North Shore AIR

HOW AIR POLLUTION DATA IS COLLECTED:

For the most part, air pollution data is collected by sources (actual industry and commercial companies) self-reporting to either their state environmental agency (in Massachusetts,  the MADEP) or to the federal environmental agency (the EPA).  In addition, the EPA creates air pollution estimates using additional data they collect and modeling systems.  Very little actual air pollution monitoring is done to determine how accurate this information is.

Summary of How Data Is Collected by Agencies:  

(1) Total HAPs and Largest Single HAP is required to be reported only if the Potential To Emit HAPs is greater than 10 tons for any single, or 25 tons for any combination of HAPs.  The downloaded report provided to us from MADEP did not include HAPs.

STATE LEVEL (MADEP):

FEDERAL LEVEL (EPA):

EPA National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA):  Model Estimates

The NATA is a national-scale assessment that specifically looks at the dispersion and health effects that can be predicted from air toxic emissions outdoors.  It includes only the 33 chemicals that make up the subset of HAPs called the Urban HAPs from the data collected from the NEI.  Air dispersion modeling is then used to predict air quality.  These predictions are compared to actual measurements to check the model’s accuracy.  Once the air quality is determined, another model is run that includes the population that would be affected by the dispersion at the predicted air quality.  The health effects that are predicted to result are categorized into two primary subcategories of cancer and non-cancer effects.  While NEI data is collected every three years, the NATA results have a much longer delay before being released to the public.  This is due to the need for states to verify their data for holes to be filled in by using national data and then another verification process.  Once the inventories are risk modeled, states often look closer if they have areas of high risk and submit modified inventory data which requires corrections and new modeling runs-all of which takes time.

EPA Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) – Air Emissions: Self- Reported by Sources
Information on toxic emissions is also available through the Federal Toxic Release Inventory Program (TRI).  The goal of TRI is to empower citizens, through information, to hold companies and local governments accountable  for how toxic chemicals are managed. Thru TRI, any company that uses more than a specified amount (typically 10 or 25 tons) of a particular list of chemicals must report on an annual basis how much of the chemical was stored and used and how much and where it went.  More specifically, a company is required to report how much of the tracked chemical evaporated into the air, how much the company released into waterways or the sewer, and how much the company shipped off-site as Hazardous or Non-hazardous waste.  Although TRI is successful in capturing information on a significant portion of toxic chemicals currently being used by covered industry sectors, it does not cover all toxic chemicals or all industry sectors.  Further, even within covered SIC codes, facilities that manage listed TRI chemicals but do not meet the TRI threshold levels (those with fewer than 10 full-time employees or those not meeting TRI quantity thresholds) are not required to report even though they may release toxic chemicals into the environment.

MONITORING:

Air pollution in Essex County is monitored by several different monitor locations dispersed in the region.  Each monitor may monitor one or several pollutants.  These monitoring locations maybe run by the State, the federal agencies, or individual facilities. 

The following is a list of locations of air pollution monitors in Essex County:

Note that none of the still functional air monitors are tracking Carbon Monoxide (CO), Sulfur Dioxide (SO2), Particulate Matter 10 (PM10), or Lead (Pb), and that none are in any of this report’s target communities.

Air Pollution Monitors Active in 2005