The air that you breathe in the most uncontaminated places in the United States risks no longer monitored. The Trump administration has suspended – although not definitively canceled – contracts with two companies in charge of the collection of data on air quality in 63 US national parks. The program, operational for decades, has so far provided precious information on atmospheric pollutants such as theozone and the fine particulate (PM), substances strictly connected to serious public health problems such as asthma, stroke, heart attacks and premature deaths.
The interior department justified the suspension with a generic order of interruption of the works, causing a wave of concern between scientists, officials and environmental defenders. Even if, after the spread of the news, one Park Service spokesman has announced his intention to revoke the suspensionthe uncertainties remain.
A natural heritage without protection
National parks are not only natural reserves: they are open -air workshops where air quality is designed for understand the impact of neighboring industrial activities. The data collected help federal agencies to decide whether or not to grant permits to power plants, industrial systems and refineries near these protected ecosystems.
Without this program, entire areas they will lose a scientific reference fundamental to evaluate the impact of pollution. As he pointed out at the Washington Post Jim Schaberlformer manager of the natural resources of the Shenandoah National Park In Virginia, most American states have neither funds nor infrastructures to replace federal monitoring: “Each park has equipment and dedicated staff. In many states, such as Virginia, these analyzes are not done in other places outside the parks”.
The weight of invisible pollutants
Particulates and ozone are not only a threat to human and animal health: they also contribute to the formation of the so -called regional haze, a blanket of pollution that obscures the spectacular panoramic views typical of national parks. Phenomena like these are not simple visual inconvenience: they indicate one constant and dangerous atmospheric contamination.
The monitoring of the suspended program had the purpose of keeping these aspects under control, allowing timely interventions. The blocking of surveys is equivalent to removing a crucial indicator for preventive environmental intervention.
In addition to the health and environmental implications, the suspension raises political questions. The data on air quality collected in the parks are public and accessible: they represent a form of scientific transparency that allows civil society and experts of independently evaluate the impact of pollution. By suspending contracts, the Trump administration drastically reduced the availability of these data, compromising the principle of transparency in environmental management.
A previous previous one occurred last March, when the State Department closed another active air monitoring program in over 80 US embassies and consulates in the world. Also in that case, the suspension aroused strong criticism for the interruption of a service considered essential, especially in countries where official pollution data are absent or not very reliable.
As Jim Schaberl effectively summarized: “It is simply incredible to hear all the scientific data that indicate how the quality of the air is going in the parks – and in the country in general. It is a real fist in the stomach”.
