Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality
has declared an
Ozone Alert!
for
Monday, June 25, 2012
in the Tulsa Metropolitan Area
Persons with lung or heart disease should be aware that increased pollution may cause them to experience adverse health effects. Ozone affects people differently. Symptoms include chest pain, coughing, sneezing, nausea, headache and pulmonary congestion. Active children, adults and especially people with respiratory disease such as asthma should limit prolonged outdoor exertion.
Take Action on Ozone Alert! Days
Leave your car at home. Walk, bike, carpool, ride the bus or telecommute.
Avoid long idle times. Walk in rather than drive thru.
Postpone refueling. Wait until evening or not at all.
Postpone mowing and using other gas-powered lawn tools.
Postpone errands. Do them another day.
Take Action All Summer Long
Drive less. Leave your car at home one day a week. Try walking, biking, carpooling, riding the bus or telecommuting. Log your miles at www.green-traveler.org.
Avoid long idle time. Turn off your car after 30 seconds when not in traffic.
Refuel in the evening and don't top off the tank.
Do your garden chores gasoline-free. Avoid gas-powered lawn tools until evening.
www.OzoneAlert.Com
I'll do my part by not cutting the grass...again
I have an electric mower.
The simplest thing everybody can do to help lower ozone levels is to buy gas at night. The later the better. That gives emissions the chance to dissipate and be diluted before the baking of the afternoon sun.
Here is a commercial that I wrote and produced last year with a character named "Phillip Knight".
http://www.ozonealert.com/2011%20psa%20Phillip%20Knight.wmv
It's frustrating that all this effort can be cancelled out by just one lawn-care company making their rounds, yet I still feel better trying.
Everything helps. Thousands of Tulsans pay attention and try to do something on ozone alert days.
Another thing that is easy to do is to bring your lunch tomorrow and not get in the car and go through the drive-through. Here is another commercial I made with a character I called Cari Browne-Bagg...
http://www.ozonealert.com/2011%20psa%20Cari%20Browne-Bagg.wmv
Look closely for the Wonder Woman and Hello Kitty lunch boxes.
If I had the bus I want, I could drive it to work!!
Gotta hurry up and get that so I can do my part!
This is our commercial for a character named "Ana Buss."
http://www.ozonealert.com/2011%20psa%20Ana%20Buss.wmv
Any changes made by the City or County to go along with Ozone day guidelines?
Quote from: RecycleMichael on June 24, 2012, 04:26:09 PM
I have an electric mower.
The simplest thing everybody can do to help lower ozone levels is to buy gas at night. The later the better. That gives emissions the chance to dissipate and be diluted before the baking of the afternoon sun.
Here is a commercial that I wrote and produced last year with a character named "Phillip Knight".
http://www.ozonealert.com/2011%20psa%20Phillip%20Knight.wmv
Why do we not have the rubber seals on the gas pump nozzles here like they have in California? I thought those were to help reduce emissions from re-fueling.
Quote from: Conan71 on June 25, 2012, 10:08:53 AM
Why do we not have the rubber seals on the gas pump nozzles here like they have in California? I thought those were to help reduce emissions from re-fueling.
Those vacuum nozzles are very expensive. If Tulsa goes on the dirty air list, the stations will be required to install them.
Quote from: RecycleMichael on June 25, 2012, 10:11:10 AM
Those vacuum nozzles are very expensive. If Tulsa goes on the dirty air list, the stations will be required to install them.
I worked in Texas for a oil/gas company. I traveled auditing those convenience stores that bought our gas. Those 'rubber seals' are GVRs (gasoline vapor recovery).
Looks as if as of May, the EPA will phase those out.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2012/05/epa-waives-requirements-for-gasoline-pump-vapor-recovery.html
Quote from: Hoss on June 25, 2012, 10:13:58 AM
I worked in Texas for a oil/gas company. I traveled auditing those convenience stores that bought our gas. Those 'rubber seals' are GVRs (gasoline vapor recovery).
Looks as if as of May, the EPA will phase those out.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2012/05/epa-waives-requirements-for-gasoline-pump-vapor-recovery.html
Ahh, so the Democrats
are for dirty air and starving Grandma after all!
Please don't make air quality political.
This is an issue that affects us all. We all know and love someone who has breathing problems.
It is our air. We should care for that reason, not because of some regulatory agency.
Quote from: RecycleMichael on June 25, 2012, 10:11:10 AM
Those vacuum nozzles are very expensive. If Tulsa goes on the dirty air list, the stations will be required to install them.
