Discourse for all interested in all things air-quality related
In this past Wednesday’s (May 16, 2018) “Odds of reaching new(est) pollution standards in California’s San Joaquin Valley rather bleak,” Air Quality Matters post, I spelled out the main problem with air pollution in the Valley. Truth be told, the outlook has gone from bad to worse and in relatively short order. In the May 16 … Read more
Valley’s woes and worries Peering at a graph in the July 2016 Valley Air News publication, which has as a vertical plot “Tons per day” of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) in California’s San Joaquin Valley, if I interpreted correctly what I see related to this, all mobile sources such as “Passenger Vehicles,” “Heavy Duty Trucks,” “Farm Equipment,” … Read more
Some say harmless air pollution is. For anyone who thinks so, I’ve got news for you: It’s not. Reality check: Some types are more harmful than other types, but, all of it can cause harm. So, I reference the volcanic activity on the island of Hawaii from the Kilauea Volcano. It right now is spewing … Read more
In California’s San Joaquin Valley, yesterday (May 7, 2018) was one of the more interesting days. When I awoke, what I noticed immediately upon looking out my front window was a blue-colored sky. And upon my noticing that, I decided what I would do was to work in the yard outside. The temperature for much … Read more
No amount of particulates, whether coarse, fine or ultrafine, in air is safe to breathe. Particulates entering the lungs, depending on extent, can be life-threatening; regardless of concentration, these are health and life impacting if not health- and life-limiting. In understanding this, it is perplexing that school buses powered by diesel engines are still utilized … Read more
The news is grim: Ninety percent of people globally breathe polluted air. Annually, 7 million people die early from air pollution’s effects. The news is anything but comforting. And, it is what the World Health Organization (WHO) has determined. “9 out of 10 people worldwide breathe polluted air, but more countries are taking action” is … Read more
Trust me. You never want to follow a motor vehicle exhausting really strong-smelling, noxious fumes. Been there, done that who knows how many times. It’s even worse from a feeling-guilty point of view, that is, to be the owner or driver of one of these. I ought to know. I was at one time, one … Read more
Ever think about things that impact our lives? And, why does this matter? Where I’m going with this is: decisions we make in life can also impact the environment. It is this that this thread, today’s thread, has to do with. Setting the tone is this idea of three specific areas of living and how … Read more
There are cities big and small. And, then there is what’s referred to as “mega cities,” those with populations above 10 million. From earlier reporting it was related that in 2050, city populations the world over will house two-thirds of world population, up from 50 percent today. That’s a fairly sizable increase. So, the question … Read more
This year’s Earth Day message here on the Air Quality Matters blog has the title: “Earth Day 2018: Air, airways, lungs, etc. no places for pollution” and for good reason. The entry opens with this pointed declaration: “It’s a known fact the pollution continually being poured into our atmosphere is detrimental to health and wellbeing … Read more