"Air Quality is a Priority in the Natural State" Air quality is variable and dependent upon a number of factors including; sunlight, temperature, wind speed and direction. Like the weather, it can change from day to day or even hour to hour. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and others are working to make local air quality information as available to the public as weather information. Ozone Action Days is our local central Arkansas program coordinated through Metroplan and the Central Arkansas Clean Cities Coalition in cooperation with the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH), Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), and the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD). Counties included in the program are Pulaski, Faulkner, Lonoke and Saline.
Air pollution affects everyone. Every day, the average adult breathes over 3,000 gallons of air. Children breathe even more air per pound of body weight and are thus more susceptible to air pollution. Children are even at a greater risk than adults because they are more active outdoors and their lungs are still developing. The elderly are more sensitive than healthy adults to air pollution because senior citizens often have heart or lung disease. When people have a short-term exposure to air pollutants above certain levels, they may experience temporary health concerns, such as eye irritation and burning, throat irritation, and difficulty breathing. Long-term exposure to air pollution can cause chronic health concerns, such as cancer and damage to the body's immune, neurological, reproductive, and respiratory systems.
Since the inception of the Ozone Action Days program in 1998, the participating agencies have worked to increase public awareness of ozone related health risks and ways to reduce ozone precursor emissions. "Ozone Action Alerts" are declared when ozone forecasts have indicated the next day's conditions could support the formation of high concentrations of ground level ozone. The Ozone Action Days program emphasis is on providing notification about the predicted high ozone episodes with suggestions for voluntary actions to protect public health, especially those populations identified as most at risk and ways in which individuals and groups can work to reduce the production of nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds released into our air.
Source: State of Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality
Vehicle Production Facility in Spartanburg County -
Korean-based world leader in manufacturing electric vehicles to create 370 new jobs COLUMBIA, S.C. - CT&T and 2AM Group officials joined Governor Sanford with officials from Spartanburg County at the State House today to announce the company's plans to establish an electric vehicle production facility in Spartanburg County. CT&T, a Korean-based world leader in manufacturing electric ....
OREGON TO GET WORLD'S LARGEST WIND FARM
The Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council (EFSC) today approved a site certificate for the 909 megawatt (MW) Shepherds Flat Wind Farm. Located in Gilliam and Morrow counties, Shepherds Flat will double Oregon's current wind operating capacity of about 889 MW.
