More Unhealthy Smog Today

Ozone levels soared again today in the Denver metro area, rising above current federal health limits at four monitor sites.

According to the latest information on the Colorado Air Pollution Control Division's website, ozone levels climbed above the health limit of 80 parts per billion over an eight hour period at Rocky Flats, in Golden, in Fort Collins, and in southwest Lakewood.

Rocky Flats had an eight hour ozone concentration of 90 parts per billion, the highest ozone reading so far this year in Colorado. Right behind was Fort Collins, where ozone climbed to 87 parts per billion.

A violation of health standard will occur when the fourth highest eight hour ozone reading reaches 86 parts per billion at the Rocky Flats monitor. With ozone rising to 85 parts per billion yesterday and then 90 today, Rocky Flats may be on track to violate.

All this comes at the heels of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's announcement that ozone should be limited to 70 parts per billion over an eight hour period, not 80, to keep us all safe.

Tomorrow promises more of the same; there continues to be an ozone alert in effect for the Denver metro area. It's looking like the Mile High City still has miles to go when it comes to keeping people safe from smog.

Don't be Fooled by the Clouds

Things are still smoggy as all get tonight, folks. As of 7 P.M., the maximum eight hour ozone concentrations reached 85 parts per billion at Rocky Flats and 80 in Golden. Our current health standards limit ozone to no more than 80 parts per billion, so this is pretty serious.

In fact, today saw hourly ozone concentrations reach 90 parts per billion or higher, some of the highest hourly readings recorded so far this year. The hourly concentrations are averaged over an eight hour period to give us the eight hour average, and that's how we assess air quality.

And you know what else? If the fourth highest maximum ozone concentration reaches 86 parts per billion at Rocky Flats, we officially violate federal health standards. Given that ozone readings today have so far topped 85 parts per billion at Rocky Flats, we may be in for trouble this year.

Breathe easy tonight, and don't be fooled by the clouds.

Particulates Rearing Their Ugly Head Again

Play it safe today here in Denver, according to the Colorado Air Pollution Control Division, microscopic particulate pollution is climbing to unhealthy levels. Particulate pollution poses a myriad of terrible health effects.

As of this morning, particulate concentrations were at 26 micrograms/cubic meter in downtown Denver. Federal health standards limit particulate matter to no more than 35 micrograms/cubic meter over a 24 hour period and to no more than 15 micrograms/cubic meter as an annual average. This is one of the highest particulate concentrations recorded so far this summer and is a bit unusual. Particulate pollution is usually the biggest problem for Denver in the early spring and winter.

On top of all this, an ozone alert has been issued for today.

Hopefully things will clear up here in Denver.

Bike to Work Day

Thousands biked to work today here in Denver, including us, and what a wonderful sight it was!

And if thousands can do it today, why can't thousands do it every day? Let's go, make every day bike to work day, folks!

It's good for you and good for our air; you simply can't go wrong.

Speak of the Devil

Speaking of unhealthy ozone pollution, yesterday marked the first day this year that monitors in the Denver metro area registered an exceedance of current health standards. The monitor in Fort Collins had a reading of 0.081 parts per million; the current standard is 0.080 parts per million. Here's an overview from the state:

Sat. 6/24: Max 8-hour = 0.081 ppm at Fort Collins-West
(For the Denver area, max 8-hour = 0.075 ppm at Rocky Flats-N)

This value at Fort Collins-West is the first time this season that we have gone over 0.080 ppm for an 8-hour average.

At Least One of our Lungs Might be Safe

It's time to recap from a busy (and hot) end of last week and weekend.

Last Thursday, the EPA held it's dog and pony show announcing its proposal to "strengthen" health standards for ozone from 0.080 parts per million (that's 80 parts per billion) to somewhere between 0.070-0.075 parts per million.

True, if the EPA's proposal is finalized, it would represent a major step forward for our health. But why just take a step when we can make leaps and bounds? The EPA's own scientists, numerous public health organizations, doctors, researchers, and even the state of Colorado recognize that there are health effects from ozone at levels as low as 0.060 parts per million.

Is the EPA really keeping us safe when it only goes "halfway" to keeping us safe from ozone? Should we just rest assured that at least one of our lungs is safe from smog here in Denver?

In a bizarre move, the EPA is also asking for "comment" on the validity of keeping the current ozone standard of 0.080 parts per million. From our standpoint, this is just bait; it's meant to sidetrack health and environmental advocates into overlooking the fact that the agency could do much better. Really, from a legal standpoint, the EPA itself has nailed the coffin shut on keeping the current standard by claiming that a 0.070 parts per million standard is needed to protect our health.

