An article in the Sept. 26 issue of the Grand Forks Gazette tells us that data on ground level air quality was collected on a set route during the summer by Jordan Andrews, a student from the University of Victoria, who was supervised by Wayne Kopan, environmental and building construction services manager for the City of Grand Forks.
The purpose of the collection was to determine the levels of particulate matter of 2.5 microns (PM2.5) or less in size, particles so small that they can penetrate the respiratory system and become the cause of serious ailments – a micron is a millionth of a metre.
The instrument used to measure the particulate matter during the summer is called a nephelometer. It is capable of measuring the size and concentration of suspended particles in the air. The instrument used is on loan from the University of Victoria.
During the winter, a half-dozen volunteers will follow the same route taken by Andrews to measure the variations in colder weather conditions.
Gathering the information is the easy part of this study. The difficult part is to make meaningful policy decisions based on the data.
Kopan stated that truck traffic exhaust emissions and road dust were the source of major spikes in the summer data. He suggested that in winter there would likely be higher ratings in specific areas because of smoke from wood stoves.
Truck traffic on Highway 3 is a given and it will increase in the future rather than decrease. Trucks create dust and many of them are not equipped with exhaust emission controls. How are the polluters identified and dealt with?
Diesel exhaust is a mixture of over 400 particulates, gases and toxic organic compounds that result from the burning of diesel fuel. The state of California has designated 40 of these compounds as toxic.
Road dust can also be a mixture of particulates, some coming from tires and the asphalt road surface.
Although the city must be commended for wanting to improve the quality of the air in the basin, do residents really pay much attention to the air they breathe? Some appear to, but many are oblivious.
Examples of people who don’t appear to care are those who attend the Farmers’ Market in Gyro Park twice weekly in the summer and fall months.
Gyro Park is a prime location for high concentrations of diesel exhaust emissions and road dust yet the vendors continue to operate there. Others who appear unconcerned are the musicians and their audiences at Music in the Park on Wednesday evenings.
Will this be another report that is left on a shelf somewhere in city hall or will it be followed by another bylaw that will require enforcement? Grand Forks has a noise control bylaw (1681), a deer feeding bylaw (1884), a bylaw to regulate wood burning appliances (1879) and a bylaw to control the idling of vehicles (1836). None are enforced, and without a bylaw enforcement officer they will never be.
While the city is gathering information on fine particulate matter in the air, some residents would prefer that ground level ozone be the focus of its work.
Ground level ozone – a key ingredient of smog – is created by chemical reactions between oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC) in the presence of sunlight. It is an air pollutant that damages human health and vegetation.
Major sources of NOx and VOC are industrial operations, electrical utilities, motor vehicle exhaust, gasoline vapours, and chemical solvents.
Ground level ozone can trigger a variety of health problems including chest pain, coughing, throat irritation, and congestion. Asthma, bronchitis and emphysema can be worsened.
Should ozone levels be measured or should the environment committee concentrate first on drafting a set of ambient are quality standards for the valley?
– Roy Ronaghan is a columnist for the Grand Forks Gazette
