At one time, Arizona was known internationally as a respite for those with breathing difficulties. With ailments ranging from allergies to asthma to tuberculosis, patients flocked to the area for relief.
The brown cloud
Since the early 1990s, the residents of Valle del Sol have been looking for some relief. The “Brown Cloud,” as it is known, engulfs the Phoenix area in pollutants most of the year, resulting in the American Lung Association giving Maricopa County its lowest rating for air quality in both ozone as in particles in 2005.
According to the association’s “State of the Air 2005” report, more than 2.6 million, or 79%, of county residents are at high risk for respiratory complications due to air quality. Those at risk include residents with asthma, bronchitis, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.
What Causes Phoenix Air Quality Problems?
For the most part, the brown cloud is made up of tiny gas particles of carbon dioxide and nitrogen. These substances are deposited in the air mainly from the burning of fossil fuels. Cars, construction-related dust, power plants, gas lawn mowers, leaf blowers, and more contribute to the cloud on a daily basis.
While other areas across the country have similar use of fossil fuels without the obvious side effects, the location, weather conditions, and rapid growth that attract residents and visitors to this area also help trap those particles and gases.
At night, an inversion layer forms over the valley. As with any desert, the air closest to the ground cools faster than the air above. However, unlike most other deserts, the cold air then moves over the warm air to the west from the surrounding mountains.
As a result, the air trapped closer to the ground in the Valley, the air that contains most of the pollutants in the area, spreads. As the desert floor warms during the day, the particles rise, forming a visible haze that expands as the day progresses.
Throughout the day, air changes in the Valley cause variations in the Brown Cloud. Starting at noon, the cloud is pushed east. With each sunset, the cycle begins anew.
The summit of the brown cloud
In March 2000, Governor Jane Hull formed the Governor’s Brown Cloud Summit, a committee of local politicians and businessmen, dedicated to restoring the Valley’s air to its once pristine light blue. Chaired by meteorologist and former state senator Ed Phillips, the Summit examined this issue for ten months. According to the final Brown Cloud Summit report, the process outlined above not only obscures the clearly visible mountains surrounding the Valley, but also contributes to higher-than-average incidents of health problems, especially respiratory illnesses including allergies and asthma, leading to higher than normal death rates from heart and lung diseases.
Things to do to improve Phoenix’s air quality
The Summit concluded that only a cooperative solution would reduce or eliminate the Brown Cloud. First, residents of the Phoenix area must understand the causes and effects of air pollution. Then, in cooperation with local businesses and elected officials, they must reduce the introduction of pollutants into the air through voluntary and regulated methods.
Private citizens and business owners can take action by, for example, reducing traffic through telecommuting, carpooling, and encouraging and / or subsidizing the use of public transportation, including the upcoming light rail system in Phoenix and communities. surrounding.
Other measures include the repair and modernization of vehicles with more efficient emission controls or alternative fuel systems and the purchase of cleaner vehicles for commercial and government fleets.
Automakers have responded to the demand for “greener” vehicles by producing hybrids that can run on electricity or gasoline, and cars that run on compressed natural gas (CNG) or biodiesel made from renewable resources such as vegetable oil and soybeans. Research on the use of hydrogen fuel cells that emit only water vapor is ongoing, but it is not expected to result in a practical and affordable passenger vehicle for several years.
Mandatory regulations also play a role in reducing pollutants in the area. Tighter vehicle and industrial emissions have been enacted over the years to meet Summit recommendations and federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards. Heavy industry has been tasked with reducing smokestack emissions. Farmers and construction companies must adhere to increasingly stringent dust control standards to keep particulate levels low.
Has Phoenix’s air quality improved since 2000?
According to the EPA, the air in the Phoenix area has improved in recent years, but the agency issued a “Notice of Deficiency” in Maricopa County in May 2005 for repeated violations of federal air quality standards over the previous months. set forth in the 1990 Clean Air Act. While the data is still being reviewed for 2005, in 2004 Maricopa County accumulated 30 of those violations.
As a result, the EPA has mandated that particulate pollution in the area be reduced by at least 5% per year based on current levels. Those cuts will apply until the federal agency is satisfied with certain health standards. Local officials have until the end of 2007 to submit their plan to EPA to meet these new standards.
Maricopa County officials called 2005 “the worst for air quality in memory,” according to a January 2006 report in the “Republic of Arizona.” Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) director Steve Owens said air pollution during the winter of 2005 was “kind of like the brown cloud on steroids.”
The worst polluters in Phoenix
According to the newly formed Maricopa County Air Quality Department, the worst offenders contributing to the area’s most recent drop in air quality appear to be homebuilders who paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines for dust and dust violations. permits over the past year. Manufacturers, trucking companies, and many others have also been fined by the department for a variety of violations.
In addition to regulating industrial pollutants, county officials are reaching out to area citizens to do their part in cleaning the air. Recommendations include keeping cars tuned and running properly, reducing and combining trips, using public transportation, and refraining from using wood stoves or indoor fireplaces during high-pollution advisories, also known as “burn-free days.” Residents can call (602) 506-6400 at any time to receive messages in English and Spanish describing current firewood burning restrictions.
Additional regulations may be considered for Maricopa County, including stricter enforcement of vehicle and industrial emissions standards and dust regulations, along with the extension of no-burn bans to outdoor wood fires. Cities may consider imposing restrictions on leaf blowers and other sources of particulate pollution that are not yet regulated.
Looking to the future
Meanwhile, Valley residents and visitors will continue to deal with the health effects of the Brown Cloud by doing what they can, including staying indoors during the region’s all-too-common air quality advisories and visiting their doctors or wards. emergency room when breathing becomes difficult. .
At the beginning of the 20th century, the clean air of the Valley of the Sun was a miracle cure for people with respiratory diseases. While the area may never be as pristine as that again, it can become cleaner in the 21st century with the help of area residents and businesses. This will help everyone who calls the area “home” to breathe much easier.
