| ||||||||||||||
ENVIRONMENT:Md. Dept. of Environment Advises on Coming Ozone Alerts
May 1 marks the beginning of the ground level ozone season for this area; the season ends Sept. 30. This ground level ozone can be harmful to all, especially children, people with respiratory disease such as asthma, and those who work or exercise outdoors. Even at moderate levels, ozone may cause coughing, nose and throat irritation and chest pains. It can make lungs function less efficiently and it can make people more susceptible to respiratory illnesses. AirWatch, a "real time" air quality data notification system, can be visited at air-watch.net or by calling (410) 537-3247. Hourly air pollution levels are collected from a comprehensive network of monitors throughout the Baltimore and Washington metropolitan area and are displayed in a graphical interactive map. The map is color-coded to represent current readings of air quality monitored within counties and municipalities recording ozone data. Users may click through the map to review data from multiple monitors within a county and review data archived since the summer of 2001. The real-time map allows the public to monitor air quality conditions near their community and adjust their daily activities accordingly. Visitors to AirWatch may also choose to register for the free AirAlert notification system, which lets users know when the air is unhealthy at specific monitors. This year also marks MDE's start of year-round reporting on another air pollutant, fine particles, called "particulate matter." These include solid particles and liquid droplets in the air. Unlike ozone, fine particles are not a seasonal pollutant, and these forecasts will now be continued throughout the year. Particle exposure can lead to a variety of health effects. For example, numerous studies link particle levels to increased hospital admissions and emergency room visits--and even to death from heart or lung diseases. Both long- and short-term particle exposures have been linked to health problems. More information about fine particles is available from the US Environmental Protection Agency, epa.gov/airnow. Maryland has incorporated a vast number of controls and programs aimed at reducing harmful emissions that cause air quality problems in Maryland. In addition to federal controls required in areas that exhibit air quality problems like those in Maryland, MDE has implemented a number of state and regional controls and regulations aimed at reducing the precursors of ground level ozone. Research has shown that pollution blown into Maryland from other states is a significant factor in the quality of the state's air. Without more stringent regional controls, it will be very difficult for Maryland to achieve the national ozone standard. For more information on air quality, call MDE's Air Quality Hotline at (410) 537-3247 or MDE's Air & Radiation Management Administration (410) 537-3265. Copyright © 2004 The Baltimore Chronicle.
All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Baltimore Chronicle content is expressly prohibited without their prior written consent. This story was published on April 26, 2004. |
Local News & Opinion
Ref. : Local Newsbriefs Travel
Films, Arts & Education
Letters
Ref. : Letters to the editor Open Letters:
06.24 Mr. Holder, You Must Hold Torturers Accountable Health & Environment
06.29 Thinking about Climate 06.26 False Health-Scare Ad on CNN 06.25 Louella Learns the Limits of Medicare 06.23 The Simple Answer to America’s Health Care Crisis: Medicare for All 06.23 Tell ABC: Include Single-Payer in Healthcare Debate 06.23 Serving the Medical-Industrial Complex 06.22 Thinking about Recoveries 06.20 Obama's Health Care Waterloo 06.15 Obama, Like Clinton Before Him, is Blowing the Chance for Real Health Care Reform 06.11 Two Key Health-Care Numbers 06.10 Big Breakthroughs for Single Payer Health Care 06.10 Readying Americans for Dangerous, Mandatory Vaccinations Media Watching
06.29 WP's Connolly Back, on Health Reform 06.17 Hypocrisy and Hope: Western Coverage, Iranian Courage 06.15 Excusing Outrages of the Right 06.11 Tying Obama to Bush's Budget Mess US Politics, Policy & Culture
06.30 Obama's Torture Hypocrisy 06.30 Court Circular: Annals of Imperial Continuity 06.29 Obama, They Want You to Fail 06.26 Who to Trust on a Truth Commission? 06.26 Tarnished Shields: The Morally Bankrupt 'Family Values' Republican Leadership 06.25 America's "Bases of Empire" 06.24 Twelve Angry White People: Jury Nullification in a Pennsylvania Coal Town 06.24 Touring Empire's Ruins 06.23 Employers are Undermining the Economic Stimulus Program 06.19 Criminalizing Dissent: Obama Pot Calls Iranian Kettle Black 06.17 Afghanistan's Operation Phoenix 06.16 Are You Ready for War with a Demonized Iran? 06.13 Where's the Anger as the Wheels Come Off Obama's and the Democrats' Recovery Program? 06.10 Waiving the Rules for Old Glory 06.10 Obama's Era of Openness Is Closed High Crimes?
07.03 Reviewing Marjorie Cohn and Kathleen Gilberd's "Rules of Disengagement" 07.01 Iraq: A Bitter Strategic Failure 06.25 It's All Good, Again: 'Uptick' in the American-Made Tides of Violence in Iraq 06.22 Obama Opposes Plame-gate Release 06.21 Dexter's Legions: The "Good" Killers of the "Good" War 06.18 Extending the Tradition: Proudly Taking American Torture Into the Future 06.15 New UN Report Denounces America's Human Rights Record 06.14 Fear Rules Economics & Business Non/Mis/Malfeasance
07.01 Michael Hudson's "Super Imperialism:" The Economic Strategy of Imperial America 06.23 Obama's Financial Reform Proposal - A Stealth Scheme for Global Monetary Control 06.10 Cyberscares About Cyberwars Equal Cybermoney International
07.01 Pirates of the Mediterranean 06.29 Color Revolutions, Old and New 06.25 Iran Divided & the 'October Suprise' 06.23 Astringent Corrective: AbuKhalil on Iran's Turmoil 06.20 Are the Iranian Protests Another US Orchestrated “Color Revolution?” 06.20 Through a Glass Darkly: Sifting Myth and Fact on Iran 06.19 Iran's Election and US - Iranian Elections 06.16 The Ir-Af-Pak War: Obama Looses the Manhunters 06.12 Israeli War Crimes Against Children During Operation Cast Lead We are a non-profit Internet-only newspaper publication founded in 1973. Your donation is essential to our survival.
|
| ||||||||||||