Stakeholder Meetings

Presentations from previous meetings:

2010

Air Pollution Control Division

Air Toxics

Air toxics are also referred to as hazardous air pollutants.

While all pollutants are toxic, EPA lists 188 air toxics as distinct from "criteria pollutants." Criteria pollutants include ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter and lead.

The Air Pollution Control Division conducts several activities that control or prevent air toxics, including:

• Automobile inspection and maintenance
• Clean Fuel and alternative fuel use
• Ozone reduction awareness efforts to reduce volatile organic chemicals
• Chlorofluorocarbon reduction and phase-out
• Air pollution control technology requirements for industry
• Pollution Prevention efforts in industries and communities statewide
  

The air division also conducts activities to measure and analyze hazardous air pollutants in Colorado. These include:

• Hazardous air pollutant inventory development, such as databases of stationary source emissions and the Colorado Diesel Exhaust Emissions Study (2003)
• Pollution modeling, which estimates emissions of air toxics, their transport in air and their effect on ambient (outdoor) air quality
• Air monitoring, to measure the quantity of specific pollutants in the air.
• Risk assessment of inhalation exposure (with the Disease Control and Environmental Epidemiology Division)
  

The Air Pollution Control Division collaborates with communities and air quality agencies to develop information regarding air toxics as well as to control emissions and exposures. Division staff meet with community groups to help resolve air quality concerns in specific regions of the state. The division supports and encourages broad-based community efforts such as:

• Bike to Work
• Mass transit
• Car pooling
• Telecommuting
• Alternative energy use such as wind and solar power
• Diesel school bus retrofitting

Such efforts help to improve Colorado's air quality. Pollution from individual motor vehicles has been reduced dramatically in Colorado since the 1970s when federal vehicle emissions standards were implemented. New cars emit less than one-tenth of the pollutants that cars from the mid-1970s were allowed to emit. Stationary source facilities that emit air toxics must pay fees and comply with limits for their emissions under Colorado Air Quality Control Commission Regulation Number 8.

The future holds the potential for greater reductions in air pollution as new technologies and new air pollution control strategies are developed. However, as Colorado's population continues to grow, the use of energy, commodities and motor vehicles may increase, thus posing long-term air quality challenges.

For more information contact Lisa Silva at 303-692-3119.

Studies and Reports

• Environmental Toxics and Human Exposure in the United States  June 2006 (PDF file, 32 pages)

• Colorado Diesel Exhaust Emissions Study (pdf file, 86 pages, 2 MB)

• Also see technical studies on air toxics done by the Technical Services Program

Additional Information

• School Bus Clean Diesel Retrofit Program
• Air Toxics Strategy Basics
  Explains the basic goals of the national strategy, the approaches being taken to meet the goals, air pollution sources affected, and how the strategy will evolve with more air toxics data and information.
• Mercury-free Colorado Campaign
  A mercury prevention program with tips and guidelines for handling mercury spills and keeping mercury out of the environment.
• Air Pollution Control Division modeling and monitoring
• Air Pollution Control Division information on Maximum Achievable Control Technology standards for industry
• Air Pollution Control Division Mobile Sources Program for control of motor vehicle emissions.
• Air Pollution Control Division Chlorofluorocarbon Control Program
• Air Pollution Control Division Small Business Assistance Program

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