1 Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium

2 Particulate Matter a Community Concern Other sources include: road dust, construction sites, and the train Potential health and environmental impacts stemming from PM Coal development is thought to contribute to particulate matter pollution

3 Community Background Seward is situated on Resurrection Bay 125 highway miles south of Anchorage Qutekcak Native Tribe Alaska Natives living in these areas are Aleut or Alutiiq people

4 What is Particulate Matter? Particle Matter: mixture of solid and liquid particles Particles include: dust, dirt, soot or smoke Some are large or dark enough to be seen with the naked eye Others can only be detected using an electron microscope

5 Particulate Matter Sources Industrial sources include: Mining Transportation of mined material Abrasive blasting Construction sites Storage of bulk materials (sand/dirt/gravel/coal) Gray filter after sample collection

6 Particulate Matter Sources Non-industrial source include: Driving automobiles Unpaved roads Burning wood Fugitive dust

7 Particulate Matter Health Effects Particle pollution can get deep into the lungs It can cause serious health problems including: – Increased respiratory symptoms, such as irritation of the airways, coughing, or difficulty breathing – Decreased lung function – Aggravated asthma – Development of chronic bronchitis – Irregular heartbeat – Nonfatal heart attacks – Premature death in people with heart or lung disease

8 Seward PM 10 Study The monitoring for concentrations of larger inhalable coarse particles (PM 10 )

9 Collaborative Effort Participants Roles: QNT operates the site Alaska DEC provides technical support (calibrations, lab analysis, training, etc.) City of Seward provides logistical support (locations for monitors) ANTHC provides technical support and financial assistance

10 PM 10 Monitoring Network Four PM 10 high volume samplers Three sampling locations One co-located site used to collect precision data Follow EPA’s 1 in 6 PM 10 sampling schedule 24 hr sample run time Proposed as a one year study Filters analyzed by state laboratory in Juneau, AK

11 Where do we go from here…? Future data analysis may look at: Concentrations (High or Low) Pollution trends Weather patterns Sources/speciation Resurrection Bay Fishing

12 Where do we go from here…? (cont.) Results of the study will indicate the next steps If the concentration are high future mitigations may address: Industrial sources Unpaved roads Bulk material piles Construction sites Wood burning advisories Car emissions testing

13 Outreach Education Community forums Public presentations School outreach Newspaper/newsletter articles Tribal elder presentations

14 Questions? Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium Division of Environmental Health and Engineering Environmental Health Support 1901Bragaw Street, Suite 200, Anchorage, AK or