Updated National Air Toxics Assessment Results Just Released
03.11.11 9:38 AMUnder the Clean Air Act, USEPA issues standards for industrial and mobile sources of emissions of 187 listed air toxics plus diesel particulate matter. USEPA processes and studies data on these emissions through the National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA). In general terms, NATA is used to identify and prioritize air toxics and pollutants, emission source types, and geographic areas that are of the greatest potential concern and risk to public health. (Only broad estimates of public health risks are modeled; NATA is not designed to determine actual or individual health risks.)
NATA results are also used by USEPA to work with communities in designing their own local assessments and taking steps to reduce air toxics emissions, to improve the agency’s emissions inventories, and to identify priorities for expanding the air toxics monitoring network.
The first NATA covered data from the year 1996 for 33 air pollutants (32 air toxics on the Clean Air Act’s list plus diesel PM (noncancer results only)). In February of 2006, USEPA released the second NATA, assessing data from 1999 for 178 air pollutants. In June of 2009, the third NATA was released, based on 2002 emissions data for 181 air pollutants. And today, USEPA released the results of its fourth NATA, containing 2005 emissions data for 178 air pollutants.
The results of the most recent assessment show that USEPA, the states, and industry are continuing to make progress to reduce air toxics emissions. Between 1990 and 2005, these types of emissions were reduced by about 42 percent from industrial and mobile sources.
The next assessment will focus on emissions for the year 2008. It will be released in 2012. Of course, we will keep you posted.
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