Breathe in the Air

Importance of the Clean Air Act

2011-11-30T07:54:00.003-06:00

Remembering Donora, Pa., on the Anniversary of its Deadly Smog Incident

Why we need the Clean Air Act.

October 30, 2011 at 8:49AM by Jim DiPeso

The incident took place on Halloween weekend, 63 years ago.

Over time, we learned from the incident. Congress passed laws, the laws were enforced, business practices changed dramatically, and the chances of such an incident ever happening again in the U.S. became minuscule.

Still, it's worth retelling the story, especially now, when the laws that resulted from the incident are under ideological attack from political figures who might not know about the incident or, worse, might believe there is no role for government in making sure something like it never happens again.

The incident happened in Donora, Pa., a mill town on the Monongahela River south of Pittsburgh. Donora's economy ran on coal. Donora made its living from a steel mill that burned coal to fire coke ovens, melt iron ore in blast furnaces, and produce finished steel in open hearths. Donora men also worked at a zinc plant that burned coal to smelt ore and produce zinc used for creating strong steel alloys. Day and night, the mills ran.

In those days, mill emissions were unregulated and uncontrolled. Smoky, smelly air that killed the grass and ruined the paint was thought to be an unavoidable part of living with industries that employed thousands of local men and put food on the tables of their families. Coal did more than fuel the local economy. Coal heated homes that Donora's men returned to after their work shifts. Coal powered the trains that chugged through town.

On Tuesday, October 26, 1948, an atmospheric inversion slammed a lid on Donora. Inversions prevent the air from mixing and dispersing pollution. The inversion that October week was unusually strong. All the airborne detritus from uncontrolled furnaces, ovens, stoves, and locomotives stayed put in the valley. The foul mixture–carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, metal dust, fluoride compounds–mixed with fog. The miasma built and thickened as the days passed.

Still, Donorans went about their business, even as the acrid gloom turned day into night. The town went ahead with its annual Halloween parade on Friday evening, October 29. The next day, Donorans filled the stands at Legion Field for high school football, as the hometown heroes, the Donora Dragons, went up against their big rivals, the Monongahela Wildcats, on a field clouded by the polluted air. The fans had a hard time seeing the action. The players had a hard time seeing the ball.

Back in town, a public health disaster was unfolding. In her 2002 book, When Smoke Ran Like Water, epidemiologist and Donora native Devra Davis spelled out the grim details:

"Doc Rongaus gave the same advice to anyone who would listen. Leave if you can. The firemen of Donora went from door to door delivering whiffs of oxygen from tanks to those who were stranded. One of the firemen, John Volk, remembered borrowing oxygen canisters from the Monongahela, Monesen, and Charleroi fire departments. 'There never was such a fog. You couldn't see your hand in front of your face, day or night. Hell, even inside the station, the air was blue. I drove on the left side of the street with my head out the window, steering by scraping the curb.'"

Years later, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette quoted a local fireman who recalled, "If you could chew (the air) hard enough, you could swallow it."

Block after block in Donora, townspeople fell sick. Shortness of breath. Headaches. Vomiting. Bloody sputum. Local hospitals ran out of beds. Doctors were run ragged. A local mortuary ran out of coffins. Pets and farm animals keeled over in their tracks. Word got out. Phone lines jammed as frantic out-of-towners tried to call their Donora relatives. Yet all day Saturday, as the sickness and misery spread, the mills kept running. No one in authority had any power to order them off line. On Sunday morning, Halloween, the zinc mill manager grudgingly shut the smelter down for a day under orders from the front office.

On Monday, Nov. 1, the inversion lifted. Rains came and scrubbed the filth from the skies. By the time blue skies returned, 20 Donorans had died. Nearly half the town of 14,000 had fallen sick.

Donora was a trigger, one of several, that spurred research, debate, hearings, and finally, legislation. Twenty-two years after the Donora smog, Congress passed the Clean Air Act by strong bipartisan majorities, and President Richard Nixon signed it into law. America's air is much cleaner as a result. Technologies that didn't exist in 1948 were invented to clean up motor vehicles, mills, and factories. An urgent need sparked innovation.

