When Will The Air Quality Improve In Michigan

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In 2023, Michigan had some significant firsts in air-quality monitoring. For the first time, state meteorologists issued a particulate matter health alert because of the effects of smoke from Canadian wildfires. Particulate matter is a fine-grain type of air pollution

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Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) issued a statewide ozone alert for the first time and the first combined alerts for ozone and particulate matter. Some of those alerts were the first-ever air-quality notification in the Upper Peninsula. Particulate matter is abbreviated as PM 2.5. The 2.5 is the number of microns that can be detected by the sensors – a single human hair is about 30 larger than 2.5 microns of particular matter.

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Stephanie Hengesbach, Jim Haywood and Alec Kownacki, all EGLE meteorologists, develop air-quality forecasts for Michigan as well as dispersion modeling reports for air-quality permits.

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“Basically 2023 was an unprecedented year for what we’ve seen in Michigan,” Hengesbach said. In any given year summer weather includes a day or two with haze from a distant fire, but last year was different: In Canada, a record-breaking number of wildfires destroyed more than 44 million acres before October.

“These fires were a lot closer in proximity,” she said. “In the past the fires have been a lot further away – far to the northwest of Michigan.”

In May and June, fires in Ontario and Quebec combined with winds out of the northeast delivered plumes directly to Southeast Michigan. The state has issued ozone alerts for more than 30 years, she said and particulate matter levels have been monitored since 2009. Sensors scattered around the state send air quality data to EGLE and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which hosts the interactive Air Now website. The sensors’ data also goes to an automated alert system called Enviroflash, a joint project run by EGLE and the EPA, which automatically emails free air-quality alerts to anyone who signs up.

Air-quality alerts for ozone and particulate matter are color coded: green is good, yellow means moderate, orange means unhealthy for sensitive groups, red means unhealthy for everyone; purple is very unhealthy for everyone and maroon is considered a health emergency for everyone. Michigan’s alerts last year reached the red stage.

The alerts remind people most likely to be affected by air pollution to take such precautions as limiting physical activity, staying inside or even wearing an N95 mask. That includes anyone with breathing issues related to lung disorders, heart problems, diabetes or age – very young and very old people are more affected by changes in air quality.

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“People know their bodies best themselves,” Hengesbach said, noting that even people without medical conditions had scratchy throats and irritated eyes on high particulate matter days.

Poor air quality led to some event cancellations or delays over the summer, including Rochester Hills’ Festival of the Hills fireworks show in June.

Winter isn’t an automatic cure for poor air quality. Last week, the state issued an orange alert for particulate-matter alert.

The state has an interactive map that shows all air monitors. Website visitors can customize what monitors they see.

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State meteorologists don’t typically forecast air-quality conditions for an entire year, but monitor daily conditions and make short-term forecasts.

“Hopefully there will be enough snowfall or precipitation in Canada that the season won’t be as dry in the summer as last year,” Hengesbach said. “We’ll keep an eye on it as spring develops.”

People can sign up for the free Enviroflash alerts at https://m.enviroflash.info or check the air quality directly online at https://www.airnow.gov/state/?name=michigan.

“We want to get that word out, so people can know what to expect as far as days with more air pollution,” she said.

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