner’s manual. If you don’t have or can’t find that manual, at least do these two things:
1) watch this video on proper wood stove operation:


2) go outside regularly to observe how much smoke is coming from your chimney. If you see anything other than a small amount of wispy smoke, you’re doing something wrong. A properly run wood stove should yield only heat waves out the chimney or stack.

Here are some additional tips for cleaner burning:

• Use only seasoned firewood. See the EPA video on selecting dry wood at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM2WGgRcnm0


• Visit Burn Wise at http://www.epa.gov/burnwise/bestburn.html to learn clean burning tips
  
• Build a top-down fire to reduce pollution during start-up. See http://woodheat.org/top-down-fever.html for more information.
  
• Give yourself enough time to properly heat the stove. The owner’s manual should provide guidance. For non-catalytic stoves it may take 45 minutes at full air volume to reach the clean burning, high efficiency temperature.
  
• Be aware of the weather, especially inversions or stagnations, and don’t burn during burn bans. Even if you own an EPA certified wood stove, smoking up your neighborhood is always illegal (and un-neighborly!) so aim for no visible emissions.
  

Using a wood stove is like using a car: proper operation and maintenance is essential for your safety and the safety of others. Be a responsible stove owner. The environment and your neighbors will be happier.

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