Despite this, the EPA seems to have snagged some folks in its trap.

In the meantime, Denver endured record temperatures over the weekend and ozone soared. On Saturday, ozone levels reached 78 parts per billion. Even by EPA standards, this is unhealthy. This really drives home the fact that those of us in the Denver metro area stand to benefit tremendously from a new and stronger ozone standard.

And through all of this, industry is fretting and no, it's not because they're worried their pollution may be harming our health.

Finally, to cap things off with a breath of fresh air, the Denver Post weighed in today on the side of our health. Here's an excerpt:

It won't be easy for places like the Front Range to meet stringent new ozone standards. But the health and well-being of Coloradans is worth the effort.

Well, that's it for now, time to get going on a new week. But be careful out there, there is an ozone alert for today.

EPA Proposes Standard, Withholds it from Public

until tomorrow morning. In the meantime, check out our post on our Rocky Mountain Clean Air Action blog and learn what you need to know about the EPA's forthcoming proposal.

New Smog Standards Set to be Proposed Today

Long overdue, the Environmental Protection Agency is today slated to propose a new ambient air quality standard for ozone. The proposal already has industry kicking and screaming, crying that if we actually take steps to fully protect our health--like that of the 89,000 children in Colorado suffering from asthma--this country will "shut down." Not likely.

Our hope is that the agency adopts a stronger standard, like one that limits ozone to no more than 60 parts per billion over an eight hour period, instead of the current standard of 80. This is, after all, a public health decision and nothing more. Why shouldn't the EPA adopt the strongest measures for our health?

Will the EPA follow through? We'll see.

Stay at Home?

While people in the Denver metro area are being urged to "stay at home" this weekend due to unhealthy ozone pollution, we'd rather take the steps needed to keep ozone from rising to unhealthy levels in the first place.

It's the classic response the state and the Regional Air Quality Council like to give whenever ozone pollution, also known as smog, threatens our health. "It's the weather," they say, that creates conditions favorable to the formation of ozone. So, they say, "the best we can do is take cover." We disagree.

Ozone doesn't form magically. It comes from air pollution released by smokestacks, tailpipes, and evaporating hydrocarbons at natural gas wells and oil refineries. Sure, the weather can create conditions favoring ozone creation, but ozone doesn't come from the clouds, it isn't beamed in from the sun, and it doesn't come blowing in from the land of smog. Wind, rain, clouds; this is weather. The crap that comes out of a smokestack? Sorry, that's not weather.

So why is this such a big deal? Well, since ozone is an air pollution problem, it means we can do something about it. It's not like a tornado where all you can do is cross your fingers and hope for the best. We can actually take steps to keep ozone in check, even when the weather may favor the creation of ozone.

And doesn't that just make sense? Why cross our fingers and hope for the best when we can actually do something about ozone pollution? Like getting old, smoky cars off the road, keeping trucks from idling for hours on end, cutting ozone forming pollution from smokestacks at coal burning power plants, or even offering discounts on mass transit during the summer ozone season. There must be a million things we can do to to keep our air clean and healthy.

But staying at home? By avoiding the problem? Right, and maybe while we're at it we can go smoke a pack of cigarettes. Either way, all we can do to protect our health is cross our fingers and hope for the best. Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?

We need to get on the Regional Air Quality Council and the Colorado Air Pollution Control Division and tell them to do more to cut ozone pollution. Let's start by sending an e-mail to Regional Air Quality Council Director Ken Lloyd and Air Pollution Control Division Director Paul Tourangeau.

Let's ask them to stop blaming the weather and start focusing on reducing ozone pollution in the Denver metro area. Let's tell them when it comes to our health, staying at home doesn't solve the problem.

Phew!

Today marked the first ozone alert issued in 2007, although ozone has risen to unhealthy levels many times so far in 2007.

The alert has been more than warranted. Ozone concentrations at the Fort Collins West monitor climbed to 79 parts per billion today, the highest ozone reading so far in Colorado in 2007. Federal standards are currently set at 80 parts per billion, so we're cutting it pretty close.

Smog Monster

Unfortunately, Godzilla can't help us with our smog. Fortunately, Rocky Mountain Clean Air Action can!

Denver Ozone One Year Anniversary

We've been so busy it almost slipped past us, but as of June 7, 2007, Denver Ozone has officially been on the web for over one year!

