Key findings from the NM DOH Air Quality Study

Dr. Dave DuBois

Project PI

Presented at the Southwest Border Air Quality SymposiumLas Cruces

April 22, 2013

NM DOH Study• A mix of number of smaller, inter-related

studies (14 tasks) emphasizing– Capacity building in the region for air quality

research– Adequacy of current surveillance network– Defining baseline air quality and air quality

related health over region– Causes and sources of air quality degradation

in the region– Descriptive recommendations for improving air

quality

Our Study Area

No sharply defined boundary but includes US/Mexico border region and significant sources of pollution and monitoring locations

Enhanced Monitoring Network

• Design of an optimal monitoring network– Fill-in holes in current network

Core site

Satellite sites

Micro sitesVado, NM site, 1 of 3 “satellite” stations

Some key studies• Cooperation between 5 academic

institutions and several gov’t agencies across the US and Mexico

• Provided assessments of climate and air quality over the region

• Air quality and climate network evaluation

• Analysis of Las Cruces hospital data

• Airborne fungal taxonomy of region

• Developed dust source database

• Dust mitigation options for urban areas

Key Impacts to Health from Climate Change

• Heat waves

• Extreme weather events

• Increases in particulate matter

• Increases in ozone

• Changes in allergens

• Food-borne diseases

• Water-borne diseases

• Animal-borne diseases

Data: NCAR, CMIP3, CCSM https://gisclimatechange.ucar.edu/

Temperatures for Climate Division 8

Climate division 8

Annual Temperature Anomalies

201220112010

2009200820072006

2013 (JFM)

Reference to 1981-2010 average

NOAA Divisional Data, Plotted by ESRL PSD

How unusual is this drought?• Look at Drought Monitor in NM over past 12 yrs

In summer of 2011 almost 50% of state was D4

%D3

ExtremeDrought

Think of D3 as return frequency of 20 to 50 years

Annual Precipitation over Climate Division 8

2012

1956

Photographer: Craig D. Allen , USGS

2002 2004

Wildfires• Who is at highest risk?

– Heart or lung disease, COPD, emphysema, or asthma

– Older adults and children

• Protect yourself– Pay attention to air quality reports/advisories– Use visibility guides– Stay indoors if advised– Don’t add to indoor pollution– Follow doctor’s advice

Health, Safety, and Air Quality• Major Impacts to

– Human health– Travel safety– Worker down time

• 2012 wildfire size was about 1.5x the 10-year average (based on 2001-2010)

• 2011 and 2012 had above average number of dust storms in southern NM and west TX

• March 18, 2012 dust storm was worst since 2003– More than 10x EPA standards for 24-hour PM10

Climate Division 8 Rain & Temperatures: 1895-2012

Climate division 8

Climate and Particulate LevelsOur highest PM10 occurs during our driest years

…and during our warmest years

2011

Over last 21 years in climate division 8

PM10 in DemingOver last 21 years

How much is due to land cover and climate?

Monitor sits on top of post office building in Deming, an urban setting

Dots show highest concentrations

Median PM10 shows statistically significant decrease over time

However, 95th percentile show a statistically significant increase

Spring dust events

Mainly in March, April and May

Based on analysis of satellite imagery from 2002 to 2012

We find a similar distribution using PM10 data

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J F M A M J J A S O N D

PM2.

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PM2.5 when WS >= 10 m/s

PM2.5

2011 PM2.5Sunland Park , NM near Mexican border

3/18/12 Frontal StormPM10 beta gage filter tape during the storm

Las Cruces, NM at 1pm

Resulted in several road closures

47mm PM10 filter collected over the 24-hour period

3/18/12 Frontal Storm• Duration: most of day

PM10 measured using TEOM monitors

24-hr PM10 as high as 1740 µg/m3

Peak hourly PM10 more than 10,000 µg/m3

24-hr PM2.5 more than 100 µg/m3

4/17/13 frontal storm• Duration: most of day

24-hr PM2.5 as high as 90 µg/m3

24-hr PM10 as high as 661 µg/m3

I-10 closed most of the day

Based on lidar, most of the dust is confined to a layer less than 500 meters above the ground

