Monitoring air quality an evolving task in Lakes Region

By Abby Wilson

With wildfires, pollen, and pollution in the air there is a need to document air quality in Maine and the Division for Air Quality Assessment is on it.

The Maine Division for Air Quality Assessment has been
quantifying atmospheric deposition and other elements in
the air in the Lakes Region from a site in Bridgton to
determine air quality while identifying smoke, pollen,
and other pollutants. COURTESY PHOTO  

When the EPA passed the Clean Air Act in 1970, it established criteria for what qualifies as a pollutant and identified the most prevalent types which impact human health and the environment. States, local governments, and tribes established programs to measure air quality.

Andrew Johnson, Division Director of Maine Air Quality Assessment, says that Maine has been quantifying atmospheric deposition and other elements for years.

The technology has changed over time from mechanical processes to electronic, he said. It can now obtain accurate minute-by-minute records of air concentrations in the state.

Here in the Lakes Region, the division measures atmospheric deposition which is simply precipitation and particles that settle from the atmosphere. It also measures acid rain or precipitation chemistry, which focuses on the chemistry as a whole and not just the pH.

There is an air quality station in Bridgton that has been responsible for measuring this chemistry since 1980 and called the Southern Inland Site.

“We have been meeting all the national air quality standards since 2004” says Johnson.

Even still, there are some concerns.

“Maine’s biggest air quality issue over the years has been ozone,” Johnson said.

Ozone is a gas normally found in the upper atmosphere but when it is found at the ground level it can do damage. High rates can affect crop yield. There was also an instance of pine needle damage seen in Acadia due to this gas.

Ozone was particularly high in New England in the 1980s. Large metropolitan areas such as Boston, New York, or as far as Washington D.C. are huge ozone emitters and high-pressure systems down the east coast can bring ozone pollution up to Maine because of air flow.

“It was like a river flowing in the northeast direction,” says Johnson.

He said Maine is now able to better understand the flow of the ozone, adjust models, and control emissions, so there has been a decrease over time.

Ozone gases can be found at an increased level in the summer when it chemically reacts with sunlight. Other pollutants have seasonal increases.

There are some areas with high sulfur dioxide levels during the winter because of heating fuel. Although today, Johnson said it tends to be lower because there is less sulfur in our fuels.

Carbon monoxide is often increased in the winter as well because vehicles aren’t as efficient during the colder months.

Perhaps the most interesting seasonal air pollutant is pollen.

“Pollen is naturally produced but affects quality of life for a lot of people,” says Johnson.

Historically there has not been a national standard for pollen and no funding for measurement projects.

But the division has been paying attention to pollen due to climate change.

“With warming climate and more CO2 in the air, plants will produce more pollen,” says Johnson.

The pollen potency will also increase as the climate warms, he said.

The season when plants are producing pollen is also going to increase with growing seasons starting earlier and running longer.

There is a need for a national network to measure the increase of pollen, and the Maine Center for Disease Control has advised the state to identify pollen measuring zones.

Maine’s Climate Council has been able to receive national funding to establish a measuring program. Four pollen sensors have been provided. The division is working out the technological issues and identifying the best spots to place them in the state.

Johnson says the goal is to have the sensors up and running for the start of pollen season or early March 2024. These sensors will allow the CDC to collect data and broadcast it in real time on a webpage for everyone to view.

Access to this data will help sensitive communities such as people with allergies to plan for high pollen days.

Air quality affects many in Maine but is also caused by people.

“Individual personal choices make a difference,” says Johnson.

Driving a fuel-efficient car is an obvious example but other choices have impacts you may not expect.

Light bulbs and car products used to contain mercury. Mercury is a global pollutant. It circulates in the air for a long time but when it rains, it can get into rivers and streams, is taken up by plants, bait fish, and fish we eat.

So, recycling the light bulb instead of throwing it away is a choice people can make to help prevent that mercury from entering the air, and entering our bodies.

Working for the division that forecasts air quality “has never gotten boring” says Johnson, “There are always new challenges.” <