Air Pollutants

Criteria Pollutants   EPA Standards Health Effects
Carbon Monoxide CO 8-hr: 9ppm (10mg/m3)

1-hr: 35 ppm (40mg/ m3)

Affects cardiovascular system, increase heart rate, respiration
Sulfur Oxide SOx Annual Avg: 0.03 ppm 

24-hr: 0.14 ppm (365 mg/ m3)

3-hr: 0.5 ppm (1300 mg/ m3)

Respiratory illness (bronchitis)
Particulate Matter PM10

PM2.5

Annual: 50.0 mg/ m3

24-hr: 150 mg/ m3

Annual: 15.0 mg/ m3

24-hr: 65 mg/ m3

Reduced lung function, Inflammation, cardiovascular disease
Lead Pb 3 mo. Avg: 1.5 mg/ m3 Children's mental development, anemia
Nitrogen Oxide Nox Annual: 0.05 ppm (100 mg/ m3) Lung disease, eye and nose irritation
Ozone O3 8-hr: 0.08 ppm (156 mg/m3) Lung edema, emphysema, coughing, sneezing, pulmonary congestion, chest pain

ppm: parts per million
PM10: Particles with diameter less than 10 micrometers
PM2.5: Particles with diameter less than 2.5 micrometers

Water Pollutants


Criteria Pollutants   Effects
Phosphate P2O5 0.01-0.03 mg/L

Amount of phosphate-phosphorus in most uncontaminated lakes

0.025 mg/L

Accelerates the eutrophication process in lakes

0.1 mg/L

Recommended maximum for rivers and streams

 

Ammonia NH3 Ammonia is toxic to fish and aquatic organisms, even in very low concentrations. When levels reach 0.06 mg/L, fish can suffer gill damage. When levels reach 0.2 mg/L, sensitive fish like trout and salmon begin to die. As levels near 2.0 mg/L, even ammonia-tolerant fish like carp begin to die. Ammonia levels greater than approximately 0.1 mg/L usually indicate polluted waters.
Carbon Dioxide CO2 1.0-6.0 (mg/L)

Fish avoid these waters.

12

Few fresh-water fish can survive for long periods of time in water with a carbon dioxide level greater than this.

30

Kills the most sensitive fish immediately.

 

Chlorine Cl 0.006 (mg/L)

Kills trout fry in two days.

0.01

Recommended maximum for all fish.

0.01

Kills Chinook Salmon and Coho Salmon.

 

Nitrates and Nitrites NO3 US Public Health Service established 10 mg/L of nitrate-nitrogen as the maximum contamination level allowed in public drinking water. Water with nitrite levels exceeding 1.0 mg/L should not be used for feeding babies. Nitrite concentrations in drinking water seldom exceed 0.1 mg/L.
Turbidity Nephelometric Turbidity Units or NTUs. The American Public Health Association (APHA) specifies drinking water turbidity shall not exceed 0.5 NTUs. However, some scientists think this standard is too generous. They want to see the value reduced to 0.1 NTUs.

 
 
Hazardous Pollutants
Clean Air Act POLLUTANTS Definition
  Arsenic 1) pollutants without National Ambient Quality Standards
  Asbestos 2) contributes to "air pollution which may reasonably
CAA 1970 Benzene anticipated to result in an increase in serious irreversible, or
Big Seven Beryllium incapacitating reversible, illness."
  Mercury  
  Radioactive Isopotes  
  Vinyl Chloride  
  Toluene 1) inclusion of carcinogenic, mutagenic, teratogenic pollutants 
  Methanol which cause reproductive dysfunction, or chronic toxic damage
  1,1,1-Trichloroethane  
CAA 1990  Xylenes (Mixed isomers)  
Amendment Chlorine  
Big Nine Methyl ethyl ketone  
  Carbon disulfide  
  Hydrochloric acid  
  Trichloroethylene  
TRI (Toxic Release Inventory)   189 pollutants are listed.


Transportation Share of Criteria Pollutants in the U.S. (%)

 

            O3  
Greenhouse Gas
    CO PM10 PM2.5 SO2 Nox VOC PB CO2 CH4 N2O
Travel Light duty MV
85
26
21
33
57
79
  
62
83
91
  Heavy duty MV
9
41
46
14
26
8
  
16
12
5
  Rail  
7
8
17
11
1
  
2
1
1
  Air Craft
2
10
9
2
2
3
  
14
3
3
  Freight Ships  
8
7
35
3
1
  
2
1
1
  Recreational Boats
3
8
9
  
1
8
  
1
Trans. Travel
61
1
4
3
36
31
  
31
1
20
Energy Unpaved road dust  
37
22
              
Databk Paved road dust  
7
8
              
  Petroleum Prod.&Refining      
2
      
5
    
  MV Travel
57.5
8.6
9.2
1.6
29.8
27.2
0.5
      
  Marine Vessel
0.1
0.1
0.3
1.2
1.0
0.3
n.a.
      
  Air Craft
1.2
0.1
0.3
0.1
0.8
1.0
12.8
      

Source: EPA, National Air Pollutant Emission Trends

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