Air Pollution Makes Earth Dwellers Even Dumber –Study

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Let’s face it, you must be cognitively challenged to emit so much pollution in the first place!

Prolonged exposure to polluted air has a significant impact on our cognitive abilities, especially in older men, according to a new study.

Breathing dirty air causes a “steep reduction” in scores on verbal and math tests, says the report.

“Most of the population in developing countries live in places with unsafe air. Utilizing variations in transitory and cumulative air pollution exposures for the same individuals over time in China, we provide evidence that polluted air may impede cognitive ability as people become older, especially for less educated men, the report claims.

“Cutting annual mean concentration of particulate matter smaller than 10 μm (PM10) in China to the Environmental Protection Agency’s standard (50 μg/m³) would move people from the median to the 63rd percentile (verbal test scores) and the 58th percentile (math test scores), respectively. The damage on the aging brain by air pollution likely imposes substantial health and economic costs, considering that cognitive functioning is critical for the elderly for both running daily errands and making high-stake decisions.”

Air pollution linked to diabetes

Researchers found that air pollution contributed to 3.2 million new diabetes cases, or 14% of the global total in 2016. In the US, where 30 million adults have diabetes, air pollution results in over 150,000 new cases of diabetes each year.

The diagnosed cases of diabetes almost quadrupled between 1980 and 2014, jumping from 108 million to 422 million cases, WHO reported.

How many people breathe polluted air?

Nine out of every 10 people on the planet breathe air containing high levels of pollutants, with Africa and Asia being the worst affected areas, WHO reported earlier this year.

Air pollution was responsible for an estimated 9 million deaths in 2015, according to medical research.

“Ambient air pollution alone caused some 4.2 million deaths in 2016, while household air pollution from cooking with polluting fuels and technologies caused an estimated 3.8 million deaths in the same period,” according to WHO.

“Many of the world’s megacities exceed WHO’s guideline levels for air quality by more than 5 times, representing a major risk to people’s health,” says WHO.

 

 

China Air Pollution Affects Global Weather

ENVIRONMENTAL HOLOCAUST
TOXIC ATMOSPHERE
DEADLY AIR POLLUTION
INTENSE STORMS
GLOBAL IMPACT
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Asian air pollution intensifies Pacific storms: Study

Air pollution in China and other Asian countries is affecting weather patterns across the Northern Hemisphere, as well as other parts of the globe, especially during winter, according to a study.

The particulate matter in the air are carried towards the north Pacific where they interact with water droplets in the air, causing the formation of denser clouds that result in more intense storms above the ocean, say researchers.

“Since the Pacific storm track is an important component in the global general circulation, the impacts of Asian pollution on the storm track tend to affect the weather patterns of other parts of the world during the wintertime, especially a downstream region [of the storm track] like North America,” said Dr Yuan Wang, the lead author.

“The impacts of Asian pollution on the storm track tend to affect the weather patterns of other parts of the world […] the effects are quite dramatic. The pollution results in thicker and taller clouds and heavier precipitation,” said Wang.

The impact of pollution on the weather pattern intensifies in the winter.

The study is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Convection depth in MMF and CAM for PD and PI over the northwest Pacific. Wang et al. PNAS

Abstract

Assessing the effects of anthropogenic aerosols on Pacific storm track using a multiscale global climate model

Atmospheric aerosols affect weather and global general circulation by modifying cloud and precipitation processes, but the magnitude of cloud adjustment by aerosols remains poorly quantified and represents the largest uncertainty in estimated forcing of climate change. Here we assess the effects of anthropogenic aerosols on the Pacific storm track, using a multiscale global aerosol–climate model (GCM). Simulations of two aerosol scenarios corresponding to the present day and preindustrial conditions reveal long-range transport of anthropogenic aerosols across the north Pacific and large resulting changes in the aerosol optical depth, cloud droplet number concentration, and cloud and ice water paths. Shortwave and longwave cloud radiative forcing at the top of atmosphere are changed by −2.5 and +1.3 W m−2, respectively, by emission changes from preindustrial to present day, and an increased cloud top height indicates invigorated midlatitude cyclones. The overall increased precipitation and poleward heat transport reflect intensification of the Pacific storm track by anthropogenic aerosols. Hence, this work provides, for the first time to the authors’ knowledge, a global perspective of the effects of Asian pollution outflows from GCMs. Furthermore, our results suggest that the multiscale modeling framework is essential in producing the aerosol invigoration effect of deep convective clouds on a global scale.

