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Air
Quality
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Ensure
that all North Carolinians breathe air that meets the new health-based
standard for ozone.
Target:
100 percent. No people will be exposed.
Baseline, 2001: Will be established in early 2001.
Target Setting Method: Consistent with the Federal Clean
Air Act (Public Law 101-549) and consistent with Division of Air
Quality, NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources Key
Performance Measures 2000.
Increase
the percent compliance rate for major and minor emission sources.
Target:
90 percent.
Baseline, 1999: 84.67 percent of major and minor emissions
sources were compliant.
Target Setting Method: Consistent with the Federal Clean
Air Act (Public Law 101-549) and consistent with Division of Air
Quality, NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources Key
Performance Measures 2000.
Improve
the visibility in the southern Appalachian Mountains.
Target:
One deciview improvement.
Baseline, 2001: Will be established in 2001.
Target Setting
Method: Consistent with the Federal Clean Air Act (Public
Law 101-549) and consistent with Division of Air Quality, NC Department
of Environment and Natural Resources Key Performance Measures
2000.
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Environmental
Health - Air Quality
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Large portions of the State are in violation
of the new eight-hour National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ozone.
Ozone is formed by the reactions of the air pollutants nitrogen oxides
and volatile organic compounds with oxygen in the air on hot, sunny
days. The control of emissions of nitrogen oxides is the best way
to reduce ozone levels.
Nitrogen oxides emissions from power plants
and other large stationary combustion sources will be reduced through
stricter emission control standards. The inspection/maintenance
program (vehicle tailpipe testing) will be changed to more directly
reduce nitrogen oxides and will be expanded from the present nine
counties to 48 counties by 2006. Other measures that will reduce
nitrogen oxides are stricter national standards for vehicle manufacturers
and reduced sulfur content for gasoline and diesel fuel.
These reductions of nitrogen oxide emissions
will also help reduce acid rain and fine particulate pollution and
may reduce undesirable nutrient input into sensitive waterways.
Monitoring for fine particulates is in the beginning phases, but
indications are that these levels are very likely exceeding national
standards as well.
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Disparities
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Children are most at risk from exposure to
ozone. Because children’s respiratory systems are still developing,
they are more susceptible to respiratory conditions than adults. Children
also spend more time outside on the average.
Asthmatics (adults and children) also suffer
from ozone exposure since ozone can aggravate asthma, causing more
asthma attacks, increased use of medication, more medical treatment,
and more visits to hospital emergency clinics. The American daily
asthma death rate is three times greater than just 20 years ago
and African American/Blacks die from asthma at a rate six times
that of Whites.
In general, because of the density of
pollutant emissions, ozone levels are higher in urban and surrounding
areas, but ozone and its precursor pollutants can travel some distance
so that even very rural areas can experience high ozone levels.
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Determinants/Risk
Factors
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Pollution
levels depend on many factors. One set of factors is the climatology
and even topography of an area. Others that are more controllable
are the quantity and timing of pollutant emissions. Vehicle emissions
and resulting ozone levels, for instance, depend on the number of
vehicles, the distance traveled, the fuel used, the rate of emission
that the vehicle produces, and when the traveling is done. The number
of vehicles and distance traveled could be reduced with improved public
transit systems. Some alternate fuels like compressed natural gas
could be used to reduce the rate of emission for vehicles. The rate
can also be reduced through the operation of vehicle inspection/maintenance
programs, which cause vehicles to be kept in better repair. Idling
in traffic jams increases the pollution relative to travel at uncongested
times. Emissions in the morning are more likely to lead to ozone generation
than emissions in the evening. Some of these same analyses can be
applied to emissions from stationary sources or to activities like
electricity use that lead to emissions. |
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NC
Data
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| Environmental
Health - Air Quality |
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