4.2 Toxic Air Pollutants

Six Criteria Pollutants

Carbon Monoxide
LEAD
Nitrogen Dioxide
Ozone
Particulate Pollution
Sulfur Dioxide

In addition to the six criteria air pollutants listed above, the Clean Air Act also requires the regulation of 187(originally 189) other hazardous chemicals known as the Toxic Air Pollutants (TAPs). These pollutants are suspected or known to cause cancer or other serious health effects when people are exposed to certain quantities or in frequent exposures or over long periods of time. Operators of firms that have received permits under the Clean Air Act must comply with state and federal regulations to limit releases of TAPs and report any releases above the permitted levels. In addition to the Toxic Air Pollutants federally regulated under the Clean Air Act, the LDEQ regulates 14 additional chemicals. Those chemicals are listed on their website here.

The list of toxic chemicals released to the air by major industrial plants is compiled by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) into an annual inventory known as the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI). The TRI not only includes chemicals emitted to the air, but also to surface water and land through the storage, treatment, transfer or disposal of the chemicals. TRI data is available for all facilities in the program since 1987 and includes over 650 chemicals. However, not all firms that emit these toxic chemicals are required to report their annual discharges. Smaller companies with fewer than 10 employees or those that emit less than the established amount for each EPCRA Section 313 chemical on the TRI list are not included in the annual TRI report.

Particles, dust and smoke often form in the air as pollutants are released from a variety of sources, including factories, power plants, waste facilities, automobiles, and forest fires. The technical name for these particles is “particulate matter”. Particulate matter (PM) forms as a mixture of tiny solid or liquid droplets. It often consists of organic chemicals and can sometimes even contain toxic metals. The levels of particulate matter in air tend to be higher in areas where industry and automobile traffic are greater. (learn more - urban air toxics) (learn more – hazardous air pollutants: sources and exposure)

There are even air monitors available for home use that can measure particulate in the air you are breathing. Check out purpleair.com for one example. Better understand of the dangers and prevalence of particulate matter is a good first step in limiting your exposure to these harmful pollutants.

Researchers have learned that the combustion of hazardous wastes, such as contaminated soils from Superfund Sites, can create new types of particulate matter air pollution, called Environmentally Persistent Free Radicals, or “EPFRs” for short. EPFRs may be created during burning of hazardous waste. EPFRs can react with many other substances, including molecules in the human body and can stay in the environment for a long time. Researchers at the LSU Superfund Research Program are studying EPFRs to learn about how exposure to these particles can affect people’s health and about how to prevent these pollutants from forming (learn more - Environmentally Persistent Free Radicals and Their Lifetime in Ambient Fine Particulate Matter).

Want To Learn About A Chemical And How It Might Affect You?

  • ATSDR's TOX FAQ's
    The ATSDR ToxFAQs™ is a series of summaries about hazardous substances developed by the ATSDR Division of Toxicology. Information for this series is excerpted from the ATSDR Toxicological Profiles and Public Health Statements. Each fact sheet serves as a quick and easy to understand guide. Answers are provided to the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) about exposure to hazardous substances found around hazardous waste sites and the effects of exposure on human health.
LOOK UP A CHEMICAL

Louisiana industries released 53,508,340 pounds of toxic air pollution in 2018.

source: EPA Toxic Release Inventory

  • EPA's Toxic Release Inventory(TRI)
    The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) is a resource for learning about toxic chemical releases and pollution prevention activities reported by industrial and federal facilities. TRI data support informed decision-making by communities, government agencies, companies, and others. Section 313 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) created the TRI Program.
  • LDEQ Emission Reporting and Inventory Center ERIC
    Interested in looking up how much of a specific chemical is being released in your area? You can use LDEQ's Emission Reporting and Inventory Center. Select the pollutant you are interested in, add a location(lat and long in decimal degrees) and a radius (1 mile = 1609m) and it will prepare a report of the permitted and actual emission of that chemical in the area you choose.

The Air Quality Index, or AQI, is a measure of actual levels of criteria pollutants in the air you breathe. It is measured on a scale ranging from 0-500. Lower scores mean better air quality and less pollution, while higher scores mean that there is more pollution in the air. The air quality scores are broken down into easy-to-understand color-coded categories. Green indicates that the air quality is good, and purple or maroon indicate that the air quality is unhealthy or hazardous to breathe. Sensitive groups include children, active adults (because they tend to breathe more during heavy activity), those with respiratory diseases like asthma, and the elderly.

Air Quality Index Levels of Health ConcernNumerical ValueMeaning
Good0 to 50Air quality is considered satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk.
Moderate51 to 100Air quality is acceptable; however, for some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups101 to 150Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects. The general public is not likely to be affected.
Unhealthy151 to 200Everyone may begin to experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects.
Very Unhealthy201 to 300Health warnings of emergency conditions. The entire population is more likely to be affected.
Hazardous301 to 500Health alert: everyone may experience more serious health effects.

Note: Values above 500 are considered Beyond the AQI. Follow recommendations for the “Hazardous category.” Additional information on reducing exposure to extremely high levels of particle pollution is available here. Source: AirNow.gov

4.1 Air Quality
4.3 Greenhouse Gas Emissions