Air Quality - Rochester, NY area
RochesterEnvironment.com
Consider how our air becomes polluted and what we can do to prevent the diminishing air quality in the Rochester, NY area.
Page Contents: Air Quality NewsLinks | Determining Air Quality in Rochester | Air Quality Discussions |Rules and Regulations on Air Quality | Government Resources on Air Quality | Non-Governmental Resources on Air Quality | Acid Rain |
Why the Air Quality issue is important to Rochesterians and our environment:
The
air quality in Rochester is affected by many factors, including
energy, fossil fueled transportation, mobile
toxins from vehicles, particulates in the air from wood stoves, etc.
Rochester’s failing air quality Ho Hum. The Rochester, NY area and Monroe County get another failing grade for ozone pollution, an ‘F’, from the American Lung Association’s “The State of the Air 2010 “. Here’s the skinny: “The State of the Air 2010 shows that the air quality in many places has improved, but that over 175 million people—roughly 58 percent—still suffer pollution levels that are too often dangerous to breathe. Unhealthy air remains a threat to the lives and health of millions of people in the United States, despite great progress. Even as the nation explores the complex challenges of global warming and energy, air pollution lingers as a widespread and dangerous reality.” It’s a yawner for most folks as it goes on year after year and no one is getting worked up about it. No marching in the streets. It barely gets local news coverage. Environmental news of this sort is like riding in a jet and feeling a sudden drop in altitude. You look around and no one else seems to be paying any attention, so it must be OK. Relax, take a deep breath. more...
This all maters even more because ground-level ozone pollution is worsened by Climate Change: Report: Climate Change Could Worsen Ozone Pollution, Threatening Our Health and Economy | Union of Concerned Scientists "Report demonstrates how climate change could increase "bad" ozone, threatening health and economy " Millions of Americans suffer from the harmful effects of ground-level ozone pollution, which exacerbates lung diseases such as asthma and can cause breathing difficulties even in healthy individuals. Our new report, Climate Change and Your Health: Rising Temperatures, Worsening Ozone Pollution, finds that unchecked global warming could increase ground-level ozone, threatening public health and the economy. All told, health-related impacts could cost approximately $5.4 billion in 2020. And if global warming pollution continues unabated, these impacts and costs could be significantly higher. Read the report:
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Determining the quality of our air here in Rochester, NY
There are several online resources for monitoring the air quality of our area.
- How is that air quality outside of our area’s schools? Using a school’s name and address, find the air quality outside a local school. It looks like some of the nation’s worst are in our area: Schools that ranked worst “A USA TODAY analysis of EPA data indicated the air outside these schools had the highest levels of dangerous toxic chemicals, most of which have never been tested for their effects on children.” You can also type in “Monroe County” and “New York” and get a sense of the air quality of many of our county’s air quality. Looks disturbing: USA TODAY Special Report – The Smokestack Effect – Toxic Air and America’s Schools "USA Today used and EPA model to track the path of industrial pollution and mapped the locations of almost 128, 000 schools to determine the levels of toxic chemicals outside. The potential problems that emerged were widespread, insidious and largely unaddressed. " News, Travel, Weather, Entertainment, Sports, Technology, U.S. & World - USATODAY.com
- What is the state of our air in Monroe County? Get the latest data on Monroe County American Lung Association’s “The State of the Air 2010
- Ambient Air Quality Monitoring - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation To protect humans and the environment from damage by air pollution, DEC continually measures levels of pollutants in the air. The department regularly reports the results of these measurements -- in the case of ozone, which at high levels can be a threat to human health, the results and predicted pollution levels are reported in real time, on DEC's website and through broadcast media.
- AIRNow - The Air Quality Index (AQI) is an index for reporting daily air quality. It tells you how clean or polluted your outdoor air is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for you. The AQI focuses on health effects you may experience within a few hours or days after breathing polluted air.
- EPA TRI Explorer | US EPA "The state fact sheets summarize the basic Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data for each state from 2002. The TRI is a publicly available database containing information about releases and other waste management of toxic chemicals reported by industrial facilities. The TRI was established by section 313 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) of 1986. The Community Right-to-Know provisions of EPCRA are intended to provide information to the public about the presence and release of toxic chemicals in their communities. Following passage of the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990, the TRI was expanded to include reporting of additional waste management and pollution prevention activities. "
Air Quality Discussions:
Please take a moment and join in discussion about Air Quality in our area. These discussions can be found on my blog: Rochester Thoughts.
