Important: Phoenix livability issues

[Obamanation]

Oh nice, your daughter sounds cool. So, some of you guys had BETTER breathing issues with the cloud? That seems so strange to me, but of course FL also has lots of pollen and whatnot but that's a niche issue.

[fcorrales80]

Originally Posted by Obamanation

Oh nice, your daughter sounds cool. So, some of you guys had BETTER breathing issues with the cloud? That seems so strange to me, but of course FL also has lots of pollen and whatnot but that's a niche issue.

One thing you have to remember is that both Tampa and Phoenix have circumstances that make the allergy and asthma problem unique. More so for Phoenix. The brown cloud is a nasty collection of microscopic dust particulates that are natural for the area but exacerbated by man. Even in the early 1900, the brown cloud existed because of storms and heavily agricultural land that required plowing and many times this removed the top layer of "dust" over the fields leading to a brown haze during these times (usually the last planting season of the year for Phoenix; late September; there are many growing season in certain regions in Arizona).

The late, great Barry M. Goldwater was the "first" to really bring attention to the problem in the late 1940's with the introduction of the automobile in Phoenix which worsened the problem. The cloud was actually worse in the 80's. That being said, the cloud can cause irritation for some asthmatics but for most people, the lungs naturally filter dust. As for the ozone pollution; it is a problem in Phoenix as it is the no.9 city. However, this has been in decline; Phoenix ranked worse for ozone in the 80's and 90's as well.

As for the Areas with the best quality of air, most people are under the misconception that the central areas of Phoenix, Tempe, and S. Scottsdale have the worst air because they are at the center of the urban mass. This is however, untrue. The traditional "hot spot" for ozone and particulate readings in metro Phoenix are S. Phoenix (S. Mountain), West Chandler (think mass free way congestion), W. Phoenix (past 43rd Ave and east of 67th Ave.), Pinnacle Peak, Higley, Maricopa (the town), and Buckeye. This is due to wind patterns that trap the pollutant near mountains or stationary air over large agricultural areas; Buckeye, Maricopa, S. Phoenix, and S.W. Phoenix...
http://www.azdeq.gov/ensemble.pdf (broken link)