Air Quality Q & A
Q: We don’t have serious smog problems like they do in Los Angeles, Houston, New York, and other cities, so why is our air quality a problem?
A: Smog is a catch-all term used to describe air pollution that contains both ozone and particles. Ozone is a colorless gas that is not readily visible. West Michigan is most often affected by high ozone levels without the particle component. Those cities with visible smog frequently have high particle and ozone levels. High ozone levels are a problem because they are unhealthy to breathe.
Q: Is ground-level ozone a health problem?
A: Yes, if it is at high enough levels. Ground-level ozone is a particular problem for people with respiratory illness, children, the elderly, and those who work outdoors. Even for healthy people engaged in moderate outdoor activity, breathing ozone-laden air can create temporary health problems: coughing, shortness of breath, and sore throats. Air pollution is a definite health problem.
Q. Does mowing my lawn or using other gasoline-powered equipment really hurt air quality?
A: Yes, it can. Small gasoline engines tend to be less efficient and have fewer pollution controls than vehicle engines. For example, operating a gasoline-powered outboard motorboat for one hour produces as much ozone-causing VOCs as driving a car from Grand Rapids to New York City (about 800 miles). Each individual action is important. The cumulative actions of two million households can have a strong impact.
Q: What will happen if healthy air quality cannot be maintained?
A: Failure to maintain compliance with air quality standards will result in continued nonattainment status. If these areas fail to maintain the standard after they become attainment, contingency control measures must be implemented to quickly and permanently reduce emissions. Automobile testing or additional controls on products or industry could be mandated. The costs of additional environmental measures would be born by the community.
The West Michigan Clean Air Coalition is a partnership of businesses, academic institutions, government agencies, industry, and non-profit organizations in Kent, Ottawa, Muskegon, and Kalamazoo counties working together to achieve cleaner air in the region through the education and promotion of voluntary emission reduction activities.