The Owens Dry Lake is the largest single source of PM-10 in the United States and PM-10 has been recognized by the EPA as being very harmful to humans. The Fort Independence Indian Reservation is located just 21 miles north of the Owens Dry Lake in and area authorized by the USEPA as a “serious non-attainment area” for PM-10. Our Air Quality Program uses sophisticated equipment to continuously measure the amounts of PM-10 in the air that flow on to the Reservation from the Owens Dry Lake. This equipment is called a TEOM 1400a. The Air Program follows strict EPA guidelines through its Quality Assurance Project Plan for the operation of the TEOM monitor and all PM-10 data is uploaded to the EPA’s national database on hazardous chemicals. If PM-10 levels exceed government standards, the Air Program will alert Tribal members through email reports as to what to do. Typically this would require both the elderly and the young to stay indoors until the alert is over.
The Fort Independence Indian Reservation Air Program has been in existence for 4 years and is funded by the USEPA. The Air Program is managed by an EPA trained, Air Quality Specialist who has been with the Tribe for 4 years.
Description of the Operation of the TEOM 1400a:
The TEOM is a gravimetric instrument that draws ambient air through an inlet at a constant flow rate of 16.76 cubic feet per minute. The TEOM 1400a then measures the particulate matter mass that is collected on a filter from that air flow. This mass is continuously weighed and that weight is calculated in micro grams per cubic meter.
Description of Particulate Matter (PM):
What is Particulate Matter?
There are things floating around in the air. Most of them, you cannot even see. They are a kind of air pollution called particles or particulate matter. In fact, particulate matter may be the air pollutant that most commonly affects people’s health.
Particles can come in almost any shape or size, and can be solid particles or liquid droplets. We divide particles into two major groups. These groups differ in many ways. One of the differences is size, we call the bigger particles PM10 and we call the smaller particles PM2.5.
BIG: The big particles are between 2.5 and 10 micrometers (from about 25 to 100 times thinner than a human hair). These particles are called PM10 (we say “P M ten”, which stands for Particulate Matter up to 10 micrometers in size). These particles cause less severe health effects.
SMALL: The small particles are smaller than 2.5 micrometers (100 times thinner than a human hair). These particles are called PM2.5 (we say “P M two point five”, as in Particulate Matter up to 2.5 micrometers in size).
The Health effects from exposure to PM-10 & Pm-2.5:
Health Effects
Both PM10 (big) and PM2.5 (small) particles can cause health problems; specifically respiratory health (that’s the lungs and airway). Because the PM2.5 travels deeper into the lungs AND because the PM2.5 is made up things that are more toxic (like heavy metals and cancer causing organic compounds), PM2.5 can have worse health effects than the bigger PM10.
Exposure to particulate matter leads to increased use of medication and more visits to the doctor or emergency room. Health effects include the following:
The word "monsoon" is derived from the Arabic word "mausim" which means season. So, what exactly is a monsoon? In this case we are talking about the North American Monsoon, also known as the Arizona Monsoon, the Southwest United States Monsoon, or the Mexican Monsoon.
It is a major shift in the prevailing winds from Northwesterly in the winter to southeasterly in the summer, typically mid-June through mid-August. This wind change is a result of two factors; the movement northward from winter to summer of the large upper level subtropical high pressure system, known as the Bermuda High , and the intense heating of the Mohave Desert creating rising air and surface low pressure, called a thermal low.
These two features both combine to create a strong southeasterly flow over Arizona. The southerly low level winds help to bring in moisture from Mexico (originally from Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf of California and the Pacific Ocean). When all this moisture meets the higher terrain of Arizona, it lifts and forms thunderstorms. As most of us know, these thunderstorms contain, at times, heavy rainfall, hail, and strong gusty winds. This is then transported southeastwardly and eventually arrives here in our beautiful Eastern Sierra.
Dennis Mattinson
Forecaster for the SierraWave
Uranium breaks down to radium, which in turn decays into radon gas. Radon is an inert gas, which means that it does not react or combine with the elements in the ground. Because of this, radon gas can move up through the soil into the atmosphere, where it is easily diluted. However, when it enters a building constructed on top of this soil, it can build up and become a health concern.
People cannot see, taste or smell radon. There is no way that one can sense the presence of radon. Despite this, it can have a detrimental effect on people by increasing their likelihood of developing lung cancer.
Unless these buildings are set up on piers without any skirting placed around them, interior vacuums can cause radon to enter these type of homes as well.
For additional information contact: Dennis Mattinson, Air Quality Specialist (AQS), 760-878-3203