% >> IN ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS
% HEADLINES DESCRIBE CANADA AS
% IMAIKDZ AND BURNING THIS SPRING.
% CANADIAN WILDFIRES HAVE HAD
% THEIR EFFECT HERE IN WISCONSIN
% IN THIS UNUSUALLY HOT, DRY JUNE.
% WE'VE HAD SOME RELIEF NOW, BUT
% WHAT SCIENTISTS CALL FINE
% PARTICULATE MATTER FROM THE
% FIRES CAN EASILY GET INTO THE
% LUNGS AND CAUSE SERIOUS HEALTH
% PROBLEMS.%WE CHECKED IN WITH
CRAIG
% CZARNECKI FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF
% NATURAL RESOURCES FOR MORE.
% >> WE, SINCE 2012, HAVE NOT
% ISSUED AN ADVISORY FOR PM FINE
% PARTICULATE MATTER.%WE'VE HA
D FOUR THIS SPRING.
% WE HAVEN'T HAD TO ISSUE ANY IN
% THE LAST 11 YEARS OR SO AND THIS
% SPRING, FROM THE WILDFIRES IN
% WESTERN CANADA, EASTERN CANADA,
% WE'VE HAD FOUR, SO IT'S
% DEFINITELY BEEN AN UNPRECEDENTED
% SPRING AS FAR AS WILDFIRE
% IMPACTS HERE ARE IN WISCONSIN.
% TYPICALLY, WE'VE SEEN WILDFIRES
% LIKE THIS IMPACT WISCONSIN WITH
% THE SMOKE USUALLY LATER IN THE
% SUMMER, TYPICALLY WHEN IT'S
% HOTTER AND DRIER, BUT THAT SEEMS
% TO BE HAPPENING A LITTLE BIT
% EARLIER THAN USUAL AND THAT'S
% ACTUALLY HAPPENED THE PAST A
% COUPLE OF YEARS.
% >> AND SO IF THERE IS AN AIR
% QUALITY ALERT LIKE THAT
% DESCRIBING IT AS UNHEALTHY FOR
% SENSITIVE GROUPS, WHAT SHOULD
% PEOPLE DO?
% >> YEAH.
% SO WHEN WE HAVE AN ADVISORY
% THAT'S CALLED FOR UNHEALTHY FOR
% SENSITIVE GROUPS, THAT WOULD
% INCLUDE PEOPLE WITH HEART AND
% LUNG AILMENTS OR LUNG DISEASE,
% HEART DISEASE, ASTHMA, THINGS
% LIKE THAT, AND THEN OTHER PEOPLE
% IT WOULD INCLUDE THE ELDERLY AND
% YOUNG CHILDREN AS WELL SINCE
% THEIR LUNGS ARE STILL
% DEVELOPING.
% SO WHEN WE HAVE AN ADVISORY FOR
% UNHEALTHY FOR SENSITIVE GROUPS,
% WE JUST ASK PEOPLE IN THOSE
% GROUPS TO CONSIDER SHORTENING
% THEIR OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, LESS
% INTENSE OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES AS
% WELL AND THEN IF THEY ARE HAVING
% ANY SYMPTOMS LIKE COUGHING OR
% SHORTNESS OF BREATH, THAT WOULD
% BE A SIGN TO MAYBE TAKE A BREAK
% AND TAKE IT A LITTLE BIT EASIER
% ON THOSE DAYS.
% >> SO YOU ALSO MONITOR FOR
% OZONE, AND WHAT IS OZONE?
% >> SO OZONE IS A COMBINATION OF
% A FEW DIFFERENT POLLUTANTS,
% MAINLY VOLATILE ORGANIC OXIDES,
% TWO DIFFERENT POLLUTANTS.
% THE NUMBER ONE SOURCE OF THOSE
% ARE MOBILITY SOURCES LIKE CARS
% AND TRUCKS, AND THIS POLLUTANTS
% REACT IN THE ATMOSPHERE WITH
% HEAT AND SUNLIGHT TO FORM OZONE.
% SO THAT'S THOSE REALLY HOT,
% SUNNY DAYS, THAT'S WHEN WE'RE
% TYPICALLY SEEING THOSE ELEVATED
% LEVELS OF OZONE POLLUTION.
% >> AND WHAT IS AN ELEVATED LEVEL
% OF OZONE?
