The holiday season is a period of rejoicing and spending time with loved ones, but as air quality worsens — as it does almost every December across Phoenix — holiday activities can create harmful conditions that compromise the health and safety of the people who live here.
When temperatures cool across the Phoenix area, more people start burning their wood fireplaces, pits and start setting off fireworks, which result in higher levels of air pollution. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, about 70% of smoke from chimneys can reenter you and your neighbor’s home.
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Although pollution levels usually climb highest in the weeks right before and after Christmas, the brown cloud many residents saw hanging over the Phoenix area this last week was helped, in part, by fireplace use and lack of storm activity. Burn restrictions were posted on several seperate days.
“So many of us add to the pollutants in the air, but all residents can also contribute to reducing air pollution this holiday season, so we can enjoy the festivities without having to breathe dirty, damaging air,” said Ari Halpert, communications department officer at the Maricopa County Air Quality Department.
What causes poor air quality and why is it dangerous?
When cold weather makes its way into our bowl-shaped metropolitan area, the temperature on the ground is lower than the temperature of the air above it, causing a change in pressure. This pressure acts as a lid on the lower terrain.
Instead of moving upward and escaping, the air — and everything in it — is stuck under this lid of pressure. The haze you see hanging over the Phoenix area is not fog, but a mixture of smoke, dust and other pollutants trapped in the air.
The two main pollutants for Maricopa County in the winter months are PM2.5 (smoke) and PM10, (dust). These particulates are so small that they can easily be inhaled, getting deep into lungs and bloodstream.
Smoke particulates are so miniscule — PM2.5 pollutants are 2.5 micrometers or smaller — that the average size of a single human hair is 30 times larger than one particle.
How does it affect people?
Just because you cannot see the pollutants in the air does not mean they are not affecting you. Children, the elderly, and those with existing respiratory conditions like asthma are all vulnerable.
Breathing in these microscopic pollutants causes them to get deep into the lung tissue. This aggravates the lining of the lung, creating inflammation, and causing serious issues for those with heart conditions, existing chronic lung diseases and asthmatics, said Barbara Burkholder, a board member of the Arizona Asthma Coalition.
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Brittney Peck, a mother of two girls, was diagnosed with asthma five years ago. Peck is very active, enjoying hikes and biking with her family, playing pickleball and coaching both of her daughters in softball.
“Sometimes, I do have to say ‘no’ to the activities I love,” said Peck. “On days when the air quality is poor, I stay indoors. I don’t want to chance an asthma attack.”
Itchy eyes and shortness of breath are not her only concerns. Peck’s heart rate also spikes when the air is thick with pollutants. She is not the only one in her family affected by this condition.
Peck’s 12-year-old daughter, Madelynn, has asthma as well. She has had the disease for three years, and dealing with it has not gotten any easier for her.
“Softball is my passion, and sometimes I have to sit out an inning in a game because I am having a hard time breathing,” said Madelynn. “In the winter especially, my chest gets really tight and I get shortness of breath.”
Children are at a much higher risk of both short and long-term health issues from breathing in these particles due to the proportion of the lung size to the body. Though, adults and the elderly are vulnerable.
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What can you do to help?
The Maricopa County Air Quality Department (MCAQD) recently launched its annual “Burn Cleaner, Burn Better” campaign, with the aim of educating the public about the potential harms of air pollutants and encouraging residents to do their part in improving air quality.
There are a number of steps you can take to prevent some of the pollution going into the air.
Rather than using conventional wood stoves, MCAQD is encouraging businesses and residents to use alternatives such as propane, electric and natural gas stoves. For folks who may not be able to afford to purchase and run these other options, the county offers different programs to help.
The Maricopa County Propane Fire Pit Program allows any resident of the county to sign up and receive a $75 voucher — with a limit of one voucher per household — to redeem at any participating Home Depot location to buy a new propane fire pit.
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By purchasing a new propane fire pit with the voucher, Halpert said you can still enjoy time outside with friends and family around an inviting fire, without the smoke and pollutants.
For more information about this program, call 602-372-WOOD or email [email protected].
Another option offered is the Maricopa County fireplace retrofit program. Residents can sign up to receive $2,000 toward retrofitting their existing wood burning fireplace. They must live within the program boundaries of Baseline Road to Northern Avenue and 59th Avenue to 16th Street.
More information about the program and other mandatory requirements can be found at the Maricopa County website, or you can email [email protected].
As damaging as burning wood is to everyone in the Phoenix area, it’s not the only source of pollutants in the air. Burkholder and Halpert both stressed the harm fireworks cause.
“Fireworks create a huge amount of PM2.5. New Years Eve and New Years Day are especially bad,” Burkholder said. “Sometimes the amount of PM2.5 soars above 300% of the EPA health levels that are required.”
Because of that, Halpert encourages all residents to avoid setting off fireworks.
“It is very important to not light personal fireworks and leave it to the professionals because they’re (fireworks) a big contributor of poor air quality and exceedances during the holiday season,” Halpert said. “We want to encourage residents to consider not just themselves but their children, their neighbors, and our entire community. We can all contribute to reducing air pollution this holiday season so we can enjoy the festivities without having to breathe unhealthy air.”
To help keep track of the air quality in Maricopa County, MCAQD offers an app to check the daily air quality, get alerts for no burn days and more. The free app is called Clean Air and can be used by both iPhone and Android users.
Caralin Nunes writes about weather and related topics for The Arizona Republic and azcentral. Email her with story tips at [email protected]
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Category: WHY
