Air Quality in Santa California

We have lived in the Abiquiu area (Santa California city,  off of NM-554) for nearly two decades, and, up until about one year ago, the air in Abiquiu, based on national air quality maps, has been among the cleanest in the country. However, last fall a sudden shift in air quality occurred in our subdivision. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which have never been a significant problem here, began to spike, and have gradually increased over the past 12 months. VOCs are a large class of gases, frequently odorless, that, to quote the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), include, “human-made chemicals that are used and produced in the manufacture of paints, pharmaceuticals, and refrigerants. VOCs typically are industrial solvents, such as trichloroethylene; fuel oxygenates, such as methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE); or by-products produced by chlorination in water treatment, such as chloroform. VOCs are often components of petroleum fuels, hydraulic fluids, paint thinners, and dry cleaning agents.” Clandestine drug labs are another source of VOCs as are fracking wells.
 
The health effects of exposure to VOCs can be very serious. The EPA’s list of effects is too long to reproduce here, but includes everything from headaches and nausea, to central nervous system (CNS) effects, dizziness and fatigue, liver and kidney damage, and cancer risk.
 
We have been monitoring the air quality in our location 24 hours a day using two different detectors. The primary device is called the Atmotube PRO, a portable air quality monitor that connects to an app showing VOC levels and particulates of different sizes. Our monitoring has shown very high levels of VOCs for more than 20 hours per day, every single day without exception. The screenshot shown here from the Atmotube app is typical of the readings we see daily. (FYI, for those looking at the PurpleAir air quality map, the default reporting is for particulates 2.5 micrometers or less, not VOCs.)
 
Clearly, something has changed in the area and we do not know what it is. We have experienced many years of exceptionally clean air and now our air is making us sick. For healthy people, this means fatigue, dizziness, and nausea, but also longer-term risks for far more serious illness. For those with fragile health, the effect of VOCs can be devastating, including CNS effects of dizziness and uncoordinated mental and physical functioning, nausea, stomachache, and other effects that make daily life miserable.
 
There is not a lot of industry in the area, and while we have tried to find the cause with our portable monitor, it is not designed to pinpoint a VOC source, and we have so far failed. That is why we are making this plea for help in finding the cause of this serious air pollution. If you have any knowledge that might help locate the cause, please contact by email at [email protected] or by phone or text at 505 521-6700. We do not know if the source of these gases is someone innocently producing them without realizing the consequences of their actions or people running illegal drug labs or some other source. We promise to keep any contact information you may provide private and will not disclose it to anyone without your permission
 
Please understand that there is a big difference between pollutants in the form of particulates – such as wood smoke or dryer sheets – which can be harmful to one’s health, but which can largely be excluded from the home by keeping windows and doors closed. This is not the case with VOCs, which are not only far more dangerous but, because they are gases, can penetrate walls and get through the tiniest gaps. Our house is well-insulated and has very thick walls, but even taping the doors and windows has done nothing to prevent these gases from getting into the house and poisoning our air. The VOCs we are experiencing are also largely odorless, which means you only know they are with an air quality monitor designed to detect VOCs.
 
Please help us find the cause of these pollutants so we can return the air to its previous healthy condition.
 
Your neighbors in Abiquiu