Air Pollution

Weather Conditions And Fine Particulate Matter Make Unhealthy Air

Bonnie Stewart — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 00:39:39 +0000

Several areas in the Pacific Northwest are experiencing unhealthy air. Winter weather conditions have trapped air pollution near the ground.

Study: ‘Microbial Hitchhikers’ Ride The Wind From Asia To Northwest

Jessica Robinson — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 16:10:38 +0000

Researchers have discovered something they didn’t expect in the air above an Oregon mountain: hundreds of tiny organisms from Asia. The study suggests the atmosphere is filled with life capable of traveling long distances. Jessica Robinson reports.

Residents Report Central Washington Smells Like Smoke

Colin Fogarty — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 13:16:11 +0000

The smell of smoke hangs in the air across much of central Washington Wednesday. At least four significant wildfires are burning around Wenatchee, making the skies hazy. Vicky Cibcki works at the Anjou Bakery near the town of Cashmere.

Icicle Seafood Company Fined Over Release Of Ozone-Depleting Refrigerant

Ashley Ahearn — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 13:01:28 +0000

A Seattle-based seafood company has been fined 430,000 dollars for violations of the Clean Air Act. Ashley Ahearn reports for EarthFix.

Icicle Seafoods harvests and sells salmon, crab Pollock and other fish from the waters of the Northwest and Alaska. And one of the key components of catching fish and bringing them to market – is refrigerant.

R-22, to be more specific. It’s a substance that’s used to keep refrigerators cold and it’s being phased out because it depletes the ozone layer.

Coal Train Traffic Increase Could Be Bad News For Human Health

Courtney Flatt and Ashley Ahearn — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 12:27:58 +0000

BELLINGHAM, Wash. -- There are now six new export terminals proposed to be built along the Northwest coast. The goal? To bring American coal to Asia, via train and ship.

If these terminals are approved that could mean more than 100 million tons of coal traveling by rail across Idaho, Washington and Oregon every year.

The potential for more train traffic has public health experts concerned. EarthFix reporters Ashley Ahearn and Courtney Flatt have the story.