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Pollutants

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Fine Particulate Matter

Airborne fine particulate matter is a concern for land managers. Fine particles can be produced during prescribed burns under certain weather, fire temperature, and fuel conditions. Inhaling fine particles may adversely affect the health of fire crews and nearby residents. Also, fine particulate matter creates haze in the air that can limit visibility and diminish outdoor recreational experiences.

The US Environmental Protection Agency has set standards for allowable amounts of airborne particulate matter. These are known as "national ambient air quality standards" (NAAQS), and are designed to protect human health. Two standards are now in effect, for particles with diameters of less than 10 micrometers, and those less than 2.5 micrometers.

The standard for particles of 10 micrometers in diameter or smaller (PM10) has been in effect since 1987. The standard is attained when the 99th percentile reading, for a year, of daily 24-hour averages does not exceed 150 micrograms per cubic meter (based on the average of 3 years), and the annual average of 24-hour readings is less than or equal to 50 micrograms per cubic meter. There are few PM10 data for the northern portions of the Lake States because monitoring sites are clustered in urban and industrial centers in the south. Monitoring sites in the Lake States, and their readings for PM10 during 1996, are shown in the following table. These data indicate that the PM10 standard is not being exceeded at monitoring sites in the Lake States area. Readings for non-urban areas in the north are extremely low; for example, the highest daily reading at Boulder Junction, WI, was 34 micrograms per cubic meter, and the annual average was 9 micrograms per cubic meter.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has monitored particulate matter production during prescribed burns and found that ambient PM10 concentrations reached maximum levels of 8510 micrograms per cubic meter during a burn in heavy pine slash, 890 micrograms per cubic meter in a northern Wisconsin barrens, and 1110 micrograms per cubic meter in a southern Wisconsin grassland. The short-term concentrations measured during burns were averaged over a 24 hour period with ambient values, to give predicted 24 hour concentrations of 886, 167, and 150 micrograms per cubic meter, respectively, indicating that air quality standards can be exceeded because of prescribed burning (State of Wisconsin data from Mark Allen).

A new standard for particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM2.5) was set in July, 1997. The PM2.5 standard is met when the 24-hour average does not exceed 65 micrograms per cubic meter, and the annual average is less than or equal to 15 micrograms per cubic meter. PM2.5 monitoring equipment and methods were tested during 1998, and will be operational during the summer of 1999. By late 1999 or early 2000, PM2.5 monitoring data should be available to indicate whether ambient levels exceed the air quality standard.

For more information on EPA particulate matter standards, see http://ttnwww.rtpnc.epa.gov/naaqsfin/pmfact.htm. For the EPA’s analysis of health effects related to airborne particulate matter, see http://ttnwww.rtpnc.epa.gov/naaqsfin/pmhealth.htm.

Particulate matter less than 10 micrometers in diameter, 1996. Data were summarized from EPA’s Aerometric Information Retrieval System (AIRS) by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of Air Mangement.


Station		 Number of
readings		 Highest 24 hour reading 2nd-highest 24 hour reading Annual
average
Cloquet, MN 54 63 27 13
Alexandria, MN 7 11 6 4*
Goodhue Co., MN 9 19 19 12*
Minneapolis 226 70 52 22*
Minneapolis 162 70 49 20
Minneapolis 17 35 24 14*
Minneapolis 16 42 29 19*
Minneapolis 56 65 45 19
St. Louis, MN 57 69 41 19
Richfield, MN 57 109 91 30
Int. Falls, MN 37 27 22 13*
Int. Falls, MN 17 22 21 7*
Little Falls, MN 9 36 24 13*
Rochester, MN 58 59 44 19
Pine Co., MN 18 28 13 8*
Pipestone, MN 16 37 21 12*
St. Paul, MN 57 88 57 24
St. Paul, MN 223 95 89 25*
St. Paul, MN 308 89 82 28
St. Paul, MN 26 69 48 27*
St. Paul, MN 55 80 76 29*
Duluth, MN 58 53 51 18
Duluth, MN 55 62 40 20
Duluth, MN 53 63 41 21
Virginia, MN 49 59 58 18*
Sherburne Co., MN 59 65 38 12
Sherburne Co., MN 59 63 38 12
Washington Co., MN 57 71 48 22
Madison, WI 61 45 44 21
Madison, WI 61 52 34 20
Superior, WI 57 46 44 18
Superior, WI 55 49 43 20*
Wausau, WI 59 78 50 25
Milwaukee, WI 61 57 52 25
Milwaukee, WI 61 51 49 26
Vernon Co., WI 59 36 30 14
Boulder Junction, WI 58 34 30 9
Waukesha, WI 122 70 69 28
Waukesha, WI 61 52 42 22
Albion, MI 61 79 57 22
Flint, MI 54 48 45 20
Kalamazoo, MI 46 34 33 16*
Grand Rapids, MI 58 55 44 22
Grand Rapids, MI 50 50 42 19*
Marquette, MI 60 126 75 18
Marquette, MI 61 85 78 19
Marquette, MI 61 97 58 21
Marquette, MI 61 95 65 17
Monroe, MI 55 55 45 22*
Allen Park, MI 59 72 56 28
River Rouge, MI 59 76 61 35
Detroit, MI 61 81 65 33
Livonia, MI 58 57 55 22
Dearborn, MI 348 158 106 40
Detroit, MI 61 60 57 28

* Average is based on fewer than the required number of readings.

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