EcoEKY: Green News from Eastern Kentucky

from the Pikeville Appalachian News Express:

Be air quality aware

May. 4, 2008

The Kentucky Division for Air Quality works hard every day to help ensure clean air for all Kentuckians — inspecting air pollution sources, responding to complaints from citizens, and maintaining a statewide monitoring network. But individuals also have a role to play in keeping our air clean. Every time you use energy — whether burning wood, gasoline, diesel, or electricity — you are contributing to air pollution in your community and those downwind of you.

Ozone and particle-forming pollutants come from a number of sources. Mobile sources like cars and trucks account for over 25 percent of air pollution in the United States. In Kentucky, power plants, industry and open burning are the largest sources of pollution. Illegal backyard burning is estimated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to be the largest non-point source of dioxin pollution in the United States. Dioxin is a toxic air pollutant that has been associated with cancer, birth defects and nervous system damage, and is released when anything containing chlorine, like plastic, is burned. Natural sources like wildfires also contribute to particle pollution.

Saving energy helps your pocketbook as well as your lungs. Here are a few tips to help you get started:

* The Division for Air Quality will be giving away energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs at the Governor’s Derby Breakfast in Frankfort on May 3; come by to get yours.

* Purchase ENERGY STAR- rated products, from light bulbs and appliances to home entertainment systems.

* Conserve electricity and set your air conditioner at a higher temperature.

* Keep your vehicle maintained and your tires properly inflated.

* Mow your lawn and refuel your vehicle during cooler morning and evening hours.

* Combine errands and reduce car trips whenever possible.

* Avoid burning trash, which is illegal and highly polluting.

National Air Quality Week, April 28 - May 2, 2008, creates an opportunity for Kentuckians to “Be Air Aware.” Information on air quality is available at the division Web site, www.air.ky.gov.