What about the US and EU Shares of Air Pollution, Dr Wang?

Interestingly, the report doesn’t say much about the air pollution created by the U.S. and EU.

Related Links

• Besotted by Beijing April 14, 2014
• Red Alert as Hazardous Smog Fills N China’s Shenyang March 27, 2014
• 7 Million People Killed by Air Pollution in 2012 March 25, 2014
• Killing Life in Beijing March 26, 2014

• EU Capitals Rivaling Beijing Air Pollution March 16, 2014
• Chinese Cities Unfit for Living March 8, 2014
• You’ve Created a World Unfit for Living February 28, 2014
• Apocalyptic Smog Covers 10 Percent of China February 25, 2014
• Hazardous Smog Continues Choking N China  February 24, 2014
• Beijing 398  February 23, 2014
• Derisory “Yellow Alert” as Brown Smog Bears on Beijing February 21, 2014
• Smog and Mirrors in Beijing February 16, 2014

For earlier posts on Beijing AQI, search blog content.

Red Alert as Hazardous Smog Fills N China’s Shenyang

ENVIRONMENTAL HOLOCAUST
DEADLY AIR POLLUTION
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Heavy smog and fog shroud huge swathes of China

Heavy smog and fog shrouded huge swathes of China prompting the authorities to issue a red alert in Shenyang the capital of northeast China’s Liaoning Province, March 27, 2014. Photo: Xinhua/Jiang Bing

Beijing AQI

Meantime, Beijing AQI reached a high of 477 on Thursday and was hovering above 350 level, as of posting.

AQI levels of 300 or greater are categorized as “hazardous” and require mandatory health warnings because everyone may experience very serious health effects.

Related Links

• 7 Million People Killed by Air Pollution in 2012 March 25, 2014
• Killing Life in Beijing March 26, 2014

Killing Life in Beijing

ENVIRONMENTAL HOLOCAUST
DEADLY AIR POLLUTION
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‘The great virtue of Heaven and Earth is creating life’  —I Ching

China issued a “yellow alert” yesterday amid 5th consecutive day of deadly air pollution in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Provinc . Beijing AQI reached a peak of of 417 at 11:00 am local time on Wednesday.

“Foggy weather will appear in north China and areas along the Yellow and Huaihe rivers, while some parts of Beijing and Tianjin, and the provinces of Hebei, Shandong and Liaoning will see heavy air pollution until Wednesday morning, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said on Tuesday,” Xinhua reported.

“Yellow” is the 2nd lowest [despite the life-threatening smog] of a four-tier alert system—red, orange, yellow, blue—indicating the severity of air pollution.

The reoccurring heavy smog episodes have been described as “Apocalyptic” by Beijing residents.

AQI for Beijing and surrounding areas. Source: aqicn.org

Related Links

• 7 Million People Killed by Air Pollution in 2012 March 25, 2014
• EU Capitals Rivaling Beijing Air Pollution March 16, 2014
• Chinese Cities Unfit for Living March 8, 2014
• You’ve Created a World Unfit for Living February 28, 2014
• Apocalyptic Smog Covers 10 Percent of China February 25, 2014
• Hazardous Smog Continues Choking N China  February 24, 2014
• Beijing 398  February 23, 2014
• Derisory “Yellow Alert” as Brown Smog Bears on Beijing February 21, 2014
• Smog and Mirrors in Beijing February 16, 2014

For earlier posts on Beijing AQI, search blog content.

