To Lauren Sheeler

cronkite news

PHOENIX — Last week, a cold front blew gusts of wind up to 50 miles per hour into the Phoenix subway system, prompting the National Weather Service to issue an air quality warning to limit the amount of time people go out due to increased dust and other pollutants.

For people with respiratory problems, windy days can cause coughing, sneezing, shortness of breath, and other symptoms.

Hannah Romero Reyes, 20, and her father, Carlos Reyes, have battled asthma their entire lives.

“A windy day really affects us,” said Romero Reyes, a sophomore at Grand Canyon University. “I started coughing a lot.”

Romero Reyes said he goes about his normal life on days with air quality warnings, but he carries an emergency inhaler.

“People with heart and lung conditions, especially children, have problems because their lungs are still developing,” said Maricopa County Air Quality Authority spokesman Bob Heun.

Although high winds and other weather conditions can reduce air quality, Maricopa County shows an overall trend of improving air quality this year compared to last year. But the fast-growing county, home to more than four million people, still struggles to keep ozone levels below federal standards.

“The dust, smoke and ozone particulate counts we are monitoring are all down from last year,” Huhn said.

One reason Maricopa County has remained below federal health standards this year, he said, is that Arizona has had above average rainfall since late summer.

“Over the past 25 years, the overall trend has been improving air quality,” Hung said. “For example, carbon monoxide was a problem a few years ago, but now it’s a hot topic.”

Yet the county still faces air quality issues and struggles to comply with federal ozone regulations.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, above-ground ozone is formed when pollutants (known as volatile organic compounds, or VOCs) from automobiles, power plants, and other sources react chemically with sunlight, creating unhealthy air. is said to be generated.

Maricopa, Pinal and Gila counties have not met EPA standards since 2008 and have had years to develop plans to address this.

According to the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, the EPA classifies non-attainment areas as areas with air monitoring data for standard pollutants that exceed national air quality standards. This standard was outlined in the Clean Air Act passed by Congress in 1970 and has since been amended.

Peak ozone season is underway and will continue until the end of September. According to Hoon, four ozone health watches have already appeared this year.

“As far as ozone is concerned, we have not been able to meet federal health standards at this time,” he said. In October 2015, the EPA lowered the ozone standard from 75ppb to 70ppb, but this change had no impact. Maricopa County is back in compliance.

“It was a challenge not only for us to deal with this, but also for counties across the country,” Hung said.

About a third of Americans are susceptible to ozone-related health problems, according to the Maricopa County Air Quality Department, and ozone is the most difficult particulate matter in the Valley to fight.

Ozone is colorless, which makes it difficult to monitor, and canyons are exposed to a lot of direct sunlight, creating ozone, which is a big problem.

The County Air Quality Authority has launched a campaign to Commit to Keeping Ozone Away for Just One Day. The campaign is aimed at single drivers and encourages them to commit to biking, walking, carpooling or using public transport to their destination one day a week. .

People can also refuel their cars after dark, Hoon said, and park their cars and order in-store rather than idling in the drive-thru grocery line.

With temperatures hitting triple digits this summer, there are also things people can do to improve air quality in the dry heat, Huhn said.

“Follow the rules and regulations on burn-free days when smoke concentration levels are expected to be higher than most healthy levels,” he said.

When dust levels are high, the public should also avoid using leaf blowers and off-highway vehicles that can stir up dust.

Hewn said that while the EPA has granted Maricopa County an exception regarding air quality during extreme weather, it is up to local and state officials to set rules and regulations that residents and businesses must follow to maintain healthy air. said to be responsible for

“If things get worse this year, regulations and rules could be tougher and fines for residents could be higher,” he said. “We could end up losing federal money, which in turn could cost us jobs.”