PHOENIX – Smoke control and air quality are major issues in Maricopa County. The American Lung Association report ranks the Phoenix-Mesa area among the top 10 most polluted cities for ozone and annual particulate pollution. State of the Air 2023 Report.

The Maricopa County Air Quality Department and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality work to keep the environment and residents healthy and prosperous as it relates to air quality through no-burn days and prescribed combustion smoke dispersal.

County officials are looking at smoke readings, especially during the fall and winter months. During the winter, Maricopa County experiences a “temperature inversion.” This inversion creates an atmospheric “lid” over the valley, trapping polluted air. Under normal atmospheric conditions, the air near the ground is warm and cold at high altitudes. According to the Maricopa Air Quality website, a temperature inversion reverses the situation, trapping colder air at the surface beneath a layer of warmer air.

“If the monitor detects high levels of smoke and federal health standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency, Maricopa County establishes a no-burn day,” Ari Halpert, spokeswoman for the Maricopa County Air Quality Department, said in a phone interview. “There is,” he said. What the agency is looking for is PM2.5, or particulate matter It measures 2.5 microns and is easily inhaled, posing the greatest health risk.

According to the EPAParticulate matter is produced by a mixture of solid particles that adhere to droplets in the air. Dust, dirt, soot, and smoke particles are types of particulate matter. Most of them originate from construction sites, dirt roads, fields, chimneys, and fires. These particles are formed in the atmosphere by reacting with chemicals such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide. These chemicals are emitted by power plants, factories, and automobiles.

If particulate matter gets into your lungs or bloodstream, it can cause serious health problems. Too much exposure to particulate matter can cause non-fatal heart attacks, irregular heartbeats, worsening asthma, decreased lung function, and increased respiratory problems.

Particulate matter not only causes health complications, but also affects the environment, such as the acidity of lakes and rivers, changes in the nutrient balance of coastal waters and river basins, depletion of nutrients in the soil, sensitive crops and acid rain. It can cause problems.

Holiday fireworks often add smoke to the air, resulting in air quality exceeding federal health standards. Fireplaces and fireworks have led to a particularly smoky new year in Maricopa County, with smoke-free days enacted on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.

From 2013 to 2023, the average number of smoke-free days per year was six. In 2023, there will be seven.

To regulate these no-burn days, Maricopa County deploys burn patrols to respond to resident complaints about illegal burning. If inspectors find illegal burning, fines will be imposed. Burning a fireplace, chimney or wood stove in a residential area can result in a fine ranging from $50 to $250. Any other open burning carries a fine of at least $200.

Halpert said the county follows ADEQ and EPA policies and regulations.

ADEQ has a unique smoke management program that begins with smoke diffusion for prescribed burns. The agency has a team of trained meteorologists and accepts applications for burning permits from state and federal land managers. Teams are investigating possible burn locations and weather conditions.

Smoke dispersion modeling shows where smoke goes, how it is generated, how high into the atmosphere it can reach, and how long it can stay.

To prevent negative impacts on the atmosphere, ADEQ has developed emissions reduction technologies. These techniques are used by state or federal land managers to reduce the amount of smoke produced.

“There’s something called backfire, where the fire burns backwards into the wind, rather than being pushed by the wind, resulting in a slower-burning fire. This helps improve fuel consumption. said Bradley Buzbee, Monitoring and Evaluation Manager for ADEQ’s Air Quality Division. Although prescribed fires can help prevent wildfires, it is important to limit smoke emissions and damage.

“Prescribed burning is done to protect communities and make forests more resilient to future catastrophic wildfires. The short-term smoke effects of prescribed fires are The hope is to eliminate the risk of greater smoke impacts from large wildfires in the future,” Busby said in an interview. “Fire is important to forest ecosystems. Some forests rely on regular fires to clear undergrowth and open grassland on which wildlife can feed.”