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• WWW.KDHEKS.GOV

Our Vision Healthy Kansans living in safe and
sustainable environments.
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Revisions to National Ambient Air Quality
Standards for Ozone and Particulate Matter

• Douglas Watson
• Kansas Air Quality Seminar
• March 5-6, 2008
• Kansas Department of Health and Environment
• Bureau of Air and Radiation

Our Vision Healthy Kansans living in safe and
sustainable environments.
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• Under section 109(d) of the Clean Air Act, EPA
  must review each of its National Ambient Air
  Quality Standards (NAAQS) every five years.

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Particulate Matter
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Revisions to Particulate Matter Standards

• PM2.5 Standards
• Review completed in 2006
• EPA strengthened the 24-hr PM2.5 standard from
  1997 level of 65 micrograms per cubic meter
  (µg/m3) to 35µg/m3, and
• EPA retained the current annual PM2.5 standard at
  15µg/m3

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Revisions to Particulate Matters Standards

• Attainment of PM2.5 Standards
• 24-Hour Standard
• An area will meet the 24-hour standard if the
  98th percentile of 24-hour PM2.5 concentrations
  in a year, averaged over three years, is less
  than or equal to the level of the standard of 35
  µg/m3
• Annual Standard
• An area will meet the annual PM2.5 standard when
  the three-year average of the annual average
  PM2.5 concentration is less than or equal to 15
  µg/m3

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Revisions to Particulate Matters Standards

• PM10 Standards
• EPA retained the existing national 24-hr PM10
  standard of 150µg/m3
• EPA revoked the annual PM10 standard,
• Available evidence generally does not suggest a
  link between long-term exposure to current levels
  of coarse particles and health problems
• EPA protecting all Americans from effects of
  short-term exposure to inhalable coarse particles
  by retaining the existing daily PM10 standard of
  150µg/m3

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Revisions to Particulate Matter Standards

• Attainment of PM10 Standards
• An area will meet the 24-hour PM10 standard when
  the 150µg/m3 level is not exceeded more than once
  per year on average over a three year period

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Revisions to Particulate Matters Standards
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Revisions to Particulate Matters Standards
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Revisions to Particulate Matters Standards
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8-hour Ozone
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Proposed Revisions to Ozone Standard

• On June 20, 2007, EPA proposed revisions to the
  National Ambient Air Quality Standards for
  ground-level ozone
• The proposed revisions reflect new scientific
  evidence about ozone and its effects on people
  and public welfare
• The proposed revisions would affect two types of
  ozone standards
• Primary standards to protect public health,
  including the health of sensitive populations
  such as people with asthma, children, and older
  adults
• Secondary standards to protect public welfare and
  the environment, including sensitive vegetation
  and ecosystems

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Proposed Revisions to Ozone Standard
EPAs Current Ozone Standards

• Current standards were set in 1997 (most recent
  revision)
• Primary (health-based) and secondary
  (welfare-based) standards are both 0.08 parts per
  million (ppm), with an 8-hour averaging time
• Because of rounding, these standards are
  effectively 0.084 ppm
• EPA, states and tribes collect data about ozone
  levels from air pollution monitors. It takes
  three consecutive years of data to determine if
  an area is meeting (attaining) the standards
• An area attains the current standards if the
  three-year average of the annual fourth-highest
  daily maximum 8-hour average ozone concentration
  measured at each monitor does not exceed 0.084 ppm

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Proposed Revisions to Ozone Standard
Proposed Revisions to Primary Ozone Standard

• The EPA Administrator has determined that the
  current standard is not sufficient to protect
  public health.
• EPA proposes that a standard set within the range
  of 0.070 to 0.075 ppm would protect public health
  with an adequate margin of safety
• EPA allowed comment on a range of alternative
  levels for the standard down to 0.060 ppm and up
  to the level of the current standard
• EPA also proposes to specify the level of the
  primary standard to the nearest thousandth ppm
  (third decimal place)

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Proposed Revisions to Ozone Standard

• Exposures to ozone can
• Reduce lung function, more difficult to breathe
• Irritate airways, causing cough, sore throat,
  shortness of breath
• Increased frequency of asthma attacks
• Inflame and damage the lining of lung
• Increase susceptibility to respiratory infection
• Aggravate chronic lung diseases like asthma,
  emphysema, and bronchitis

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Proposed Revisions to Ozone Standard
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Proposed Revisions to Ozone Standard
Proposed Revisions to Secondary Ozone Standard

• EPA is proposing two alternatives for the
  secondary ozone standard
• A new cumulative, seasonal standard, or
• A standard identical to the proposed primary
  standard
• The proposed new seasonal standard is known as
  W126
• W126 is a cumulative index form that weights and
  sums hourly measurements over a given period of
  time
• EPA is proposing both a daily and seasonal time
  period over which to cumulate the weighted hourly
  measurements during the ozone season
• A 12-hour daily period
• And a seasonal period consisting of the three
  months of maximum W126 index value

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Proposed Revisions to Ozone Standards
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Proposed Revisions to Ozone Standard
Milestone Date
SignatureFinal Rule March 2008
Effective Day of Rule (60 days following publication in Federal Register) Approximately June 2008
State Designation Recommendations to EPA June 2009 (based on 2006-2008 monitoring data)
Final Designations Signature Approximately June 2010
Effective Date of Designation Approximately 2010
SIPs Due Approximately 2013
Attainment Dates 2013-2030 depending on severity of problem
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Kansas City Ozone

• 2007 Ozone Season
• Low 4th highest daily maximum 8-hr average ozone
  concentrations from the 2004 ozone season for
  monitors in the Kansas City area drop off the
  3-year average
• Cool and wet summer in the region led to low
  ozone concentrations for the 2004 ozone season
• 2005 and 2006 ozone seasons in Kansas City
  yielded many days in which monitors exceeded
  levels of the standard
• Stage was set for Kansas City to violate ozone
  standard
• Violation occurred mid-June

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Kansas City Ozone

• Understanding the 8-hour Ozone Standard
• The 3-year average of the 4th highest daily
  maximum 8-hr average ozone concentrations
  measured at each monitor within an area over each
  year must not exceed 0.08 ppm
• A 3-year average of the 4th highest daily maximum
  8-hr average ozone concentration greater than or
  equal to 0.085 ppm is considered a violation of
  the ozone standard

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Kansas City Ozone

• 2007 Ozone Season Update
• Three sites currently have 2005-2007 averages of
  the 4th highest daily maximum 8-hr average ozone
  concentrations in violation of standard
• Rocky Creek 0.087 ppm
• Liberty 0.087 ppm
• Trimble 0.085 ppm

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Kansas City Ozone

• 2007 Ozone Season Update
• Kansas Monitors (2005-2007 Design Values)
• Kansas City, KS JFK 0.077 ppm
• Leavenworth 0.077 ppm
• Heritage Park 0.076 ppm

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Kansas City Ozone
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QUESTIONS??
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• WWW.KDHEKS.GOV
• dwatson_at_kdhe.state.ks.us

Our Vision Healthy Kansans living in safe and
sustainable environments.