- Rochester’s failing air quality Ho Hum. The Rochester, NY area and Monroe County get another failing grade for ozone pollution, an ‘F’, from the American Lung Association’s “The State of the Air 2010 “. Here’s the skinny: “The State of the Air 2010 shows that the air quality in many places has improved, but that over 175 million people—roughly 58 percent—still suffer pollution levels that are too often dangerous to breathe. Unhealthy air remains a threat to the lives and health of millions of people in the United States, despite great progress. Even as the nation explores the complex challenges of global warming and energy, air pollution lingers as a widespread and dangerous reality.” It’s a yawner for most folks as it goes on year after year and no one is getting worked up about it. No marching in the streets. It barely gets local news coverage. Environmental news of this sort is like riding in a jet and feeling a sudden drop in altitude. You look around and no one else seems to be paying any attention, so it must be OK. Relax, take a deep breath. more...
- How are Those New Environmental Laws Doing? If you have been following the Climate Change debates in Congress, you know well enough how hard it is to get any kind of environmental law passed. Besides dealing with economic hardships and compliance hurdles that have to be figured out when considering any new law, there are still large swaths of public officials who don’t even believe we have environmental problems, or looming catastrophes like Climate Change. “Global Warming is just a hoax” is continually piped by the uninformed ideologues, despite all evidence to the contrary. So, it’s no wonder that those who care about our environment and read the depressing litany of environmental disasters (oil spills, melting glaciers, water shortages) get excited when a few environmental laws do get passed. Hey, they may be a drop in the bucket for a planet headed towards environmental collapse, but at least there is forward movement. more...
- Did Spitzer Let us Down on Acid Rain Too? Years ago RochesterEnvironment.com had a page especially devoted to Acid Rain, as it does now with other Rochester-area Environmental Issues. Slowly, however, the Acid Rain issue faded away from our local news and disappeared altogether. I took down the page irrationally thinking that if our media thought this environmental problem was over, it must be over. What was I thinking? Just when it looked liked we could solve a great big environmental problem, this story reared its ugly head from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this week: more...
- No more Open Burning Long needed, I was surprised to see this new state regulation from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) just appear on the DEC press releases. I haven’t seen a mainstream media item on this, but it’s big news. Preventing the open burning of household trash in outlying communities, in light of what we know about Dixons and other air pollutants and global warming should have been enacted a long time ago. So, without much fanfare and unlike the brouhaha over the new bottle bill, this regulation, this new regulation should fill a gaping hole in our state’s air quality laws. Check out: New Regulation on Open Burning Takes Effect Oct. 14 - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation Taking a step to reduce harmful air pollutants and help prevent wildfires, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has extended restrictions on the open burning of residential waste effective Oct. 14. The open burning of residential waste will be prohibited in all communities statewide, regardless of population, with exceptions for burning tree limbs and branches at limited times and other certain circumstances (detailed below). Previously, the ban applied only in towns with populations of 20,000 or more. The New York State Environmental Board approved this state regulation on Sept. 1. (October 5, 09) Press Releases - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation [more on Air Quality in our area]
- Rochester's Air Quality Important information about our area's Air Quality, which of course determines our health and Transportation issues in our area. Home - American Lung Association in New York American Lung Association’s 10th Annual State of the Air Report Details Air Quality in New York State New Standards Provide New Insight into New York’s Toxic Air The American Lung Association’s tenth annual State of the Air report, released today, finds that over 12.5 million New Yorkers - a stunning 65 percent of the state’s residents - live in counties where air pollution levels endanger lives. According to the report, which applies new and stricter federal air quality standards, 22 out of the 33 counties with air quality monitors received failing grades.
- Green Isolationism Isolationists, most notably George Washington in his farewell address “The great rule of conduct for us, in regard to foreign nations, is in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible,” believe that one’s territory can be contained, one’s sovereignty sustained by removing oneself from the rest. And while it was probably wise council for a young nation to stay out of ‘political connections’ as we built our new nation, isolationism of any kind really is not possible in today’s world. Isolation is only an illusion, especially in our environment. Connections are the rule. A sand storm in Africa gives Central American’s asthma. more...
