Thursday, May 3, 2007
About the Author
ANDREA LANI is an environmental specialist with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection's Bureau of Air Quality. E-mail your questions to infodep@maine.gov or send them to In Our Backyard, Maine DEP, 17 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333.
The National Weather Service and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have declared the first week in May "Air Quality Awareness Week." The entire month is celebrated nationwide as "Clean Air Month." Take this opportunity to take a deep breath, appreciate how important clean air is to you, and test your knowledge of clean air issues.
1. Fresh, clean air contains:
a. 80 percent oxygen; 12 percent carbon dioxide; 7 percent nitrogen; 1 percent water vapor
b. 78 percent nitrogen; 21 percent oxygen; 1 percent argon and other trace gasses
c. 62 percent carbon dioxide; 29 percent oxygen; 9 percent methane
d. 54 percent oxygen; 18 percent carbon monoxide; 12 percent sulfur compounds; 16 percent ozone
1. Ozone air pollution:
a. forms when pollution from vehicles and power plants reacts in the presence of sunlight
b. can irritate the eyes and the respiratory system, reduce lung function
c. can damage the lining of the lungs and aggravate lung disease and asthma
d. can travel to Maine on air currents from other states
e. all of the above
1. A camera on top of Acadia National Park's McFarland Hill takes a photo every 15 minutes. What is it looking for?
a. hikers taking shortcuts
b. nests of rare birds
c. air pollution
d. the beautiful view across Frenchman Bay
e. c. and d. See the view at: www.nature.nps.gov/air/WebCams/parks/acadcam/acadcam.cfmÝ
1. If every U.S. household switched its five most-used light bulbs from incandescent to compact fluorescent, we would save enough electricity to:
a. shut down 21 power plants
b. light up the White House Christmas tree for a month
c. send the Space Shuttle to Mars
d. reduce mercury emissions and other pollutants from coal burning power plants
e. a. and d.
1. To reduce pollution from our wood stoves, we could:
a. choose a stove properly sized for our needs (not too big)
b. use hardwood that has been air-dried at least six months
c. build a small, hot fire and keep the stove clear of ash
d. install a stack thermometer and maintain temperatures between 300 degrees and 400 degrees
e. all of the above
1. On a clear night, without the effect of light pollution, we would be able to see 2,500 stars, plus the Milky Way. In our modern suburbs, how many stars can we see?
a. 3 million
b. 200 to 300
c. about 26
Now check the answers to see how you did:
1: b; 2: e; 3: e; 4: e; 5: e; 6: b.
If your Air Awareness isn't as lofty as you'd like it to be, check out our Web site www.maine.gov/dep/iob and read through our archives of columns. You'll learn a lot more about air and everything else In Our Backyard! Find out more about energy efficiency solutions to Maine's air quality problems at www.10000carbon freehomes.com.
Questions/Comments
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Shawn123,
That's a good one.
Sue01,
I also like seeing the night sky free of light pollution. But I think light pollution is far less important than air quality. Light pollution won't shorten my life. Air pollution might.report abuse
When you return to the city, the urban glow from street lamps and porch lights and store parking lots blot out the brightest beacon on high. You might see Orion's belt - or an occasional dipper - but that alone would be a lucky glimpse. And it cannot compare.
The day may come when little children no longer sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" ... because it's an unfamiliar concept.
From where I live, the Turnpike's Cumberland rest stop lights the northern edge of sky and the Falmouth North rest stop lights the southern edge. Between them is our opportunity to look up at the heavens ... but even this is dimmed considerably by the haze of local streetlights.
I just want you to know (before it's too late) that a dark star-lit sky is a sight to behold. report abuse
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