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The six criteria air pollutants were the first set of pollutants recognized by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as needing standards on a national level. [5] The Clean Air Act requires the EPA to set US National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for the six CAPs. [6]
The petitioners argued that carbon dioxide (CO 2), methane (CH 4), nitrous oxide (N 2 O), and hydrofluorocarbons meet the definition of an air pollutant under section 302(g) of the Act, and that statements made by the EPA, other federal agencies, and the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) amounted to a finding that ...
The six criteria pollutants in particular are tracked due to their known harmful effects on human health and the environment. [1] An area with outdoor air exceeding the limit for a given pollutant is considered a non-attainment area for that pollutant.
Ambient air quality criteria, or standards, are concentrations of pollutants in the air, and typically refer to outdoor air.The criteria are specified for a variety of reasons including for the protection of human health, buildings, crops, vegetation, ecosystems, as well as for planning and other purposes.
The AQI is based on the five "criteria" pollutants regulated under the Clean Air Act: ground-level ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide. The EPA has established National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for each of these pollutants in order to protect public health.
For example, the United States Clean Air Act identifies ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides (NO x), sulfur dioxide (SO 2), and lead (Pb) as "criteria" pollutants requiring nationwide regulation. [1] EPA has also identified over 180 compounds it has classified as "hazardous" pollutants requiring strict control. [2]
The National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) are air pollution standards issued by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The standards, authorized by the Clean Air Act, are for pollutants not covered by the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) that may cause an increase in fatalities or in serious, irreversible, or incapacitating illness.
The NAAQS regulates the six criteria for air pollutants: sulfur dioxide (SO 2), particulate matter (PM 10), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O 3), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2), and lead (Pb). [22] To ensure that the ambient standards are met, the EPA uses the Federal Reference Method (FRM) and Federal Equivalent Method (FEM) systems to measure the ...