Today, you can visit the Donora Smog Museum and learn about the incident. The museum's slogan is: Clean Air Started Here. Those in office who think the U.S. could do without the Clean Air Act ought to pay a visit.

Article from http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/blogs/republican/donora-pa-smog-1011

Picture from http://www.eoearth.org/article/Donora,_Pennsylvania

Bed Bugs

2011-10-21T06:55:00.001-05:00

Travel Tips to Remain Bed Bug Free

Bed bug infestations are increasing in the United States. You can take some simple steps when you travel to avoid bringing bed bugs back with you. First, know what they look like. Bed bugs are small, wingless insects that are oval, flattened, brown, and about 1/4 to 3/8 inches long. They like to find dark, confined places to hide, so be sure to check cracks, seams, and folds in all personal items. When staying in a hotel room, immediately check the mattress before bringing in your suitcase. You may want to set your suitcase on a luggage rack or even place it in the bathtub.

How to Check for Bed Bugs:

Pull back the sheets and examine the folds in the mattress and box spring. Also be sure to look for bed bug droppings, which are small, dark spots.

Check the bedside table and the wall next to the bed. You can also check the headboard and remove it if possible. A flashlight might be helpful.

You may not be able to see the bed bugs if it is a small infestation, so it is a good idea to keep your suitcase closed and never leave clothes lying out.

If you find bed bugs in your hotel room, ask for another room and perform another bed bug inspection. If you find you have stayed in a room infested with bugs, clean all items before bringing them back into your home. Wash all clothes and hand wash all suitcases with hot, soapy water. Be sure to use a scrub brush to thoroughly clean the seams, and then inspect all items carefully.

Bed Bugs on a Mattress

Image courtesy of http://bugbusterzzz.com/bedbugs/

Air Quality Update

2011-09-26T14:36:00.002-05:00

The air quality has been good in Grand Portage over the past week. Smoke has not traveled from either the Pagami Creek Fire or the fires in Ontario.

The Grand Portage haze-camera is back up and running, so check out the website to get a view of Grand Portage and get an update on the air quality.

Air Quality

2011-09-16T07:44:00.005-05:00

If you smell smoke and see haze from the Pagami wildfire, you may want to limit your outdoor activities. Currently in Grand Portage, the air quality is good, but the air quality is unhealthy this morning in the Boundary Waters near Ely. Yesterday afternoon at my home near Colvill, smoke blew in from the fire and was present for about an hour. The levels of particulates from the smoke are changing depending on wind conditions, so pay attention to how you may be affected by the smoke. Symptoms from inhaling woodsmoke are coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and headaches. If you have an existing lung or cardiovascular condition, be very careful around wood smoke and remain indoors while smoke levels remain elevated.
Picture courtesy of Minnesota Public Radio

Smoke from the Pagami Fire

2011-09-14T08:32:00.006-05:00

The air has cleared today in Grand Portage (and back at my home in the Colvill area). The level of fine particulates lowered yesterday afternoon, and there is currently no air quality alert issued. However, please pay attention to your health as the Pagami Fire continues to increase. The smoke levels are changing quickly. Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michcigan are having air quality alerts. Chicago was experiencing haze from the Pagami Fire yesterday (Photo courtesy of Chicago Tribune). I was in Grand Marais on Monday when the fire increased and the smoke plume went through town. The sun was a bright, fire red, and the smell of wood smoke took over the town. Yesterday, smoke spread to Grand Portage in the afternoon and for a few hours haze filled the air.

Here is a satellite image of the smoke plume from the fire on Monday (Picture courtesy of CIMSS Satellite Blog). Smoke contains fine particulates, and there is a monitor at Trust Lands that measures the levels of these particules each hour. I will post air quality alerts as the monitor shows elevated levels of particulates. However, if you smell smoke, stay indoors and do not draw smoky air inside.

AIr Quality Alert

2011-09-13T12:56:00.000-05:00

Air Quality Alert

Tuesday 9/13/11

The Pagami Creek Fire that started in the Boundary Waters Wilderness is increasing and is causing smoke to spread over northeast Minnesota. Smoke contains small particulates that can spread deep into the lungs, causing lung and cardiovascular effects. The Air Quality Program will provide updates on air quality; however, if you smell smoke, take the following precautions to limit health effects, and if you experience health effects, contact health services immediately.