EU Capitals Rivaling Beijing Air Pollution

ENVIRONMENTAL HOLOCAUST
TOXIC AIR POLLUTION
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In case the toxic air pollution didn’t kill you…

You don’t have to be a Martian to realize not only homo erectus remain non-extinct, they go around masquerading as intelligent species…

Take the toxic air pollution, for example, which is plaguing all major cities in the world.

France restricts driving in Paris to reduce hazardous smog

The French are introducing alternative driving days in the City of Lights in an attempt to reduce hazardous levels of air pollution.

Starting Monday, drivers can only use their vehicles in Paris and surrounding areas every other day.

The government decided to curb driving after air pollution remained at hazardous levels for five consecutive days in the metropolitan Paris [population: ~ 13 million.]

The PM pollution was so severe on Friday, the authorities waved public transport fees for three days to encourage people to leave their cars at home.

The PM10 figures for Paris topped 180 micro-grams per cubic meter (μgm–³), while Brussels recorded 160, Amsterdam 110, Berlin 85 and London exceeded 80.

Smog is expected to worsen on Monday, reports said.

Beijing AQI

The Beijing AQI on Sunday was between 200 and 255, or “unhealthy” to “very unhealthy.”

“Apocalyptic” Smog Paralyzes Much of China

Closed or Cancelled: Dozens of Highways, hundreds of flights and long-distance buses, thousands of schools…

Severe smog, which began engulfing northern, central and eastern regions of China on Wednesday, is forecast to persist through the weekend.

Shanghai’s PM2.5 pollution soared to 590 micrograms per cubic meter, about than 30 times the limit recommended by the World Health Organization. Xuhui District recorded pollution levels of about 602.4 micrograms per cubic meter, said Xinhua.

Shanghai (population: 25 million) is the most populated city in China and the largest city proper by population in the world.

Shanghai’s skyline Thursday morning.  Severe smog has reduced visibility to dangerously low levels disrupting rail, air, water and road transportation. (source: People’s Daily Online/Wang Chu). More images…

Nanjing (population: 8.2 million), the capital of Jiangsu Province, issued a “red alert” on Wednesday after color of the sky turned mustard yellow. The PM10 pollution level was 413 (from a peak of 467) with PM2.5 at 397 (peak of 462), as of posting.

Social media users in China described the environment in deserted cities with the sky turning pale yellow as “apocalyptic,” reported Reuters.

Meantime, visibility reduced to less than 50 meters in many places, forcing highways to shut in east China’s Jiangxi Province on Thursday morning. Xinhua said its reporter had seen thousands of drivers stranded on the Changdong Highway in Nanchang (population: 5.3 million), the capital of Jiangxi Province.

“Twenty-five provincial-level regions have been suffering smoggy weather, including the cities of Hangzhou and Nanjing, according to the National Meteorological Center,” reported Xinhua.

[China has 34 provincial level divisions, classified as 22 provinces, 4 municipalities, 5 autonomous regions, 2 Special Administrative Regions, and the claimed Taiwan Province.]

In October, smog forced the shutdown of Harbin, one of northeastern China’s largest cities, as Visibility dropped to under 10 meters.

PM2.5 concentration of about 15 – 25 micrograms per cubic meter pose little or no risk, according to the World Health Organization.

Smog News Headlines

• Dust masks sell out as smog shrouds Chinese cities
• Shanghai to suffer smog into the weekend
• Flights delayed as air pollution hits record in Shanghai

Related Links

• “Apocalyptic” Smog Turns Skies Yellow in North, East ChinaDecember 5, 2013
• Shanghai Air Pollution Shoots Off the Chart Posted on December 2, 2013
• China’s Air Quality Chart Goes Apesh*t Again  October 28, 2013
• Air Pollution Levels Climb in China, India  October 27, 2013
• Breathtaking Beijing in ‘Maroon Alert’  October 4, 2013

