Air Toxics: Agricultural and Residential Burning
Agricultural and residential burning can produce a large amount of smoke in a short amount of time, often releasing hazardous chemicals into the atmosphere. There are a number of regional projects to study the effects of outdoor burning in order to better assess the associated risks to human health and to the environment.
EPA’s Agricultural Burning Strategy
- Contact: Donna Deneen (EPA) (206) 553-6706, deneen.donna@epa.gov
Air Quality Impacts from Woodsmoke in Campgrounds
- The National Park Service is interested in partnering to study woodsmoke impacts in three campgrounds at Mount Rainier National Park.
- Contact: Elizabeth Waddell (National Park Service), (206) 220-4287, elizabeth_waddell@nps.gov
Air Quality Impacts of Prescribed Burning on the Stehekin Valley
- The National Park Service (possibly in partnership with Washington State Department of Ecology) will be conducting air quality monitoring in the Stehekin valley during summer of 2005/6. Historic practices suppressed fire and allowed fuel loading to build to unnatural levels. Prescribed burning is now needed to reduce fuel loading in order to protect the Stehekin valley from catastrophic fire and to restore the ecosystem. NPS will monitor effects of the prescribed burning on air quality and modify burn practices to minimize impacts from smoke.
- Contact: Elizabeth Waddell (National Park Service), (206) 220-4287, elizabeth_waddell@nps.gov
BlueSkyRains
- BlueSkyRains is an interactive web-based information system that merges Geographical Information System (GIS) data with smoke dispersion modeling technology so that land managers, regulators and the general public can view the potential impacts from regional burning activities.
Outdoor Burning Health Effects
- The NW Air Quality Communicators group is composed of public information staff from federal, state and local air agencies in Idaho, Oregon and Washington who collaborate to share ideas and resources. The NW Air Quality Communicators are working on a three-state media campaign about the negative health effects of outdoor burning.
- Contact: Anne Dalrymple (EPA) at (206) 553-6313