Ten years prior, Tracey Holloway, an atmospheric scientist associated with the University of Wisconsin–Madison, would have described the state of air pollution in the United States as a notable success. “We had seen continuous improvements in air quality, with reductions in nearly all pollutants,” she remarked. However, in June 2023, the situation shifted dramatically when wildfire smoke from Canada led to historically poor air quality in Wisconsin.
Last month, the air quality in the region suffered again, falling to unhealthy levels, once more attributed to wildfires.
The US has indeed made notable progress in reducing vehicular and industrial emissions through the implementation of strict regulatory standards for industrial operators and automakers However, the rising occurrence and severity of wildfires are undermining the advancements achieved in pollution control initiatives, according to Nga Lee “Sally” Ng, an aerosol researcher at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
This evolving situation poses significant challenges for residents and researchers monitoring air quality. Many high-quality pollution monitors are concentrated in urban areas and near fixed pollution sources, such as coal plants, resulting in uneven coverage across the country. Regions that lack monitoring stations are often referred to as air quality monitoring deserts, which may leave at-risk populations unaware of their local air conditions.
The existing monitoring infrastructure is also ill-equipped to effectively track the unpredictable behavior of wildfire smoke, which has the capacity to travel vast distances from fire sites and influence air quality and public health in far-flung areas. Additionally, this smoke can carry harmful toxins, including lead, especially when fueled by the combustion of vehicles and structures.
Since the passage of the Air Pollution Control Act in 1955, air quality has been acknowledged as a pressing national concern in the United States. The signing of the Clean Air Act in 1970, along with subsequent amendments, led to increased monitoring of pollutants such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, particulate matter, and sulfur dioxide to evaluate compliance with the established National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
