Federal Agencies must consider air quality when assessing the impact of their actions on the environment (Section 102 (2) (C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969). Project emissions, including those created by secondary beneficiaries, shall be examined for conformance to the Clean Air Act and the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Primary and Secondary Ambient Air Quality Standards.
Air pollution comes from many different sources: stationary sources such as factories, power plants, and smelters, and smaller sources such as dry cleaners and degreasing operations; mobile sources such as cars, buses, planes, trucks, and trains; and naturally occurring sources such as windblown dust, and volcanic eruptions, all contribute to air pollution. Air Quality can be affected in many ways by the pollution emitted from these sources. These pollution sources can also emit a wide variety of pollutants. The EPA has these pollutants classified as the six principal pollutants (or criteria pollutants). EPA, and other national, state and local organizations monitor these pollutants.
The Clean Air Act of 1970, as amended, provides the principal framework for national, state, and local efforts to protect air quality. Under the Act, States are required to achieve the primary air quality standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency within specified time limits. The States must institute air pollution regulations which at least satisfy minimum federal standards, such as prohibiting development which will cause air quality to deteriorate below the standards, and mandating clean-up measures where violations are registered. Each State is required to prepare and submit a State Implementation Plan (SIP) which describes how the State will meet the primary and secondary national ambient air quality standards, and generally provides for implementation, maintenance and enforcement of the standards.
Under the Clean Air Act, the Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS) is responsible for setting standards, also known as national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS), for pollutants which are considered harmful to people and the environment. OAQPS is also responsible for ensuring that these air quality standards are met, or attained (in cooperation with state, Tribal, and local governments) through national standards and strategies to control pollutant emissions from automobiles, factories, and other sources.
In 1990, Congress amended the Clean Air Act and added provisions to grant EPA authority to reduce the emission levels of 189 hazardous air pollutants (also known as air toxics).
In 1994, EPA’s Office of Policy, Planning and Evaluation began the Cumulative Exposure Project which consists of three national analyses of multiple toxic contaminants in air, food and drinking water. The air component of the project uses information on the emissions of pollutants from a variety of source types in conjunction with computer models, to predict concentrations of 148 air toxics throughout the country (a subset of the 188 toxic air pollutants listed in the 1990 Clean Air Act).
Rural Development should take into consideration possible negative impacts to local air quality caused by the emissions of proposed projects. Similarly, Rural Development should also take into account negative impacts of local air emissions generators to projects proposed to be funded by the Agency.
Consideration of air quality impacts is often a difficult and highly technical undertaking, involving different standards for different types of emissions and development. For purposes of the environmental assessment, the task can begin with a few simple questions. Are the project users particularly sensitive to existing or potential air pollution levels? Will the project generate sizeable traffic? Does the project require an installation permit, operating permit, or indirect source permit? Is the project located in the vicinity of a monitoring station where air quality violations have been registered? The first and second questions focus on site suitability for human occupancy. The other issues are addressed usually in finding that the project is in compliance with the SIP.
Like clean water, wholesome food, and fertile land, good air quality is a precious resource. Without it, serious health problems can result. Polluted air can harm crops and other vegetation, reduce visibility, and accelerate the deterioration and soiling of buildings and materials.
The fundamental objective of the federal air pollution program is the protection of the public health and welfare from the harmful effects of air pollution. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been tasked with the responsibility for federal actions to reduce air pollution. It oversees: national ambient air quality standards, State implementation plans, new source performance standards, hazardous air pollutants, the prevention of significant deterioration, and vehicle emission controls. State and local governments must ensure that air quality complies with EPA’s ambient air quality standards since air pollutants easily cross State boundaries.
Rural Development should not authorize, fund, or carry out any proposed action that would be inconsistent with the objectives of the Clean Air Act State Implementation Plan. Additionally, Rural Development should not authorize, fund, or carry out any proposed action that would present a significant air pollution hazard to project occupants by virtue of the project’s location near or adjacent to certain air pollution sources. Project sites located immediately downwind of lumber mills, food processing centers, large scale vehicle repair facilities, and certain light industrial plants are examples which should merit special evaluation in this regard.