Health Effects of Dust

• A recent study linking dust levels in El Paso with hospital admissions (Grineski et al. 2010)– Dust events were significantly associated with

children’s acute bronchitis admissions– Dust and low wind events were associated with

increased odds of hospital admissions for asthma and acute bronchitis amongst all ages and children, and the same was true for adults and dust

– Low wind events were significantly associated with children’s asthma hospitalizations

Inhalation Pathways• Important question is how far does it go

into the lung?

EPA has two health indicators for particulates.

PM10 – particles less than 10 microns in diameter

PM2.5 – particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter

Coccidiodomycosis ”Valley Fever”

CDC, http://www.cdc.gov/fungal/coccidioidomycosis/causes.html

Coccidioides spp.“cocci”

2 - 4 microns

Cocci in New Mexico

• Education and awareness campaign for clinical providers in New Mexico and public– Increase testing and diagnosis

– Increase reporting25

• Expected that Coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever) is underreported in New Mexico– Misdiagnosed (pneumonia, COPD,

bronchitis, asthma, TB, lung cancer)– Ineffective treatments (often

antibiotics)Fisher et al. 2007

Coccidioides endemic zone

New Mexico Department of Health Cocci Initiative

• Education and awareness campaign for clinical providers in New Mexico• Statewide KAP survey of NM licensed clinicians• CME training in Las Cruces, May 2010, 65 attendees• Distribution of educational material from Valley Fever

Center of Excellence

• Public education and awareness campaign• Billboards (in conjunction with TB)• Documentary• Educational material in provider offices

• Increase testing and diagnosis• Increase reporting

Mitigation Options for Local Dust

• Tested dust control options in Las Cruces

• Tried 5 types over 1 year ($ to $$$$)

• Pecan mulch ($) works well

• Polymer solutions work but $$$$

Project’s Geospatial Archive• NMSU SPaRC lab inventories

– Inventory of landforms, soils, hydrology, vegetation, precipitation, all types of land use

– Created new landuse databases around satellite stations

– Using these to model dust source locations

Project’s Modeling Archive• NMSU CARSAME and State Climate inventories

– AVHRR, MODIS, and GOES satellite imagery– Numerical model output from RUC, NAM, and

CFSv2, and WRF over the region– HYSPLIT forward and backward trajectories– Climatological data over the region (and state)

going back to 1895– Dust source location database

Outreach

Getting the word out in today’s

world

Videos

Promote individual investigators and studies

Educational uses

Document events

CollaboratorsRebecca Armenta, Elizabeth Smith, Stan Engle, Yizhi Zhou, Manoj ShuklaDept. Plant & Environmental Sciences,NMSU

Max Bleiweiss, Merrill Bean, Miranda Flores, Soum Sanogo, Melanie LytleDept. Entomology Plant Pathology & Weed Science, NMSU

Randy Carr, Janet Greenlee, Charles Jackson, Andrew Martinez, Shelby Van ArnamDept. of Geography, SPaRC labNMSU

Erin WardWater Resources Research InstituteNMSU

Vic Etyemezian, George NikolichDesert Research Institute

Rosa Fitzgerald, Tom GillUTEP

Ilias Kavouras, Marie-Cecile ChalbotUniv. Arkansas Medical Sciences

Michael Baca, Terry Hertel, Abel RamirezNM Env. Dept., Air Quality Bureau

Juan Pedro Flores MargezInstituto de Ciencias BiomedicasUniv. Autonoma de Cd. Juarez

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Dr. Dave DuBoisNM State Climatologistdwdubois@nmsu.edu

Twitter: @nmclimateBlog: nmborderaq.blogspot.comWebsite: nmborderair.nmsu.edu