Air Quality Articles
Government Response to Air Quality Control
From the simple slash-and-burn farming methods of farmers to the processes and materials of industrialization, the current polluted quality of our air is largely our responsibility.
In the United States, the government has charged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with the responsibility of imposing the Clean Air Act and all its provisions, which include strict air quality control regulations for all industries.
U.S. programs to regulate air quality were first created in the late 1880s. It was mainly an attempt to regulate emissions from smokestacks by way of nuisance law municipal ordinances. Come the 1950s, air quality management steered towards increased federal involvement.
Finally, in 1963, the Clean Air Act (CAA) was passed, extending the federal government's authority and allowing direct federal intervention to reduce and control interstate pollution. The same act was amended several times to further categorize and classify pollutants and regulate its emissions.
An important amendment in the CAA was in 1970, wherein two types of pollutants were defined and ordered to be regulated: criteria and hazardous pollutants.
Criteria pollutants like carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and lead are regulated to achieve the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), together with primary standards for the protection of public health, and secondary standards for the safeguarding of public welfare.
National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) was also established. HAPs are also referred to as toxic air pollutants, and are known or suspected to cause cancer. Even in minimal concentrations, HAPs can cause significant damage to health and ecology. Asbestos, benzene, mercury and arsenic are identified as HAPs.
The EPA has 188 HAPs on its list. The agency is responsible for regulating these HAPs sources and emissions.
These air pollutants can cause significant damage to human health (birth defects, cancer) and the environment (acid rain, ozone depletion, global warming). The importance of regulating and monitoring these air pollutants cannot be understated.