Six Principal Pollutants. The Clean Air Act has identified six principal components of “smog” which is heavily tied to the burning of petroleum-based fuels such as gasoline:
1) Carbon monoxide. A colorless, odorless, poisonous gas formed when carbon in fuels is not burned completely. In cities, automobile exhaust can cause as much as 95 percent of all carbon monoxide emissions. Carbon monoxide enters the bloodstream and reduces oxygen delivery to the body’s organs and tissues.
2) Lead. Smelters and battery plants are the major sources of lead in the air. The highest concentrations of lead are found in the vicinity of nonferrous smelters and other stationary sources of lead emissions. Lead accumulates in the body in blood, bone, and soft tissue. It can also affect the kidneys, liver, nervous system, and other organs, resulting in anemia, kidney disease, reproductive disorders, and neurological impairments.
3) Nitrogen dioxide. A suffocating, brownish gas which forms when fuel is burned at high temperatures coming principally from vehicle exhaust and stationary sources such as electric utilities and industrial boilers. Nitrogen dioxide is a strong oxidizing agent that reacts in the air to form corrosive nitric acid and plays a major role in the atmospheric reactions that produce ground-level ozone (smog). Nitrogen dioxide can irritate the lungs and lower resistance to respiratory infections such as influenza.
4) Ozone. Ground-level ozone (the primary constituent of smog) is the most complex; difficult to control; and pervasive of the six principal pollutants because, unlike other pollutants, it is not emitted directly into the air by specific sources. It is created by sunlight acting on nitrous oxide and volatile organic chemical emissions in the
atmosphere. Exposure to ozone for 6 to 7 hours, even at relatively low
concentrations, significantly reduces lung function and induces respiratory inflammation in normal, healthy people during periods of moderate exercise.
5) Particulate matter. A term for solid or liquid particles found in the air ranging in size from smoke to that requiring an electron microscope to detect. Primary sources for particulate matter are diesel trucks, wood stoves, and power plants. Major concerns for human health are effects on breathing and respiratory systems, damage to lung tissue, cancer, and premature death. The elderly, children, and people with chronic lung disease, influenza, or asthma tend to be especially sensitive.
6) Sulfur dioxide. This gas is formed when fuel containing sulfur (mainly coal and oil) is burned and during metal smelting and other industrial processes. Major health concerns associated with exposure to high concentrations of sulfur dioxide include effects on breathing, respiratory illness, alterations in pulmonary defenses, and aggravation of existing cardiovascular disease.
1) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 8
(Region 8 Air Monitoring Maps web-site)
http://www.epa.gov/air/data/help/hpltmon.html
2) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
“Unified Air Toxics Web-site”
(Large, multiple, everything you wanted to know about…… topic web-site)
3) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
“Aerometric Information Retrieval System (AIRS)”
(Interactive web-site for locating information on emissions sources, types, monitoring stations, non-attainment areas, and more....)
http://www.epa.gov/air/data/index.html or http://www.epa.gov/oar/oaqps/permits
State and Local Air Pollution Program Administration:
Delaware Delaware Code Title 7, Chapter 60 establishes responsibility for air quality management with the Division of Environmental Control.
Department of Natural Resources and
Environmental Control
Division of Environmental Control, Air Resource
Section
89 Kings Highway
Dover, Delaware 19901
(302) 739-4791.
Maryland MDE's Air and Radiation Management Administration at 410-537-3245.
Governing Federal Regulations.
(a) Clean Air Act of 1970, as amended.
(b) Executive Order 11514, Protection and Enhancement of Environmental Quality.
(c) Title 7, Part 1b and 1c, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Environmental Policy Act.
(d) National Environmental Policy Act, 42 U.S.C. 4321.
State and Local Air Quality Agencies
http://www.epa.gov/reg3artd/statelcl/statelcl.htm
Listed below are the names, addresses and telephone numbers of the State and local air quality control agencies in Region III, as well as links to their respective web sites. Just click on the State or local agency name to go to that agency's web site.
