Clean Air Act and Atmospheric Constituents

Acts

the laws developed by Congress that give an agency the authority to develop regulations

Regulations

the enforceable rules

Regulatory Agencies

authorized by Congress to write regulations that explain the critical details necessary to implement laws

Codes

regulations become codified in the Code of Federal Regulations

Donora, PA 1948

a zinc melting plant caused a smog around the town and high levels of fluorine, as well as a temperature inversion

Temperature Inversion

hot and cold air don’t mix

Los Angeles, CA 1954

when air pollution reached its worst

When were amendments added to the Air Pollution Control Act?

1963, 1965, 1966, 1967

When did the EPA pass the Clean Air Act?

1970

What did the 1977 amendment to the Clean Air Act do?

commission on risk assessment and risk management

What did the 1990 amendment to the Clean Air Act do?

air toxins

stratospheric ozone layer

acid rain

Clean Air Act (CAA)

set emission standards for vehicles and fuels

NAAQS

National Ambient Air Quality Standards

Respiratory Health Effects of Air Pollution

exacerbation of asthma, coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath

Cardiovascular Health Effects of Air Pollution

stroke, heart attack or disease, lung cancer

Criteria Pollutants under CAA1970

CO

NO₂

SO₂

suspended particulate matter or total suspended particulates (TSP)

photochemical oxidants

Criteria Pollutants under CAAA1990

CO

NO₂

SO₂

O₃
Pb

PM

How often should pollutants undergo scientific review under CAAA1990?

Every 5 years

Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAP)

pollutants which are known or suspected to cause cancer or other serious health effects

Reasonably Available Control Technology (RACT)

sets limits on emissions using controls that are reasonably available considering technical and economic feasibility

Best Available Control Technology (BACT)

an emission limitation based on the maximum degree of reduction for each pollutant subject to regulation, considered energy, environmental, economic, and other impacts

Lowest Achievable Control Technology (LACT)

the most stringent emission goal based on the best controlled similar source without regard to costs or feasibility

Attainment Area

a geographic area that meets or does better than the primary standard

What is required for BACT?

• used for mid-range pollution control

• more restrictive than RACT

• less stringent than LACT

  • best practicable, cost-benefit analysis to the use of technology

How to determine if the proposed control system meets BACT

• total source emissions

• regional environmental impact

• energy consumption

  • economic costs

Nonattainment Areas

areas that don’t meet the primary standard, affect over 123 million Americans

LAER

Lowest Achievable Emission Rates

State Implementation Plans (SIP)

• must be formulated by the state and filed with US EPA

• describe how attainment will be achieved within a particular time period

• states must involve the public in the approval process before a SIP is finalized

  • if a SIP is not accepted, the US EPA can assume responsibility for enforcing the CAA in that state

New Source

an entirely new process that has been modified in a way that increases the potential to emit pollutants

New Source Review

required for new stationary sources of air pollution and major modification to stationary sources, required for attainment and nonattainment areas

Nonattainment New Source Review

• applies to nonattainment areas for one or more criteria pollutant

  • intended to allow for the construction of new or modified sources while still making progress towards straining

• must meet LAER

National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP’s) Goal

protect human health with an ample margin of safety and prevent any significant adverse environmental effects

What are the 7 regulated pollutants found from 1970-1900 through NESHAP?

asbestos, benene, beryllium, inorganic arsenic, mercury, vinyl chloride, radionuclides (not radon)

What can states do as a result of SIP’s?

• gather information about sources

• determine requirements for monitoring, record-keeping, reporting

• implement system for detecting violations and investing complaints

• review all new construction/modifications

What are the purposes of permits?

• track information about air pollution sources

• determine the success of control programs

• evaluate future management strategies

What does the documentation of permits include?