On the other hand, why fight the inevitable - since the air will just continue to get worse without more aggressive intervention, why not just go on the list, spend the time/effort/money to actually start reducing the problem. Waiting to get started can only make it even more expensive and a bigger problem when it does happen. I'm reminded of those car maintenance commercials - you can pay some now, or pay a lot more later....
Might actually reduce some of that greasy yellow haze ya see over Tulsa when coming around the big curve on southbound highway 169 at Owasso, next to the big water tower. Here's how old I actually am - I remember when that haze was not there....the view was magnificent!
It's not that I really object to the ozone alert program now - it gives us something to rally round and create a sense of civic cohesiveness and unity. A feeling of accomplishment without really having to do much at all.
Just wondering...
Quote from: heironymouspasparagus on June 25, 2012, 10:21:48 AM
On the other hand, why fight the inevitable - since the air will just continue to get worse without more aggressive intervention, why not just go on the list, spend the time/effort/money to actually start reducing the problem. Waiting to get started can only make it even more expensive and a bigger problem when it does happen. I'm reminded of those car maintenance commercials - you can pay some now, or pay a lot more later....
Might actually reduce some of that greasy yellow haze ya see over Tulsa when coming around the big curve on southbound highway 169 at Owasso, next to the big water tower. Here's how old I actually am - I remember when that haze was not there....the view was magnificent!
It's not that I really object to the ozone alert program now - it gives us something to rally round and create a sense of civic cohesiveness and unity. A feeling of accomplishment without really having to do much at all.
Just wondering...
I thought there was a suspension to the Dirty Air List last year? I thought I read that but haven't been able to prove it's been suspended. Nor have I been able to prove it's in effect, either.
You are ignorant on the issue.
Tulsa's air quality is improving. Our ozone levels have gone down 10 of the past twelve years. Ozone readings are down 18% since year 2000.
Quote from: RecycleMichael on June 25, 2012, 10:27:06 AM
You are ignorant on the issue.
Tulsa's air quality is improving. Our ozone levels have gone down 10 of the past twelve years. Ozone readings are down 18% since year 2000.
Am I not mistaken in remembering Tulsa's to be a pilot program for ozone? That's another one that cities look to us for guidance on (first flood mitigation, now ozone).
Quote from: Hoss on June 25, 2012, 10:26:10 AM
I thought there was a suspension to the Dirty Air List last year? I thought I read that but haven't been able to prove it's been suspended. Nor have I been able to prove it's in effect, either.
Last year, the Obama administration agreed to not add any new cities to the list. They are reviewing the regulatory limit. The American Lung Association wants to drop the limit from 75 parts per billion to 60 parts per billion (and they have health studies to verify that number). If that happens, almost every urbanized area in America would be in non-compliance.
The process takes a long time. Currently, the north Tulsa monitor has a three year average at 76 parts per billion. If it stays, then Tulsa has to write a letter to the Governor, who then writes a letter to EPA, who then has to submit paperwork to add a city to the list. It takes a year or two. We could be on the list in 2014.
Quote from: RecycleMichael on June 25, 2012, 10:27:06 AM
You are ignorant on the issue.
Tulsa's air quality is improving. Our ozone levels have gone down 10 of the past twelve years. Ozone readings are down 18% since year 2000.
And we still have that greasy yellow haze.
18% in 12 years - just makes me wonder how much lower it would have been if we hadn't worked against aggressive efforts? 50%? 80%?
Quote from: Hoss on June 25, 2012, 10:30:43 AM
Am I not mistaken in remembering Tulsa's to be a pilot program for ozone? That's another one that cities look to us for guidance on (first flood mitigation, now ozone).
Tulsa's ozone alert program is widely considered to be the best voluntary program in the country.
Quote from: heironymouspasparagus on June 25, 2012, 10:34:26 AM
And we still have that greasy yellow haze.
18% in 12 years - just makes me wonder how much lower it would have been if we hadn't worked against aggressive efforts? 50%? 80%?
You are clueless.
Ozone is clear and transparent. You can't see it at all.
The greasy yellow haze you see must be dirt on your glasses.
Quote from: RecycleMichael on June 25, 2012, 10:36:46 AM
You are clueless.
Ozone is clear and transparent. You can't see it at all.
The greasy yellow haze you see must be dirt on your glasses.
Maybe so... I've been clueless before and certainly didn't do well in chemistry. But I do know that the haze is there - clean glasses notwithstanding - you can see it for yourself. Anyone can; just drive out north and look back. There must be something associated with the ozone issue that is causing that haze - an additional pollutant perhaps?
So, that would seem to indicate there are other bad issues occurring that we are not addressing at all. Back to the original post....
How is the incidence of allergy type issues in town? All breathing related issues? Better...worse...same?