• Major City Shuts Down in China Smog Emergency  October 21, 2013
• Smog Forces China’s Expressways Closures Posted on October 6, 2013
• Hazardous Smog Chokes Northern China Posted on February 28, 2013
• Beijing Buried in Smog – Again! Posted on February 17, 2013
• Dense Smog Continues Choking Much of China Posted on February 1, 2013

“Apocalyptic” Smog Turns Skies Yellow in North, East China

Choking smog engulfs much of east and north China, forcing school closures in at least two cities

Nanjing (population: 8.2 million), the capital of Jiangsu Province, issued a “red alert” after color of the sky turned mustard yellow. The PM10 pollution level was 467 (from a peak of 502) with PM2.5 at 433 (peak of 498), as of posting.

“The National Meteorological Center on Thursday renewed a yellow alert for fog and smog as dense air continued to choke eastern and northern provinces, including Shandong, Hebei, Shanxi, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui and Jiangxi. The yellow alert is the third highest in China’s four-level alert system,” said a report.

Social media users in China described the environment in deserted cities with the sky turning pale yellow as “apocalyptic,” reported Reuters.

Meantime, visibility reduced to less than 50 meters in many places, forcing highways to shut in east China’s Jiangxi Province on Thursday morning. Xinhua said its reporter had seen thousands of drivers stranded on the Changdong Highway in Nanchang (population: 5.3 million), the capital of Jiangxi Province.

In October, smog forced the shutdown of Harbin, one of northeastern China’s largest cities, as Visibility dropped to under 10 meters.

PM2.5 concentration of about 15 – 25 micrograms per cubic meter pose little or no risk, according to the World Health Organization.

Related Links

• Shanghai Air Pollution Shoots Off the Chart Posted on December 2, 2013
• China’s Air Quality Chart Goes Apesh*t Again  October 28, 2013
• Air Pollution Levels Climb in China, India  October 27, 2013
• Breathtaking Beijing in ‘Maroon Alert’  October 4, 2013

• Major City Shuts Down in China Smog Emergency  October 21, 2013
• Smog Forces China’s Expressways Closures Posted on October 6, 2013
• Hazardous Smog Chokes Northern China Posted on February 28, 2013
• Beijing Buried in Smog – Again! Posted on February 17, 2013
• Dense Smog Continues Choking Much of China Posted on February 1, 2013

 

Shanghai Air Pollution Shoots Off the Chart

Severe smog fills the air in China’s financial hub Shanghai

Shanghai’s air pollution index for PM2.5 rose above the hazardous level, hitting a maximum of 350, on Monday as smog shrouded the sky, according to various monitoring stations.

PM2.5 concentration of about 25 micrograms per cubic meter pose little or no risk, according to the World Health Organization, however, the reading for the particulate in Shanghai climbed to 14 times the “acceptable” volume on Monday.

“Shanghai saw deteriorating air quality over the weekend. The AQI index rose above 230 on Sunday, when the city held its annual Shanghai International Marathon,” said a report.

The marathon took place  despite the heavy pollution, said the report, with some participants wearing masks.

In Beijing the pollution index for PM2.5 rose to 269 Monday morning.

Related Links

• China’s Air Quality Chart Goes Apesh*t Again  October 28, 2013
• Air Pollution Levels Climb in China, India  October 27, 2013
• Major City Shuts Down in China Smog Emergency  October 21, 2013
• Breathtaking Beijing in ‘Maroon Alert’  October 4, 2013

Breathtaking Beijing in ‘Maroon Alert’

Beijing Air Pollution Shoots off the Chart, AGAIN

Beijing Air Pollution: Real-time Air Quality Index (AQI). Source: aqicn.org

AQI in Beijing Municipality and Surrounding Areas

Air pollution in Beijing Municipality and surrounding areas @ 21:00 local time on October 4, 2013.  Source: aqicn.org

Air Pollution Causes 200,000 Early US Deaths: Study

Victims of air pollution typically die about a decade prematurely

Air pollution causes 200,000 early deaths in the U.S., according to a new MIT study, which also finds vehicle emissions as the biggest contributor to these premature deaths.

