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Orange County Air Quality Article
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The Air Quality Management Program
from:The Environmental Protection Agency better known as the EPA is ultimately responsible for the air quality management in the United States of America. Although, the EPA assigns other businesses, programs, groups, organizations and entities the miscellaneous tasks related to air quality management they are the group or organization assigned the task by the federal government.
The EPA has the responsibility of the following air quality management standards, air quality improvements, air quality monitoring, home air quality, indoor air quality, outdoor air quality, poor air quality, air quality standards updates, air quality testing and air quality levels. These are only a few of the many air quality management areas of interest that the EPA is required to monitor.
The standards involved with air quality management are grouped into Primary and Secondary air quality standards. Primary air quality standards were set to protect public health. The Primary standards include “sensitive” pollutants such as those that contribute to asthma and the pollutants dangerous to children and the elderly. Secondary air quality standards are those set to the welfare of the public. The pollutants included in the Secondary standards include pollutants effecting animals, visibility, buildings, crops and vegetation.
The reason that the EPA is ultimately responsible for air quality management is because of the Clean Air Act of 1970. In 1970, the Clean Air Act was passed and created the need for an organization to manage the specific aspects of the act.
The Clean Air Act requires the EPA to set air quality standards for six harmful pollutants. The six pollutants that the EPA Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards or the OAQPS has set standards for are Carbon Monoxide, Lead, Nitrogen Dioxide, Ozone, Particulate Matter and Sulfur Dioxide. These six pollutants are called “criteria” pollutants. The units used to measure these pollutants are parts per million (ppm) by volume, milligrams (mg/m3), and micrograms per cubic meter of air (µg/m3).
These pollutants were named and the standards were set because the Clean Air Act requires the EPA to do so. The Clean Air Act also tells the EPA to review and update these standards to make sure that they continue to protect the public and the environment, as the updates are needed.
In 1990, the last amendment was added to the Clean Air Act. The Clean Air Act is still reviewed for needed amendments and changes as science and industry change the way that the monitoring and testing is done.
The EPA does air quality management because they were the organization named responsible by the United States government after the Clean Air Act was passed in 1970.
Orange County Air Quality News
Heat, smog lead to air warnings - Weatherford Democrat
Heat, smog lead to air warnings Weatherford Democrat PARKER COUNTY — Fort Worth and communities around it are under a Level Orange air quality warning, issued by the National Weather Service Thursday. Level Orange warnings are given out when ozone pollution is predicted to reach unhealthy levels, ... |
Marijuana Bales Found Floating In Dana Point Harbor In Orange County, Calif ... - Huffington Post
Marijuana Bales Found Floating In Dana Point Harbor In Orange County, Calif ... Huffington Post Orange County Harbor Patrol found 8068 pounds of marijuana floating off the coast of Dana Point in Orange County, Calif., Sunday afternoon. They were tipped off to the bales, floating 15 miles from shore, at around noon. Local authorities spent the ... |
Report says Ulster, Orange air quality slightly improved - Times Herald-Record
 WBAL Radio | Report says Ulster, Orange air quality slightly improved Times Herald-Record By James Nani Air quality in the mid-Hudson region has improved slightly from last year, according to the American Lung Association's State of the Air 2012 report. Ulster County earned a “B” grade for high ozone days from 2008 to 2010. Jefferson County gets 'F' air rating for 13th straight year Tehama County receives F for air quality Lung Association report shows some air quality improvement in NE Ohio |
Orange County looks to improve Internet speed - The Daily Progress
Orange County looks to improve Internet speed The Daily Progress “Orange County has a very limited amount of quality broadband service, mainly centered towards the towns,” said Clement. “The problem is carriers want a certain density level [to justify installing fiber.] They want to be able to get a return on their ... |
County air fails air quality report - Carroll County Times
 Sun-Sentinel | County air fails air quality report Carroll County Times Likewise, the county barely passed in the particle pollution category with a “D” for nine total orange days and no red days. “There's been a lot of progress made in improving the air quality in Maryland, including Baltimore County,” Apperson added. Air quality here gets high rating Report: Sumner air quality is poor EPA, Lung Association cite improvement in Evansville air quality |