Hamilton County Air Quality
2006 - 2007
What is the National Ambient Air
Quality Standard
(NAAQS)
NAAQS is a program of the
EPA Office of Air Quality
Planning and Standards
(OAQPS)
What Does the NAAQS Program Do?

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Test and sets criteria “pollutant’ attainment standards for all
communities across the United States.
Makes regulations for communities and businesses who are not
compliant with attainment
There Are Six Primary Criteria “Pollutants” for
NAAQS
Three of These Criminal Pollutants
Have a Primary Focus
 Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless and toxic gas.
 Nitrogen Oxide
The two most prevalent oxides of nitrogen are nitrogen dioxide(NO2) and
nitric oxide (NO). Both are toxic gases with NO2 being a highly
reactive oxidant and corrosive.

Particulate Matter
a complex mixture of extremely small particles and liquid droplets.
Particle pollution is made up of a number of components,
including acids (such as nitrates and sulfates), organic
chemicals, metals, and soil or dust particles.
In Smallest Form Some Criminal
Pollutants:

Are Invisible to the Eye

Create Acid in the Atmosphere

Can Harm Children and Older Adults

Can Harm People with Respiratory Disease
Air Pollutants Are Measured By
Monitoring the Concentration in the Air
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Currently Hamilton County is in NonAttainment With Ozone and Particulate
Matter 2.5 Monitoring
Another Compound Not Associated with
Ozone are called Volatile Organic
Compounds (VOCs)
Likewise: Fossil Fuels, Construction, and
Factories For Particulate Matter.
Comparison of US/EPA Attainment
Compliance in Hamilton County between
2006-07
Brad Miller: Permits & Enforcement Section
Supervisor Air Quality Management Division
Hamilton County Environmental Services
“We don’t have a problem with
the nitrogen oxide standard,”
said Brad Miller, 45, who
handles the permits and
enforcement for HAMCO
and the surrounding four
counties. “What we do have
is a lot of the VOC that
reacts with nitrogen and
forms the ozone.”
New Standards for NAAQS
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Both Ozone and PM 2.5 Were Strengthened
as National Requirements for Monitoring in
2006
Each Are Different Types of Criminal Air
Pollutants
VOCs Are Monitored but Lack Any
Regulations for Release into the Air
Brad Miller Shares His Insight on Ozone and
Particulates

“Ozone is not like a
particulate that gets into
the lungs and lodges,”
said Miller. “Particulate
matter less than 2.5
microns, they are
finding can cause
breathing issues, but
ozone is more of an
issue.”
Air Quality Index Studies from 2006-07 do not Reflect the
Overall Quality Before the New NAAQS Monitoring, but Recent
2004-06 Court Cases Highlight the Need for More Monitoring
On January 12, 2009, Michael Scott of the
Cleveland Plain Dealer Reported

“A U.S. EPA proposal this month could force Ohio cities like Cincinnati and
Columbus to meet the same air pollution standards and deadlines as Cleveland and
Akron, which are already facing more stringent clean air standards ”
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/01/us_epa_plan_forces_cincinnati_1.html
Brad Miller’s said the “The Smokestack Effect” story by USA
TODAY
“tried to use some of that Toxic
Release Inventory data
(TRI), air emissions data,
and air toxics data and put it
into a model to determine
what the impacts were,” said
Miller. “It was identifying
facilities 50 miles away
impacting a school. I think it
highlights where we may
need more monitoring.”
More Monitors target in Places Where
the Non-Attainment Issues Exist
What Drives Criminal Ground-Level
Ozone?
“You have a large amount
of coal fired utilities in
the Midwest. In cities in
the North East it’s the
mobile sources cars,
trucks, and utilities; and
that comes from the
combustion of fossil
fuels: coal, petroleum,
or gas. Miller said.
Health Issues of Criminal Pollutants
“Anything where there’s a lot of smoke:
car engines, diesel engines, smog,
airliners, factories.” said Christopher B.
Schmitt M.D., 32. He is an Asthma
Specialist with 16 years of experience
currently working with the Tri-State
Pulmonary Associates, Inc. and Christ
Hospital.
Ozone is a Mixture of Gas and Chemical and
petroleum based products

Good ozone exists miles above the Earth
and protects the planet from ultraviolet
radiation.

