Increased wood and coal burning for heating in the Fairbanks area has local officials concerned about fine particulate pollution. Borough Air Quality Specialist Jim Connor says the tiny airborne particles, released by combustion, have been recognized as a serious health concern. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) drastically tightened standards for fine particulates in 2006 to reflect the new research which implicated them in everything from asthma attacks to heart and lung disease.
Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks
