West MI Clean Air Coalition

WHAT EXACTLY IS HAPPENING ONTHOSE DAYS AND WHY DO WE HAVESUGGESTED RESTRICTIONS ONWHAT WE SHOULD AND SHOULDN'T DO.IN THIS SEGMENT IS PAID FOR BYWESTMICHIGAN CLEAN AIR COALITION, WETAKE A DEEPER DIVE INTO WHYOZONE ACTION DAYS HAPPEN.

TAKE ALOOK.ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL SUMMER DAY INWEST MICHIGAN AND YOUMAY BE OUT LIKE I AM GETTINGSOMEFRESH AIR TODAY, MAYBE THROWINGTHE BALL AROUND OR MOWING THELAWN, WAIT A SECOND, MAYBE YOUCAN'T MOW THE LAWN BEAUCSEIT'S A CLEAN AIR ACTION DAY.WELL,WHAT DOES THAT MEAN, MY AMY FROMTHE WEST MICHIGAN CLEANAIR COALITION HAS THE ANSWERS, ACLEANER ACTION DAY IS ONE OFTHOSE DAYS IN THE SUMMER WHENTHEWEATHER IS EARLLY HOT AND IT'SCONDUCIVE FOR WHAT WE CALLGROUND LEVEL OZONE FORMATION ANDIT'S ONE OF THOSE DAYSWHERE WE ASK PEOPLE TO TAKESPECIAL ACTION BECAUSE OFPEOPLE'S HEALTH IN THE HIGHERPOLLUTION IN THE AIR, PEOPLE MAYASK WHY WE HAVE THESERESTRICTIONS PLACED ON US INWEST MICHIGAN AND REALLY IT'SALLDUE TO AROUND LEELV OZONE ISSUE,THERE'S A NATIONALSTANDARD THAT WE TEND TO GOOVER,AND A LOT OF OUR ISSUE WITH WESTMICHIGAN HAS TO DO WITH THE NEXTTWO IS BIG BEAUTIFUL LAKE,LAKE MICHIGAN.

WE GET A LOT OFOURPOLLUTION FROM ACROSS THE LAKEFROM LARGER CITIES ACROSS THELAKE FROM CHICAGO, GARY,MILWAUKEE, AND BY THE TIME ITCOMESTO US SOMETIMES IT EVEN HEATSMORE OVER THE LAKE COMBINES WITHLIQUID PARTICLE ASND BYTHE TIME, SOME OF THIS AIRPOLLUTIONGETS TO US, IT'S EVEN WORSE.

SOINWEST MICHIGAN WE'RE ASKED TOTAKE ON SPECIAL VOULNTARYACTIONS ON THOSE DAYS FORPEOPLE'SHEALTH REASONS AND TO KEEP UNDERTHAT NATIONALSTANDARD.

SO THERE IS A UPPEROZO NELAYER, WHICH IS A GOODLAYER, AND WE WANT TO KEEP ANDTHAT'S ON THE OZONE LAYER THATWE HEARD ABOUT SEVERAL YEARSAGO WEHN WE WERE ALL YOUNGER,BUT THE OZONE LAYER THATWE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE IS WHATWE CALL IT GROUND LEVELOZONE AND GROUND LEVEL OZONE ISCAUSED BY POLLUTION FROMVEHICLES, FACTORIES, THATSORT OF THING, AND IT'S REALLYMORE COMMONLY KNOWN AS SMOG.WELL, GROUND LEVEL OZONE CAN USETO BE A CONCERN IN WEST MICHIGANBECSAUE IT IS A HEALTHRELATED ISSUE FOR PEOPLE WHOHAVEASTHMA FOR ELDERLY PEOPLE, ORFOR YOU NGPEOPLE, WHOSERESPIRATORY SYSTEMS ARE REALLYJUST DEVELOPING.

SOIT'S, IT CAN DEFINITELY BE AHEALTH ISSUE FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVEOTHER ISSUES, BUT IT ALSO COULDBE AHEALTH ISSUE FROM SOMEONE WHO'SVERY HEALTHY, BUT JUSTVERY ACTIVE SUCH AS A JOGGER,ANDTHAT SORT OF THING.

SO WE ASEKDPEOPLE TO TAKE PRECAUTIONSAND CLEANER ACTION DAYS JUST TOKEEP THE GROUND LEVELOZONE, TO THE MOST MINIMAL LEVELTHAT WE CNA, THERE'S THISCOALITION THAT I WORK WITHCALLEDTHE WEST MICHIGAN CLEAN AIRCOALITION, AND WE WOR KWITHSTATEWIDE METEOROLOGISTS AND ALLTHE TELEVISIONMETEOROLOGISTS THAT YOU SEE ONTV AND WE ALSO DO WORK WITHLOCALLEVTEISION STATIONS AND RADIOSTATIONS SUCH AS THISINTERVIEW TO GET THE WORD OUTTHAT IT IS A CLEANER ACTINODAY, AND THAT PEOPLE SHOULD BEAWARE FOR HEALTH ISSUES AND TAKEEXTRA PRECAUTIONS ON THOSE DAYSTHERE THERE'S ANATIONAL STANDARD.

AND IF WE'REEXPECTED IF THEMETEOROLOGISTS THINK THE WEATHERFORECASTS AND CONDITIONS ON THEWEAETHRFORECASTS ARE EXPECTED TO GOOVER THAT STANDARD, THENTHEY CALL WITH WHAT WE CALL ACLEANER ACTION DAY, AND THOSEWEATHER CONDITIONS INCLUDE VERYHOT TEMPERATURES SOS 8090S LOTS OF SUN, AND THENTYPICALLY A WIND FROM THESOUTHWEST SO GARY MILWAUKEEINDIANA.

THOSE PLACES HAVE THEIRPOLLUTIO NCOMES ACROSS THE LAKEANHD ITS US, AND SOMETIMES IT'SEVEN WORSE BY THE TIME IT GETSTO US.

WELL, WE CHANGE FROMOZONE ACTIONAID TO CLEANERACTION PROBABLY ABOUT 10 YEARSAGO BECAUSE WE ADDED A POLLUTIONTO OUR MIX IN WEST MICHIGANCALLED FINE PARTICULATEPOLLUTION SEVERAL YEARSAGO, WE WERE ALMOST READY TO GOOVER THAT NATIONALSTANDARDS.

BUT LUCKILY, WEHAVEN'T, BUT WE WANTED TO ADDTHAT POLLUTION NITO THE MIX TOMAKE PEOPLE AWARE THAT THAT'SALSO ANOTHER POLLUTI ONIN THISAREA THAT WE HAVE TO LOOK OUTFOR PARTICULATE MATTER POLLUTIONDAYS CAN ALSO HAPPEN ANYTIME INTHE WINTER.

A LOT O FTHAT ISCAUSEDBY STILLS FROM FIREPLACES ANDTHAT SORT OF THING, IF PEOP LEARE LOOKING TO GET MOREINFORMATION ON THE WESTMICHIGAN CLEAN AIR COALITION,THEY CAN G OTO OUR WEBSITE WHICHIS W M C A C DOT ORG.

WE ALSOHAVE A VERY ACTIVE FACEBOOKPAGE,WHICH IS THE WEST MICHIGAN CLEANAIR COALITION AND A PHONE NUMBERWHICH PEOPLE CAN CALL IS ONE800-65-OZONE.