REASoN Program Review 14 March 2006 The Drought Dust-Related Fatalities Valley Fever Outbreak EPA Newsroom AIRNOW … AIRLATER? Current Events related to PHAIRS and the DREAM dust model on-going research:

REASoN Program Review, 14 March 2006 The Drought in S. AZ: Saturday’s storm First this winter (typically we receive seven storms by mid- March) Brought the first measurable rainfall to Tucson since Dec 11th, 2005 Normally 2-3 inches by mid-March. How Dry Is It? Tucson:0.02” since Oct 16 th Phoenix:first since Oct 18 th (143 days – record) The effects have been painfully obvious lately.

REASoN Program Review, 14 March 2006 Dust-Storm Related Fatalities I-10 single vehicle rollovers represent 1 in 12 of all AZ traffic fatalities 1,726 crashes along AZ I Fatality ‘Hotspots’ occur where there are jogs in the highway and motorists ‘failure to negotiate” I-8/I-10 Interchange Texas Canyon west of Benson, AZ Benson, AZ interchanges highway fatalities are ‘random in nature’ high winds and blowing dust correlation?

REASoN Program Review, 14 March 2006 Dust to blame in pileups 2 killed, 13 hurt in I-8 accidents caused by low visibility, The Arizona Republic, Thurs. Feb. 16, 2006 Dust-Storm Related Fatalities A thick cloud of dust caused two traffic pileups on a stretch of Interstate 8 south of the Valley on Wednesday morning, leaving two people dead and 13 others injured. The combination of wind, more than 100 days without rain and the fallow agricultural fields surrounding the interstate southwest of Casa Grande in Pinal County produced conditions described by witnesses as a temporary blackout about 10:30 a.m.

REASoN Program Review, 14 March 2006 S-curve in I-10 west of Benson, AZ is an area of high windblown dust. So is Texas Canyon, where trucks and RVs struggle to climb out of the San Pedro River Valley Deadly I-10 Hotspots The I-8/I-10 Interchange west of Tucson is the deadliest stretch of highway in Arizona I-10's lethal hot spots lie in wait for unwary. Arizona Daily Star, Mar. 12, 2006

REASoN Program Review, 14 March 2006 ARIZONA DAILY STAR, Tucson, Arizona Mar.12, 2006 Dr. Eskild Petersen, longtime infectious-disease specialist at the University of Arizona: Valley fever severity rises to level that is 'unbelievable' Dr. John Gagliani, UA’s Valley Fever Center for Excellence “This is a very different, very unusual year." Valley fever infections rising steadily in Arizona since late 1990s In Pima County, 259 cases from November through January (183 cases reported during the same period last year). “We usually don't get more than one or two new cases a month," said Petersen. "I've never seen that number in so short a time. And it's not just at our clinic. It's the general feeling out there that something very serious is happening. We will easily surpass 4,000 cases statewide this year.” Valley Fever Update

REASoN Program Review, 14 March 2006 The timing of this current spike jibes exactly with the onset of an extreme dry period in Southern Arizona. That was the final step in what we call the "grow and blow" weather pattern now known to trigger outbreaks of valley fever. The pattern requires a period of sufficient moisture to grow the infectious fungus in the soil — and that happened last winter — followed by a severe drought to get the fungal spores up into the air. Other factors pushing the outbreak include the influx of ‘newbies’, home-building boom on the outskirts of the city It appears the valley fever outbreak now affecting Tucson humans may be attacking our canine friends as well. Valley Fever Update

REASoN Program Review, 14 March 2006 EPA Newsroom July 1997: EPA issued NAAQS for fine particles (PM2.5) annual:15ug/m3 24-hr:65 ug/m3 Non-attainment areas must submit plans by April counties in 8 states (5M people) Areas >1M are required to attain clean air by 2010 New 24-hr. standard proposed: 35ug/m3

REASoN Program Review, 14 March 2006 Pima County DEQ Concerns EPA Plan would cut funds for tracking air quality in Pima, Arizona Daily Star, Feb. 27, 2006 Bush administration is proposing to cut $80K from two EPA grant programs that provide $570K yearly to PDEQ Proposed rule changes could seriously impact air pollution monitoring in Pima County: 33 monitors to as few as 10 for six criteria pollutants PM2.5 monitors: from 3 to 1 for the entire urban airshed (>1M residents) AIRNOW….AIRLATER?