Air quality alerts have resurfaced in Wisconsin, with some areas experiencing the smoky air from Canadian wildfires.

Health and environmental experts say there are key things to know now, and when the patterns re-emerge in future warm seasons. The occasional smoky haze this summer has captured the spotlight as forecasters link the conditions to climate change.

Dr. William Ehlenbach, associate medical director for pulmonary and sleep medicine at St. Mary's Hospital in Madison, said when the wind pushes smoky air down to Wisconsin, it brings along tiny inhalable particles, and on bad days, it can cause health issues.

"People who have chronic lung disease, particularly diseases like asthma, often have worsened respiratory symptoms when particulate matter is really high, when the air quality is poor," Ehlenbach explained.

He noted the particles can get into your bloodstream, potentially affecting cardiovascular health. The American Heart Association said smoky conditions raise the risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests by up to 70%.

Limiting time outdoors and keeping an N-95 mask handy are among the precautions. Adding air quality apps to your phone and monitoring the index are also encouraged.

Tracey Holloway, professor of environmental studies and atmospheric and oceanic sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a member of the group Science Moms, cited dryer and hotter conditions for what is happening in Canada. Consistent smoky air might not come around every summer, but she added the direct effects of climate change are here, and people should be ready to adapt.

"Just like some years we'll have more snow, moving into the future there'll be some years that have more smoke, and some years that have less smoke," Holloway pointed out. "People's perception of what regular summer looks like may change, and may affect how people want to prepare."

Beyond other precautions, she emphasized enhancing the air filtration in your home is a good defense.

Holloway added even healthy populations can experience symptoms like itchy eyes. Meanwhile, she argued people can try to help reverse future weather patterns through the decisions they make today.

"Electric vehicles or cleaner electricity sources, and you know, moving away from fossil fuels; this is a win-win," Holloway contended. "Because it makes our air cleaner today, and it is combating climate change over the next few decades."

A new analysis found Utah oil and gas companies waste an estimated $48 million worth of natural gas per year, enough to meet the annual needs of more than a fifth of residential customers in Utah, according to the Environmental Defense Fund.

The large majority of the gas, 87%, is lost due to leakage from producers.

Ashley Miller, executive director of the nonprofit Breathe Utah, said leakage needs to be addressed to ensure better air quality and protect the overall health of Utahns and the environment.

"Getting a handle on leaks from oil and gas; I really do feel like that is pretty close to low-hanging fruit that is left to do," Miller contended. "There is technology available that, you know, this isn't new stuff. For the most part we aren't talking about huge capital infrastructure projects."

Miller recognized it likely will not be an easy fix, especially for smaller operations but stressed it is necessary. She urged stakeholders to look at the financial, health and environmental consequences of not addressing the issue. The analysis found in 2019, the state of Utah lost about $6.7 million dollars in tax and royalty revenue, including more than $1.2 million in lost revenue for the tribal governments in the state.

The Environmental Protection Agency is set to finalize a proposed rule this fall to address methane pollution.

Miller pointed out while national guidance and regulation can help all states around the country, she encouraged Utah policymakers to find ways to build on the rule with Utah specifics in mind.

"If you take something where this will actually move the needle in terms of air pollution, public health, economy, climate; all of these things, you couldn't pick a better recipe for progress," Miller asserted.

The analysis called for "strong, common-sense rules" to cut methane waste and pollution which will not only help slow the rate of climate change, but will also protect public health, create jobs, generate additional tax revenue and prevent the needless waste of energy sources.


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Local environmental activists are applauding a big win in court against a large warehouse project proposed in Moreno Valley.

A Riverside Superior Court judge overturned approvals for the massive Compass Danbe Centrepointe project, ruling the city failed to fully consider the impacts of truck traffic, noise and air pollution.

Ana Gonzalez, executive director of the Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice in the Inland Empire, explained the importance of the ruling.

"We are just here sending a message to those developers and local elected officials that don't listen to the community and don't have the community's best interests at heart," Gonzalez emphasized.

The city council approved the project last year, to include almost 400,000 square feet of industrial warehouses on a site zoned for commercial use across from a residential area.

A report published earlier this year by the Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice, the Sierra Club, and the Robert Redford Conservancy found the Inland Empire already has about 1 billion square feet of warehouse space, with an additional 170 million square feet either approved or pending. It also showed the warehouses generate more than truck trips per day, and those trucks emit more than 15 billion pounds of carbon dioxide per year.

Gonzalez argued the logistics hub in the Inland Empire is taking a toll on public health.

"Enough is enough," Gonzalez asserted. "The cumulative impact shows that asthma rates, COPD rates and cancer rates are going up dramatically every day, as more and more trucks come into our communities and poison the air that we breathe."

A recent state Enviroscreen report found the Inland Empire has the highest concentration of ozone pollution in the country. The company, Compass Danbe, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Moreno Valley interim city attorney said the ruling was disappointing - arguing that the court should have given the city's air quality study more weight, and that the company offered substantial mitigation in the form of more than a million dollars in grants to city programs, including those that promote clean air and renewable energy.


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A new report documenting the impact of fossil fuel-powered appliances on air quality makes the case that Maryland will need to take additional steps to meet its climate goals.

The study authored by a group of environmental organizations looked at home and commercial use of fossil fuels in HVAC systems and water heaters - and found that in Maryland, such equipment emits more than three times the amount of health-harming nitrogen oxides as all the state's power plants combined.

The nonprofit Chesapeake Climate Action Network contributed to the report, and Maryland Director Jamie DeMarco said pollution from fossil fuel-powered appliances is worse in cities.

"Every gas furnace vents outside, so it's a little smokestack," said DeMarco. "And when you have a lot of homes together, there's a lot of smokestacks. So urban areas have more concentrated air pollution outdoors from indoor space and water heating."

Study authors are calling on the state to enact air-quality equipment standards similar to those in California, that would phase out the sale of natural gas-fired furnaces and water heaters and promote more efficient alternatives such as heat pumps.

The report estimates pollution from fossil-fuel equipment in Maryland is responsible for more than 6,000 lost workdays per year and more than $1.3 billion in health impacts.

Researchers also forecast that newer, more efficient appliances would reduce costs, estimating that 98% of households in the state would save money on energy bills each month.

DeMarco said a new state standard for home appliances would not impact existing equipment, but would be implemented at the point of sale.

"Air-quality equipment standards would not come into anybody's home and require you to change what you have," said DeMarco. "It's just at the point when you need to replace the equipment. An air-quality equipment standard would just ensure that you are buying the best product that is going to heat your home most efficiently, most affordably, while not contributing to air pollution in Maryland."

In decades past, the criticism of heat pumps was their inability to continue operating in extreme cold.

But DeMarco said technology improvements in recent years have brought units to market that can still heat homes with outside temperatures at minus 22 degrees.

"These are not your grandparents' heat pumps," said DeMarco. "One of the states with the highest adoption of heat pumps for heating homes is Maine. Because you just don't have the gas pipelines to reach all those rural homes. But you can install heat pumps, and it heats even in Maine winters."

Heat pumps also cool homes in summer months and use 29% less electricity vs central AC.





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