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Show Japan (ElframcU Tbmdy Wood burning stoves cause pollution With Lichen is highly suseptsble to pollutants in the air. Lichens to monitor air pollution in Zions National Park A plant that is hypersensitive to pollutants in the e liche- n- is helping a Brigham Young University professor keep tabs on air pollution in two National Parks. Dr. Larry L. St. Clair, assistant professor of botany and air--th- range science, has set up a lichen monitoring system in Zions National Park and Navajo National Monument. St. Clair has surveyed the two parks-ho- w many lichen species are growing and how abundant they are-- so changes can be noted. This way, if a power plant it built nearby, we can find how many liehen species disappear or how species abundancs St. Clair said. If changes, we can document that the lichen has been affected, we will have an early warning on things considered more economically important, like forest lands. Lichens grow primarily on rocks, tree bark and soil. They derive almost all nutrients from the air, making them extremely sensitive to whatever the air contains. Products of fossil-fucombustion-nitrou- s oxide, sulphur dioxide, and heavy metals-quicaffect the lichen, St. Clair said. Most urban areas sustain at best only a limited number of lichen species. The National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management want to make sure the air doesnt similarly deteriorate in the nations parks. They have been charged by Congress with ensuring air quality and are funding St. Gairs projects. If St. Clair did find lichens disappearing after a power plant was built, however, it would be difficult to prove cause and effect. He has therefore developed a supplementary, finer method for e picking up signs of air in lichen. the pollution Air pollution tends to change cell membranes, which are mostly lipids and proteins, St. Clair explained. Proteins control what enters and leaves the cell. When these proteins are exposed to the acid formed when sulfur dioxide mixes with water, it causes holes in the membranes so the cell cant control ion flow. That creates real problems for the cell because electrolytes leak out. in With this physiology mind, St. Clair took, different lichen apeciea from the parka to hla laboratory, washed and weighed them, put them in water, and measured changes in the conductivity of the water. The amount of increase in conductivity told him the quantity of electrolytes that normally leak in water for each species. Next, he took the lichens and fumigated them with sulfur dioxide, then tested them again for electrolyte leakage. Those with the most leakage are the most sensitive to sulfur dioxide. If he observes similar changes in the natural park environment, he said, he will know air pollution is worsening. "So we can tell not only how many species there are and if any have disappeared, but: we can identify physiological changes, St. Clair said. With that information, we feel we can give the Park Service a real nandle oh future pollution impact in National Parks. We pn nail down specific causes and can tie down cause and effect very tightly. Wouldnt it be simpler to air pollution with detect chemical analysis equipment? No, says St. Clair. Mechanical monitoring is extremely expensive and very technical. This (lichen approach) is inexpensive. Its easy to train park personnel to el kly tell-tal- run their own system without having some engineer or specialist come in to read the results and maintain the equipment. About 18,000 species of lichens are known to man. They range from a dull gray mold-lik- e growth to bright yellow crusts that might attach themselves to, a piece of dead wood. Lichens are often confused with mosses, but they are actually part fungus and part algae that live together in a symbiotic relationship. the onset of cooler weather, many people are stoking up their fireplaces and wood burning stoves as alternative heating systems. There is growing evidence, however, that home wood burning is an increasing contributor to air pollution. According to studies by the Bureau of Air Quality, Utah Department of Health, during the winter, approximately 13 percent of the visible air pollution and 10 percent of the carbon monoxide along the Wasatch Front are from residential wood burning. In rural areas and during extremely cold weather, the relative contribution may be even greater. The Bureau of Air Quality has a short brochure, Wood or Burning: Air Pollution which deEnergy Solution? scribes the problem and suggests solutions. The Bureau notes that proper insulation and storm windows should be the first step in home energy conservation. When considering the purchase of a wood burning stove, the new high efficiency stoves generally cause less air pollution per pound of wood burned. it is important to burn only dry, seasoned wood. Bum briskly for the first ten minutes. Do not burn garbage or other inappropriate materials since these aggravate pollution with unpleasant odors. in the air. These dingy days of winter are unpleasant and can actually be harmful to some people. Air quality can be improved if wood burning is significantly 533-723- 533-610- 8. Don't forget to vote 9. Lacks --i Diversit- y- Experience Availability Open Agendas - Ken add Doc Creer will Fresh Ideas - A - New Philosophy Open Agendas Diversity Agriculture Understanding -Business Experience Vote KEN'DOC'CBEEB A servant far All THE COUNTY Paid political advertising k THE MOSTTkUSTED Name In Eye Care Is Opening NearIxi At the new Pearle Vision Center, youll have the opportunity to get a total approach to eye care. 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Good only at location listed. Nobody Cares For Eyes MoreTHan Pearle PEARLE VISION CENTER Northgate Shopping Center 1090 North Main Spanish Fork 798-2641 1 t or Energy Solution? are available from the Bureau of Air Quality, P. 0. Box 250u, Salt Lake City, Utah &4110, reduced on these days. Local newspapers, radio and TV carry air quality alerts when the conditions in specific areas deteriorate. This information is also available from the Air Pollution Hotline, of the brochure, Copies Wood Burning: Air Pollution During a typical heating season, there will be days when weather conditions hold pollti-tio- n C 1984 fcarte Health Services, Inc. S |