- Global Warming and Ranking Rochester Rochester got an ego boost in May ranking 14th for the least amount of carbon emissions for major US cities. While it’s good to note that our fair Eastern city (Western cities on the whole ranked lower than Eastern cities) did well for less carbon emissions) it’s also important to note that this study was not comprehensive. It “used data from 2005 that measured only power-plant emissions related to residential energy use and emissions from cars and trucks” (-from Rochester ranks 14th best in national study of cities' carbon emissions) and left a lot of other factors out. Some of the things we despair about (like higher prices for energy here in our upstate city and our short summer air conditioning use) actually accounts for some of our good numbers. more...
- Environmental Thoughts - Rochester, NY: Latest Press - American Lung Association site#links: EPA Ozone Standards: Half Measures and Compromises Are Not Good Enough "Washington, DC (March 12, 2008). Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a critical tightening of the health-based National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ozone. We wish we could be happier about this decision, but we cannot. The standard announced today, although an improvement, falls far short of the requirements of the Clean Air Act. We are unable to celebrate half measures when the risks are so evident, when the science and the scientists are so united about what is needed and when the missed opportunity means that thousands will suffer more and die sooner than they should. Furthermore, we reject the suggestions made by the Administrator to weaken and undermine the Clean Air Act itself. Coming from the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, such suggestions are truly outrageous." more...
- Sequestration, a Slam Dunk? Though building a new clean-coal power plant at the Huntley Station in the Town of Tonawanda (about an hour away by car) isn’t within the political purview of Monroe County, it is within our environmental sphere of influence. “Building a new clean-coal power plant at the site of the Huntley Station in the Town of Tonawanda would pump an estimated $133 million a year into the Erie County economy during its construction and a projected $94 million a year once the facility is running, a study to be released today found. (Nov 30, 07)” The Buffalo News: Business: Report lauds planned coal plant Meaning, that if does not go well with the large-scale use of Sequestration (a silver bullet solution hailed as the savior of coal power) we will probably reap some of the consequences here in Rochester, just as we do from the power plants out West. I believe that all that we do personally to curb Global Warming will be negated if we, or anyone within our planetary influence, burns large amounts of coal for energy. more...
Rules and Regulation on Air Quality
Official sources for getting the regulation on what our air quality should be
- Clean Air Act | US EPA The Clean Air Act is the law that defines EPA's responsibilities for protecting and improving the nation's air quality and the stratospheric ozone layer. The last major change in the law, the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, was enacted by Congress in 1990. Legislation passed since then has made several minor changes.
- Clean Indoor Air Act - from New York State Department of Health
("Nature's Reclamation" by Frank J. Regan)
Governmental Resources for Air Quality
- State Health Department Provides 23,000 Health Care Providers with New Asthma Toolkit Toolkit Promotes National Recommendations to Better Manage Asthma ALBANY, N.Y. (July 17, 2009) – To combat the ongoing asthma epidemic in New York State, the State Department of Health (DOH) recently developed and distributed a New York State Asthma Guideline Toolkit to support 23,000 primary care providers and asthma specialists in understanding updated national asthma recommendations and translating these recommendations into their practices.
- Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards | Air & Radiation | US EPA
- National Low Emission Vehicle Program and Ozone Transport Commission (OTC) LEV | Cars and Light Trucks | US EPA This web site describes the voluntary National LEV regulations, which demonstrate how cooperative, partnership efforts can produce a smarter, cheaper program that reduces regulatory burden while increasing protection of the environment and public health.
- AIRNow "The Air Quality Index The Air Quality Index (AQI) is an index for reporting daily air quality. It tells you how clean or polluted your outdoor air is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for you. The AQI focuses on health effects you may experience within a few hours or days after breathing polluted air. EPA calculates the AQI for five major air pollutants regulated by the Clean Air Act: ground-level ozone, particle pollution (also known as particulate matter), carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide. For each of these pollutants, EPA has established national air quality standards to protect public health. For Information regarding indoor air quality please visit the Indoor Web site. The AIRNow Web site The U.S. EPA, NOAA, NPS, tribal, state, and local agencies developed the AIRNow Web site to provide the public with easy access to national air quality information. The Web site offers daily AQI forecasts as well as real-time AQI conditions for over 300 cities across the US, and provides links to more detailed State and local air quality Web sites. Air Quality Forecasts - Nationwide daily air quality forecasts provided by State and local Air Agencies for over 300 major U.S. cities. Air Quality Conditions - Nationwide and regional real-time ozone air quality maps covering 46 US States and parts of Canada. These maps are updated daily every hour. "
Non-Governmental Resources for Air Quality
Select these major non-governmental sites where you can find information about air quality issues in our area and affect change that will improve our air quality.
