JULY 23, 2009 ISSUE
Breathing a Little Better in Boone
Boone Air Quality Better Than State Average
This graph shows that Boone had fewer days of hazardous air quality than the state as a whole.
In 2002, the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR) installed a computerized air pollution monitoring station in Boone on the grounds of Hardin Park Elementary School. Data collected from the local monitor from 2002 through 2008 suggests that, on average, the air in Boone is better than the collective air in North Carolina.
“You can definitely say that, when compared to the state, Boone had far fewer days of hazardous air quality,” said Wayne L Cornelius, PhD, statistician for NCDENR Division of Air Quality. “Since 2002, the air monitor in Boone has collected a 24-hour air quality sample every three days.”
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), particulate matter, also known as particle pollution or PM, is a complex mixture of extremely small particles and liquid droplets. Particle pollution is made up of a number of components, including acids (such as nitrates and sulfates), organic chemicals, metals and soil or dust particles.
The size of particles is directly linked to their potential for causing health problems. EPA is concerned about particles that are 10 micrometers in diameter or smaller because those are the particles that generally pass through the throat and nose and enter the lungs. Once inhaled, these particles can affect the heart and lungs and cause serious health effects. The monitor in Boone is a 2.5-micrometer station taking measurements of the tiniest particles, the most harmful air pollution.
EPA groups particle pollution into two categories: “inhalable coarse particles,” such as those found near roadways and dusty industries, are larger than 2.5 micrometers and smaller than 10 micrometers in diameter, and “fine particles,” such as those found in smoke and haze which are 2.5 micrometers in diameter and smaller. These particles can be directly emitted from sources such as forest fires, or they can form when gases emitted from power plants, industries and automobiles react in the air.
In the accompanying air quality index graph, according to Cornelius, the yellow (50) line indicates good air or moderate pollution. When the air pollution reaches the orange line (100) the air is not healthy for sensitive people: children, the elderly and those with chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. At the red line (150), the air is unhealthy for everyone.
Cornelius added, “The data shows that overall Boone’s air quality has been a bit better than the rest of the state’s. Boone’s air, as measured by the Hardin Park station, rarely rose above the unhealthiest levels.”
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