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E-M:/ MDEQ Declares Sunday as Ozone Action Day

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Enviro-Mich message from "Alex J. Sagady & Associates" <ajs@sagady.com>
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MDEQ Air Quality Division content follows:

OZONE ACTION! DAY DECLARATIONS

SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN

An Ozone Action! Day Advisory has been issued for Sunday, June 30th


WEST MICHIGAN

An Ozone Action! Day Advisory has been issued for Sunday, June 30th

Forecast Discussion

Summer returns along with poor air quality…..

After enjoying a couple of days of moderate temperatures and lower 
humidity, the engine of summer kicks back into high gear.  High pressure 
along the eastern seaboard will set up persistent southwest airflow 
throughout the forecast region.  The result will be temperatures around 90, 
dew points around 70, and the import of dirty air from upwind urban centers.

All of this makes the perfect recipe for widespread elevated ozone over a 
prolonged period.  Historically, however, Sunday has proven to be a poor 
candidate for elevated ozone concentrations, especially when previous days 
have yielded lower concentrations.  In this case, we have several 
circumstances contributing to the probability of elevated ozone during 
Sunday despite lower the concentrations of the previous days.

For the West Michigan region, air transport from the Chicago area usually 
doesn’t provide a lot of new ozone generating compounds during the late 
weekend.  This weekend, however, differs because of the “Taste of Chicago” 
event which promises to bring over a million people to the downtown Chicago 
area.  As a result, traffic patters will resemble a weekday as opposed to 
normal weekend traffic.  As these traffic emissions are pushed over Lake 
Michigan, strong solar radiation will promote elevated ozone affecting the 
Michigan west shoreline.

For Southeast Michigan, the air mass projected to be over Detroit by Sunday 
afternoon will have originated in the Ohio Valley.  This region is lined 
with large power plants and since it will be very warm, these plants will 
be working at capacity.  Their high emissions of nitrogen oxides will 
transport northward to our forecast area thus providing the Southeast 
Michigan region with a good probability of elevated ozone concentrations.

Since conditions are probable for widespread elevated ozone, we are 
declaring an Ozone Action! Day advisory for Sunday for both West and 
Southeast Michigan.

Extended Forecast….

The computer models indicate that this could easily be a multi-day 
episode.  The only factor which could affect this prediction is a frontal 
system coming into the Minnesota area.  Although this front will not reach 
us any time soon, activity ahead of the front might play a role in reducing 
ozone formation.  As the progress of this front remains unknown, we will 
review the models Sunday morning and update this forecast.

Forecast updated on Saturday, June 29th by Jim Haywood


Ontario Ministry of the Environment content follows:

Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2002 12:10:28 -0500
From: admin@airqualityontario.com
Subject: ** Smog Advisory **
To: ajs@sagady.com
Message-ID: <1186750751-23695462@netprezence.com>
X-Spamcatcher-Digest: 3c7d5f70041371d5d453ffaefa5594c3
Status: U

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Please do not reply to this e-mail. For general inquiries
about smog alerts, or if you are experiencing technical
difficulties, e-mail: officeaq@ene.gov.on.ca.
For media inquiries call the media line at (416) 314-6666.
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A SMOG ADVISORY* has been issued by the Ontario Ministry of
the Environment for the following forecast regions:

     For: Sunday June 30, 2002
     Algonquin
     Barrie-Huronia-Simcoe County
     Brant-Haldimand-Norfolk
     Elgin
     Grey-Bruce
     Haliburton
     Halton-Peel
     Hamilton
     Huron-Perth
     Kingston-Brockville
     London-Middlesex-Oxford
     Manitoulin
     Niagara
     North Bay-Nipissing
     Parry Sound-Muskoka
     Peterborough and the Kawarthas
     Prince Edward County
     Quinte-Northumberland
     Renfrew
     Sarnia-Lambton
     Sault Ste Marie-Algoma
     Smiths Falls-Frontenac-Lanark
     Sudbury-Nickel Belt
     Toronto
     Waterloo-Wellington-Dufferin
     Windsor-Essex-Chatham-Kent
     York-Durham

For more details visit the Air Quality Ontario website at:
www.airqualityontario.com

During the smog episode, individuals may experience eye
irritation. Heavy outdoor exercise may cause respiratory
symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath. People
with heart or lung disease including asthma may experience
a worsening of their condition.

* A Smog Advisory means that there is a strong likelihood
that there may be poor air quality within the next 24 hours
due to ground-level ozone and particulate matter.

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Spare the Air Actions
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During a smog alert, there are a number of actions that you can
take to help spare the air.

Travel tips - all year round:
  - leave your car at home - walk, cycle, carpool or take public transit
  - tele-conference instead of driving to meetings
  - limit car trips by doing all your errands at once, and do
    not let your engine idle
  - keep your car well tuned, check your tire pressure and
    drive at moderate speeds


Health tips:
  - wear light clothing at work while air conditioning is reduced
  - avoid exposure to vehicle exhaust fumes
  - avoid strenuous exercise in the heat of the day
  - consult your doctor for specific health advice

Electricity saving tips:
  -  save electricity at home by turning down the air
     conditioner and turning off lights you are not using

Other pollution reduction tips:
  - leave lawn mowing for another day
  - restrict the use of gasoline-powered equipment
  - delay using oil-based paints, solvents and cleaners
  - do not use the barbecue

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  www.airqualityontario.com
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Alex J. Sagady & Associates  http://my.voyager.net/~ajs/sagady.pdf

Environmental Enforcement, Technical Review, Public Policy and
Communications on Air, Water and Waste/Community Environmental Protection

PO Box 39,  East Lansing, MI  48826-0039
(517) 332-6971; (517) 332-8987 (fax); ajs@sagady.com
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