United states and international approaches to establishing air standards and guidelines

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the U.S. Clean Air Act, which contains key legislative requirements mandated by the U.S. Congress dealing with several major classes of air pollutants. Of particular interest are those Clean Air Act sections that provide legislative requirements or guidance with regard to developing air quality standards for criteria air pollutants, developing strategies for hazardous air pollutants, and dealing with selected mobile source pollutant issues of much current interest with regard to certain fuels and fuel additives. Section 108 of the 1970 Clean Air Act directs the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to identify and issue air quality criteria for ubiquitous air pollutants that may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare. The air quality criteria are to reflect the latest available scientific information on the nature and extent of all identifiable effects on public health or welfare that may be expected from the presence of the pollutant in ambient air. Clean Air Act mobile sources provisions focus mainly on emissions limitations aimed both at minimizing risks associated directly with exposures to fuels or fuel additives or their combustion products in vehicle emissions and at minimizing exacerbation of criteria air pollutant problems.