Over the year, we've brought crucial information, commentary, and ideas related to ozone pollution, also known as smog, in the Denver metro area. We've also interjected this with posts on particulate pollution in Denver and other related issues.

What's been our goal, our driving force, our inspiration and desire?

From the start, it's been about engaging and educating people on a major public health issue in the Denver metro area. It's been about providing a citizen's point of view, rather than the government or industry. It's been about making sure people have the knowledge and the power to become involved to keep Denver's air safe and clean. And, at times, it's been about putting the spotlight on polluters and government officials to spur them to act for clean air.

Has it been effective? We think so. Just in the last year over 5,000 people have viewed the Denver Ozone blog, with over 3,000 views just in 2007 alone.

But tell us what you think of Denver Ozone. Check out our archives and leave some feedback. We'd love to hear the good and the bad; and as usual, anonymous posts are more than welcome! Thanks everyone!

Denver Struggles with Summer Air Quality

In the last few days, the only thing we've "struggled" with is wind, rain, and cool temperatures, all a welcome reprieve from the heat, but that doesn't mean we're in the clear.

2007 will be a critical year for Denver, and it's unclear whether we're going to be able to keep our air free of smog. Rest assured, we hope more than anyone that 2007 is a clean and healthy year for Denver's air quality, but the trends aren't looking good. Just last Saturday, ozone concentrations peaked at 75 parts per billion at Rocky Flats. Current standards limit ozone concentrations to no more than 80 parts per billion, so we're already cutting it close.

By the way, if you're on the web, you can link to the Colorado Air Pollution Control Division's air quality banner for up-to-date clean air information, just like below.

Suncor Wants to Build New Refinery in Denver

This is a proposal that will hopefully go nowhere fast. According to the Rocky Mountain News, Suncor Energy is considering building a new oil refinery in north Denver.

With a new refinery comes more air pollution, including more cancer-causing benzene and other toxic pollutants. Already, the Suncor refinery spews out nearly 100,000 pounds of air toxics, including 198 pounds of benzene, over 11,000 pounds of propylene, and over 4,000 pounds of ammonia. What's more, the refinery releases over 2,600,00 pounds of smog forming pollution annually, in addition to over 1,000,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide.

For the families living near the refineries, this is not good news. For that matter, this is terrible news for anyone living in the Denver metro area.

While the Rocky frames this as potentially good for the "gasoline supply," this is not the way to solve any gasoline supply problem. With the Denver metro area investing in alternative transportation projects like FasTracks, more sustainable transportation solutions like bicycling, and projects like the Denver Metro Clean Cities Coalition moving forward, simply flooding the market with more gasoline is outdated and misguided.

The problem isn't a lack of gasoline, it's the fact that we've left ourselves with no other option. It's time to change this paradigm, starting with rejecting any idea of a new refinery in Denver.

In more ways than one, a new refinery for Denver is a terrible idea. Hopefully Suncor will wake up, smell the benzene, and kill the idea itself. If not, Suncor can be assured that citizens will not allow a new refinery to be built in Denver.

Ozone Health Effects

As a review for all of us, check out an overview of the health effects of ozone, prepared by Colorado's own Dr. Ned Colonge, the Chief Medical Officer of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

As Dr. Colonge explains on page 9:

According to the U.S. EPA, ozone concentrations as low as 64 ppb [parts per billion] can be dangerous for sensitive groups. Typically, half of all summer days along the Front Range reach the 64 ppb threshold.

Note that federal health standards currently limit ozone concentrations to no more than 80 parts per billion. Dr. Colonge highlights the fact that current federal health standards do not protect people from ozone pollution here in Denver, hence the need to strengthen them.

Another Start to the Ozone Season

According to the Regional Air Quality Council, the summer ozone season has just started.

For many of us though, the ozone season has already been very active, with concentrations rising to unhealthy levels many times in March, April, and May. Ozone, otherwise known as smog, remains a health threat to everyone living in the Denver metro area.

The message in all this is that we all continue to be at risk from smog. So what can we do? The Regional Air Quality Council actually has some good suggestions for simple things people can do to help keep smog in check.

But to really get at smog in the Denver metro area, it's going to be up to us to make sure polluters--like the oil and gas industry and coal burning power plants--take steps to keep their smog forming pollution in check. When it's all said and done, our efforts to keep smog in check don't add up to much when massive amounts of smog forming pollution are spewed from factories, power plants, and oil and gas developments.

Stay tuned for ways you can help.