Researchers from MIT’s Laboratory for Aviation and the Environment have tracked ground-level emissions from multiple sources including vehicle tailpipes, industrial smokestacks, marine and rail operations, and commercial and residential heating throughout the United States, and found that the pollution causes about 200,000 early deaths each year.

Highlights from the report

• Road transportation are the most significant contributor to air pollution, causing 53,000 premature deaths.

• Power generation follows closely with 52,000 deaths

• California air pollution commits about 21,000 people to early deaths annually,

• The highest emissions-related mortality rate among 5,695 U.S. cities mapped was in Baltimore, where 130 out of every 100,000 residents likely die each year due to long-term exposure to air pollution.

This graphic shows the annual average concentrations of fine particulates from U.S. sources of combustion emissions from (a) electric power generation; (b) industry; (c) commercial and residential sources; (d) road transportation; (e) marine transportation; (f) rail transportation; (g) sum of all combustion sources; (h) all sources. Graphic: Laboratory for Aviation and the Environment/MIT

“In the past five to 10 years, the evidence linking air-pollution exposure to risk of early death has really solidified and gained scientific and political traction,” says Steven Barrett, an assistant professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT. “There’s a realization that air pollution is a major problem in any city, and there’s a desire to do something about it.”

The researchers have published their results in the journal Atmospheric Environment.

China Shrouded in Sand, Dust and PM

It’ll get a lot worse, before it’s all over!

Another major sandstorm hit large portions of northern and central China including the capital Beijing .

Original caption: Citizens are seen amid dust and sand in Zhengzhou, capital of central China’s Henan Province, March 9, 2013. A sandstorm swept through Henan on Saturday, causing temperature drop and low visibility. (Xinhua/Zhao Peng). Image may be subject to copyright. More images…

•  It was the second sandstorm to hit China this year, following the February 28 massive sandstorm that originated in Gobi Desert, Mongolia.
• The sand and dust which buffeted Beijing, forced the temperatures to drop by up to 9 degree Celsius, said a report.
  
• “The wind and dusty weather changed the capital’s major air pollutant component from PM2.5, airborne particles measuring less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, to PM10.”
• The average density of PM10 rose sharply starting μ Saturday, with the peak density reaching 1,000 mg per square meter around noon in western parts of downtown Beijing.
• The wort affected areas included Liaoning, Shandong and Hebei provinces, and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region as well as Tianjin Municipality in northern China, Henan province in central China, Sichuan province in SW  China, and Guangdong province on the South China Sea coast of the country.
  

Beijing Air Quality “Worse than SARS”

The poor air quality, according to a leading Chinese public health expert, is worse than SARS because nobody can escape it. Research suggests that air pollution can “raise the risk of cardio-respiratory death by 2 to 3 percent for every increase of 10 micrograms per cubic meter of pollutants.” Only 1 percent of China’s 560 million urban residents breathe air considered safe by the European Union, according to a 2007 World Bank study. A report released by China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection in November 2010 showed that “about a third of 113 cities failed to meet national air standards.” (http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2013/03/beijing-air-quality-worse-than-sars/)

China’s Soil Pollution: The “Silent Killer”

“About 40 percent of China’s agricultural land is irrigated with underground water, of which 90 percent is polluted, according to Liu Xin, a food and health expert and a member of an advisory body to parliament, who was quoted in the Southern Metropolitan Daily,” said a report.

Related Links

• Hazardous Smog Chokes Northern China  February 28, 2013
• Beijing Buried in Smog – Again! Posted on February 17, 2013
• Beijing Buried in Heavy Smog – Take 4 Posted on January 29, 2013
• Heavy Smog Entombs Beijing Again Posted on January 23, 2013
• Breathtaking Beijing  Posted on January 14, 2013
• Hazardous Air Warnings in Beijing as Landslide Kills Dozens in SW China  Posted on January 12, 2013

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March 10, 2013 – DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,098 Days Left 

Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,098 Days Left to ‘Worst Day’ in the brief Human  History
• The countdown began on May 15, 2011 …

GLOBAL WARNINGS

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID PLANETARY DECLINE IN PROGRESS!
• Europe: The First Phase of Collapse Has Started 
• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

Hazardous Smog Chokes Northern China

Beijing air pollution soars ‘Beyond Index’ again

Air pollution in Beijing again soared to “Beyond Index” [AQI=506] at 6.00 am on Thursday.

