Good News Hangs In The Air For Region’s Asthma Sufferers

We may be in for cleaner air in the near future. Recently, state and federal regulatory agencies have taken steps that should reduce particulate air pollution.

This is good news for the breathing population - and great news for local asthmatics.

For me, air-particulate pollution is a real concern. There is a direct correlation between the severity of my asthma on a particular day and the air-particulate concentration. And my asthma is at its worst during field-burning season.

Field burning has been a contentious issue. The Intermountain Grass Growers Association, the Washington state Department of Ecology, Washington State University, 300 Spokane doctors (who petitioned the Department of Ecology) and this newspaper, among others, caused a thorough investigation and debate of the problem. We now know that, undoubtedly, field burning does more harm than good.

The Department of Ecology’s permanent rule to phase out field burning does not impose a new or unfair regulatory cost on bluegrass growers. The cost associated with ridding fields of stubble by disbursing it as tiny air particulates has existed all along. People other than the growers currently pay that cost through additional medical bills, reduced quality of life and possibly the loss of life itself. It is appropriate to reallocate the real costs to the parties wanting to profit.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency’s new national standard for particulate air pollution also is good news. The current maximum for a 24-hour period - 150 particulate parts less than 10 microns in size per cubic meter of air - is inadequate. When the air-particulate count is greater than 40 parts per cubic meter of air, my chest is tight and I need greater amounts of medicine to keep my airways open. When the count exceeds 55 parts, I literally live from atomizer puff to atomizer puff.

As bad as air-particulate levels got during this past field-burning season, only once did Spokane’s air exceed the EPA limit. A tougher standard is needed.

The new regulations are supported by research, medical literature and cost-benefit studies. Our state and federal lawmakers should respect the regulations as an appropriate response to legitimate health and safety concerns and not overturn them for political reasons.

MEMO: “Your turn” is a feature of the Wednesday and Saturday Opinion pages. To submit a “Your turn” column for consideration, contact Rebecca Nappi at 459-5496 or Doug Floyd at 459-5466 or write “Your turn,” The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane 99210-1615.