If you've been thinking there have been more air quality alerts in recent months, you would right.
Air quality standards for fine particulate matter (particles less than 2.5 micrometers) in Iowa have been exceeded at 35 locations through Febuary 26, already surpassing the 34 exceedances of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards recorded during all of 2009.
And, the 35 exceedances don't include readings from last week when the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) issued air quality alerts for east central Iowa because of high levels of PM 2.5.