Air Pollution & Geographic Information Systems

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The Importance of Air and Air Quality

• Air Quality Standards
• Pollutants of greatest concerns
• Indoor and Outdoor Air Pollution
• Monitoring Air Quality
• Air Quality Monitoring and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
• References

Interesting Facts and Educational Information

Annotated Bibliography

Interesting Articles, Websites and Books That Were Not Annotated

External Resources

 

Interesting Facts and Educational Information

National Ambient Air Quality Standards

Pollutant	Standard Value*		Standard Type
Carbon monoxide (CO)
8-hour average 1-hour average	9 ppm 35 ppm	(10 mg/m3) (40 mg/m3)	Primary Primary
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
Annual arithmetic mean	0.053 ppm	(100 µg/m3)	Primary and secondary
Ozone (O3)
1-hour average† 8-hour average	›0.12 ppm 0.08 ppm	(235 µg/m3) (157 µg/m3)	Primary and secondary Primary and secondary
Lead (Pb)
Quarterly average		1.5 µg/m3	Primary and secondary
Particulate matter ‹10 micrometers (PM10)
Annual arithmetic mean 24-hour average		50 µg/m3 150 µg/m3	Primary and secondary Primary and secondary
Particulate matter ‹2.5 micrometers (PM2.5)
Annual arithmetic mean 24-hour average		15 µg/m3 65 µg/m3	Primary and secondary Primary and secondary
Sulfur dioxide (SO2)
Annual arithmetic mean 24-hour average 3-hour average	0.03 ppm 0.14 ppm 0.50 ppm	(80 µg/m3) (365 µg/m3) (1,300 µg/m3)	Primary Primary Secondary

Last NAAQS revision 1997 (http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/asthma/appendixa.html)

*Value in parenthesis is an approximately equivalent concentration. Units of measure for the standards are parts per million (ppm), milligrams per cubic meter of air (mg/m3), and micrograms per cubic meter of air (µg/m3).

†The ozone 1-hour standard applies only to areas that were designated nonattainment when the ozone 8-hour standard was adopted in July 1997.

Ways to Reduce Air Pollution

We make choices everyday that can help reduce air pollution. Below are a few air ideas that you can take to help clean our air from EPA. (http://www.epa.gov/air/caa/peg/peg.pdf - accessed November 2007)

At Home

• Conserve energy — turn off appliances and lights when you leave the room.
• Recycle paper, plastic, glass bottles, cardboard, and aluminum cans. (This conserves energy and reduces production emissions.)
• Keep woodstoves and fireplaces well maintained. You should also consider replacing old wood stoves with EPA-certified models. Visit www.epa. gov/woodstoves.
• Plant deciduous trees in locations around your home to provide shade in the summer, but to allow light in the winter
• Buy green electricity—produced by low—or even zero-pollution facilities.
• Connect your outdoor lights to a timer or use solar lighting.
• Wash clothes with warm or cold water instead of hot.
• Lower the thermostat on your water heater to 120 degrees F
• Use low-VOC or water-based paints, stains, finishes, and paint strippers.
• Test your home for radon—a dangerous, radioactive gas that is odorless and tasteless. If the test shows elevated levels of radon, the problem can be fixed cost effectively. Visit www.epa.gov/radon.
• Choose not to smoke in your home, especially if you have children. if you or your visitors must smoke, then smoke outside. Visit www.epa.gov/smokefree.

Buy Smart

• Buy ENERGY STAR products, including energy efficient lighting and appliances. They are environmentally friendly products. For more information, visit www.energystar.gov or call 1-888-STAR-YES.
• Choose efficient, low-polluting models of vehicles. Visit www.epa.gov/greenvehicles.
• Choose products that have less packaging and are reusable.
• Shop with a canvas bag instead of using paper and plastic bags.
• Buy rechargeable batteries for devices used frequently.

Drive Wise
Plan your trips. Save gasoline and reduce air pollution.

• Keep tires properly inflated and aligned.
• In the summertime, fill gas tank during cooler evening hours to cut down on evaporation. Avoid spilling gas and don't "top off" the tank. Replace gas tank cap tightly.
• Avoid waiting in long drive-thru lines, for example, at fast-food restaurants or banks. Park your car and go in.
• When possible, use public transportation, walk, or ride a bike.
• Get regular engine tune ups and car maintenance checks (especially for the spark plugs).
• Use an energy-conserving (EC) grade motor oil.
• Ask your employer to consider flexible work schedules or telecommuting.
• Report smoking vehicles to your local air agency.
• Join a carpool or vanpool to get to work.

For Your Health

• Check daily air quality forecasts, which tell how clean or polluted your air is, and the associated health concerns. Visit www.airnow.gov.
• Remove indoor asthma triggers from your home and avoid outdoor triggers in order to effectively control your asthma. Visit www.epa.gov/asthma to learn more about asthma triggers and ways to avoid them.
• Minimize your sun exposure. Wear sun block and UV protection sunglasses. To find out about current forecasts of UV where you live, go to www.epa.gov/sunwise/uvindex.html.