Bad ground-level ozone is a problem on hot
sunny days when the VOCs or chemical
hydrocarbons interact with nitrogen oxides.
Nitrogen Dioxide NO2 & NOx:
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is a reactive brown gas
can irritate the lungs, cause bronchitis and pneumonia, and
lower resistance to respiratory infections.
is key for the production of ozone (O3) and acid rain, and may
affect both all of Earth’s environment.
the breakdown of nitrogen dioxide form another air pollutant,
nitric oxide.
VOCs together with the nitrogen oxide NOx in the atmosphere
blend and that produce ozone. Combustion of fuels at high
temperatures can also create NOx.
main sources of NOx are: vehicles engines, electric utilities,
and industrial boilers.
VOCs Come From Multiple Sources
Like

paints and lacquers, paint strippers, cleaning
supplies, pesticides, building materials and
furnishings, office equipment such as copiers
and printers, correction fluids and carbonless
copy paper, graphics and craft materials
including glues and adhesives, permanent
markers, and photographic solutions.
USA Today Continued…

“the only way to tell is to get out
there and monitor the
concentration. All the pollutants
go down over time, especially
the one’s we were not in
attainment with. Some of this
stuff can’t be done overnight. It
may take six years before you
see any impact on air quality ,”
said Miller. “So you look at
toxics and you try and
determine the risk where there
may be issues, since there are
no specific emissions locations.
The concentration in the air is
what’s really critical.”
What can be done?
“Cut down emissions,
switching from cars that
go on oil to electric.
Anything that would
improve air quality,
nuclear versus coal and
oil,” stated Schmitt
8-hour Ozone Concentrations, Not to Exceed .08
ppb in 8 Hours for Attainment 2005-07
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Current Standard: 0.08 parts per million (max. 8-hour average based
on highest three-year average of the fourth highest 8-hour
concentration)
Former Standard: 0.12 parts per million (max. one-hour avg. not to be
exceeded more than three times over the three most recent years)
Source: Formed when hydrocarbons and nitrogen dioxide react in
sunlight.
Effects: Main component of smog. Irritates mucous membranes,
causing coughing, choking and impaired lung function. Aggravates
asthma and bronchial conditions.
What is in Particulate Matter?
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A mix of water droplets, organic chemicals, metals,
very fine dust or soil, and acids (nitric and sulfuric).
Because of their extremely small size of the particles
inhaled into the lungs, they can enter the
bloodstream, and there affect the soft tissues, heart,
and lungs. The toxic build up of particle
accumulation in the lungs worries the USEPA.
Particulate matter is a commingling of the tiniest
particles that are sized at 10 and 2.5 microns.
The Size of Particulate Matter 2.5 is Smaller Than
One Quarter of One Micron Diameter or About 1/40th
the Size of a Human Hair at 70 Microns in Diameter.
PM 2.5 Concentrations

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Standard: 15 micrograms per cubic meter (max.
annual arithmetic mean)
Standard: 35 micrograms per cubic meter (24-hour
average)
Source[s]: Industrial processes, heating boilers,
engines, dust
Effects: Can clog lung sacs. May pass into
bloodstream. Often carry toxic and carcinogenic
materials.
PM 2.5 Concentrations 2006-07
by Hamilton County Department of Environmental
Services
Are there regulations for chemicals in
the air?
“There are no standards
for air toxics,” said
Miller. “There are no air
quality standard limits
for it.”
Other Pollutants:
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Metals show up as trace amounts, but it is
important to note that what goes up must
come down somewhere else and like ozone
affect the ecosystem.
For many of the chemicals released by
production and industry, the EPA have set no
standard limits.
Some that never disappear are called PBTs
(Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxics)
Other Pollutants Refrigerants:

The refrigerants trichlorofluoromethane (CFC-11),
dichlorodifluoromethane (CFC-12), Freon 113 and
Freon 114 have been discontinued commercially
since the 1980s but are still present in the
environment.

Chlorodifluoromethane (CFC-22) can still be used
until 2020. These compounds pose no health risks
other thantheir potential to reduce the stratospheric
ozone layer.
Other Pollutants cont.
Monitoring by the Hamilton County Department of Environmental
Services
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Industrial Solvents Key
(*) Industrial Solvents
(A1) Confirmed Human
Carcinogen
(A2) Suspected Human
Carcinogen
(A3) Confirmed Animal
Carcinogen,
Unknown in Humans
Christine Todd Whitman

According to the New York
Times, before Steven Johnson
became a controversial
figurehead of the EPA was
Christine Todd Whitman from
2001-03, “She also found
herself in the awkward position
of having to renounce and
rewrite various rules governing
industrial air pollution, rules she
had vigorously defended when
she was governor of New
Jersey.”
State of the Air

Since their implementation, the new regulations and
national standards have brought the Air Quality up
slightly in Hamilton County. The largest industries
with problems followed the EPA’s lead, changed their
operations, and were fined or had their permits
revoked. The USEPA and HAMCO proposes to
continue to increase pollutant standards until it
meets a satisfactory balance between the public’s
health and safety, the needs of manufacturers, and
consumers.
Those Contacted Chose to Be
Unavailable For Comment
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Duke Energy Miami Fort Plant
UC Medicine: Health Professionals
The American Lung Association (directed to
website, directed to HAMCO)
The National Association of Manufacturers
The End
Thank you for your time!