The Mancos Town Board must continue to work with Western Excelsior, Mancos residents, the county commissioners and CDPHE to solve the dust problem because the health of everyone in Mancos is at risk.
Google "How far does particulate matter travel?" Every hit will give you the same information. Particulate matter is broken into 2 size categories. PM10 are particles between 2.5 and 10 microns in diameter. (A human hair is about 70). PM2.5 are particles which are below 2.5 microns. PM2.5 particles are NOT visible, remain airborne for weeks and travel long distances before settling. While the residents of Riverside Avenue are seeing large nuisance particles, the whole town of Mancos is being affected by the smaller unseen particles.
When you inhale, you breathe in air along with any particles in that air. PM2.5 get into the deepest parts of the lungs. They are the most dangerous because the alveolar portion of the lungs has no efficient means of removing them. When small particles go deeply into the lungs and become trapped they can cause lung disease like emphysema or lung cancer. Children and athletes breathe faster and more deeply and take even more particles into the lungs.
Because Western Excelsior spews its wood and straw dust directly into the air and piles dust on the ground where it is easily picked up by the winds , Mancos air quality is compromised. Whether you can see it or not, you, your children and everyone in Mancos Is breathing in an excess of harmful particulate matter.
Western Excelsior needs to fully capture and contain wood dust and provide monitoring to prove the air quality in Mancos is safe for everyone.
Let your voice be heard! Tell Mancos town officials to insure that the air you are breathing is safe!
Bernadette Tuthill
Mancos