% WHAT DOES THAT DO TO A PERSON'S
% HEALTH?%>> YEP.
% SO, AGAIN, THAT WOULD IMPACT
% FOLKS WITH BREATHING ISSUES,
% ASTHMA, THINGS LIKE THAT, YOU'RE
% GOING TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE
% SENSITIVE.%YOU'LL FEEL THOSE,
YOU MIGHT
% HAVE SHORTNESS OF BREATH,
% KRAWFG, THINGS LIKE THAT
% COUGHING, THINGS LIKE THAT.
% >> AND DID SOME OF THOSE OZONE
% PROBLEMS.
% >> WE'VE HAD NINE OZONE
% ADVISORIES SO FAR THIS SPRING,
% WHICH IS A LITTLE BIT HIGHER
% THAN NORMAL.
% THE LAST FEW YEARS, WE HAVE BEEN
% SEEING A SLIGHT INCREASE IN THE
% NUMBER OF OZONE ADVISORIES WE'VE
% BEEN ISSUING IN SPRING, BUT
% WE'VE HAD NINE SO FAR THIS YEAR
% AND THOSE HAVE RANGING FROM THE
% UNHEALTHY TO SENSITIVE GROUPS TO
% A LITTLE BIT OF THAT UNHEALTHY
% LEVEL AS WELL.
% >> AND MEANWHILE, THOSE TWO
% THINGS KIND OF HAPPENED AT THE
% SAME TIME, THE WILDFIRES AND THE
% OZONE LEVELS.
% >> YES.
% THIS HAS BEEN A VERY INTERESTING
% SPRING.
% OTHER PEOPLE IN THE PROGRAM,
% ALONG WITH MYSELF, HAVEN'T
% REALLY SEEN A SPRING LIKE THIS
% BEFORE.%WE'VE HAD SOME REALL
Y --
% MID-MAY, WE HAD WILDFIRE IMPACTS
% FROM OUT WEST AND THEN WE HAD
% REALLY HOT, STAGNANT WEATHER
% WITH A NUMBER OF OZONE
% ADVISORIES ISSUED WITH LIKE THIS
% WEATHER BLOCKING PATTERN, THE
% AIR GETS STAGNANT.
% MOST POLLUTANTS DON'T HAVE
% ANYWHERE TO GO BECAUSE THE
% CONDITIONS ARE PRETTY CALM.
% SO ONCE THAT FINALLY BLEW OUT,
% THEN THE WIND SHIFTED AND NOW
% WE'RE IS GETTING WILDFIRE SMOKE,
% OR WE WERE, FROM EASTERN CANADA.
% SO IT'S JUST BEEN KIND OF A
% REALLY UNLUCKY RUN OF
% CIRCUMSTANCES HERE THAT HAVE
% CAUSED THE AIR QUALITY I-OVER
% THE PAST FEW WEEKS HERE.
% >> MEANWHILE, ARE SCIENTISTS AND
% YOUR AGENCY CONSIDERING THAT
% THIS COULD BE KIND OF THE NEW
% NORMAL GOING FORWARD OR THAT IT
% COULD GET KIND OF WORSE AND
% WORSE IN THESE WAYS THROUGH THE
% YEARS?
% >> WE ARE SEEING THAT THOSE
% WILDFIRE IMPACTS ARE HAPPENING A
% LITTLE BIT EARLIER THAN THEY
% TYPICALLY HAVE BEEN AND THAT'S
% BEEN THE LAST FEW YEARS WE'VE
% BEEN SEEING THAT.
% THOSE HOT, DRY CONDITIONS, THOSE
% ARE JUST LASTING LONGER OUT WEST
% AND UP IN CANADA AS WELL.
% SO WE DON'T LIKE TO THINK IT'S
% GETTING WORSE, BUT THE CHANCES
% OF SEEING MORE OF THESE WILDFIRE
% IMPACTS SEEM TO TO BE SOMETHING
% THAT THIS WILL BE MORE OF A --
% NOT AS UNUSUAL, I SUPPOSE, AS IT
% HAS BEEN IN THE PAST.
% WE'RE SEEING THESE HAPPENING A
% LITTLE BIT MORE OFTEN WITH THESE
% HOT AND DRY CONDITIONS HERE.
% >> FOR MORE ON THIS AND OTHER
% ISSUES FACING WISCONSIN, VISIT