Precautions You Can Take to Limit Health Effects

· Children, elders, and those sensitive to air pollution should avoid being outside when you can smell and see smoke. Everyone should be cautious of exercising outdoors when smoke is present.

· Avoid drawing smoky air indoors: use an air conditioner if you have one and keep it on the recycle/recirculate mode. If you are using a fan, place them away from a window, where they would draw in smoky air.

Possible Health Effects from Fire Smoke

· Eye and throat irritation

· Respiratory symptoms, such as wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath

· Aggravation of asthma and heart or lung disease

Air Quality Update

2011-08-19T08:52:00.002-05:00

Friday 8/19/11

On July 19^th an Air Quality Alert was posted because fires in Ontario caused smoke to become elevated in Grand Portage. Smoke contains small particulates, and the monitor located at Trust Lands measures levels of particulates in the air on an hourly basis. Fires in Ontario are still burning and several new fires started this week; however, the air quality has been good to moderate, and fine particulates have not reached levels that could cause health effects in people. The Grand Portage Air Program will provide updates as long as the fires are still burning. If levels of particulates become elevated, another air quality alert will be posted.

Possible Health Effects from Fire Smoke

Eye and throat irritation
Respiratory symptoms, such as wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath
Aggravation of asthma and heart or lung disease

Precautions You Can Take to Limit Health Effects from Fire Smoke

Everyone, especially children, the elderly and other sensitive individuals should avoid vigorous exercise outdoors.
Avoid drawing smoky air indoors: use an air conditioner if you have one and keep it on the recycle/recirculate mode. If you are using a fan, place them away from a window, where they would draw in smoky air.

Monitor Grand Portage air quality: http://www.mwhazecam.net/grand.html

Look for updates on the Grand Portage Air Quality blog: http://gpairquality.blogspot.com/

Monitor air quality nationwide: http://www.airnow.gov/.

Fires in Ontario

2011-08-03T08:52:00.005-05:00

The fires in Canada are still burning. Check out these maps to see where the fires are located. Smoke contains fine particles that are inhaled deep into the lungs, which can exacerbate respiratory and cardiovascular disease. The level of particulates can increase in Grand Portage and Cook County due to the forest fires in Ontario, so please check the air quality daily, especially before exercising outdoors. High humidity can increase the levels of particulates and cause haze to worsen, and northern winds may draw the smoke down to Cook County.

Today we have been experiencing good to moderate air quality in Grand Portage, which means that health effects will not be experienced, except for those who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.

Monitor the air quality at:

Picture from Wilderness News Online

Air Quality

2011-07-25T07:42:00.002-05:00

The amount of fine particulates in the air in Grand Portage is low this morning. I smelled smoke at my house near Colville on Saturday morning, but the rain quickly cleaned up the air. The fires are still burning in Canada, so keep checking the air quality at the Grand Portage hazecamera, especially for children elders, and those with respiratory or cardiovascular conditions. High amounts of particulates can exacerbate heart and lung disease.

If you smell smoke and/or see haze from smoke, it is likely the particulates are high, so stay indoors and run your air conditioner if you have one. If you think the particulates are high, avoid physical activity outside.

Visit AirNow to monitor the air quality across the whole U.S.

Learn more at EPA's website about particulate matter.

Grand Portage Hazecam

2011-07-20T09:51:00.002-05:00

The hazecam is experiencing difficulties and may not be uploading images to the Midwest Hazecam website until further notice.

Air Quality Advisory

2011-07-20T07:54:00.003-05:00

By yesterday afternoon at around 3:00 pm, the level of particulates in the air in Grand Portage decreased to a level that was safe for the general population to be outside. Currently, the air in Cook County is excellent due to the rain and winds that washed the particulates out of the air.

You can monitor Grand Portage air quality by visiting the Grand Portage hazecam website (the data is an hour or two behind) at: http://www.mwhazecam.net/grand.html. To monitor air quality nationwide, visit AirNow at: http://www.airnow.gov/.