- Clean Air Council | Protecting everyone's right to breathe clean air ! Clean Air Council is a member- supported, non-profit environmental organization dedicated to protecting everyone's right to breathe clean air. The Council works through public education, community advocacy, and government oversight to ensure enforcement of environmental laws.
- Home - American Lung Association site The mission of the American Lung Association is to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease.
- BURNING ISSUES - Burning Issues is a project of Clean Air Revival, Inc., a 501C-3 non profit educational organization. Clean Air Revival, Inc. is registered with the Registry of Charitable Trusts in the State of California. Our organization number is #1686895. Burning Issues depends on your donations and grants. 100% of funds further research, office operating expense and education. All labor and our building are donated. There are no paid employees. Please consider donating generously. Your donation helps spread life saving science. Our award winning website: http://burningissues.org is visited by more than 3,000 people a day from all over the world.
- Environmental Advocates of New York Environmental Advocates of New York's mission is to protect our air, land, water and wildlife and the health of all New Yorkers. Based in Albany, we monitor state government, evaluate proposed laws, and champion policies and practices that will ensure the responsible stewardship of our shared environment. We work to support and strengthen the efforts of New York's environmental community and to make our state a national leader.
- NRDC: Natural Resources Defense Council - The Earth's Best Defense NRDC is the nation's most effective environmental action group, combining the grassroots power of 1.2 million members and online activists with the courtroom clout and expertise of more than 350 lawyers, scientists and other professionals.
- AAAAI - American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology - www.aaaai.org The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology is the largest professional medical organization in the United States devoted to the allergy/immunology specialty.
- Clean Air Task Force (CATF) Founded in 1996, the Clean Air Task Force (CATF) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring clean air and healthy environments through scientific research, public education, and legal advocacy. Our unique and singular focus on atmospheric issues has allowed us to go deep on the issues, and be persistent and effective.
- The Clean Air Coalition of W.N.Y. "The Clean Air Coalition protects the right of Western New York residents to breathe clean air and live, work, and play in a healthy environment. To protect that right, the Coalition organizes community members and builds diverse coalitions to implement initiatives to reduce environmental hazards. "
For
12 years, the American Lung Association has analyzed data from state
air quality monitors to compile the State of the Air report. The
more you learn about the air you breathe, the more you can protect
your health and take steps to make our air cleaner and healthier.
Homepage - American Lung Association
Acid Rain
Because Acid Rain has returned as a air quality concern in our area, I'm am going to start tracking the environmental consequences of Acid Rain.
- Taking aim at acid rain - Times Union "ALBANY -- The first lawsuit announced by new Attorney General Eric Schneiderman targets a Pennsylvania coal-fired power plant that is New York's largest outside source of acid rain-causing pollution. The lawsuit again the Homer City Station, located in Indiana County about 50 miles east of Pittsburgh, accuses the plant of multiple violations of the federal Clean Air Act. " (January 7, 2011) The Albany Times Union [more on Air Quality in our area]
- 12/20/2010: EPA Delivers 15 Years of Acid Rain Reductions "WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a report that shows 15 years of successful results from its nationwide effort to address acid rain. Since its inception in 1995 as part of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, EPA’s Acid Rain Program has earned widespread acclaim due to dramatic sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) emission reductions that are saving American lives and ecosystems. An analysis estimates annual public health benefits of the program in 2010 alone at more than $120 billion, about 40 times the estimated cost. " US Environmental Protection Agency
- Acid Rain - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation Acid rain is a by-product of our industrialized society. Air pollution combines with water in the atmosphere and falls to the earth as acidic rain or snow. Discussions and reports about acid rain often use the terms acid deposition or atmospheric deposition to describe this return of airborne pollutants to earth. Pollutants can be deposited from the atmosphere in rain or snow (wet deposition) or without precipitation (dry deposition).
- Acid Rain | US EPA Acid rain is a serious environmental problem that affects large parts of the United States and Canada. Acid rain is particularly damaging to lakes, streams, and forests and the plants and animals that live in these ecosystems. This Web site provides information about the following: What causes acid rain The effects of acid rain How we measure acid rain What is being done to reduce acid rain