Results tagged “airquality”

If you're coughing a lot, the good news is it might not be the flu. The American Lung Association has given King County a big, fat F in The State of the Air report for ozone pollution and a C for particle pollution. (Hey, we're passing particle pollution!) The report analyzed data from 2005-2007. Here we thought we were ahead of the eco-friendly ball. We hope the next survey gives us extra credit for all of the retrofitting and emissions reducing projects we've been paying for working on. But take a deep breath and put your nervous energy to good use; at least we didn't earn top pollutant honors like other cities, including Los Angeles and Bakersfield, and good ol' Pittsburgh, PA.

Thanks to these high, high temperatures (OMFG!!1! 80 degrees?! *pantpant*), the P-I reports, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is close to calling a smog alert. The shame! The agency's Dave Kircher says to do everything possible to keep from driving the next few days: "Stay home, have an iced tea or whatever, and don't mow your lawn." Here we just laugh! As bicyclists, we're gonna pack extra water, but otherwise, Kircher, we'll do whatever the hell we want and go wherever the hell we want. (Okay, and shower much more often.) Don't worry, we'll keep an eye on the air quality for those of you trapped in cars. If there's a good reason to be wheezin', we'll let you know.

The same day that the Seattle Times tells us that two south Seattle cement plants are pumping 100 pounds of mercury into the air each year, we learned from the P-I that the Bush administration doesn't think asbestos causes cancer. Chronic exposure to tiny levels of mercury in the air can give you the shakes and make you stupid, but it also accumulates in the earth and in water. We're probably close to being able to use Duwamish fish to tell the temperature by now. Senator Patty Murray has been fighting for a ban on asbestos, and is disturbed by the "EPA's desire to ignore decades worth of what are considered solid studies documenting the actual hazard of the most common type of asbestos." Happily, Amazon sells an Israeli gas mask for about $40. That ought to filter out some of this, right?

The air is incredible today. If we were at all competent we'd put up a picture that shows shockingly clear Olympics to the west, but get outside and see for yourself. Yeah, it's kinda cold, but the air is so clean and sharp we're about to take a long walk just for the sake of the breathing. We don't really know if this is scientifically accurate or if the cold just feels good on the lungs, but the Air Quality Index lists today as a good day in Seattle and ranks Aberdeen, Washington as one of the best places in the country to breath right now. Is this Alaskan air? Is this what it's like in Alaska all the time? Because this is nice.

"What's the weather like today?" is a question many people think to ask the internet in the morning. Fleese or jacket, scarf or umbrella or all of the above? You need to know what the conditions are like outside before you can go anywhere. Never mind the fact that you'd need a giant backpack and a few sherpas to carry enough gear to be prepared for any weather the region may throw at us on a given day. You gotta make a guess and dress accordingly. "How's traffic on 5?" is another question you might ponder into your laptop at the breakfast table.