Despite significant success in reducing overall pollution levels, air pollution continues to be an important public health problem.

Air monitoring shows that over 90 percent of Californians breathe unhealthy levels of one or more air pollutants during some part of the year. Health-based ambient air quality standards set by the California Air Resources Board (ARB) identify outdoor pollutant levels that are considered safe for the public including those most sensitive to the effects of air pollution, such as children and the elderly. The ARB has set standards for eight "traditional" pollutants, such as ozone and particulate matter. In addition to setting standards, the ARB identifies other air pollutants as toxic air contaminants (toxics) pollutants that may cause serious, longterm effects, such as cancer, even at low levels. Most toxics have no known safe levels, and some may accumulate in the body from repeated exposures. The Board has identified about 200 pollutants as toxics, and measures continue to be adopted to reduce emissions of toxics. Both traditional pollutants and toxic air contaminants are measured statewide to assess programs for cleaning the air. The ARB works with local air pollution control districts to reduce air pollution from all sources.

What are the health effects of some common air pollutants?

The table below shows the health effects of some of the common pollutants found in our air and examples of some of the sources of these pollutants. POLLUTANT HEALTH EFFECTS EXAMPLES OF SOURCES Cars and trucks, especially diesels Fireplaces, woodstoves Windblown dust, from roadways, agriculture and construction Formed by chemical reactions of air pollutants in the presence of sunlight. Common sources: motor vehicles, industries, and consumer products Any source that burns fuel such as cars,

Particulate Matter (PM10: less than or equal to 10 microns)

Increased respiratory disease Lung damage Premature death

Ozone (O3)

Breathing difficulties Lung damage

Carbon Monoxide

Chest pain in heart patients

(CO)

Headaches, nausea Reduced mental alertness Death at very high levels Lung damage

trucks, construction and farming equipment, and residential heaters and stoves

Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2)

See Carbon Monoxide sources Cars and trucks, especially diesels Industrial sources such as chrome platers Neighborhood businesses, such as dry cleaners and service stations Building materials and products

Toxic Air Contaminants

Cancer Chronic eye, lung, or skin irritation Neurological and reproductive disorders

Air Pollution Sources, Effects and Control

This page was extracted from Fact Sheets at the ARB's web site

Where does air pollution come from? How does it effect people and the environment? How can we control, or better yet, prevent it? The following table summarizes the sources, effects, and prevention and control methods for ten of the most important air pollutants in California.

Pollutant

Sources
Formed when reactive organic gases (ROG) and nitrogen oxides react in the presence of sunlight. ROG sources include any source that burns fuels (e.g., gasoline, natural gas, wood, oil);solvents; petroleum processing and

Effects

Prevention and Control

Ozone (O3)

Reduce motor vehicle reactive organic gas (ROG) and nitrogen oxide emissions through Breathing emissions difficulties, lung standards, tissue damage, reformulated fuels, damage to rubber inspections and some plastics. programs, and reduced vehicle use. Limit ROG emissions from commercial

storage; and pesticides

operations and consumer products. Limit ROG and NOx emissions from industrial sources such as power plants and refineries. Conserve energy Control dust sources, industrial particulate emissions, wood burning stoves and fireplaces. Reduce secondary pollutants which react to form PM10. Conserve energy Reduce combustion emissions from motor vehicles, equipment, industries, and agriculture and residential burning. Precursor controls, like those for ozone, reduce fine particle formation in the atmosphere. Control motor vehicle and industrial emissions. Use oxygenated gasoline during winter months. Conserve energy. Control motor vehicle and industrial combustion emissions.Conserve energy. Control metal smelters, No lead in

Road dust, windblown dust, agriculture and construction, fireplaces. Also Respirable formed from other Particulate Matter pollutants (acid rain, (PM10) NOx, SOx, organics). Incomplete combustion of any fuel. Fuel combustion in motor vehicles, equipment, and industrial sources; residential and agricultural burning. Also formed from reaction of other pollutants (acid rain, NOx, SOx, organics).

Increased respiratory disease, lung damage, cancer, premature death, reduced visibility, surface soiling.

Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5)

Increases respiratory disease, lung damage, cancer, premature death; reduced visibility; surface soiling.

Any source that burns fuel such as Carbon Monoxide automobiles,trucks, heavy construction (CO) equipment and farming equipment, residential heating.

Chest pain in heart patients, headaches, reduced mental alertness Lung irritation and damage. Reacts in the atmosphere to form ozone and acid rain

Nitrogen Dioxide See Carbon Monoxide (NO2)

Lead

Metal smelters, Learning resource recovery, disabilities, brain

leaded gasoline, and kidney deterioration of lead damage paint Increases lung disease and breathing problems for asthmatics. Reacts in the atmosphere to form acid rain. Reduces visibility ( e.g., obscures mountains and other scenery), reduced airport safety, lower real estate value, discourages tourism Breathing difficulties, aggravates asthma, reduced visibility

gasoline. Replace leaded paint with non-lead substitutes. Reduce the use of high sulfer fuels (e.g., use low sulfer reformulated diesel or natural gas). Conserve energy.

Sulfur Dioxide (SO2)

Coal or oil burning power plants and industries, refineries, diesel engines

Visibility Reducing Particles

See PM2.5

See PM2.5

Sulfates

Produced by the reaction in the air of SO2 ( see SO2 sources), a component of acid rain

See SO2

Control emissions Nuisance odor from geothermal Geothermal power (rotten egg smell), power plants, plants, petroleum headache and petroleum Hydrogen Sulfide production and breathing production and refining, sewer gas difficulties (higher refining, sewers, concentrations) sewage treatment plants