Monday is the second Clean Air Action Day of the summer for Dane County. (See first forwarded message.) The Dane County Clean Air Coalition says ozone is expected to hit unhealthy levels Monday. Excessive ozone can cause coughing and wheezing, and may be hazardous for those with asthma.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources issued an air quality health advisory Sunday for ten Wisconsin counties effective at 6:00 p.m. until midnight for the air pollutant ozone. Counties covered by the advisory were Racine, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee, Sheboygan, Manitowoc, Kewaunee, Door and Walworth. (See second forwarded message.) Chances are that Dane County will receive the same advisory tomorrow but we'll have to wait to hear from the DNR to find out for sure. If an air health advisory is issued for Madison Monday, it means that the outdoor air is considered unhealthy for people with respiratory diseases, such as asthma and older adults. Those individuals should avoid going outside at all if an air health advisory is called. Active adults and children should reschedule or cut back on strenuous outside activities. People with lung diseases such as asthma and bronchitis, and heart disease should pay attention to cardiac symptoms like chest pain and shortness of breath or respiratory symptoms like coughing, wheezing and discomfort when taking a breath, and consult with their physician if they have concerns or are experiencing symptoms. Others recommendations below are mine. Some may be controversial. 1. Coaches might want to consider canceling outdoor practices and games that demand significant physical exertion to protect kids lungs. 2. If the weather climbs above 90 degrees, and stay's humid, elderly people living alone and without air conditioning should be periodically checked to make sure they are okay. (See today's article in the Wisconsin State Journal on Chicago's emergency plans for heat waves.) 3. All people should avoid staying in the sun too long, overexerting themselves and getting dehydrated. 4. Dane County ought to consider shutting down the Dane County Regional Airport, but I suppose the County Executive wouldn't be too excited with doing that. 5. Driving less is one of the best things people can do to reduce emissions from fuel burning in the summer. I had recommended the County Executive consider ways to encourage Dane County residents to reduce motorized travel back in 1999, but neither she nor the Wisconsin DOT was interested in the proposal. Too bad. Now we all have to live with the consequences. 6. Avoid motor boating and go sailing or canoeing instead, or go see a movie. 7. To sign up to receive DNR's air quality health advisories by e-mail, visit http://dnr.wi.gov/org/aw/air/health/listserv.html. Mike Neuman ----------------------------------------------------------------- Second Clean Air Action Day Set for Monday Dane County 8:51 PM Jul 10, 2005 NBC 15 Lace up your walking shoes and get ready to bust out those highpowered fans. Monday is the second Clean Air Action Day of the summer for Dane County. The Dane County Clean Air Coalition says ozone is expected to hit unhealthy levels Monday. Excessive ozone can cause coughing and wheezing, and may be hazardous for those with asthma. You can help cut down on air pollution by carpooling, cutting down on your use of air conditioning, and mowing your lawn after 6 p.m. Metro is also offering passengers free bus rides to help reduce ozone levels. For more information, log onto www.cleanairdane.org. http://nbc15.madison.com/news/headlines/1679107.html ------------------------------------------------------------------ Air Quality Health Advisory Issued for 10 Counties in Wisconsin July 10, 2005 Contact: Eileen Pierce, Chief, Air Monitoring Section, (608) 266-1058 MADISON, Wis. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has issued an air quality health advisory today for ten Wisconsin counties effective at 6:00 p.m. until midnight for the air pollutant ozone. Counties covered by this advisory are Racine, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee, Sheboygan, Manitowoc, Kewaunee, Door and Walworth. The health advisory is being issued because of persistent elevated levels of ground-level ozone. Ground-level ozone is formed when pollution from utilities, factories and other industrial sources, vehicle exhaust, and volatile organic compounds chemically reacts on sunny days with hot temperatures and high humidity in a stagnant atmosphere. Ozone levels are expected to decline after midnight. The Air Quality Index is currently at the orange level, which is considered unhealthy for people in sensitive groups and others, including people who are not in sensitive groups but who are engaged in strenuous outside activities or exposed for prolonged periods of time. People in those sensitive groups include those with respiratory diseases, such as asthma, older adults, and active adults and children. When an air quality health advisory is issued, people in those groups are advised to reschedule or cut back on strenuous outside activities. People with lung diseases such as asthma and bronchitis, and heart disease should pay attention to cardiac symptoms like chest pain and shortness of breath or respiratory symptoms like coughing, wheezing and discomfort when taking a breath, and consult with their physician if they have concerns or are experiencing symptoms. To stay healthy, call the Daily Air Hotline at 1-866-DAILY AIR (1-866-324-5924) to find out the current air quality readings in your area. To sign up to receive air quality health advisories by e-mail, visit http://dnr.wi.gov/org/aw/air/health/listserv.html. The public can take several actions to reduce their contributions to this regional air quality problem: Reduce driving when possible and dont leave your vehicles engine idling. Limit childrens prolonged, strenuous outdoor activity and pay attention to respiratory symptoms. Postpone filling your vehicles gas tank or using gas-powered lawn maintenance equipment until late afternoon or evening. Practice electrical energy conservation. For more information: Federal interagency air quality web site, for information on the Air Quality Index, and nationwide air quality forecasts and air quality conditions, http://airnow.gov DNRs statewide air quality monitoring web page, http://dnr.wi.gov/org/aw/air/wisards/state.htm For local DNR air management program contacts, http://dnr.wi.gov/org/aw/air/staff/regions.htm Also see: http://www.channel3000.com/weather/733767/detail.html _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://www.danenet.org/mailman/listinfo/bikies
