Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Media contact: Mark Sulzbach 651-296-7768 Technical contact: Rick Strassman 651-296-7754 Toll-free: 1-800-657-3864 St. Paul, Minn. -- Jogging, exercising and playing outdoors are healthy summer pastimes, but there are rare occasions when you're better off hanging out at home. "Hot sunny weather brings ozone season," said Rick Strassman, air monitoring unit supervisor with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). "Ozone, which is the main component of smog, irritates the lungs, even in healthy people." If the air becomes unhealthy, the MPCA issues an "Air Pollution Alert" to those who have signed up on the MPCA Web site for free e-mail alerts. The MPCA measures ozone pollution during the warmest part of the year -- April through September. Ozone forms when emissions from industry, vehicles and lawnmowers, and fumes from paints and solvents mix in hot sunshine. It is produced locally, but can spread to rural areas and also blow into Minnesota from places as far away as St. Louis. Levels of air pollutants are posted on the MPCA Web site (http://aqi.pca.state.mn.us/hourly/) using a tool called the Air Quality Index, or AQI. The AQI is updated hourly, seven days a week, 6 a.m. to midnight. AQI information includes health cautions for vulnerable or "sensitive" populations. Sensitive populations include older adults, people with cardiac or respiratory conditions including asthma, children, and healthy adults who exercise vigorously. To help reduce ozone-forming pollutants in warm weather:
· Drive less by carpooling and combining errands;
· Don't top off your gas tank and release extra fumes into the air;
· Refuel after 8 p.m. when it's cooler and less fuel will evaporate; and
· Reduce electricity use to help cut air pollutants created by power plants.
During Air Pollution Alerts add these precautions:
· Postpone using gas-engines, such as lawnmowers, shrub trimmers and leaf blowers; and
· Postpone use of paints and solvents.
The AQI includes measurements of other air pollutants such as fine particles or soot. "Fine particles" refers to particles smaller than 1/30th the width of a human hair. Because these particles are so tiny, they can be inhaled deeply into the lungs. Evidence suggests that even low levels of fine particle pollution are unhealthy for those with heart and respiratory conditions. Fine particle pollution is monitored year-round and was the cause of most of Minnesota's Air Pollution Alerts in 2004. During the first three months of 2005, fine particle pollution pushed the AQI into the "unhealthy for sensitive groups" category or above on four occasions in the Twin Cities, Duluth and Rochester, three in St. Cloud and two in Brainerd. The AQI Web page also includes metro-area air quality forecasts for the following day. "If the air quality forecast for tomorrow says unhealthy, we can cut down emissions-producing activities today," said Strassman. "For instance, we can postpone mowing the lawn or painting the fence for a day, or commute to work with a neighbor." "On days when air pollution levels are high, people can postpone vigorous exercise and take it easy," said Chuck Stroebel, research scientist at the Minnesota Department of Health. "Regular exercise is important for staying healthy, but it's also important to pay attention to your body and notice if you are experiencing asthma or other symptoms that may be related to air pollution. Sports coaches, parents and others who schedule activities for children should plan for more frequent rests and remind children to pay attention to how they are feeling. Even if they can't change their schedule or practice, they can change or modify an activity so it's less intense." AQI information on the MPCA Web site includes the Twin Cities area, Brainerd, Rochester, Duluth, St. Cloud, Ely and Detroit Lakes. For more information about air pollution and the AQI, or to sign up for free e-mail alerts, go to http://aqi.pca.state.mn.us/hourly/