Tired of complaining about the rain?
Here’s a benefit to the summer’s endless showers, storms, downpours, weather fronts and sprinkles that have soaked us seemingly for months on end: Metro Atlanta has had one smog alert day so far this summer.
That’s right, one, on July 30. And that day made it into the red zone, where any outdoor activity is considered unhealthy, by one mere point on a 300-point scale.
“We’ve been watching since May, June and into July,” said Brian Carr, the director of communications for the Clean Air Campaign. “It’s been a pretty remarkable spring and summer here in terms of air quality.”
By this time last year, there had been 16 smog alerts. In 2011, there had been 36, Carr said. There were also plenty of other “orange” days during those years, when air is unhealthy for sensitive groups such as asthmatics. Most of this summer, the air has been good to moderate.
The Clean Air Campaign publishes the alerts daily on its website and emails warnings to those who are registered.
The reason for the healthier air is rainfall and cloud cover.
Heat, sunshine and stagnant air cook tailpipe and smokestack emissions and other airborne toxins into ground-level ozone. Another pollutant is particulate matter, such as dust and soot. Cloud cover stops some of that cooking process. Weather fronts pushing through bring fresh air. Cleansing showers knock down some of the bad stuff.
“The photochemical process requires mostly sunlight, but also heat. And obviously, there has been a deficit of both,” said Kirk Mellish, the meteorologist at 95.5 FM and AM 750 News/Talk WSB.
Dr. Karen Freedle of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta said particulates can cause respiratory problems, so rain can have positive effects on health. On the other hand, dampness can cause mold growth, which can aggravate conditions such as asthma.
However, those suffering from such conditions should not be much affected by weather if they are working closely with their doctors. That is the key to staying healthy, she said.
Carr pointed out other factors have also lowered the air-born gunk that cooks into smog. More people are car-pooling, taking a bus, a bike, teleworking or not going to work due to unemployment. A state Department of Transportation statistics surveys show that there were about 400,000 people in the region who were doing something other driving alone in 2010. That was up about 50,000 over 2007 numbers.
Runners have noticed the cleaner air. The effects of outdoor exercise can be iffy when the air you breathe is smoggy.
“I have not taken a day off since July,” said Jared Reeder of Atlanta, the marketing director for Phidippides, the running gear store.
“I heard some guys talking the other day about how much they hate running in the rain, but we enjoy it. You notice a difference. … This year, it has been easier to breathe,” including during The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race on July 4.
A runner’s downside to the rain?
“Well, the humidity has been brutal,” Reeder said.
And the cool weather can’t last forever, right?
“We’ve had a great run, but it’s unlikely to stay that way,” Carr said.
