Air Pollution Foundations

What is the reason for conducting air monitoring? Having well thought out questions about air quality ensures that the data you collect will be meaningful.

Brief history of air quality in the US and the EPA’s role in monitoring and regulating it.

Ozone in the air we breathe can harm our health, especially on hot sunny days when ozone can reach unhealthy levels.

Information about the 187 hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), also known as air toxics.

Information about the 30 HAPs of greatest threat to public health in urban areas, also know as urban air toxics.

California-specific information on toxic air contaminants/air toxics.

Easy-to-understand introduction to the 1990 Clean Air Act, the federal law that enables EPA to implement and enforce regulations reducing air pollutant emissions.

Scientific and technical information about the current and prior review of the NAAQS for each of the six criteria pollutants: CO, PM, O3, NO2, SO2 and lead.

Table of the NAAQS values, associated averaging times,  and form of the standard.

California-specific air quality standards for the criteria air pollutants and other regulated pollution.

Chronology of California State agencies’ actions around regulating ambient air quality.

Thorough report on the BAAQMD’s particulate matter reduction strategy, including the strategy framework,recommended Air District actions, and relevant presentations and symposium summaries from 2019-2020.

An overview of specific Air District efforts to monitor and reduce particulate matter pollution.

12-page brochure detailing the effects of air quality on human health.

Short summary of the effects of particulate matter with links to other resources on health and particulate matter.

Overview of the health effects of ozone pollution including who is at risk, what health problems ozone can cause, how to reduce related health risks, and other resources.

19-minute video created by the California Air Resources Board showing where smog comes from, how it’s formed, and who is most vulnerable to its health impacts.

The EPA’s home page for asthma, including basic information, resources to help manage asthma triggers, ways to take action, and resources on indoor air quality.

EPA’s screening tool to provide communities with information about source locations and health risks from air toxics. 

Information on OEHHA’s health risk assessments for various chemical contaminants found in the air. Contains links to health-based recommendations, air toxics hot spot information, epidemiological studies, and more.

The Healthy Places Index is a mapping tool that provides data on the social factors that drive health outcomes, like job status, access to clean water and healthy foods, and education level.

California’s mapping tool that identifies communities that are most impacted by pollution and where especially vulnerable populations are located.

In order to better meet the Agency’s responsibilities related to the protection of public health and the environment, EPA has developed a new environmental justice (EJ) mapping and screening tool called EJScreen.