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41 °F 5 Day Forecast Thursday, December 4, 2003 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | eSouthernOregon | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend November 23, 2003 Particles difficult to detect, harder to predict effects If air quality worsens in Jackson County, the health of some residents could be at stake. But how much is open to debate. "A lot of smart people have spent a lot of time trying to figure out what all this means," said Gary Stevens, co-chairman of the Medford-Ashland Air Quality Advisory Committee. Stevens, who is with Jackson County Environmental Health Services, said it is difficult to predict the effects of even small amounts of air pollution on people with sensitive respiratory systems. At risk are children and adults with asthma, the elderly, people who exercise outdoors, people with depressed immune systems and those with chronic lung diseases. Increasing pollution levels in the White City area could impact residents at the domiciliary and others living in residential areas, he said. Advertisement Stevens said there has been much debate about whether industry, which has done a good job of curtailing pollutants, should be singled out as the only emission culprit. Sources of particulates, measured at 10 microns in size, include dust kicked up by cars, diesel exhaust, woodstove emissions, outdoor burning and industrial pollutants. But the question remains, he said, at what point do they pose a significant problem? "We can’t say there are no impacts, but at what point are they measurable?" he said. Further complicating the issue is the question of poverty, which limits access to proper health care, and which can be partially solved by the creation of more jobs. But with the valley growing, Stevens said people in the community should push for the manufacture of cleaner cars and purchase vehicles that pollute less. "We’ve been pointing the fingers all this time, and then we realize it was us," he said. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times