• location of all air pollution sources

• types of sources

• types and quantities of emissions

• monitoring and reporting

Major Source

facilities which have the potential to emit pollutants in amounts equal or greater than the major source threshold, defect of 100 tons/year, lower threshold in nonattainment areas

Minor Source

facilities which have the potential to emit air pollutants at rates below the major source threshold, generally require a pre-construction review permit and operating permit

Other names for New Source Review Permits

construction permits, permits to install (PTI), NSR permits, installation permits

Project Steps for NSR Permit

1. assemble process specific information

2. review regulatory requirements

3. quantify emissions and compare to requirements

4. prepare forms and supplemental information

5. meet with regulatory agency

6. present to agency for processing

7. public comment period

8. approval

Operating Permits

provides permission to operate the course of air pollution after construction

Project Steps for Operating Permit

1. design process

2. determine the location

3. prepare construction/installation permit

4. receive the permit with conditions

5. build the process/source

6. verify compliance

7. request the operating permit

8. operate/monitor, report

Compliance Monitoring

system used by regulatory agencies to determine if laws and regulations are being followed

Objectives of Compliance Inspections

• assess the compliance status of the facility

• collect evidence of any specific violations

• create a visible presence of the enforcement agency (deters violation)

Enforcement Goals

• correction of a violation asap

• deter future violations

• be fair to regulated community

• punish serious violations through criminal sanctions

• effective use of enforcement resources

Informal Enforcement

warning letter

Formal Enforcement

legal order and or civil or criminal action

% of N₂ in the atmosphere

78%

% of O₂ in the atmosphere

21%

% of Ar in the atmosphere

0.934%

% of trace constitutents in the atmosphere

0.04338%

Average molecular weight of the atmosphere

28.946 g/mol

Nitrogen Gas

• primordial

• inert

• essential for life, building block for amino and nucleic acids

Primordial

has been part of the atmosphere as long as there has been an atmosphere

Inert

doesn’t often react with other chemicals under normal conditions

Oxygen Gas

• has been rising from none at all about 2.2 billion years ago from photosynthesis

• crucial for respiration of most life forms

• plays a significant role in combustion and other chemical reactions

Water Vapor

• makes up 0-3% of the atmosphere at a given time

• liquid or solid H₂O can be suspended by atmospheric winds (clouds) off fall to the surface (precipitation)

• very powerful greenhouse gas (both as vapor or clouds)

Carbon Dioxide

• 417 ppm and counting

• strong greenhouse gas

• a product of combustion, allows modern civilization to exist

• natural and anthropogenic sources/sinks

Methane

• oxidizes rapidly, hence low concentrations

• large concentrations proposed to explain greenhouse warming of early Earth

• 1.87 ppm, powerful greenhouse gas, form anthropogenic and natural sources/sinks

Ozone

• shields the surface from UV rays

• produced by a reaction with NO_x and sunlight near the surface

• at high altitudes (stratosphere) is “good”, at low altitudes (troposphere) is “bad”

Chlorofluorocarbons

• destroys stratospheric ozone

• chlorine is a catalyst, destroys one O₃ molecule, then is free to find another

Gasses and Weather

• clouds are condensed vapor in the form of liquid droplets

• ground based smog contains reactants of ozone and nitrogen

How do pollutants influence climate?

by scattering and absorbing sunlight and indirectly by affecting cloud formation and properties

Primary Pollutants

emitted directly from a source

Secondary Pollutants

formed in the atmosphere through reactions between primary pollutants

Primary Pollutants Examples

CO, SO₂, NO_x, VOC, PM, Pb, NH₃

Secondary Pollutants Examples

O₃, H₂SO₄, HNO₃, secondary organic aerosols

Health Impacts of Primary Pollutants

respiratory and cardiovascular issues, interfere with O₂ delivery

Health Impacts of Secondary Pollutants

irritations of the lungs, respiratory issues

Major Greenhouse Gasses (GHG)

CO₂, CH₄, N₂O, fluorinated gasses

Sources of GHG

fossil fuel combustion, agriculture, deforestation, industrial processes, waste management

Health Impacts of Climate Change and GHG

heat related illnesses, vector-borne diseases, malnutrition due to crop failures, respiratory problems from increased pollen and mold spore counts