Search

Receptor modeling is the application of data analysis methods to elicit information on the sources of air pollutants. Typically, it employs methods of solving the mixture resolution problem using chemical composition data for airborne particulate matter (PM) samples. In such cases, the outcome is the identification of the pollution source types and estimates of the contribution of each source type to the observed concentrations. Receptor modeling also involves efforts to identify the locations of the sources through the use of local meteorology or ensembles of air parcel back trajectories. Compositional data were collected in a number of monitoring programs. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency deployed a network of urban airborne PM samplers to provide PM2.5 composition data for urban centers across the United States. In addition, advanced monitoring methods were deployed at “supersites.” These data show the differences in composition in different part of the country and were also used to identify and apportion the particle sources. These results were used to (1)develop effective and efficient air quality management plans and (2) refine emission inventories for input into deterministic models to predict changes in air quality as the result of the implementation of various management plans. The apportionments also serve as exposure estimates for health effects models to identify those components of the PM that are most closely related to observed adverse health effects. Although current regulations target total airborne mass concentrations, such health effects results might result in targeting those sources that are most likely linked to adverse health effects and thus produce the maximum health benefit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluating the extent to which air quality regulations improve public health—sometimes referred to as accountability—is part of an emerging effort to assess the effectiveness of environmental regulatory policies. Air quality has improved substantially in the United States and Western Europe in recent decades, with far less visible pollution and decreasing concentrations of several major pollutants. In large part, these gains were achieved through increasingly stringent air quality regulations. The costs associated with compliance and, importantly, the need to ensure that the regulations are achieving the intended public health benefits underscore the importance of accountability research. To date, accountability research has emphasized measuring the effects of actions already taken to improve air quality. Such research may also contribute to estimating the burden of disease that might be avoided in the future if certain actions are taken. The Health Effects Institute (HEI) currently funds eight ongoing studies on accountability, which cover near-term interventions to improve air quality including (1) a ban on the sale of coal, (2) replacing old wood stoves with cleaner ones, (3) decreasing sulfur content in fuel, (4) measures to reduce traffic, and (5) longer term, wide-ranging actions or events (such as complex changes associated with the reunification of Germany). HEI is also funding the development of methods and research to assess regulations that are implemented incrementally over extended periods of time, such as Title IV of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, which reduces sulfur dioxide emissions from power plants in the eastern United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents an overview of progress and future directions in air quality management in Europe, the United States, and Canada. The article describes the role of the European Commission, the Clean Air for Europe program, and the World Health Organization (WHO) in devising policies to reduce health risks due to air pollution in Europe. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards for particulate matter (PM), air quality monitoring programs, and research efforts to support air quality management strategies are discussed. The unique aspects of air quality management in Canada are identified, including the need for a better understanding of the true burden of health effects and improved communication strategies to inform the public and stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]