  |
|
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 5, 1998
98-093
Contact: Joye Redfield-Wilder, Public Information Officer, (509) 575-2610
YAKIMA, WA - After a year and a half of good air measurements in Leavenworth, the state Department of Ecology is removing its air monitoring station located at the Cascade School District office.
"Monitoring results over the last 19 months show the air quality is well within national health standards," said Rose Lee, air-quality-monitoring specialist for Ecology’s central region.
Lee noted the change is a marked improvement from several years ago when a short-term study indicated Leavenworth had some of the dirtiest air measured in the Wenatchee Valley.
"At the time, some residents complained that a visible layer of smoke sometimes covered the town during winter and forest burning," Lee said. "Wood stoves and outdoor burning are believed to be the greatest source for pollution in the area."
This monitoring station measured the tiny particles of soot, dust and unburned fuel suspended in the air as particulate matter, referred to as PM10, a major air pollutant and public health concern.
"Our respiratory systems are designed to filter out large particles and protect us from their harmful effects," said Cathy Meuret, community health education specialist at Central Washington Hospital. "Smaller particles, or PM10, are able to slip past the body’s natural defense mechanisms, traveling deep into our lungs. It’s these little particles that do the most harm, contributing to increasing respiratory illnesses, such as asthma."
Buford Howell, a math and science teacher at Icicle River Middle School who has been collecting the monitoring filters for Ecology, says he has been pleasantly surprised by the data taken in the last year and a half in Leavenworth.
But both Howell and Meuret caution residents to remain vigilant about maintaining air quality here. "The fact that the monitor has indicated clean air in the city of Leavenworth is good," Meuret said. "Unfortunately, it can’t register air quality throughout the entire upper valley region. I hope the reports don’t give a false sense of security about air quality."
The Wenatchee Valley Clean Air Coalition reminds residents:
"From October to March, call the daily Air Quality Advisory to find out how the air is before you burn," said Dick Woods of the Wenatchee Valley Clean Air Coalition. "Or call anytime during the year with your comments or questions on air quality."
The advisory number for Leavenworth is (509) 782-8800.
Editor’s Note: Air quality specialist Rose Lee will be in Leavenworth to remove the monitoring station on June 10. For more information, she may be reached at (509)454-4193.
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