Quote from: heironymouspasparagus on June 25, 2012, 10:48:20 AM
Maybe so... I've been clueless before and certainly didn't do well in chemistry. But I do know that the haze is there - clean glasses notwithstanding - you can see it for yourself. Anyone can; just drive out north and look back. There must be something associated with the ozone issue that is causing that haze - an additional pollutant perhaps?
So, that would seem to indicate there are other bad issues occurring that we are not addressing at all. Back to the original post....
How is the incidence of allergy type issues in town? All breathing related issues? Better...worse...same?
It's likely particulates. A look at
this site (http://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.local_city&cityid=155) makes it a little clearer (no pun intended).
Quote from: Hoss on June 25, 2012, 11:00:27 AM
It's likely particulates. A look at this site (http://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.local_city&cityid=155) makes it a little clearer (no pun intended).
Thanks. That is interesting site.
There has to be something solid (particulate) to refract to get the color. I guess diesel exhaust could be one contributor. One thing I do know is that it somewhat coincided with the ascendency of the RWRE in this state and country. It tells me that in addition to their toxic politics, there is also a toxic exhaust component they are contributing - and THOSE particulates are particularly disturbing....lol.
Quote from: heironymouspasparagus on June 25, 2012, 11:07:50 AM
One thing I do know is that it somewhat coincided with the ascendency of the RWRE in this state and country.
No, it didn't.
Again, please don't make this political.
Quote from: RecycleMichael on June 25, 2012, 11:26:10 AM
No, it didn't.
Again, please don't make this political.
Ok, ok.... I put lol at the end of that - that's supposed to make it mean "just kidding"!!
Quote from: RecycleMichael on June 25, 2012, 10:36:46 AM
The greasy yellow haze you see must be dirt on your glasses.
Maybe cataracts.
Quote from: Red Arrow on June 25, 2012, 11:59:50 AM
Maybe cataracts.
Wow!! Directional cataracts!! There should be a military application for that somewhere - in stealth technology.
Quote from: Red Arrow on June 25, 2012, 11:59:50 AM
Maybe cataracts.
Cataracts cause pollution, so do those gas-guzzling Rincolns ;D
Quote from: Red Arrow on June 25, 2012, 11:59:50 AM
Maybe cataracts.
Maybe refineries,
manufacturing other communities gasoline that we arent allowed to use here.
Rough day today...
The eight hour average at the central Tulsa monitor shows 76 parts per billion and the north Tulsa monitor shows 79 parts per billion.
Quote from: Conan71 on June 25, 2012, 10:15:02 AM
Ahh, so the Democrats are for dirty air and starving Grandma after all!
It's not so much
dirty air. Actually, that's marijuana smoke.
Quote from: heironymouspasparagus on June 25, 2012, 10:48:20 AM
There must be something associated with the ozone issue that is causing that haze - an additional pollutant perhaps?
So, that would seem to indicate there are other bad issues occurring that we are not addressing at all. Back to the original post....
Water vapor helps cause haze. We need to drain all the lakes and farm ponds to get the humidity down. Even that won't completely fix the problem when we get humid air from the south. Visibility yesterday from 2500 ft was typical Oklahoma summer. It wasn't much different over Bristow, Stroud, Chandler, Wellston, Shawnee, Prague, Okemah, Henryetta, or Okmulgee than it was around Tulsa. About 25 miles out from OKC, I could detect the large buildings in the haze.
Cool, dry, winter air is frequently clear, even around Tulsa. I can frequently see downtown Tulsa clearly from Pryor in the winter.
Quote from: Conan71 on June 25, 2012, 02:58:51 PM
Cataracts cause pollution, so do those gas-guzzling Rincolns ;D
I see what you did there.
No more yanky....never mind.
Quote from: Red Arrow on June 25, 2012, 08:44:44 PM
Water vapor helps cause haze. We need to drain all the lakes and farm ponds to get the humidity down. Even that won't completely fix the problem when we get humid air from the south. Visibility yesterday from 2500 ft was typical Oklahoma summer. It wasn't much different over Bristow, Stroud, Chandler, Wellston, Shawnee, Prague, Okemah, Henryetta, or Okmulgee than it was around Tulsa. About 25 miles out from OKC, I could detect the large buildings in the haze.
Cool, dry, winter air is frequently clear, even around Tulsa. I can frequently see downtown Tulsa clearly from Pryor in the winter.
That's exactly the issue. How many more people (and their vehicles and lawn mowers) live in Vegas or Phoenix than the Tulsa MSA? Usually severe clear when flying around those cities.
Quote from: Hoss on June 25, 2012, 09:00:38 PM
I see what you did there.
No more yanky....never mind.