What's up, Forsyth?

  What’s Up, Forsyth?? This February isn’t just about Valentine’s Day, it’s also American Heart Month . Did you know that small pollution particles in our air could lead to big problems for our hearts? Triad Air Awareness participated in the Go Red Day Heart Healthy Carnival in Greensboro on February 2 nd .  Air Awareness Coordinator Sarah Coffey shared information on the link between air pollution and cardiovascular disease with residents of Abbotswood at Irving Park. When we discuss the health effects of air pollution, we often focus on breathing problems or lung disease, but certain types of air pollution, particularly fine particulate matter (PM2.5) , can worsen existing cardiovascular (heart or blood vessel) disease or even contribute to the development of disease.   According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) , “exposure to increased concentrations of PM2.5 over a few hours to weeks can trigger cardiovascular disease-related heart attacks and ...

  It’s Radon A ction Month!   What's up, Forsyth ??   It’s January—many of us are making New Year’s resolutions, and we hope one of those will be to test your home for radon!   Figure 1. "086 Radon - Periodic Table of Elements" by Science Activism is licensed under CC BY 2.0.     North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has declared January 2024 as Radon A ction Month . Radon is a colorless, odorless radioactive gas emitted from d ecaying uranium in the ground. It can make its way into homes and buildings through crawl spaces and cracks in walls and floors, and exposure can dam age lung tissue and lead to lung cancer. R adon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the US (after smoking) . Radon-induced lung cancer claims an estimated 450 lives in North Carolina each year.      Unfortunately, there is no way to know if your home has high radon levels without testing . Indoor concentrations can vary widely even within neighborhoods. To ...

  What's up, Forsyth??   Brrr...it's finally starting to feel like winter! It's the time of year for drinking hot cocoa, cozying up on the couch with a good book, and warming up the car in the morning before driving off to work...well, hopefully not the last one!  " Hot chocolate on a cold day! " by  blmcalifornia  is marked with  Public Domain Mark 1.0 . While ground-level ozone isn't typically much of a concern during colder months in North Carolina, we still face other air quality challenges. In fact, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is usually higher, partly because c old weather can trap pollution at the surface through   temperature inversions . Shorter daylight hours in the winter also allows for longer durations of nocturnal temperatures inversions on clear nights with light winds. If there is snow on the ground, this phenomenon may be amplified!  Additionally, air is typically drier in the winter because cold air holds less moisture. With...