AIR QUALITY

STANDARDS

London (1952, December)

12,000 people died from the
so-called killer fogs of London,
produced by the condensation of
water on the daily 2,000 tons of
sulfur dioxide and pollutants
produced
by
coal-burning
industrial furnaces and home
heating systems in the city.

AIR QUALITY STANDARDS

1970 CLEAN AIR ACT
- required the US Environmental Protection
Agency to investigate and describe the
environmental effects of any air pollutant
emitted by stationary or mobile sources that
may adversely affect human health or the
environment.

NATIONAL AMBIENT
STANDARDS (NAAQS)

AIR

QUALITY

- Used by EPA for the ambient air standards

Goals of Air Quality

Regulations
Protect and enhance air quality.
Protect and promote human health
and public welfare.
Air pollution control at state and local
level.
Reduce the most significant risks to
human health or the environment.
Determine risk-based priorities.

 Air Quality Standards: Prescribe the

pollutant levels that cannot be legally
exceeded during a specific time period
in a specific geographic region
1970 :
Primary Standards
Protection of public health (to be achieved
regardless of cost and within the specified
time limit)
Secondary Standards
To protect public from known and anticipated
adverse effects
Time schedule to be determined by state and
local governments

AIR QUALITY STANDARDS

- Criteria Pollutants intend to protect
health
- Primary standardsprovide public health
protection, including protecting the health of
"sensitive" populations such as asthmatics,
children, and the elderly.

- Secondary standardsprovide public

welfare protection, including protection
against decreased visibility and damage to
animals, crops, vegetation, and buildings.

AIR QUALITY STANDARDS

PM10 STANDARD
-In 1987, EPA revised NAAQS requiring the
mass of particulate matter with an
aerodynamic diameter less than or equal
to 10m replacing the Total Suspended
Particulates (TSP).
ATTAINMENT AREA
- An Air Quality Control Region (AQR) that
has air quality equal to or better than the
primary standard

Clean Air Act Amendments

of 1970
HEW (prior to 1970)
Primary emphasis
on voluntary
control
conciliation
education
persuasion
encourage and
support state and
local action

EPA (post 1970)

Enactment and
enforcement of
effective pollution

standards
litigation
fines
injunctions
jail terms

Emission Standards

Emission Standards: limit the amount or

concentration of a contaminant that may be emitted
from a source.

Visible emission standards.

Particulate emission standards.

Particulate process weight (or mass) standards.

Gas concentration standards.

Prohibition of emissions.

Regulation of fuel.

Zoning restrictions.

Dispersion based standards.

Risk Standards of
Chemicals

Risk Standards of
Chemicals

Pollutant Standard Index

PSI

provides a uniform system of

measuring pollution levels for the
major air pollutants. It is based on a
scale devised by theUnited States
Environmental
Protection
Agency(USEPA) to provide a way for
broadcasts and newspapers to report
air quality on a daily basis.

Pollutant Standard Index

PSI
0 50
51 100

Descriptio
n

General Health Effects

Good

None

Moderate

Few or none for the general population

101 150

Unhealthy for Members of sensitive groups may

sensitive
experience health effects. General public
groups
may not be affected.

151 200

Unhealthy

Everyone may begin to experience health

effects. Members of the sensitive group
may experience serious health effects

201 300

Very
unhealthy

Health warnings of emergency conditions.

The entire population may likely be
affected

301+

Hazardous

Health alert. Everyone may experience

serious health effects

Air Pollution Index

API
0 50

Descriptio
n

General Health Effects

Excellent

None

Good

Few or none for the general population

101 150

Slightly
polluted

Members of sensitive groups may

experience health effects. General public
may not be affected.

151 200

Lightly
polluted

Everyone may begin to experience health

effects. Members of the sensitive group
may experience serious health effects

201 250

Moderately
polluted

Healthy people will be noticeably affected.

Elders should remain indoors.

251 300

Heavily
polluted

Health warnings of emergency conditions.

Elders should remain indoors

301+

Severely
polluted

Health alert. Everyone may experience

serious health effects. Reduced endurance.

51 100

INDE
X

OZONE
(g/m3)

NO2
(g/m3)

SO2
(g/m3)

PM10
PM2.5
(g/m3) (g/m3)

0 33

0 66

0 88

0 11

0 16

34 65

12
23

17
33

66 -99

134
199

177 265

24
34

34
49

100
120

200
267

266 354

35
41

50
58

121
140

268
334

355 442

42
46

59
66

141
159

335
399

443 531

47
52

67
74

160
187

400
467

530 708

53
58

75
83

67 133 89 176

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