SPECTRUM: The Mat-Su does indeed have an air quality problem

According to the World Health Organization, in 2012, outdoor air pollution caused approximately 3.7 million premature deaths worldwide. To address this health concern, in 2006, the Environmental Protection Agency lowered the 24-hour National Ambient Air Quality Standard limit from 65 micrograms of particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) per cubic meter of air to 35 micrograms per cubic meter. Commonly known as PM 2.5, these microscopic particles emanate from wildfires, wood-burning devices, coal fired power plants and diesel engines. They lodge deep in the lungs and trigger asthma attacks, heart attacks and strokes, cause lung cancer and shorten lives. PM 2.5 particles are 30 times smaller than the width of a human hair. These particles are not to be confused with PM 10, found in glacial silt and dust.

The American Lung Association’s 18^th annual State of the Air report, released on April 19, 2017, found that the Mat-Su Borough ranked 14^th worst in the nation for 24-hour particle pollution, recording its worst ever short-term particle episode between 2013-2015. In a report to the Mat-Su Borough Assembly in February, Denise Koch, State of Alaska DEC Director of Air Quality, explained that the Mat-Su Borough had narrowly avoided EPA sanctions in 2016 with regard to PM 2.5, however, 2017 is already off to a bad start, with 4 recordings above the standard acceptable level of 35 micrograms per cubic meter.

In a 2016 asthma and COPD needs assessment conducted by the American Lung Association in Alaska’s Mat-Su office, 87% of respondents to an electronic survey identified some level of concern for the impact of asthma on their community. When asked about concern for COPD in their community, 68% of responses were concerned or very concerned. Eighty-five percent of respondents identified outdoor air quality as a concern for people with asthma and/or COPD, with 54 percent identifying indoor air quality as an issue. We know that outdoor air quality greatly affects indoor air quality.

The American Lung Association in Alaska was recently granted funds through the Mat-Su Health Foundation to conduct indoor air quality assessments and make remediation recommendations for Mat-Su seniors, prioritizing those with homes primarily heated by wood. PM 2.5 is a serious health risk, placing the most vulnerable at risk for asthma, COPD, lung cancer and cardiovascular disease. Seniors, children, pregnant women, and people with lung or heart disease are most at risk for health effects; however, anyone’s health can be compromised by poor air quality.

Air quality is about so much more than government regulation. At the heart of the issue is the health and well-being of everyone who lives in the Mat-Su. The time to act on this issue is now. When you can’t breathe nothing else matters. Together, we can improve the air we breathe, protect the lungs of our residents, and reduce negative health effects from poor air quality.

The American Lung Association’s Mat-Su Office provides local lung disease support at our Better Breather’s Club meetings, held at Mat-Su Senior Services and Wasilla Are Seniors, every month. Contact our office at 907-891-7443 for more information about Better Breather’s Club. You can also call the Lung Helpline at 1-800-586-4872 for questions related to air quality and lung health.

When you can’t breathe, nothing else matters. That’s why we’re fighting for air.

Ashley Peltier is the Mat-Su Manager for the American Lung Association in Alaska