Smog
in the Twin Cities is happening! The Twin Cities are growing
which places more demands on our power plants and creating
more traffic congestion on our roads. Mix this up with fumes
from paints, solvents and gasoline on a hot summer day and
we have a recipe for smog or ground level ozone, which can
damage lungs particularly in athletes, young children and the
elderly.
There
are some very simple things that we all can do to help stop
this problem:
• Purchase
a "no spill" gas can to eliminate gas vapors.
• Refill
your car gas tank at night (after 6:00pm) during hot summer
days.
• Use
water based paints and solvents and postpone painting or
staining to cooler summer days or evenings.
• Turn
off lights and appliances whenever possible and buy energy
saving light bulbs and appliances.
• On
hot summer days drive less: postpone or bunch errands together,
take the bus, ride a bike or telecommute.
• Postpone
using gasoline-powered engines like weed wackers, lawn mowers
and gas powered recreational vehicles until evening or a
cooler day.
Other
Resources
www.pca.state.mn.us click
on air quality index
www.alamn.org
www.mn-ei.org/air/index.html
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