Importance to Fairbanks, Alaska
Author
Isabelle Jacobson
PHYS F212X F02, Spring 2019
Professor David Newman
University of Alaska Fairbanks

Pollution Risks

In attending a local air quality meeting, information was provided on a local wood stove regulation issue with a primary focus on the health risks of woodstoves in conjunction with Fairbanks, Alaska 's extreme inversions in the winter. There is a study on the health effects of thermal inversion in the Sultanate of Oman done by Abdul-Wahaba, Bakheitb, and Siddiqui (2005).8 Oman is a very different environment to Fairbanks, but the structure of this study was interesting. This group of scientists recorded information from hospitals, reported respiratory problems, and atmospheric air pollution. Health risks caused by pollution is a local and current concern in the Fairbanks North Star Borough.


PM
 15
Particulate matter (PM) is a pollutant made up of solid particle and liquid droplets. PM10 particles have diameters of 10 micrometers or smaller and are inhalable particles. PM2.5 particles are finer at diameters of 2.5 micrometers or smaller and are also inhalable. Some particles smaller than 10 micrometers across can be inhaled into the lungs and cause health problems. PM2.5 particles pose the largest safety risk.15 Exposure to these particles can cause premature death in those with heart or lung disease, nonfatal heart attacks, aggravated asthma, increased respiratory symptoms, irregular heartbeat, and decreased lung function.16
Particulate matter also poses a threat to the environment. PM2.5 is the primary cause of visibility impairment. They can also make standing bodies of water and streams acidic, change nutrient balance on the coast of large bodies of water, decrease diversity of ecosystems, and more. These particles can also damage statues, monuments, buildings, and other structures with materials susceptible to the particles.16 Not only is our present being negatively impacted, but remnants of our past and what we build for our future could be severely negatively impacted if these particles are not reduced.