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HikerRanky
06-25-2009, 14:45
Noticed that the Look Rock camera station is showing the Ozone concentrations in the Moderate zone today.... If heading out on the AT or any of the high trails, keep this in mind....

TIDE-HSV
06-26-2009, 01:28
Well, it's worse in Huntsville, where I am, so I guess I'll just head on up to Gregory Bald... :)

OldStormcrow
06-26-2009, 08:21
"Moderate" is much better than you would run into in the winter up there. That's when the coal-fired power plants that are upwind from the Park are in full production.

Tipi Walter
06-26-2009, 08:59
On my last east Tennessee backpacking trip into the Citico/Slickrock wilderness(just south of the Smokies), I wrote the following in my trail journal(May 25--June 5 '09):

"I wake up early and slap on the radio headphones and the first thing I hear is an air quality warning with high ozone levels, so limit any outdoor activity. "Ozone" is a word used by weathermen and other big brother doublespeakers and translates as pollution and polluting particulates in the atmostphere, but they won't call it air pollution or name the real chemicals in the air which we breath for fear of spreadng the truth and possibly getting their listeners upset."

"To be clear, ozone and bad air days in the Tennessee valley is this: air pollutants with harmful effects on the respiratory systems of animals and people. What's in the air? Things like cadmium, copper, CO, SO2, mercury, Chlorofluoro-carbons, lead, volatile organic compounds(benzene, toluene, xylene), peroxyacetyl nitrate, etc. They advise people with "weak respirations" to avoid the outdoors and yet all humans and their bloodstreams are affected when inhaling the above pollutants. While politicians set the rules and businesses are responsible, ultimately it is our love of excess which supports TN air pollution."

OZONE ACTION ALERT DAY!!
The Ozone Action Alert Day only means today is a day of pollution with no action taken. They throw in the word "action" to lessen the sting and to seemingly depict a state or government group taking action against east TN pollution when in fact the air is getting worse. We wonder why the state population has so much heart disease and cancer and yet nothing is mentioned concerning the foreign industrial and coal-produced chemicals we have in our bloodstreams. Here's a short list of pollutants found in our blood and not supposed to be there(from Pure Zing website):

Acesulfame K
Benzene
Acetone
Aspartame
Alpha Hydroxy Acid
Acrylamide/polyacrylamide
Ammonium Persulfate
Acetaldehyde
Bisphenol A or BPA
Bronopol
Ethylacrylate
Butylparaben
DMDM Hydantoin
Carboxymethylcellulose
Diazolidinyl Urea
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Dibutyl phthelate
Good old Formaldehyde
Cocamide DEA, Lauramide DEA, Linoleamide DEA, Oleamide DEA NDEA
Glycolic Acid
Lacquer
Kajoic Acid
Hydroabietyl Alcohol
Isobutylparaben
Hydroquinone
Hydrogenated Oils
PEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate
Methylisothiazoline
Perchlorate
Monosodium Glutamate
Nitrosamines
Sodium Hydrozymethylglycinate
Phenoxyethanol
Quaternium-7
Polyscorbate-60
Vinyl chloride
Triciosan
Sodium Lauryl Sulphate
Stearalkonium Chloride
Trethanoiamine
Toluene

Pedaling Fool
06-26-2009, 09:16
And there's more coal coming compliments of the Appalachian mountains http://www.greenchange.org/article.php?id=4476

Change we can believe :D

Tipi Walter
06-26-2009, 09:29
And there's more coal coming compliments of the Appalachian mountains http://www.greenchange.org/article.php?id=4476

Change we can believe :D

A very depressing article. Every time I use electricity I'm responsible for the rape of the moutaintops. Here's one good thought: The quicker we destroy nature the quicker humans are wiped out. Let's get it over with.

Spogatz
06-26-2009, 10:49
I'm going to get me a box and live under a bridge.....

mudhead
06-26-2009, 12:25
A very depressing article. Every time I use electricity I'm responsible for the rape of the moutaintops. Here's one good thought: The quicker we destroy nature the quicker humans are wiped out. Let's get it over with.

Think globally. Act locally. Now you go outside and suck up some of that skanky air, with a side order of pine needles. Might cheer you up.

I think you need running water.:sun

Snowleopard
06-26-2009, 12:27
I have asthma, and the air pollution levels in the southern Appalachians would really affect me. When the ozone level is yellow I have to limit my outdoor activities. When it is orange I am sick. When it is red, I am sick and might need rescue.
Forecast for today: http://airnow.gov/

To thru-hike the AT NOBO, I figure I'd have to be out of VA by the end of April and out of NY by early June. This year there were days in April in the Smokies that wouldn't have been good for me. For example, last year, May 1, 2008 was lousy:
http://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.displaymaps&pollutant=OZONE&StateID=38&domain=gsmnp&mon=5&dayofmon=1&yr=2008&display=summary

mudhead
06-26-2009, 12:36
http://www.weather.gov/aq/

Good info here. Click on state. Click on spot in state.
Timeline upper left. (for Maine)

Gets chunky here, too.