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Department of Ecology News Release - December 9, 2004
04-225
YAKIMA - New monitoring equipment installed in Ellensburg now measures the air pollution that poses the greatest health risk to people.
Ellensburg residents can learn about their air quality in near "real time" by logging on to an Internet site managed by the Washington State Department of Ecology.
The air sampler measures the pollution caused by combustion sources such as woodstove smoke and outdoor fires. Data from the sampler are transmitted via telephone lines, and the information is made available almost immediately at https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/enviwa/.
Smoke particles are inhaled deeply into the lungs and can cause health problems for those with respiratory illness as well as for the very young and elderly.
"We hope people will use this new tool to keep tabs on the air quality in their community," said Sue Billings, the air quality manager for Ecology in Central Washington. "Checking the air quality before lighting up is a neighborly thing to do. If the air is already polluted, perhaps the burning can be scheduled for another day."
Billings also encourages Ellensburg residents to consider alternatives to burning, particularly when the air quality is bad. Alternatives to outdoor burning include composting, mulching and disposal at the local solid waste facility. Wood-stove users can decrease emissions by burning only clean, dry fuel and allowing for complete combustion by keeping the damper open.
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Contact: Joye Redfield-Wilder, public information manager, (509) 575-2610; pager, (509) 574-0490
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