The air quality further deteriorated as a massive sandstorm accompanied by gale force winds from Mongolia hit the Chinese capital several hours later, according to the Beijing Meteorological Bureau.

• The sandstorm has so far affected parts of Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Shanxi and Hebei provinces.
• Beijing authorities had already issued a “yellow haze” warning on Wednesday.

The amount of pollutants suspended in the air over the city of Beijing during the worst smog last month was more than 4,000 tons, according to a report by the Chinese Academy of Science.

Related Links

• Beijing Buried in Smog – Again! Posted on February 17, 2013

• Beijing Buried in Heavy Smog – Take 4 Posted on January 29, 2013

• Heavy Smog Entombs Beijing Again Posted on January 23, 2013

• Breathtaking Beijing  Posted on January 14, 2013

• Hazardous Air Warnings in Beijing as Landslide Kills Dozens in SW China  Posted on January 12, 2013

7 million children across DRC out of school

DRC: “African World War,” Chronic Corruption and Poor Governance Severely Impact Schooling

More than a quarter of the primary school-aged children and two-third of adolescents not enrolled in classes, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported.

Disaster Calendar 2011 – November 14

[November 14, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,584 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

DRC is still struggling to overcome the effects of wars that raged between 1996 and 2003, compounded by continuing violence in the east of the country and decades of corruption and poor governance.

• Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). About seven million children across DER (pop: 71,712,867; 18th largest) are out of schools.
• DRC is the second largest country in Africa (area: 2,345,409 km²) and 11th largest in the world.
• The country has not yet overcome the impact of two devastating wars, also known as “African World War,” that raged between 1996 and 2003 and involved seven foreign militaries.
• The effect of the wars have been compounded by ongoing violence in the east of the country and chronic corruption.
• Congo’s second war is the world’s deadliest since WWII, claiming 5.4 million lives, most of whom died from diseases and malnutrition.
• The prevalence of rape and other sexual violence in eastern Congo is the worst in the world.
• Poverty and weak governance are two of the major contributing factors.
• Another factor that compounds the problem is the use of school land by private developers, especially in urban areas, IRIN reported.
• “Many of the public schools in existence are in deplorable conditions; no blackboards in many of them; in some, children sit on the floor due to lack of desks, and the most worrying concern is encroachment on school land by individuals, many of whom are connected politically,” according to SOS Kinshasa, an NGO based in the capital.
• “One can find a pharmacy, restaurant or even bar right in the middle of a school compound—it looks like all open spaces in schools are up for grabs.”
• UK. The levels of nitrogen dioxide pollution in 40 of 43 “assessment zones” set up across the UK exceed the EU limits, a report said.
• Air pollution in the UK takes up to eight months off Britons’ life expectancy.
• “But for the 200,000 people most directly affected, the shortfall is two years.”
• Bad air quality is also costing the country up to $32 bn (UKP20bn) per year via poor health.
• “It is estimated that around 4,000 people died as a result of the Great Smog of London [aka, ‘pea-souper’] in 1952.”
• “In 2008, 4,000 people died in London from air pollution and 30,000 died across the whole of the UK.” The report said.
• Vehicle exhausts, tires and brakes emissions are the major sources of airborne particles.

