Well, this is the 6 million dollar question. To be truthful, the answer is "we don't know", but we are starting to get a better idea.

No! This is just when the newspapers like to cover it! The pollution sources in Asia are "on" all the time. There is probably a small amount of pollution that gets transported across the Pacific all the time. The large dust storms only occur when high surface winds are present and when the soil is relatively dry. This usually happens after a frontal passage and is most common in spring. The large dust particles get picked up and the resulting concentrations in Asia can be enormous.

Probably you won't notice anything. Unless this is a once in 5 year event (10 year, 20 year???). In the April 1998 and April 2001 episodes the large amount of dust produced a strong haziness that was noticed in places that were usually clear. During these events the sun appeared a bit washed out and rather then a bright blue sky, the sky was noticeably whiter. Not like a cloud, but not the beautiful "desert blue" sky either.

No building is perfectly sealed and so the air inside ultimately originates outside. Air pollution present in the outdoor environment will therefore enter into the building as well. Generally, pollutants present in the outdoor environment are present at a somewhat lower concentration than outside (probably 10 to 90% in most cases). There are several reasons for this. Some pollutants are absorbed by materials in the building. Others deteriorate or react chemically and so disappear.

Because some waterfowl and shorebird species migrate between Alaska and Asia and across the Atlantic from Europe, authorities in the wildlife conservation, hunting and medical professions are taking steps to monitor the situation closely and take action if necessary. The probability of the arrival of high pathogenic Asian H5N1 avian flu in North American waterfowl cannot be predicted. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S.

According to the American Lung Association, in 1999, 85% of Americans did not realize the air in their homes might be a health hazard. However, more people are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of the quality of air that we breathe indoors. We take for granted the cleanliness of our indoor air. The average person spends 90% of their time indoors, may it be at a store, bank, school, etc. therefore making it vital to our health that we are informed on improving our indoor air quality.

Well, I didn't say that. These pollutants add to local sources. To explain this I can use the EPA's Air Quality Index (AQI). An AQI of 0 represents no pollution (impossible) and for most pollutants an AQI of 100 is the allowable limit where there are demonstrable health effects. So lets say your background air (the air that blows into your region) is normally at an AQI of 20 and your local air pollution adds 70, for a total of 90.

In May 2003, BSE was diagnosed in a cow in central Alberta. This was the first native-born case of BSE reported on the North American continent. On Dec. 23, 2003, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that a Holstein cow in Washington had been diagnosed with BSE. The subsequent epidemiological investigation revealed that the cow originated in Canada. Since 1989, the U.S. has prohibited importation of ruminants and most ruminant products from countries affected by BSE.

You can have your duct work cleaned, add one of our media or electronic air cleaners to your system, or a new Air Wash system. The Air Wash system takes air purification to a whole new level. The Air Wash cleanses your air by passing it through a three stage filtering process. efficient @ 0.3 microns. Removes dust, pollen, bacteria, animal dander, attached viruses, cigarette smoke, and more.

The air quality in the San Joaquin Valley is among the poorest in the state. On average the Valley experiences 35-40 days when we exceed the federal health-based standards for ground-level ozone and more than 100 days over the state ozone standard. While levels of airborne particles exceed the federal standard less than five times annually, because the California standard is set at a lower and more protective level, the Valley exceeds this limit an average of 90-100 days per year.

Ozone precursor emission sources are generally divided into two categories: stationary and mobile. Stationary sources fall into two types called point and area sources. Point sources are large, easily identifiable sources such as industrial facilities and operations. Area sources are sources that individually emit smaller amounts of pollutants.

Encourage your employer to become a Spare the Air Employer Partner to educate and encourage employees on pollution prevention activities. On smoggy days, postpone yard care with gasoline-powered equipment, or better yet, use electric or manual tools. For clean fun in the sun, try sailing, swimming, hiking or cycling but remember to consider air quality and your health when planning outdoor activities.

There have been reports of the bird flu in North America, but it is a different strain that is not as dangerous as the H5N1 virus. So far the deadly virus H5N1 has yet to show up in America. But experts say they wouldn't be surprised if it does. It could come from a wild bird that will carry it in from Asia or Europe as they head back north in the spring to nesting grounds in the Arctic. It may arrive first in far western Canada, Alaska, parts of the U.S.

Yes - Call from anywhere any time in the US. From Canada you use local access numbers. You pay the same rate no matter from where or when you place the call. (Changed for the local calls from Canada)

This is basically a guess: 2,000 to 4,000. In 1995, 323 dogs were registered by the AKC, ranking it No. 111 that year. By comparison, 132,051 labrador retrievers were registered that year.

For the people living in Asia, these dust and pollution levels are associated with health impacts. Once these get transported to North America, the levels are much lower. The highest we have seen at ground level is from the 2001 dust event. In this event, PM10 and PM2.5 reached approximately 2/3 of the US air quality standard at several sites along the west coast (see Jaffe, Snow and Cooper 2003 paper in publication list). This is a level associated with health effects for some people.

The North Central Texas region is currently in an Ozone Nonattainment Area. Nine counties within our region have been designated as nonattainment for the 8-hour ozone, meaning the air quality in the area is in violation of the national 8-hour ozone standard and therefore unhealthy to breathe as defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) http://www.epa.gov/ozonedesignations.

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) refers to the effect, good or bad, of the contents of the air inside a structure, on its occupants. Usually, temperature (too hot or too cold), humidity (too dry or too damp), and air velocity (draftiness or motionlessness) are considered "comfort" rather than indoor air quality issues. Unless they are extreme, they may make someone unhappy, but they won't make a person ill.