Eugene air is bad... now what??

[Mr Eugenified]

Originally Posted by 1208

The air quality doesn't bother me at all, or most other people.

A friend of mine has grass allergies, and around spring when they start to set in his face begins swelling, his eyes and nose start running, his throat clogs up, and pretty soon he is bedridden. He is talking about just ditching town until summer this year.
I don't know of any one else who gets it this bad though. And no, it's nothing like LA, where you can feel the pollution in your hair after a couple days. Try visiting sometime during the spring, and if allergies don't bother you then I would assume you're ok.

Good advice. Sometimes I wish these forums had more of this level-headed advice rather than so much babbling by people who have some hidden agenda (to take revenge on some city for giving them a parking ticket or whatever).

[haggardhouseelf]

Our son was on three different medications to help with respiratory issues when we lived in Texas and for awhile when we lived in California, but in Eugene he has never had a problem at all. He has been off medication now for many years. Really, I don't think the air is as bad here as some people try to make it out to be for whatever their reasons are. I think, too, that the data you can find posted online is often misleading. We are in the southern end of a valley, air can sometimes get trapped here at times until the next bit of wind can push it out. So the results will vary depending on when and at what particular spot the air samples were taken at, and so on. We wouldn't have some of the best water in the nation (and some of the purest lakes in the world) here, if our air was bad. We have lots of trees which act in part as air filters, and good amounts of wind as well, which helps keep things moving. We are about an hour from the coast, and surrounded by woods, mountains, prairies, wetlands... As far as city-living goes, it's one of the better places to breathe in this country, we believe.

[Nell Plotts]

The former cause of Eugene air quality issues was grass seed farmers burning their fields, and in my father's day the saw mill wigwam sawdust burners. Both burning practices are now prohibited/seriously controlled. Eugene sits at the southern end of the Willamette Valley and there are times when the winds don't scour out the air shed.

[CCCVDUR]

Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

The former cause of Eugene air quality issues was grass seed farmers burning their fields, and in my father's day the saw mill wigwam sawdust burners. Both burning practices are now prohibited/seriously controlled. Eugene sits at the southern end of the Willamette Valley and there are times when the winds don't scour out the air shed.

Virtually any populated area in the Western US is subject to winter air stagnation -- when surficial (air pressure measured at the ground) High pressure systems park themselves over large areas of the US -- whether it's over Oregon/Idaho/Utah; Arizona/Nevada/California.

When these systems are present, storms are diverted into Canada, and also, south into southern CA, and winter winds are virtually non-existent.

This is called the "split jet stream" by TV meteorologists, map:
http://www.theweatherprediction.com/blocking/

I can recall several consecutive days of high pollution levels during the winter living in Seattle, Puyallup (WA), Corvallis (OR), Boulder City (NV), etc.

Even Puyallup, Washington never allows any indoor fireplace burning, ever, since prevailing winds from the S and SW are blocked from hills south of town.

In the summer, the Puyallup winds gust up to 30mph out of the NW and there are no issues.

In fact, conditions are so calm in Puyallup that the sulfur pollution from natural gas is noticeable!

If you require nearly pristine air quality, try areas with nearly constant synoptic scale atmospheric motions (i.e. rapidly moving fronts), such as areas in the Rocky Mountain states (such as Albuquerque, NM)..

On the other hand, if you suffer from Migraines, Epilepsy, or Depression, excess positive ions -- in such windy mountain areas -- can be detrimental for SOME patients like me, especially if you have blonde or red hair (this wind-driven Ion effect is *NOT* true for EVERYONE!!!).

As a weather nut, I am curious about whether Eugene does have higher pollution than these other cities. I guess it's possible, but I'd have to do more research.

I can't imagine how Eugene could have higher air pollution than Tacoma/Seattle, L.A., Sacramento, or Vegas. I do recall that Corvallis had issues, but not nearly as severe as Vegas or Seattle.

Any stats on air pollution in Eugene ?

[Mr Eugenified]

Originally Posted by Tom Lane

Any stats on air pollution in Eugene ?

When you find them, be careful of any data that is older than one or two years. Eugene and the surrounding areas have had big changes in air quality in a very short period of time due to new regulations.

[cityexpert]

The air is bad in eugene because there is hardly any trees.

[haggardhouseelf]

On OPB they did a segment on a show called Oregon Field Guide that talked about how you can tell if a place has good clean air or not by how much and the state (health) of the lichen on the trees. A nice walk around Eugene will show you that we have plenty of lichen. Of course, the higher up the buttes you go the healthier the lichen is. Also the more variety of lichen as well. My favorite is Old Man's Beard.

[oldtrader]

A major cause of particle pollution is diesel engines.

The biggest cause in the Winter in Lane County, is the number of people that use wood for heat. Wood stoves and fireplaces cause a lot of air pollution in the area.

Eugene and Lane County Rank High On Air Pollution List | Natural Oregon

[Jimrob1]

Originally Posted by oldtrader

A major cause of particle pollution is diesel engines.

The biggest cause in the Winter in Lane County, is the number of people that use wood for heat. Wood stoves and fireplaces cause a lot of air pollution in the area.

Eugene and Lane County Rank High On Air Pollution List | Natural Oregon

If air pollution from wood burning fireplaces, is the cause of such air quality problems in Eugene. Then why isn't there a ban on wood burning, especially during periods of bad air quality. I know a number of places across the country, issue bans on wood fires during bad air periods. As environmental as Oregon is, and if the air actually does get that bad in the area. Then I'm surprised Eugene isn't more strict on this issue.

[jjpop]

Originally Posted by Jimrob1

If air pollution from wood burning fireplaces, is the cause of such air quality problems in Eugene. Then why isn't there a ban on wood burning, especially during periods of bad air quality. I know a number of places across the country, issue bans on wood fires during bad air periods. As environmental as Oregon is, and if the air actually does get that bad in the area. Then I'm surprised Eugene isn't more strict on this issue.

Sometimes they do ban wood burning: Public Education : Home Wood Heating Program | Lane Regional Air Protection Agency