Air Quality
Management Section
Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control
89 Kings Highway, P.O. Box 1401
Dover, DE 19903
302-739-4791
fax 302-739-3106
Air Quality
Division
Environmental Health Administration
Department of Health
51 "N" Street, N.E., 5th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20002
202-535-2250
fax 202-535-1371
Air &
Radiation Management Administration
Maryland Department of the Environment
Montgomery Park Business Center
1800 Washington Blvd.
Baltimore, MD 21230
410-537-3000
Mid-Atlantic
Regional Air Management Association
711 West 40th Street, Suite 318
Baltimore, MD 21211-2109
410-467-0170
fax 410-467-1737
State and Territorial
Air Pollution Program Administrators (STAPPA)
Association of Local
Air Pollution Control Officials (ALAPCO)
444 North Capitol Street, N.W.
Suite 307
Washington, D.C. 20001
202-624-7864
fax 202-624-7863
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Mid-Atlantic Air Protection |
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"The primary
mission of the Air Protection Division is to improve the air quality and protect
the health of the people in the Mid-Atlantic region."
"Clean air is essential to a healthy population, a healthy environment and a
robust economy. We are committed to making the air in the Mid-Atlantic region
healthy to breathe, to reducing ecosystem damage from air pollution, and to
doing our share to address global air quality problems."
Air
Indoor Air Quality
http://www.epa.gov/reg3artd/Indoor/iaq.htm
This is the
Region III Indoor Air Quality main page. In the future this will probably be
called the Building Science page because it is now recognized that the total
building contents and environment must be considered in addressing most Indoor
Air Quality (IAQ) problems. Historically, IAQ grew out of the energy crisis of
the early 70's resulting in reducing air changes in buildings (residential and
commercial) by tightening the envelope and reducing air intake from other
sources. In addition traditional building materials of wood, iron, stone,
bricks, etc. were replaced by man made materials that offered advantages of
reduced weight, lower cost, and lent themselves to new building techniques.
However, in many cases these materials are prone to out gas chemicals over the
short, or long, term that may have negative health considerations.
Another factor in the recognition of IAQ as a concern was the development of
techniques and devices to identify and measure IAQ problems and establishing a
link to health problems.
If you have an interest, concern or questions on IAQ please call or contact
Region 3 using our toll free hotline ( 1-800-438-2474) and talk with one of our
specialists. If a computer is more convenient then you can e-mail us with your
question or discussion topic at
ozone.r3@epa.gov.
Programs: Tools for Schools (TfS) is our largest program. The purpose is to improve air quality in all school buildings in Region 3. The TfS kit is available free to any school district or school and has easy steps as how to implement the program. Our specialists will help train school staff in setting up a TfS team that will become the focal point of achieving better school IAQ. The Region will also pay to have a consultant or use our experts to evaluate your school building. If interested in improving your school IAQ please call (1-800-438-2474) ext. 2083/2086 and talk with one of our TfS staff. The Tools for Schools Technical Hotline number is 1-866-TFS-EPA1 (1-866-837-3721)
The Region 3 Training Center was established several years ago to provide a broad spectrum of specialized IAQ courses. The University City Science Center, 3701 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA. is our grantee that does the training. For information on the courses available and dates, etc. the UCSC should be contacted directly by calling 215-966-6191 or by viewing their web page at www.mehrc.org.
Region 3 States: The Region includes District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. From an IAQ standpoint structures do not need to be designed for extreme cold or excessive heat. The main adversary to good IAQ is the rainfall that averages greater than forty inches per year across the Region. This results in occasional heavy rain, snow or ice events that exceed the design capability of some structures resulting in significant IAQ problems. For most of the serious weather related problems your insurance company and local municipality should be contacted as the first line of assistance. The State programs that can provide general IAQ information are also listed below. In some cases the state may not have an identified IAQ program and a general Web Page is provided.
- District of Columbia (General)
- Delaware (Health)
- Maryland (General)
National: A vast quantity of IAQ and related building science information and other links are available by connecting to the EPA Headquarters Website at www.epa.gov/iaq. Indoor air quality printed material may be obtained free by calling the Indoor Air Clearing House (1-800-438-4318).
For information on indoor air quality issues, check out our radon and indoor mold information pages and our Frequently Asked Questions page.
Cristina Schulingkamp - schulingkamp.cristina@epa.gov [215-814-2086]
Mid-Atlantic Regional Asthma Initiative (MARAI)
http://www.epa.gov/reg3artd/asthma/asthma.htm
What Is the Mid-Atlantic Regional Asthma Initiative (MARAI)?
MARAI is a
stakeholder driven initiative involving a vast array of Mid-Atlantic
professions, organizations and educational institutions with a vested interest
in asthma.
