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re:air pollutants wording
"The Clean Air Act gives EPA authority to set national standards to protect
human health and the environment from emissions that pollute ambient
(outdoor) air. The act assigns primary responsibility for ensuring adequate
air quality to the states. The pollutants regulated under the act can be
grouped into two categories--"criteria" pollutants and "hazardous air"
pollutants. While small in number, criteria pollutants are discharged in
relatively large quantities by a variety of sources across broad regions of
the country. Because of their widespread dispersion, the act requires EPA to
determine national standards for these pollutants. These national standards
are commonly referred to as the National Ambient Air Quality Standards
(NAAQS). The NAAQS specify acceptable air pollution concentrations that
should not be exceeded within a geographic area. States are required to meet
these standards to control pollution and to ensure that all Americans have
the same basic health and environmental protection. NAAQS are currently in
place for six air pollutants: ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide,
nitrogen dioxide, lead, and particulate matter. The second category,
referred to as "hazardous air pollutants" or "air toxics," includes
chemicals that cause serious health and environmental hazards. For the most
part, these pollutants emanate from specific sources, such as auto paint
shops, chemical factories, or incinerators. Prior to its amendment in 1990,
the act required EPA to list each hazardous air pollutant that was likely to
cause an increase in deaths or in serious illnesses and establish emission
standards applicable to sources of the listed pollutant. By 1990, EPA had
listed seven pollutants as hazardous: asbestos, beryllium, mercury, vinyl
chloride, arsenic, radionuclides, and benzene. However, the agency was not
able to establish emissions standards for other pollutants because EPA,
industry, and environmental groups disagreed widely on the safe level of
exposure to these substances."
this document doesn't list the 189 "hazardous air pollutants" tim refers to
in an earlier post, but does note that the clean air act "Creates a program
to monitor and control the 189 hazardous air pollutants." has anyone found
a more specific and limiting term than "criteria air pollutants?"
david
Archive created by Jonathan Stanton (jonathan@cs.jhu.edu)
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