I thought you all might be interested in this site that shows the current
air quality data. This gives real time data from a monitor on Manzanita
Ave.

Choose Butte County on the list near the left hand corner and choose PM 2.5
from the data selection list then refresh map.
http://www.arb.ca.gov/gismo/aqmis_v3/default.cfm

The national standard for PM2.5 is 35 ug/m3 for a 24 hr average.


On 6/25/08, Women's Triathlon Club <chicowtc@...> wrote:
>
> 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...
>
>
>


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