Related Links

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities  (EDRO Forecast)
• 2011 Much More Disastrous: FIRE-EARTH Forecast
• Global Disasters in 2011 Could Impact 1/3 to 1/2 of the Human Population  (FIRE-EARTH Forecast)
• Back to the Primordial Future
• Mass Die-offs  (FIRE-EARTH Forecast)

• 2011 Disaster Calendar – November
• 2011 Disaster Calendar – October
• 2011 Disaster Calendar – September
• 2011 Disaster Calendar – August
• 2010 Disaster Calendar 
• 2011 Disaster Calendar

Who’s Afraid of Wildfires

Smoke from wildfires burning in the US can severely impact human health and ecosystems

Wildfire smoke consists of a nasty mixture of air pollutants including  carbon monoxide (CO),  nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), ozone (O₃), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), heavy metals, and particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10). 

Smoke composition depends on the fuel type and moisture content, the fire temperature, wind conditions and other factors. Different types of wood and vegetation produce different compounds when burned because they have varying amounts cellulose, lignin, tannins and other polyphenols, fats, resins, waxes, oils, starches and to a lesser extent the carcinogen benzene.

Particulate matter is the major pollutant of concern because they can affect the lungs and heart. Particle pollution includes PM10 (diameters of 2.5 to 10 µm, or micrometers)  and PM2.5 (diameters of 2.5 µm or smaller).
NOTE:  The diameter of human hair varies from 20 to 180 µm.

About 40 million people in the US suffer from chronic lung diseases including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). These patients can easily be affected by lower levels of pollutants that normally do not harm healthier people.

Wildfires: Future Trend

FIRE-EARTH would only assign a certain probability to a catastrophic volcanic explosion at, say, Yellowstone during the next 5 years (subject of a future discussion), but can forecast with near certainty large increases in the size and intensity of wildfires throughout the Americas, while the ailing forests last.

Air Quality Index (Combine Ozone and PM2.5) – AirNow

Historically, the AQI value of 100 is set at the level of the short-term standard for a pollutant and the AQI value of 50 at the level of the annual standard, if there is one, or at one-half the level of the short-term standard if there is not. The upper bound index value of 500 corresponds to the Significant Harm Level (SHL), established in section 51.16 of the CFR under the Prevention of Air Pollution Emergency Episodes program. The SHL is set at a level that represents imminent and substantial endangerment to public health. Source: EPA- Revising the Air Quality Index and Setting a Significant Harm Level for PM2.5 – February 12, 2007; URL http://www.epa.gov/airnow/aqi_issue_paper_020707.pdf — Click to enlarge

Air Quality Index Hourly Ozone 

Smoke Detection/Forecasts

• http://www.firedetect.noaa.gov/viewer.htm
• http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/airfire/
• http://www.fs.fed.us/fcamms/
• http://marlin.cfr.washington.edu/website/bsr_cansac

More information about wildfires and smoke hazards available at

• http://www.fs.fed.us/fcamms/
• http://marlin.cfr.washington.edu/website/bsr_cansac
• http://www.wrh.noaa.gov
• http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/ozonegen.html
• http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/pdf/06-177.pdf

National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter Final Rule (October 17, 2006):
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/pdf/06-8477.pdf
Review of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter: OAQPS Staff Paper (Dec 05):
http://www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/standards/pm/data/pmstaffpaper_20051221.pdf
Particle Pollution and Your Health:
http://www.epa.gov/airnow//particle/pm-color.pdf
Air Quality Index Reporting Proposed Rule (December 9, 1998):
http://epa.gov/airnow/health/aqi_proposal_1998.pdf
Air Quality Index Reporting Final Rule (August 4, 1999):
http://www.epa.gov/ttn/oarpg/t1/fr_notices/airqual.pdf

Environmental Protection Agency

• http://airnow.gov/
• http://www.fire.ca.gov/index.php
• http://www.deq.state.mt.us/FireUpdates/index.asp
• http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/air/pdfs/WAQA.pdf

Related Links

• Wallow Fire Set to Become Largest in Arizona History
• Wallow Fire Now Arizona’s 2nd Largest, and Growing
• Arizona’s Wallow Fire Grew by 61 pct
• Wildfires Raging in Arizona, Alaska, NC, Georgia, Texas …
• 2011 Disaster Calendar – June 4