Science Café at Orca Books: Air Quality in Washington State

Our speaker this month is Dr. Ranil Dhammapala from the Washington State Department of Ecology.    Our June topic is An overview of air quality in Washington.

Though we do not face the same air quality concerns affecting Beijing, Bangkok, LA or the East Coast, we still have our share of challenges to deal with. Smoke from burning wood for home heating, burning agricultural residues, wildfires, dust from windstorms and harvesting activities, industrial, traffic and even ozone pollution are issues that air quality managers throughout the state constantly grapple with. Yet some of these activities can proceed with little direct impact to human health, if the right atmospheric conditions assist with pollutant dispersion.