WHAT’S OUR AIR QUALITY? Part 2

Continued from yesterday:

January and February was chosen for the study because maximum PM2.5 readings due to wood burning are usually noted during cold, relatively windless evenings; this is when air particulate levels are normally higher and remain relatively steady. Temperature inversions are common this time of year and allow contaminants to linger in the air.

So what can be done with the results of this study? Here are some possibilities:

· The identification of hot spots could help city planners target individual neighbourhoods for Burn-it-Smart education programs or wood stove exchanges.

· The study provided an excellent snapshot of wintertime conditions for our communities. Any future like-studies can use the results to track progress, especially if air shed management strategies are put in place.

· The results can help with decisions on location or type of future stationary air sampling equipment.

· Health professionals can use the results to calculate health risks or impacts.

· The information can assist city planners with land-use decisions.

· Information taken from energy use surveys could be used with the results of this study to help explain air quality ‘hot spots’.

Despite the usual hiccups and technical difficulties, the diligence of the volunteers and advisors overcame most problems and the data capture rates were more than adequate. The mobile sampling equipment was crosschecked daily with stationary samplers and the agreement was excellent. Perhaps even more impressive was the strong agreement between the feedback to the data collectors’ noses (wood smoke smell in the air) and the response from the instrument. The results, which will be detailed in the upcoming report, should be of interest to readers, especially those at risk or any who wonder about the air quality in their neighbourhood. Along with the confirmation of expected ‘hot spots’ (some neighbourhoods in Marysville and the Wycliffe area), there were a few surprises that warrant further investigation.

The full report will be released at a special evening next Thursday, November 3rd in the Manual Training Building 7:00 - 9:00pm  See Poster to the right.