Click here for the MARAI Fact Sheet and list of stakeholders.
What Is Asthma?
Asthma is a chronic, inflammatory lung disease characterized by recurrent breathing problems. During normal breathing, air flows freely in and out of the lungs. But, during an asthma episode, the lining of the airways swells, muscles around the airways tighten and mucus clogs the tiny airways in the lungs, making breathing difficult. The airways become overly responsive to environmental changes, resulting in wheezing and coughing.
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In February 2003, EPA released its second report on trends in environmental factors related to the health and well-being of children in the U.S. called "America's Children and the Environment: Measures of Contaminants, Body Burdens, and Illnesses". In this report, asthma was identified as an issue of concern that remains for children. |
Asthma symptoms vary from hour-to-hour, day-to-day, week-to-week and over months. They are often worse at night and in the early hours of the morning. The severity of asthma varies from individual to individual. Some patients have occasional symptoms (for example after strenuous exercise), others have symptoms that interfere with daily life, yet others have a very severe, relentless disease that almost excludes them from normal school and work activities.
What Causes Asthma?
Though many theories exist, the cause of asthma is unknown. People who have asthma tend to have airways that narrow more easily than nonasthmatics and are usually allergic to inhale allergens. A variety of factors can set off an asthma episode including viral infections; exposure to allergens (e.g. dust mites, protein particles shed by cats and dogs, and pollen); exercise; tobacco smoke; air pollution; strong emotional expressions; chemical irritants; and drugs (aspirin and beta blockers). Each person with asthma reacts to a different set of factors. Identification of these factors in an individual is a major step towards learning how to control an asthma episode. Many scientists are studying the role genetic factors play in asthma.
Who Gets Asthma?
Asthma is a public health problem for both developed and developing countries. It occurs in all age groups and ethnic groups. It often starts in childhood.
How Is Asthma Diagnosed?
A careful medical history, physical examination, and test of pulmonary function provide information needed for a diagnosis of asthma. Symptoms include breathlessness, wheezing, chest tightness and cough, worse particularly at night or in the early morning.
Symptoms occur or worsen in the presence of exercise, allergens, irritants, and viral infections. Young children whose primary symptom is a cough or who wheeze with respiratory infections are often misdiagnosed as having bronchitis or pneumonia (including acute respiratory infection, ARI), and thus are ineffectively treated with antibiotics or cough suppressants. Tobacco smokers and elderly patients frequently suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with symptoms similar to asthma. Yet they may also have asthma and benefit from treatment.
How Is Asthma Treated?
Control of asthma is defined as the absence of symptoms and acute attacks, no use of relief medication, no emergency room visits, normal activity level, including exercise, and normal lung function. This can be achieved in almost all patients and with no side effects from medications. Control of asthma can be achieved through the implementation of an effective asthma management program.
PLAN FOR COMBATING ASTHMA IN THE MID-ATLANTIC REGION
In recognition of the growing body of scientific information demonstrating that America's children suffer disproportionately from an environmental health and safety risk, President Clinton issued Executive Order 13045. This order created the Environmental Health Risks and Safety to Children Task Force. This task force was a combination of governmental agencies, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The task force was charged with recommending strategies for protecting children's environmental health and safety. On February 17, 1999, the task force released the "Asthma and the Environment: An Action Plan to Protect Children." The plan is designed to promote federal action to protect all children with asthma from environmental risks that worsen this disease. Under the Bush Administration, the Order has been extended and the task force re-authorized. The first meeting under the new administration took place on October 24, 2001.
The national strategy is a mandate for action. US EPA, Region III has chosen to aggressively tackle the asthma issue because the region is home to a high concentration of urban areas and as well as a high concentration of academic institutions and people who are knowledgeable about the issue. The Mid-Atlantic regional offices of EPA and DHHS decided to collaborate their efforts in the commitment to support a regional strategy to reach the national goals. The effort is named the Mid-Atlantic Regional Asthma Initiative (MARAI). (see above)
Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact Janice Lewis, Regional Asthma Program Manager, Air Protection Division, U.S. EPA, at 215-814-2185 or Dr. Dalton Paxman, Regional Health Administrator, Office of Public Health & Science, U.S. DHHS at 215-861-4631.
Additional Asthma facts and links [link to EPA headquarters' web site]