>> 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 HAD 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 REALLY --
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