Safe Air

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) air pollution threatens human health and damages the environment. Off-highway vehicle activities at the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area (ODSVRA) break the crust of the dunes. The sand particles are picked up by the wind and carried across the Nipomo Mesa, where health standards of particulate matter are exceeded. This is not in compliance with the Clean Air Act which was enacted to make our air safer to breath. Invisible particles, such as PM 10, when inhaled cause and exacerbate health effects including respiratory problems and asthma especially in children and the elderly. The health care costs of bad air are inestimable, often costing billions in emergency room visits. Nipomo is also having to pay taxes for exceeding state and federal air pollution standards.

A study to determine the origin of the dangerously high PM 10 levels in Nipomo hypothesized that the levels should be higher after weekend off-highway vehicle activity. This hypothesis failed to consider the necessary condition for the particles to become airborne, that is, the wind. Observation shows that the particles form a downwind plume on windy days, and that the plume originates where the off-roading activity occurs.