It is burning to the north and east of
Chico and it is not getting better so
here is a way to check out the quality
of the air before you decided to head
out -- or work out at all, because the
indoor air is not that much better.


The Butte County Air Quality Management
District Air Pollution Control Officer and
the Butte County Public Health Officer's Air
Quality Alert for Wednesday, June 25th, 2008.

Tuesday, Butte County exceeded the federal
health-based average 24-hour Ambient Air
Quality Standard of 35 micro grams per
cubic meter (ug/m3) for fine particulate
matter (PM2.5) - it was 180 ug/m3 - equal to
an Air Quality Index of 230.

Today Wedneday, the Air Quality Index is
forecast to reach 250. At this level the
air quality is rated VERY UNHEALTHY for
all people.

These conditions are expected to continue
until the fires are extinguished.

A daily update can be found every day on:
http://www.bcaqmd.org/


Links:
http://www.chicoer.com/

the fire website, down to the "Butte Unit" link:
http://www.fire.ca.gov/index_incidents.php

or the fire map at:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=1145885303226987\
85804.000450576c62232cf0482



As many of you know only LA and the San Joaquin
Valley has worse air than Chico. Last year Chico
violated the PM2.5 standard 38 times. PM2.5 is
a measure of the particulate - it is small...

In the winter, 75% of PM2.5 pollution is caused
by wood stoves plus some from burning wood/leaf
waste. Along with our inversion layer, that traps
the air in the valley burning "wet" fire wood
or/and using wood stoves not meeting state
guidelines for pollution prevention is what really
gets things going in the winter.

In the summer it primarily comes from vehicle
exhaust, road dust, farm equipment, farm dust,
and construction.

PM2.5 pollution, the most damaging type of air
pollution to the health, causing hearth attacks,
stroke, cancer, respiratory infection, asthma
attach and similar lung function problems along
with abnormal lung development in children.

Butte County presently has not requirements for
managing PM2.5 in the winter where it is worst,
while some regulation is in place dealing with the
type generated in during the summer.

The current fires, although somewhat extreme, are
a good representation of what air the winter brings
up - it is just harder to see in the winter with
the few sun hours and cloudy conditions.

There has been talk about putting in place some
requirements to deal with the air problem in the
winter, but so far nothing has happened.

Anybody not using a wood stove for heating is
already meeting and paying for air pollution
regulation through the rules that power producers
much abide by when producing the power that
powers your heating device. If you switch to
wood burning you can save money and avoid having
to meet those rules...