Disease Prevention

Western Wisconsin Air Quality

Most Western Wisconsin bars and restaurants have “hazardous” levels of indoor
air pollution.

One Chippewa County bar exceeds six times hazardous level set by EPA

Eau Claire, October 6, 2008---Ordering dinner and a drink in Western Wisconsin may be hazardous to your health. New indoor air quality tests conducted in eight Western Wisconsin counties reveal establishments where smoking is permitted had levels of indoor air pollution well above what’s considered hazardous exposure by the Department of Natural Resources
.The tests, which measured levels of small particulate pollution, found air quality in most places was two to three times more dangerous than the hazardous-level.

Of the 58 establishments tested in Eau Claire, La Crosse, Burnett, Polk, Pierce, Chippewa, Clark and Rusk Counties only smoke-free establishments had “good” air quality.

“We know tobacco smoke is the single greatest cause of small particulates indoors,” said David Ahrens, a researcher at the UW Comprehensive Cancer Center in Madison. “These tiny bits of air pollution then lodge deep into lung tissue and artery walls triggering asthma and other serious respiratory conditions as well as contributing to heart disease and lung cancer.”

The Department of Natural Resources sets 40 micrograms of small particulates per cubic meter as the maximum rate of exposure in a single day based on standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency; yet numerous bars and restaurants where smoking was permitted tested with anywhere from 100 to 1440 micrograms of small particulates per cubic meter.

The 1440 microgram reading— six times greater than the hazardous level—was measured inside a Chippewa County bar.

“Pollution at this level, if it was outdoors, would be considered absolutely unacceptable. People would be told to stay home, shut the doors and windows and avoid doing anything strenuous,” said Richard Thoune, Eau Claire City-County Health Officer. “This kind of poor air quality is dangerous to everyone, but especially to folks with serious health problems like asthma or heart disease. People are putting their health at risk simply by going to or working inside these establishments.”

Carmen Bertelsen, Public Health Nurse/Tobacco Control Coordinator for Pierce County also pointed out that because these counties are so rural, there are few options for people to consider besides those that allow smoking.

“What’s worse,” added Bertelsen, “is many families don’t realize how bad the air quality is and they bring their kids along to dinner or to meet friends, exposing their children’s developing lungs to these toxins.”

According to the U.S. Surgeon General secondhand smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, 50 of which are known to cause cancer.

The 58 places tested were selected based on their popularity in order to best represent the risk people in these counties face during an evening out. Each monitoring team spent 30 minutes in each location testing the air with a Personal Aerosol Monitor. The teams also recorded the number of people inside and the number of people smoking every 15 minutes. Please see the attached report for full results. The report will also be available online through UW-CCC at http://www.cancer.wisc.edu/uwccc/index.asp (under Featured News.) The data analysis and report were completed by staff from the Paul P. Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center, UW-Madison.

To read "The Western Wisconsin Indoor Air Quality Report", please click on WWIAQ

For local information contact:

Carol Larson, Health Officer, Burnett County Health Department, 715-349-7600 ext. 1272

Diana Manning, Tobacco-Free Coalition Coordinator, Burnett County Department of Health and Human Services, 715-349-7600 ext. 1260

Richard Thoune, Director/Health Officer, Eau Claire City-County Health Dept, 715-839-4718

Julie Marlette, Coordinator, Tobacco-Free Partnership of Eau Claire County, 715-839-2874

Doug Mormann, Director/Health Officer, La Crosse County Health Department, 608-785-9872

Paula Silha, Coordinator, La Crosse Area Health Initiative, 608-785-9854

Dr. Christopher Tashjian, M.D., Medical Department Chair, River Falls Medical Center, 715-246-2101; Family Practice Physician,
Ellsworth Clinic, 715-273-5014

Carmen Bertelsen, Tobacco-Free Coalition Coordinator, Pierce County Health Department, 715-273-6755

Bonnie Leonard, Public Health Director, Polk County Health Department, 715-485-8508

Jennifer Swenson, Tobacco Control Specialist/Health Educator, Polk County Health Department, 715-485-8517

Kayo Nash, Health Officer, Rusk County Health Department, 715-532-2299

For technical information contact:

David Ahrens, Researcher, Paul P Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 608-265-6386, ahrens@uwccc.wisc.edu

Please be advised that electronic communications with the department are not encrypted and confidentiality cannot be assured. Pierce County Public Health Staff will not discuss your private information through email until we have received a signed Agreement on the Use of Electronic Mail for Client Communications. Upon review, please sign and return to the department via fax or U.S. mail at the address listed on the form. By signing the Agreement we can begin to communicate with you by e-mail. Click on E-mail Agreement to see document.

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