Air Quality Awareness Week

What’s in Your Air?

 

 

Air Quality Awareness Week—April 27 to May 1—provides an opportunity for Iowans to learn about both rural and urban air quality concerns in their state, says Amy Broadmoore, air quality program director for the Iowa Environmental Council.

 

In a rural state like Iowa, some air pollution emissions come from traditional sources, such as fossil fuel combustion and diesel engines. But we also have pollution emissions that come from agricultural sources.

 

“Ammonia emissions from livestock facilities and nitrogen fertilizer use have caused Iowa to have some of the highest atmospheric ammonia concentrations in the country,” Broadmoore said.

 

Broadmoore says Iowa's statewide high atmospheric ammonia concentrations are threatening natural ecosystems and contributing to the high fine particulate matter concentrations we have in much of eastern Iowa. Fine particulate matter concentrations in eastern Iowa often exceed federal Clean Air Act standards.

 

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is a complex mixture of very small solid particles and liquid droplets that are 1/70^th the diameter of a human hair. People exposed to fine particulate matter pollution inhale these fine particles, and the particles enter and get lodged in their lungs, causing increased asthma, bronchitis, and heart attack rates.

 

Last winter the Iowa Environmental Council convened experts from around Iowa who identified five top air quality concerns in the state.  These were greenhouse gas emissions, ammonia pollution, fine particulate matter pollution and emissions from livestock facilities.

 

“We could go a long way towards protecting Iowa’s air quality if we were to focus on four things: improving energy efficiency, promoting clean energy sources such as wind and solar energy, reducing fine particulate matter emissions from industrial sources and old diesel engines, and reducing agricultural air pollutant emissions through improved manure and nitrogen fertilizer management,” Broadmoore said.

 

More information about Iowa air quality concerns can be found at www.iaenvironment.org.

picture is from Compassionate Action for Animals